Head of Tax & Accounting
Aparna DevallaCPA
Aparna is a Certified Public Accountant who leads the tax and accounting practice at StartupCFO. Her work spans GAAP-compliant monthly close, multi-state sales and income tax compliance, R&D tax credit studies, and Delaware franchise tax filings. Aparna has prepared and defended financial statements through venture diligence, audit, and multi-state tax audits for startups from pre-seed through Series B.
Areas of expertise
- Multi-state sales tax (post-Wayfair) compliance
- R&D tax credit studies and Form 6765 preparation
- Delaware franchise tax and corporate returns
- ASC 606 revenue recognition for SaaS
- Audit-readiness and financial diligence support
Articles by Aparna Devalla
11 articles published.
The Delaware C-Corp Startup Tax Guide: Every Filing You Owe
Every tax and filing a venture-backed Delaware C-corp owes: Delaware franchise tax, Form 1120, quarterly estimates, state registrations, payroll and 1099 filings, sales tax, and the credits and elections that save real money.
TaxThe Foreign Founder's Guide to US Startup Taxes: Forms 5472, 5471, FBAR, and the Penalties That Actually Hit
Foreign founders of US startups face fixed-dollar information reporting penalties that ignore income: $25,000 for a missed Form 5472, $10,000 for Form 5471, FBAR exposure for foreign accounts. Here is every form, deadline, and penalty, and how to stay clean.
TaxForm 5472 for Startups: Who Files, What Counts, and the $25,000 Penalty
Form 5472 carries a $25,000 penalty that ignores income entirely. Here is who must file, what a reportable transaction is, how the pro forma 1120 works for foreign-owned LLCs, and how to fix a missed year.
TaxHow to File an 83(b) Election: Form 15620, E-Filing, and the 30-Day Clock
The 83(b) election is twenty minutes of paperwork with a 30-day fuse. Here is who needs to file, the tax math behind the decision, and the step-by-step mechanics: Form 15620, IRS e-filing, certified mail, and the records to keep forever.
TaxMissed Your 83(b) Election Deadline? What Happens and What You Can Actually Do
The 30-day 83(b) deadline has no extension and no late filing. Here is how to confirm whether you actually missed it, what it costs if you did, and the remediation paths that genuinely exist.
TaxSan Francisco Startup Tax Deadlines and Obligations (2026)
San Francisco moved its business registration deadline, rewrote its gross receipts tax under Prop M, and now exempts most sub $5 million startups from city tax. Here is the full 2026 calendar for SF founders, layered on top of the federal and California dates.
EquityQSBS Explained: A Founder's Guide to the Section 1202 Tax Exclusion (2026)
Qualified Small Business Stock can let founders and early employees exclude up to $15 million of gain from federal tax. Here is how Section 1202 works, what the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed, and the mistakes that quietly disqualify your stock.
CompensationHow to Pay Yourself as a Startup Founder: Salary, Distributions, Equity, and Tax Structure
A tactical guide to founder compensation mechanics: W-2 salary vs. distributions, reasonable compensation for S-corps, 83(b) timing, tax withholding, and how to structure your comp so it supports both the company and your personal finances.
Tax & Compliance2026 Startup Tax Deadlines: The Complete Calendar for Venture-Backed Companies
Every federal, state, and Delaware deadline a venture-backed startup needs to hit in 2026, with penalty amounts, who files what, and the specific gotchas founders miss.
TaxTax Planning Strategies Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
A practical guide to tax planning under the enacted OBBBA: permanent deductions, restored expensing, and the windows that have already closed.
TaxThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Tax Benefits for Businesses and Individuals
The OBBBA introduces sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code: business deductions, individual rates, and retirement savings. What matters for startups.
Work with the StartupCFO team
Book a free consultation and we'll walk through how StartupCFO would handle your books, taxes, and CFO support.
