Return to Index

   W-2's and 1099 Preparation

• For those of you who require preparation of W-2’s or 1099’s each year, I cannot accept the information after January 28th. It is a complete “retool” for me to switch back to the "1099-preparation-mode" from "tax-preparation-mode" in order to prepare these documents, and becomes extremely difficult to accomplish after this date.  Therefore, I will not accept requests for preparation of 1099's and W-2's from anyone after January 28th.

  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.  Time spent on bookkeeping activites will be charged an additional fee to you at $50 an hour minimum.
• 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 $50/ hour additionally 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 by April 5th… 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 has elapsed and errors are more likely to occur. 
• If you have been an active trader during the year (20 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) Authorize/download brokerage reports into excel. Otherwise, bookeeping will be necessary for transactions data entry at the hourly rate of $50 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 $35 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 with copy requests for all your various business activities, 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 actually 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