TAX SEASON, A-Z

November General Expectations

This is the time of year when we begin coordinating and preparing for tax season; we count on each member of the team to be prepared. Organization and preparedness are the keys to a successful tax season!

November – Updates, Revisions & Miscellaneous

Set a meeting first week of November to discuss the following items:

• Changes and/or Updates to the following forms/letters
• Update Pre-appointment Letter
• Referral Program details – PRIZE
• Update Missing Items Checklist
• Update Annual Engagement Letter
• Update RFS Tax Work Order

 

Edits should be submitted by 11/15

November – Marketing Materials

Changes and/or Updates to the following materials:

• Wealthnest Tax Folders and envelopes, business cards.

 

• Pens, magnets, advisor business cards any other previously discussed marketing additions

 

Edits should be submitted by 11/30

 

November – General Office Supplies

• Order copy paper (#boxes)
• Order blank #10 envelopes (#boxes)
• Avery Labels 5160 (#boxes)
• Red dots for folders
• Order Copier Toner (for backup) and toner for owner’s printers (2 each)
• Order coffee/chocolates / water

 

Supply Order should be prepared by 11/30

 

November – Calendar Review

• The Calendar must be set up with tax appointments between February 1 through April 8^th with the following criteria:
• Monday – Friday appointments are 10:00am – 4:00pm (accommodations for appointments prior to and after these noted times will be made during the phone call confirmation period where allowable) 9-4:30
• Review the entire calendar to ensure phone tax appointments are properly coded with a “PH” and the notes section includes clients’ phone number. Be sure to acknowledge Time Zones where applicable
• Ensure all mental health days off are recorded in the calendar (including vacations)
• Review to ensure there are no double bookings/overlap
• Review to ensure there are no duplicate client appointments

The calendar Review Should be done by 11/30

December General Expectations

December is a month of continual planning. We will begin to reconcile schedules and install up-to-date software’s. We spend much of our time reconciling our calendars and confirming address’s, prior to mailing our initial appointment letters to our clients.

December – Reconciliation & Misc.

The month of December is a time to Reconcile the following:

• Reconcile prior year collections and insert outstanding invoice copy in tax folder and mail copy out with tax appointment letter.
• Reconcile ProSeries against Salesforce = INACTIVE & DECEASED
• Assure that there is no overlap in appointments make sure the tax season calendar looks clean and there are no stray appointments duplicate appointments etctera.

 

This reconciliation period should be completed by 12/15

 

December – Printing

• Client address labels from ProSeries
• Client tax checklists from ProSeries
• State and Federal address labels check IRS.gov & State of AZ Website
• Double-check addresses before printing
• Pre-Appointment Letters
• Missing Items Checklist
• RFS Tax Work Order forms
• Outstanding Invoices (prior tax years)

 

Printing should be completed by 12/31

 

December – Update Trackers

• Reconcile (SOON TO BE) Last years tracker(s)
• Update Cancellation Tracker for current year
• Update referral Tracker for current year

 

Printing should be completed by 12/31

January General Expectations

January is a month of ACTION we will be inundated with prepping tax letters that all the staff will need to pitch in on. We will begin receiving calls from clients who would like to change their appointments and we will be making our 1st of two confirmation calls to our clients. It is vitally important to be dialed in and on task as a member of this team this month especially due to tax season beginning in February.

 

January 2nd – Pre-Appointment Mailing Prep

• Address a Pre-Appointment Letter for each client based on calendar day and time slot.
• Indicate special circumstances on pre-appointment letter, ie phone appoint or mail-in
• Cross reference the Pre-Appointment Letter with the client’s tax checkup list
• Insert addressed Pre-Appointment letter and tax check-up list (invoice if applicable)

 

January – Mailing and Appointment Confirmations

• Mailing must be at the post office no later than January 10th.
• Pre-Confirmed Phone Calls – To Be Completed by January 31
• Begin phoning all clients January 13 to confirm client received Pre-Appointment mailing and update appointment record with * once contact is made.

 

 

February- April (Tax Season) Expectations

This is the time of year where we service approximately 1,200 clients within a 10-week period; we are counting on every person to make tax season a smooth and great success!

Wealthnest does not ascribe to a hierarchy of power therefore each employee is expected to perform not only their own roles but any critical role that ensures the success of our client experience. In addition, it is also important to take note of the following items:

 

The 7 most important tenants of tax season.

• Front desk must always be covered
• Over the top service, organization, and follow through
• Front desk and lobby must always be organized and clean
• Under no circumstances is client information of any kind displayed or left unattended at the front desk. When leaving your workspace all client personal information must be concealed or put away. No exceptions.
• Handle all upset clients with dignity, respect and professionalism. Pull the client into a private office to offer solutions if other clients are present. If unable to correct the situation, call appropriate tax advisor.
• If front desk is backed up everyone available is expected to lend a helping hand
• Time off requests during tax season for emergencies or extenuating circumstances only

 

Tax Season Goals

• Retain existing clients by building long-term, loyal relationships
• Attract new clients and referrals
• Cross sell – Introduce the other services that we provide through Wealthnest Planners

 

Client Check- In

Let’s review how we begin a client’s appointment as soon as they step foot in the door.

 

• Greet clients with a smile and offer them bottled water or coffee depending on request and time of day
• Locate Clients Profile
• Hand Client the check in clipboard this clipboard will have 3 items on it

 

1. Clients profile from Salesforce printed with current contact and DL information they need to confirm all information printed
2. {CURRENT YEAR} Engagement Letter
3. Protecting the Nest or What Keeps You Up at Night

 

• Place completed client paperwork in yellow folder and place name face up on the counter for advisor to come grab folder with paperwork and client for their appointment.

 

 

STEP: 4: Collate Tax Return

Now that we have confirmed the clients tax return is accepted by all required federal and state entities. We can begin to piece together the clients tax folder once again. The file can be moved from the FILED bin to the ACCPETED bin. This is where we begin to collate the folder.

This Policy will help guide you through the steps of collating a tax return.

 

4.1 Review & Pull

• Separate the copy of the return from the client’s original documentation.

 

• Confirm e-file acknowledgements in ProSeries to ensure client return has been accepted by both Federal and State(s) Write the acceptance dates on the client cover letter where required. It is important to note that some clients will have multi-state documents therefore you must include all acceptance dates on the cover letter.

 

• Pull out signed Engagement Letter (EL): If an EL form is not in the folder or in SmartVault, then insert a blank EL form in the clients file to be completed upon pick up. If the EL calls for 2 signatures and only shows 1 signature, scan signed form into the clients SmartVault folder then put the form back into clients file for 2nd signature.

 

• Pull all required Electronic Signature Forms (ESIGS): If federal & state unsigned ESIG forms in the clients file, pull them from the printed tax return & place them on top of the client file to be completed upon pick up. IF the ESIG form calls for two signatures & only shows one signature, scan the signed form into clients Smartvault folder then put the forms back into the clients file for the second signature.

 

 

 

4.2 Scanning

The collator will scan and upload at least 3 types of tax docs into each clients “current year” SmartVault tax folder EVERYTIME.

• Engagement Letter= scanned in as EL(insert year)
• Electronic Signature form(s) = scanned in as ESIGS (insert year)
• Tax Documents provided by client= scanned in as ORIGINAL DOC’s (insert year) originals(W2’s,etc.) to be returned to client

 

4.3 Other Collating Documents

These documents COULD be in a tax folder that MAY need to be collated

 

• Client invoice- The first few pages of the clients return you should locate Wealthnest’s invoice which states the preparers fee. If paid pull out and shred if not paid, pull out and set aside in a missing items pile.

 

• Payment Vouchers- After the invoice there will be two pages stating whether or not they owe the federal government or the state(s) if they do owe there will be a voucher to be pulled most commonly 1040V for or 140V form this will be paired with a pre-addressed envelope for the convenience of the client.

 

• Estimated Payment Vouchers- After the invoice there could be Estimated Vouchers. These serve a similar purpose as the regular payment vouchers though they are OPTIONAL for the client to use throughout the year to reduce their tax liability at the end of the year. Most commonly 1040ES for or 140ES form(s) this will be paired with a pre-addressed envelope for the convenience of the client.

 

 

STEP: 5: Contact client that their return is completed and ready for pick up

The tax return has now been prepared , filed, accepted, and collated this is the last step for our office. We want to reach out to the client to notify them that their taxes are completed and ready for pickup. Below is a script explaining how we speak with clients directly or via voicemail. Once this step is completed the final step is waiting on the client to pick up their taxes.

 

 

 

Tax Pickup Scripts

 

GREETING: When speaking directly W/ the client.

Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening,

May I speak with _____________? This is [your name] in [Preparer’s Name] office at Wealthnest Tax Services. I’m calling to confirm that your taxes are ready for pick up.

If the client’s yellow tax folder shows a RED DOT advise client needs to come in prior to the tax deadline to complete the tax process. Explain their circumstance

RED – PAPER FILE: They need to sign tax returns and mail themselves (possible payment)

 

 

GREETING: When leaving a message.

Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening,

This message is for _____________. This is (your name) in (Preparer’s Name) office at Wealthnest Tax Services. I’m calling to inform you that your copy of your income tax return is ready to be picked up. Thank you and have a great day.

If the client’s yellow tax folder shows a RED DOT advise client needs to come in prior to the tax deadline to complete the tax process. Explain their circumstance

RED – PAPER FILE: They need to sign tax returns and mail themselves (possible payment)

 

After leaving a message or speaking with the client please leave a note in client Redtail profile notifying that contact has been made for pickup.

 

 

STEP: 6: Waiting on Client Pick Up To Complete

The simplest of steps that ends our workflow the clients folder stays in our tax cabinet till they come in and pick up their folder. Something to note is it is not uncommon for clients to leave their tax folder in our cabinet till next years appointment. If a client does arrive to pick up their tax folder there are a few things you must do to complete this final step.

 

• Confirm a SSN associated with the file
• Notate on the clients SF profile who came and picked up the folder
• Re-file clients tax folder for next year

 

 

Post Tax Season Tasks

• Last week of Tax Season (April 8th – April 15th)

 

This week is TYPICALLY reserved for no appointments but catch up time for the advisors, we as the staff then will pull all the tax folders from the tax cabinet that have green or red dots, Then we will notify these clients who have not picked up their tax folder that this is the last chance to grab your folder and either pay the money you owe or sign and mail in your return without penalty. This should also be notated within the client’s profile that this was their final notice for the tax year.