Results
Seasoned expertise on your specific situation — from a simple return to the very complex. Over thirty years of it, applied to your facts, never to a template.
GC Tax Institute · Milpitas, California
Large enough to handle your diverse needs. Small enough to care.
Your taxes, prepared by the people who teach them. Two Enrolled Agents — one has taught income tax at the college level since 1988 — thousands of clients served, and a small team your neighbors have stayed with for decades. We don’t just file your return. We explain it until it makes sense.
Prefer to talk first? Call (408) 945-0813 — a person answers.
- Enrolled Agents on staff
- Teaching income tax since 1988
- A practice since 1986
- 995 Montague Expressway, Milpitas
01 · The Lesson
Margin Notes: three taxpayers, annotated.
This is how we work, shown rather than promised. Pick the taxpayer closest to your life, then walk the worksheet — each line earns a note in the margin, in plain language, the way the professor would explain it across the desk.
Sample worksheetOne taxpayer, simplified
- 1W-2 wages$96,400
- 2Dividends — qualified & ordinary$3,280
- 3Capital gains — investments sold$7,915
- 4Federal withholding$13,260
Sample figures, simplified for teaching — not a tax form, and not your return.
Note 01 · The planning desk
Your salary is the straightforward line. Everything around it is where the bill is decided — which is why we read the whole return, not just the totals.
We ask: anything change this year — a raise, a second job, a new role at home?
Note 02 · The planning desk
Dividends and gains are taxed differently — and the holding period is the whole ballgame. Bring the year-end statement; we’ll sort every line.
We ask: which investments paid you, and how long have you held each one?
Note 03 · The planning desk
A gain held a year or less is taxed like wages. A year and a day changes the rate. When you sell matters nearly as much as what you sell.
We ask: planning to sell anything else before December?
Note 04 · The planning desk
Too little withheld, and April arrives with a bill — and a penalty for paying late. We check the pace mid-year, while there’s still time to fix it.
We ask: did last April sting? Then let’s adjust the W-4 now, not next April.
Sample worksheetOne taxpayer, simplified
- 1Final-year wages + a pension beginning$61,300
- 2Social Security benefits$31,440
- 3IRA & 401(k) withdrawals$18,500
- 4Required minimum distributionsNot yet
Sample figures, simplified for teaching — not a tax form, and not your return.
Note 01 · Nini’s desk — retirement
The year you retire, your income changes shape — withholding, estimates, and timing all move at once. This is the year planning pays.
We ask: what starts, what stops — and in which month?
Note 02 · Nini’s desk — retirement
Up to 85% of your benefits can be taxable — or none of them. What else lands in the same year decides which.
We ask: what other income shares the year with your first benefits check?
Note 03 · Nini’s desk — retirement
Every withdrawal is a tax decision before it’s a spending one. Which account, and how much, is where a retirement plan quietly wins or loses.
We ask: which account should this year’s spending come from?
Note 04 · Nini’s desk — retirement
RMDs arrive on the IRS’s calendar, not yours. The years before they start are the years with choices — we plan those on purpose.
We ask: how many years do we have before yours begin?
Sample worksheetOne business, simplified
- 1Business income$212,750
- 2Payroll taxes$31,480
- 3Sales tax collected$9,624
- 4Estimated payments$16,000
Sample figures, simplified for teaching — not a tax form, and not your return.
Note 01 · Lan’s desk — business
Your books and your return are the same story told twice. We keep them agreeing all year, so filing season becomes a formality.
We ask: do your books and your bank tell the same story today?
Note 02 · Lan’s desk — business
Payroll and sales tax run on their own calendars, all year. Miss one rhythm and the letters start — we keep all three in step.
We ask: who touches payroll when you’re out on a job?
Note 03 · Lan’s desk — business
Sales tax you collect was never your money. We keep it apart from revenue from day one, so remitting it is a transfer, not a scramble.
We ask: is collected tax sitting in the same account as operating cash?
Note 04 · Lan’s desk — business
Four estimates a year, set from real numbers — not from last year’s return and a hope. When the year changes, the estimates change with it.
We ask: is this year’s income tracking ahead of last year’s?
Note 1 of 4
Bring us the return. We’ll teach you what it’s doing — then we’ll do it right.
Request an Appointment 02 · Our Promise 01 02 03
Results. Relationships. Relief.
Three words we’ve organized this practice around from the start — here’s what each one commits us to.
Relationships
A trusted partner and individual attention. The same people, year after year — and when clients leave for a while, they come back to a team that remembers them.
Relief
When a need arises — a letter from the IRS, a business change, a retirement — rest assured we’re ready and capable to handle it, so you can focus on everything else.
03 · The Desks 
Two licensed desks. One small office.
You will always know exactly whose desk your return is on — and both front desks belong to Enrolled Agents, licensed by the IRS to represent you.
George Chow, EA
Owner — the professor
In the tax industry for over 30 years, George has served thousands of clients, with concerns ranging from simple to the very complex. He holds an M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University — and he has taught income tax at the college level since 1988. Bring him the return nobody else could explain.
- IRS representation
- Complex returns
- Tax planning
Nini Yang, EA
Tax planning — the retirement desk
Nini has over ten years in the tax industry, helping families reach their individual goals. Her desk is tax planning and retirement tax consulting — the questions that don’t wait for April. Enrolled Agent #00143955-EA, licensed to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service.
- Retirement tax
- Investment-income questions
- Year-round planning
Lan Le
Tax work · Sales tax · Payroll
Lan runs the business rhythm of the office: tax work, sales tax, payroll, and limited bookkeeping — the calendars that can’t slip. Long-term clients ask for Lan by name, year after year.
- Payroll
- Sales tax
- Limited bookkeeping
Thuha Dinh
Seasonal tax work
Thuha joins the desk in season, on specified tax work — part of why a small office can still move quickly when the spring gets crowded.
- Seasonal tax work
GC Tax Institute is an Enrolled Agent practice. Enrolled Agent is the IRS’s own license — the credential built for representing taxpayers. We are not a CPA firm, and we don’t pretend to be one.
04 · Services A B C D
Help, grouped the way life arrives.
Nobody walks in asking for a service category. They walk in with a year, a business, a retirement, or a letter. Here is the help, in that order.
Individuals & families
- Tax Preparation & PlanningCurrent-year returns, prepared and explained — never just processed.
- Past-Year ReturnsA few years behind? We bring unfiled years current, in order, without the lecture.
- Estate & Trust Tax PreparationReturns for estates and trusts, handled by the same desks you already know.
Investors & retirees
- Retirement Tax PlanningNini’s desk: the tax side of retiring — timing, withdrawals, and what your benefits will actually cost.
- Investment-income questions, all yearDividends, gains, and statements that land in February — bring them when they happen, not in April.
- Tax PlanningDecisions made in October change April. We plan them in October.
Small business
- Payroll ServicesPayroll on its own calendar, every cycle, without you chasing it.
- Sales Tax ServicesCollected, tracked apart from your revenue, and remitted on time.
- Bookkeeping & Write-UpBooks kept in step with the return they’ll become.
When the IRS writes
- IRS RepresentationA notice is not a verdict. Both of our Enrolled Agents are licensed to stand between you and the IRS — in audits and conflict resolution alike.
- Notices & letters, decodedBring the letter in. We’ll tell you what it actually says, what it doesn’t, and what happens next.
05 · Client Words
Clients measured in decades.
We could describe our client-retention rate. Our clients already did — in their own words, on the public review platforms.
“I have been a loyal client of GC Tax since 2012, and I can confidently say their professionalism and commitment to client service are unmatched. Over the years, they have consistently delivered accurate, timely, and dependable tax services. Special thanks to Lan, who has been assisting me year after year with exceptional knowledge and care, and to Nini, whose professionalism and warmth make every visit a positive experience. GC Tax has earned my trust, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for dependable tax experts.”
— Client review, Google
“Amazing customer service. I have been coming to this establishment for several years now. Even when I decided to not file through them for a few years they were so welcoming when I returned. They still remembered me and that’s a great feeling as a customer. Lan and the crew truly has the compassion to ensure their customers benefit all they can during tax season.”
— Client review, Google
“I’ve been with George and his team for as long as I can remember. Never had any issues with our returns. They turn quick but they are accurate. Big shout out to Lan who mainly do ours and George is always available for me if I have specific questions or concerns.”
— Client review, Yelp
“My 2nd year with Nini. She is very knowledgeable about all my financial related questions. She is always available and responded very quick. I will definitely recommend GC Tax to my friends.”
— Client review, Google
“Good folks, knowledgeable, and fair prices. Have been coming here for years.”
— Client review, Google
06 · The Professor
Meet the professor.
Most taxpayers meet their preparer once a year, across a desk, in a hurry. Ours has spent nearly four decades on both sides of that desk — running this practice, and standing in front of a classroom teaching the subject itself.
- 1986The practice opens. George begins operating his tax practice — the practice that becomes GC Tax Institute.
- 1988The teaching begins. He joins the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District as an accounting instructor — and never stops.
- Along the wayHe teaches the teachers. His college career includes continuing-education classes for tax and real-estate licensees — and update classes for IRS auditors.
- TodayStill in the classroom. Associate Faculty, Accounting at San José City College — this year he’s teaching ACCTG 97, Introduction to Income Taxes. His other classroom is this office.
07 · The Working Office
A real office, with real systems.
“Small enough to care” doesn’t mean small-time. The machinery of a modern practice is already running here — most clients just never got shown it.
Client portal
Send and receive documents through a private, secure ShareFile folder — and our step-by-step guide walks you through your first upload.
Open the portal →Online payment
Pay an invoice online in a minute — no envelope, no checkbook, no trip across town.
Make a payment →Client Library
Articles and guides, white papers, and on-demand videos — the library we point clients to all year long.
Browse the library →Monthly newsletter
A monthly note on what changed in the tax world — and what it means for your return, in plain language.
Read the newsletter →Tax Center & calculators
Financial calculators, current tax rates, due dates, a withholding calculator, and refund tracking in one place.
Open the Tax Center →IRS forms & publications
The official forms, publications, and record-retention guidance — gathered where you can actually find them.
Find a form → 08 · Questions
Asked often, answered straight.
Do I need an appointment, or can I just walk in?
Walk-ins are welcome — and in season, our office gets busy. An appointment protects your time: request one online in a minute, or call us at (408) 945-0813, and your slot is yours.
Who will actually work on my return?
A person you can name. George Chow and Nini Yang are our Enrolled Agents; Lan Le handles tax work, sales tax, payroll, and limited bookkeeping; Thuha Dinh supports the desk in season. No call centers, no handoffs to strangers.
Can you represent me if the IRS contacts me?
Yes. George and Nini are Enrolled Agents — federally licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS in audits, notices, and conflict resolution. Bring us the letter; we’ll take it from there.
I haven’t filed in a few years. Can you help?
Yes — preparing past-year returns is a regular part of our practice. We’ll reconstruct what you have, file what’s missing in the right order, and get you current.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Start with last year’s return and this year’s income documents — W-2s, 1099s, and your year-end brokerage statements if you invest. Our Tax Appointment Checklist covers the rest, and we’ll tell you exactly what applies to you when you book.
How do I send you documents securely?
Through our client portal (ShareFile): you get a private folder for your files, and our step-by-step guide walks you through activating it and uploading. No tax documents riding around in ordinary email.
GC Tax Institute · Milpitas, California
Bring us the return.
We’ll teach you what it’s doing — then we’ll do it right. Request an appointment in a minute, or call and talk to a person.
GC Tax Institute · 995 Montague Expressway, Suite 212 · Milpitas, CA 95035 · office@gctax.us