Office Policies
We've developed a simple FAQ to help our clients understand our policies and procedures prior to engaging withour office. We aim to operate with clarity and transparancy when it comes to our billing and privacy.
The intent is not to “nickel and dime” clients. However, numerous inquiries come into our offices for both tax and non-tax services. Many also come with and extreme urgency driven by the client which distracts us from working on scheduled client projects. Some of the most common requests are for copies of tax returns and interactions with mortgage companies regarding home purchases. Therefore, we will track and bill accordingly.
Historically, pricing for services did not take into account the time and effort related to collecting, sorting, summarizing, following up with clients and numerous reviews and changes to client tax returns. This is increasingly a larger part of preparing clients’ returns. Instead of an across the board price increase, we may apply an additional charge where significant amount of time is required to obtain, organize and clarify client records required to finalize the tax return. We will communicate any significant increases in advance.
In the past, clients have directed us to contact a broker, financial planner, or other 3rd party to obtain their tax records. Many of these professionals have limits on what they can disclose to others and we are precluded from providing your information to a 3rd party without your written consent as required by I.R.C. 7216. We are open to others providing us with your information, but we will not contact them to collect your data.
Fees will be based upon what service is required for us to perform.
Due to increasing identity theft with tax information, we are very hesitant to hold paper documents. To better secure our information we may scan your documents and shred paper copies. However, we are precluded from shredding originals. Therefore, there is a cost to hold documents, return to you or schedule appointments for you to pick them up. All originals and paper documents you wish to have returned MUST be picked up within 30 days of completion of our services to you.
There is an increasing trend for the IRS to identify unreported income on taxpayers’ returns. The most common issues causing this are HSA withdrawals, state tax refunds, early IRA withdrawals and investment income. This is caused by clients not providing these documents to be included on the return, creating the IRS notice. As a result, resolution of these issues will be subject to an additional fee.
Due to the complexity of various state laws, filing requirements and at times, registration requirements to prepare your return, minimum fees per state may vary, but know that additional fees per state may apply depending on the complexity of the return. This will also include Texas Franchise Returns.
Once you have reviewed your return and agree to file and provide all required Signature Documents to us, payment must be received before your return or returns will be filed with the appropriate taxing authority.
Following up with clients and their inquiries are prioritized and where possible, delegated. Please leave a phone your phone number when leaving a message asking for us to call you back. Providing more details allows us to research your file or other resources to prepare a proper response, whether by phone or email and if possible, to delegate to our office administrators or other office staff. This will allow time to be more efficiently allocated to client projects.
Schedule a Consultation
We are always available to spend time with you so that you fully understand how to interpret and utilize the financial information and tax advise we provide. Consultations are available by appointment and appropriate fees will apply.
