Hollywood, FL CPA
Our home base, from the Broadwalk to the Guitar Hotel.
A boutique CPA firm with its mailing address right here in Hollywood. We help local business owners, rental owners and the people who work Hollywood’s nights with tax planning, monthly accounting, payroll and the occasional IRS letter.
The short answer
A Hollywood CPA that actually lives here.
Hollywood sits between two very different economies. East of I-95 it is a beach town. West of it, the Seminole Hard Rock keeps thousands of people working nights. Plenty of our clients live in one world and earn in the other.
Bette Hochberger, CPA, CGMA is a boutique CPA firm with its mailing address at 3980 N 42nd Terrace in Hollywood, Florida. The firm works with Hollywood business owners, real estate investors and professionals on tax planning, tax preparation, outsourced accounting, payroll, IRS representation and Fractional CFO services, and meets most clients on Zoom.
| Hollywood at a glance | What it means in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Sales tax | 7% in Broward County: the 6% state rate plus a 1% county surtax. |
| Short-term rentals | About 13% in total taxes, plus a City of Hollywood vacation rental license. |
| Business tax receipts | City of Hollywood and Broward County receipts, renewed by September 30. |
| Florida annual report | Due May 1 for LLCs and corporations, with a $400 late fee after that. |
| State income tax | None for individuals. C corporations pay 5.5% above a $50,000 exemption. |
Who we meet in Hollywood
Three people we talk to almost every week.
These are composite examples, not real clients. If one of them sounds like you, the first conversation will feel familiar.
The Broadwalk landlord
A couple owns two condos near the beach and rents them by the week in season. They need each unit tracked separately, state and Broward rental taxes filed correctly and a city license that stays current.
The night-shift earner
A bartender, dealer or performer with W-2 wages, cash tips and maybe a 1099 side gig. The goal is clean tip records, the right withholding and claiming the new deduction for qualified tips when it applies.
The downtown owner
A restaurant, salon or studio near Young Circle and ArtsPark that has outgrown shoebox bookkeeping and wants monthly financials, painless payroll and a tax plan before December.
Vacation rentals
Hollywood rentals come with their own rulebook.
Renting a condo near the Broadwalk can pay well in season. It also stacks up obligations from three levels of government that rarely talk to each other.
- A City of Hollywood vacation rental license under Chapter 119 of the city code
- Florida transient rental tax registration with the Department of Revenue
- Broward County tourist development tax filings
- Federal reporting on Schedule E, or Schedule C if you provide hotel-style services
One federal rule surprises people: if you rent out a home you also use yourself for 14 days or fewer in a year, the rental income is generally not reported on your federal return at all. Florida and Broward rental taxes can still apply to those nights, which is exactly the kind of mismatch we sort out.
See short-term rental support ↗Hospitality, gaming and nightlife
Working nights in Hollywood? Your return should show it.
Between the casino floor, the clubs and the restaurants, a lot of Hollywood income arrives in cash, in tips or on a 1099. That is all taxable, and most of it can be planned.
If you are an employee, tips of $20 or more in a month need to be reported to your employer by the 10th of the following month. Tips you never reported to your employer still belong on your tax return, using Form 4137. Getting this right matters more now, because the federal deduction for qualified tips lets eligible workers deduct up to $25,000 a year for 2025 through 2028. Mandatory service charges and automatic gratuities do not count.
If you perform, DJ or work events as a contractor, you are running a small business whether it feels like one or not. That means Schedule C, self-employment tax and quarterly estimated payments, but also deductions for the gear, subscriptions and travel that make the work possible.
Log every shift
A simple monthly tip log protects the deduction and avoids a surprise bill from underreported income.
Split W-2 from 1099
Wages and contract income follow different rules. Keeping them separate keeps the return clean.
Plan the estimates
Set aside the right amount each quarter so April is a formality instead of a scramble.
Questions worth asking before you file
- Do your reported tips match what you actually earned?
- Are any of your tips really service charges or automatic gratuities?
- Is your total income near the phase-out for the tips deduction?
- Are 1099 gig expenses tracked anywhere besides your bank app?
- Did you make estimated payments on contract income this year?
How it works
Close to home, easy to reach.
Being local helps us understand Hollywood. Being cloud-based means you never have to take an afternoon off to see us.
Zoom first
Most meetings take place on Zoom, so you can talk taxes from the office, the condo or the car.
Secure portal
Upload documents once. No email attachments, no lost paperwork, no driving across town.
One team
The people who prepare your return also know your books, your payroll and your plans.
Year-round
We check in before deadlines and before big decisions, not just in April.
Hollywood FAQ
What Hollywood clients ask us first
General answers to common questions. The right move depends on your facts, so use these as a starting point for the conversation.
Sources: Florida Department of Revenue, 2026 discretionary sales surtax rates (DR-15DSS); Florida EDR, 2026 local option transient rental tax rates; City of Hollywood Vacation Rental License Program; IRS Publication 531, Reporting Tip Income; IRS Topic 415, Renting residential and vacation property; IRS, final regulations on occupations that receive tips; Florida Statutes section 205.053; Florida Division of Corporations, annual report.
Photos: Rob Olivera, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0); InvadingInvader, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0); Unsplash contributor; Kev Cook, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
This page is general information, not tax or legal advice for your situation. Rates and deadlines shown are for 2026 and can change.
Right here in Hollywood. Right on your calendar.
Book 15 minutes on Zoom or call the office. Tell us what changed, and we will tell you what should happen next.
Put 15 Minutes on the Calendar ↗ Call 954.639.4060 ↗