Policies
Header image  
Tax Preparation and Financial Services  
  [ Return to Homepage]  
 
 
Policies, Process, and Procedures

 

I am a "one-man shop" and I have prided myself over the years with the customer service I am able to provide.  I recognize that my service is not what it has been in the past and there are some specific situations which have really impacted my ability to keep my service at the desired level. I will address these here.  With your recognition of these situations, plus my addition of more assistance this year, I hope this will improve better service for everyone. Together, it should make a difference. Thanks for your help on this.  

                                                                                                

                                                                                                                          Eric

                                                                                                                             

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Appointments
- Mail-in and Faxed Returns
- W-2's and 1099 Preparation
- Your Records and Documentation
- Telephone
- Billings and Payments
- Support Requests

   Appointments

  • My last appointments for April 15th filing must be on or before 4/4. The computer service I use is not accepting additional return submissions after 4/6, so April 4th is the last day I can meet with you to get the return done by the 4/15.  In 2007, I will be standing firm to this policy.
  • I can make appointments on April 10th, 11th,and 12th for those wishing to come in and work through the extension form. For those of you new to the extension game… it’s really not a big deal.
  • Generally, I will not make “non-tax preparation” appointments during tax season (1/25 through 4/15).  It's going to have to be something pretty good to convince me that we need to meet during tax season for a non-tax return appointment.

   Return to Index

   Mail-in and Faxed Returns

  • Sending your information to me via delivery service or fax has been an option many of you utilize.  This is fine, but you must be even more deligent in organizing and providing the necessary informationwith this approach.  I will follow-up with an email / phone call if I see any obvious omissions, but I will not have had the opportunity to ask what else may be going on with you financially over the past year.
  • Please do not send your documents to my home with “Signature Required”. I’m at my office and not there to sign for it. Many times the package ends up being returned to you because I am not home to sign for the delivery.
  • Sending me your information on April 12th will not work this year. I need to have the information by 4/4.

  Return to Index


   W-2's and 1099 Preparation

  • For those of you requiring me to prepare W-2’s or 1099’s each year, I cannot accept the information after January 25th. It is a complete “retool” for me to switch back to the "1099-preparation-mode" from "tax-preparation-mode" to prepare these documents after this date.  It will not be possible to prepare 1099's for anyone providing the necessary information after January 25th.

  Return to Index


   Your Records and Documentation

  • Please provide receipts totaled by category.  Dropping off an entire year’s cancelled checks and receipts in a brown bag (even as early as January) and then expecting me to perform the year’s necessary bookkeeping before April 15th does not insure that I will have your return prepared by April 15th.  Receipts are/should be generally provided as backup.  However, in order to address such bookkeeping needs, I intend to bring someone in to do this work.  I will need to pass along resulting charges to you at $30 an hour.
  • The receipts you provide should be relevant!  We’ll call this the “Happy Meal Rule”. Those of you who empty every drawer in the house and pour those sun faded receipts (that have absolutely nothing to do with taxes) into a brown paper bag and expect me to sort it out, please realize this is a big waste of time. (I really don't need to know that you bought your kids a couple of "Happy Meals" and those personal hygene receipts only provide ammunition for humor. Therefore, please do not give me receipts for your groceries, McDonald's visits, vacation expenses, etcetera.)  Extensive sorting of this type of receipt in order to complete your return will be be charged at $30/ hour to do so.
  • If you are missing information for your return and have agreed to provide this information to me after our appointment or telephone conversation, please send me the missing information within 3 weeks (or April 4th… which ever is sooner).  I begin to lose the "thread" of what is going on with your return after much more than 3 weeks of time elapse and errors are more likely to occur. 
  • If you have been an active trader during the year (25 or more trades), you can either: 1) provide me an Excel spreadsheet in my “approved” format for recording the stock trades (download spreadsheet now) -or- 2) Bookeeping will be necessary for transactions data entry at the hourly rate of $30 an hour.
  • Any documentation you leave in my care will be returned to you sometime during, or soon after the conclusion of, tax season.  I do not/can not keep and store your tax backup information for you.  I would need to rent a warehouse!

  Return to Index


   Telephone

  • When you call and you do not leave your phone number, please do not get upset when I can’t or do not call you back.  Please help me out and leave your phone number, stated slowly.  Please leave a very brief message as to the nature of your call.
  • Please realize that there are many of you who say your phone number so fast that I can not make it out even after listening to the message three times.

  Return to Index


   Billings and Payments

  • As a small-business owner, I try to keep my expenses down, and thus my rates, and one of the ways I do this is by doing the billings in-house.  I get them out as soon as I can.  The first priority has always been in getting the tax returns done, but I realize we have to do both. 
  • Preparing the billing statements and keeping the payments straight is a very time consuming job … especially when you have to re-bill the same folks 3-6 times a year.
    • Paying last year's bill in the current year, then believing you have already paid for the current year because you have a cancelled check which cleared in the current year, will not "excuse" the current year preparation service fees.
    • Attention Non-payers: You will be asked to pay your outstanding bill, as well as the fee for this year's prepartion service, at the time of your appointment. Tax returns will not be prepared for those who are habitually carrying an outstanding balance with me.
  • Mistakes can and do happen.  Please do not hesitate to point out something that doesn't seem correct.  I will gladly look into it and verify your bill's accuracy.  Great effort is extended to create audit trails by which to verify your charges and payments.  Superior quality remains the goal.

  Return to Index


   Support Requests

  • You will be billed $20 for requests for each additional copy of your tax returns.  Copies of all tax returns are provided to every client and are included with the preparation of the return. Please save these for your records! I am not Kinko's and I truly can not afford the time to comply, especially during tax season.
  • Please do not give out my contact information to your loan broker, insurance rep, or other professional. I do not provide access to my client base, nor do I generally make referrals of services to my clients, so please don't bother giving my information out.  I would truly appreciate your cooperation here.   I don't have any information which you don't have and could provide them yourself.  Please refer to my Privacy Statement.
  • Keep track of your own records, and supply them yourself to whomever you wish.

  Return to Index