Liberty Tax is a nation-wide professional income tax preparation service, which was founded in 1997 with headquarters in Hurst, TX, according to its website. Its Northeast location at 3414 Independence Ave., has continued to meet the Northeast community’s tax needs for over a decade.

Owner Thomas Henggeler — who grew up near Truman Road and attended St. Stephen’s Academy with his four siblings — moved back to his childhood neighborhood around 10 years ago. Henggeler shared in an interview, Sunday, that he was additionally a member of the Northeast Little League baseball team when he was around eight years old. 

His first year as a tax expert was in 2007 — after responding to a help wanted ad in the classifieds section of a newspaper — with Liberty Tax in Blue Springs, while finishing his accounting degree. Following graduation, he lived abroad until 2009, when he moved back to Kansas City and returned to Liberty Tax, this time in Westport, Henggeler previously shared with Northeast News. 

With guidance from his employer, in 2011 Henggeler had the opportunity to buy a Liberty Tax office in his old neighborhood. Within a year, it was the No. 1 office in the Kansas City region. He’s since expanded to own five locations across the metro.

Henggeler shared that while there are not many significant changes in the tax industry this year, if an individual is in need of an extension to file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the submission request should be filed by April 15. For those who submit a request for extension by April 15, the six-month extension deadline will move to Oct. 15, 2025, according to the IRS website. 

Additionally, those wanting to make contributions to their Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) from the previous year (2024) should do so by April 15. Any tax credits from 2024 should also be claimed by April 15. 

Liberty Tax offers free estimates for individuals who walk into the Independence Avenue office. They’ll go over paperwork provided, assess the situation, and walk through what the potential client owes and receive in return. 

“We do have online and Virtual Tax Pro, where you can upload your documents via the portal and you can remote sign — we have clients who have never stepped foot in our office this year and we’re doing their taxes,” Henggeler said. “We adapted, we overcame. We’ve had this technology since 2019, but it really became a blessing.”

For additional information on the Independence Avenue Liberty Tax or to book a tax filing appointment, visit its website: https://www.libertytax.com/income-tax-preparation-locations/missouri/kansas-city/11437. Walk-ins are also accepted.

Henggeler shared that Liberty Tax’s Independence Avenue location will offer 30% off tax preparation fees for the first eight days of April for customers who bring in a copy of this article. This offer is only valid for Liberty Tax at 3414 Independence Ave.