For the career, and what comes after.

Professional athletes typically owe income tax not only in their home state but in every state where they play a game: a widely used industry term for this is the 'jock tax.' For an athlete based in Georgia, this means Georgia income tax applies to earnings sourced to games played in-state, while other states' rules apply to games played elsewhere, creating a multi-state filing requirement most single-state CPAs don't handle regularly. A short, unpredictable earning window compounds the stakes: cash-flow smoothing, entity structuring for endorsement income, and disability coverage for career-ending injury matter more than they would for someone with decades of level earning ahead.

NIL income is generally treated as self-employment income for federal tax purposes, which means it can trigger self-employment tax and estimated-tax payment obligations that a W-2 paycheck never did. Since the NCAA's 2021 policy change permitting NIL compensation, athletes and their families have increasingly needed entity structuring, quarterly tax projections, and a plan for the portion of NIL income that should be saved rather than spent, since NIL income is typically irregular and can end without notice. Setting up the structure early (before the income arrives, not after) is generally the difference between NIL money that compounds and NIL money that evaporates.

Most professional sports careers end well before age forty, often abruptly due to injury rather than on a planned schedule, which means the post-career transition typically has to be modeled years in advance rather than reacted to after the fact. Planning generally addresses three things: a transition budget that doesn't assume the peak-earning-year income continues, disability and career-ending-injury coverage secured while still active, and a second-career or licensing income stream that doesn't depend on athletic performance. Athletes who start this planning during active playing years typically have more options than those who wait until a contract isn't renewed.

Athlete representation and financial advisory services have distinct scopes and terms. We discuss the services you need, who will provide them, and the applicable fees and agreements before work begins. Your representation and financial planning teams coordinate around your priorities.

Yes. Our licensed sports agents and financial team coordinate contract decisions with cash flow, tax planning, and long-term goals. That gives the athlete a connected view of the deal and the plan for the income it creates. If you already have representation, we discuss how to work with your existing team.