Tax returns, bookkeeping, and financial consulting for St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
Ellen Wood has worked in accounting and finance for 30 years, the last six on St. Croix. She prepares your taxes, keeps your books, and helps your business get paid on time. You work with Ellen directly, and she answers your questions herself.
MBA, Columbia Business School · 30 years in accounting and finance
Previously at Diageo USVI (Captain Morgan Rum Distillery), Darn Tough Vermont, Macy's, and on Wall Street.
How Ellen can help.
Hire Ellen for one tax return, for your books all year, for advice on a single decision, or to set up a system that gets your invoices paid. You work with her either way.
Tax preparation
Ellen prepares individual and small-business returns for Virgin Islands residents and files them with the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). She handles self-employment income and rental property, and calculates your quarterly estimated payments so you don't face a surprise in April.
- Individual & family returns
- Sole proprietors & single-member LLCs
- Rental & vacation-rental income
- Prior-year and amended returns
- Quarterly estimated tax payments
- Tax consultations
Bookkeeping
Ellen gives you a clear picture of how your business is performing: whether you're making a profit, how much debt you carry, and where your cash is going. She sets up your books the way a CFO would, so you can budget, forecast, and plan with real numbers, meet BIR deadlines without scrambling, and walk into a lender or investor meeting with statements you trust. She also takes on projects: cleaning up past records, installing a new accounting system, or closing out the year.
- Monthly statements with a plain-language review
- Budgeting, expense tracking & cash flow visibility
- Gross receipts & tax deadlines handled
- Cleanup, system setup & year-end close
Financial consulting
Ellen helps you make financial decisions with real numbers. She builds budgets and cash flow forecasts for your business or household, helps you form a new business, and put sound financial practices in place from day one. For businesses that need ongoing finance leadership without a full-time hire, she is available as a part-time, contract CFO.
- Business & personal budgeting and cash flow forecasting
- Financial reporting & projections
- Accounting system selection & setup
- New business formation & financial best practices
- Non-profit tax-exempt status applications
- Part-time, contract CFO
Small business consulting
Ellen helps owners get paid on time and know where their cash stands each week. She sets up your invoicing in Xero or QuickBooks, then connects it to Claude, an AI assistant made by Anthropic. Claude drafts invoices, tracks who owes you, and writes follow-ups on overdue accounts. Nothing goes to a customer until you approve it.
Andrew Gamble, a technology integrator, handles the Claude setup and trains you and your staff to use it.
- Collecting unpaid invoices
- Invoicing setup & templates
- Claude connected to Xero or QuickBooks
- A weekly cash summary in plain language
- Training for you and your staff
Who Ellen works with
Individuals & families
You live and work on St. Croix and file with the BIR.
Small business owners
You run a shop, trade, charter, restaurant, or contracting business.
Property owners
You own a long-term or vacation rental on island. You can live here or stateside.
Non-profits
You run a community organization and need tax-exempt status, clean books, or a budget your board can read.
Ellen Wood, MBA
Ellen has 30 years of experience in accounting and finance. During college she worked summers on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, then after graduating from Middlebury College went into investment banking. After receiving her MBA from Columbia Business School, she switched her focus from Wall Street to Main Street, starting in retail finance at Macy's.
Much of her career since has been spent working directly with small businesses. When her two boys were young, she co-founded a contract accounting firm with other moms she met at the kiddie pool; their clients ranged from Bonne Bell to KeyBank. Later she ran her own financial consulting firm, acting as a part-time, contract CFO for local small businesses, and prepared tax returns for CPA firms that needed seasonal help at peak tax time. Along the way she held senior finance roles at Darn Tough Vermont, Johnson Precision, a New Hampshire manufacturer she co-owned, and most recently was the Finance Manager for Diageo USVI, Captain Morgan Rum Distillery.
MBA, Columbia Business School
Finance and Accounting. BA in Economics, Middlebury College.
Plain language
Ellen explains what your numbers mean and what to do next.
On St. Croix
Ellen meets you in person or by video, year-round.
Common questions
Who will actually do my work?
Ellen Wood does. You work with her directly, and she answers your questions herself.
What kinds of tax returns does Island Balance prepare?
Ellen prepares individual and small-business returns and files them with the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and/or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as appropriate. She handles self-employment income, investment income, rental properties, Airbnb/VRBO, house sales, Schedule C LLCs, K-1 investments, and Virgin Islands source income for non-residents and partial-year Virgin Islands residents.
Does Ellen prepare federal returns too, or only Virgin Islands?
Both. She prepares federal returns as well as Virgin Islands returns.
What other tax services does Island Balance provide?
Estimated tax calculations and filings, Gross Receipts tax filings, and tax advice, including maximizing business deductions.
When are Virgin Islands individual returns due, and what if I need an extension?
Returns are due April 15. An extension to file must also be requested by April 15, and any tax owed must be paid by April 15. The extension gives more time to file, until October 15, not more time to pay.
What documents should I bring to a first tax appointment?
Your tax returns from the previous two years, if you have them. Bring your W-2, 1099, and any other tax forms you received. If you have none of those, bring your latest pay stub.
I own a rental on St. Croix but live stateside. Can Ellen help?
Yes. Ellen works with long-term and vacation-rental owners whether they live on the island or stateside.
Can Ellen help a non-profit get tax-exempt status?
Yes. Ellen guides you step by step through the complex IRS application process. She helps you craft clear, compliant answers that meet IRS standards and maximize your chances of a smooth approval.
Can Ellen help if I have never kept books?
Yes. Setting up books for people who have never kept them is work Ellen especially loves and has experience doing.
How quickly does Ellen reply to a new inquiry?
Within 24 hours.
Does Ellen meet in person?
Yes. On St. Croix she meets clients in person or by video.
What happens on the free 20-minute call?
You tell Ellen what you need. She tells you how she would approach it, what she charges and what she needs from you to start.
Start with a free 20-minute call.
Tell Ellen what you need. She will tell you how she'd approach it, what she charges, and what she needs from you to start.
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands · by appointment