New Clients

Whether you are switching accountants or working with a tax professional for the first time, I promise to meet you where you are at. I’m looking forward to working with you! Below are my guidelines for new clients.

How we’ll work together

Reach Out To Me!

Anytime I bring on a new client, it’s very important to me that we make contact prior to starting the tax filing process. This gives both parties an opportunity to make sure it’s the best fit. Please call or email me to set up the initial (free) consultation.

Set Up Your Encrypted Portal

Once we’ve decided to work together and you’ve booked your appointment, I’ll get your secure (encrypted) portal set up. You’ll get an email from me with a link to click to complete the setup of the portal. You must click on this email within 48 HOURS of it being sent – otherwise the link goes void and we’ll have to start the process over again. Once you click on the link, the setup of the portal takes about 87 seconds. 😉

The Dreaded Organizer

All clients must fill out an organizer. I know, everyone hates organizers. Me too. I loathe everything about them. 😆 As you’ll learn, one of my favorite things about my job is chatting it up and learning about your tax situation in the process. That said, the organizer ensures that we are on top of all of the details. This is especially important the first year we work together.

Once you have completed setup of the portal, you can access the organizer in the documents from preparer folder.
The organizer is a fillable PDF. All you have to do is:

Download the organizer
Fill in the information on the front pages completely
Check the yes and no boxes (I know, there are so many of them, uggh!!)
Print/save it to PDF
Upload the PDF back to your encrypted portal. You can also submit your organizer in paper to me if you are submitting your tax documents in paper (more on that below).

NOTE: there are many more pages of this organizer available. If you’d like additional pages of this organizer to work off of (such as a self-employment organizer or a rental property organizer), just let me know.

ALSO: If you’d prefer to come pick up a blank organizer and fill it in by hand, that is also an option. Just be in touch and we’ll arrange a time for you to pick up.

Let’s Meet (Virtually or In Person)

I am available for appointments virtually, over the phone, or in person.

If you choose a virtual appointment, please make sure to be in front of a computer or tablet when we meet so you can clearly see all the tiny little numbers on the screen.

My availability for in-person appointments is less robust than my availability for virtual/phone appointments. If you’d like to schedule an in-person appointment and you do not see an available slot, please email me.

I ask that you submit your tax docs 3 DAYS in advance of the appointment.

That way, I have the time to look at your materials BEFORE we talk. It maximizes efficiency and ensures that I don’t waste your valuable time. Please note: the 3-day rule includes submission of the dreaded organizer.

Schedule a virtual appointment

Schedule an in-person appointment

Submitting Your Tax Documents

I accept documents in electronic or paper format. As much as possible, please send your information one way or the other but not both. Submitting half your documents through the portal and the other half in paper is what we’re trying to avoid here, as it overcomplicates the process.

Included in your tax documents should be:

All tax documents for the year we’re preparing (W2s, 1099 INT, 1099 DIV, 1098 mortgage interest statements, etc.)
Your complete prior year tax return

Submitting Electronically:

Please upload all electronic documents to your portal. As much as possible, avoid sending your documents through email as it is not secure.

IMPORTANT: Email me directly once you’re completely finished uploading your documents (this includes completion of the dreaded organizer). I will put your tax return in the queue once EVERYTHING is uploaded. However, if you’ve uploaded everything except that one darn stubborn document that you know won’t arrive until the last second, just email me to let me know that’s the situation. I will then go ahead and put your tax return into the queue.

Submitting Documents in Paper:

Just as it sounds. As much as possible, submit all of your documents at once – do not drop one document off at a time. I have a secure drop box in front of my office. Please bundle all of your documents together, ideally in a large envelope. Don’t have one? Use a clip or heavy-duty rubber band.

Want to work together?

My goal is to make something that everyone dreads (taxes) a relatively painless, and dare I say fun, experience.

Contact Me