Tax Return Process

Included in the tax preparation rate is a 30 minute tax document review with Tyler or Nour. Click HERE to schedule an appointment.

We provide a tax organizer each year to help you gather your documents and prepare your information for us. This was sent to you in your January Welcome email, and the forms are also located on our Forms page. This does not have to be done in addition to meeting with us, but it often helps. The questionnaire is the most helpful tool in the organizer; it is long and annoying, but it covers nearly every aspect of tax preparation and helps us to understand if there are potential deductions or credits specific to your tax situation that we might not be aware of. The rest of the organizer has places to update your personal information, record details of stock transactions, charitable contributions, etc. Please DO NOT re-enter any information that is included on a government document (W-2, 1098, 1099-M, 1099-T, 1099-B, etc). We do not want to waste your time as we will simply scan the document in and auto-populate our database.

If timing isn’t going to work out for a drop off or meeting, you have a few different alternatives for getting us your documents. Please avoid emailing documents that contain your social security number or any bank account numbers. Email is not a secure method for transferring that type of information. If you have your documents in an electronic format (pdf files) or if you have access to a scanner, you can upload them to us via your secured portal using the File Exchange tool.

Click on the File Exchange link in the Documents section (on the left side of the home page of the portal). Choose a folder to upload documents to (we recommend Actionable Items or Source Documents). You will see several icons at the top of the folder, select the Upload icon. Click the Add Files button, or drag files into the gray window. Once you have all the files you would like to upload, click on the Start Upload button. Becky will receive an email notification once the files transfer. For alternative methods see “Fax or Snail-Mail Documents” option in the next column.

One option is to fax the documents to us at 503.620.9065. Make sure to check both sides of the documents for information and fax both sides if necessary. We also LOVE to get mail. Snail-Mail works great. We have a very fast scanner and it might be faster to have us do the scanning. We return all original documents after the tax return is completed. Please mail your documents to:

7155 SW Varns St, #120, Tigard, OR 97223

If you have given us any original tax documents, we scan those in, along with supporting documentation. These materials will then be posted to your portal along with your tax returns so that you will have the majority of your documentation viewable in your portal.

Once we believe we have everything necessary to complete your tax return we will begin preparation. If we discover that we are missing information, or have questions, we will contact you to obtain this information.

After we have completed preparation of your return, we will a preview copy of the tax returns and Form 8879. The first page of the preview copy contains the transmittal letter, which is a summary of refunds or taxes owed to the various taxing authorities, and also reviews additional actions required by you. This is a good high level overview of your tax results. The following pages are the actual forms that will be submitted, plus a prior-year tax comparison report. This report is very valuable in helping to understand and explain any changes to your taxes in the current year. Please review this document before you contact us with questions. If you see something missing or incorrect, please contact us.

You will receive notification that the preview copy is ready via email and your invoice will be attached to that email.

We are required to electronically file all federal tax returns by the IRS. There are a few state tax returns that still cannot be e-filed. We love e-filing because it is the only way to receive confirmation that the IRS or the state has received your tax return. The files are submitted to the government, and we are usually notified in one to two days whether they have accepted it or not. Once the IRS and state (if applicable) accepts your tax return, you will receive an email confirming the acceptance.

As soon as we receive notification of acceptance from the taxing authorities, we post the archive copy of your tax return to your portal. This includes all the final government documents, plus several reports and metrics to give further understanding to the tax data. These documents will be available in your folder under the Documents section on the left side of the home page of your portal. Click on the folder with your name on it, then click on the Tax Returns folder and then the tax year ending date to view these files.

When we notify you that your return is complete, you may come by during our office hours to pick up your tax packet, sign any required forms and pay your invoice (if you haven’t already). No appointment is necessary for this.