The firm may from time to time, and depending on the circumstances, use third-party service providers to assist in preparing your return, but these preparers will not make substantive decisions concerning your return. We may share your tax return information with these service providers, but remain committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of your information. Accordingly, we maintain internal policies, procedures, and safeguards to protect the confidentiality of your personal information. In addition, we will secure confidentiality agreements with all service providers to maintain the confidentiality of your information and we will take reasonable precautions to determine that they have appropriate procedures in place to prevent the unauthorized release of your confidential information to others. In the event that we are unable to secure an appropriate confidentiality agreement, you will be asked to provide your consent prior to the sharing of your confidential information with the third-party service provider. Furthermore, the firm will remain responsible for the work provided by any such third-party service providers. However, we will not disclose any tax return information to third parties without your express written consent.
In accordance with federal law, in no case will we disclose your tax return information to any location outside the United States, to another tax return preparer outside of our firm for purposes of a second opinion, or to any other third party for any purpose other than to prepare your return without first receiving for consent.
The Internal Revenue Code and regulations impose preparation and disclosure standards with noncompliance penalties on both the preparer of a tax return and on the taxpayer. To avoid exposure to the penalties, it may be necessary in some cases to make certain disclosures to you and/or in the tax return concerning positions taken on the return that do not meet these standards. Accordingly, we will advise you if we identify such a situation and we will discuss those tax positions that may increase the risk of exposure to penalties and any recommended disclosures with you before completing the preparation of the return. If we conclude that we are obligated to disclose a position and you refuse to permit the disclosure, we reserve the right to withdraw from the engagement. Likewise, where we disagree about the obligation to disclose a position, you also have a right to choose another professional to prepare your return. In either event, you agree to compensate us for our services to the date of withdrawal. Our engagement with you will terminate upon our withdrawal.
The IRS permits you to authorize us to discuss, on a limited basis, aspects of your return for one year after the return’s due date. Your consent to such a discussion is evidenced by checking a box on the return. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will check that box authorizing the IRS to discuss your return with us.
It is our policy to retain records related to this engagement for a period of seven years. However, we do not keep any of your original records, so we will return those to you upon the completion of the engagement. When records are returned to you, it is your responsibility to retain and protect the records for possible future use, including potential examination by governmental or regulatory agencies.
By signing this engagement letter, you acknowledge and agree that upon the expiration of the seven-year period, we are free to destroy our records related to this engagement. Our firm utilizes a professional shredding firm to destroy all tax returns and workpapers in a confidential manner. Physical deterioration or catastrophic events may shorten the term during which our records will be available. The workpapers and files of our firm are not a substitute for your original records. It is agreed and understood that in connection with the performance of this engagement by Accounting Strategies Group, LLC, the workpapers prepared by the firm shall remain the property of Accounting Strategies Group, LLC.
Our firm privacy policy is available on our website at www.accountingstrategiesgroup.com.
Certain communications involving tax advice are privileged and not subject to disclosure to the IRS. By disclosing the contents of those communications to anyone, or by turning over information about those communications to the government, you, your employees, or agents may be waiving this privilege. To protect this right to privileged communication, please consult with us or your attorney prior to disclosing any information about our tax advice. Should you decide that it is appropriate for us to disclose any potentially privileged communication, you agree to provide us with written, advance authority to make that disclosure.
Should we receive any request for the disclosure of privileged information from any third party, including a subpoena or IRS summons, we will notify you. In the event you direct us not to make the disclosure, you agree to hold us harmless from any expenses incurred in defending the privilege, including, by way of illustration only, our attorneys’ fees, court costs, outside adviser’s costs, or penalties and/or fines imposed as a result of your asserting the privilege or your direction to us to assert the privilege.
The return(s) may be selected for review by the taxing authorities. In the event of an audit, you may be requested to produce documents, records, or other evidence to substantiate the items of income and deduction shown on a tax return. Any proposed adjustments by the examining agent are subject to certain rights of appeal. In the event of a tax examination, we will be available, upon request, to represent you. However, such additional services are not included in the fees for the preparation of the tax return(s
Our fees for tax services will be based in part upon the amount of time required at our standard billing rates for the personnel working on the engagement, plus out-of-pocket expenses. All invoices are due and payable upon presentation. Amounts not paid within 30 days from the invoice date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1.0% per month (12% per year If for any reason the account is turned over to an attorney for collection, you will be responsible for all costs incurred, including but not limited to court costs, collection fees and attorneys’ fees. All returned checks will be subject to a $30 fee. Our fees do not include responding to Internal Revenue Service inquiries, and you should understand that we are not responsible for Internal Revenue Service disallowance of inadequately supported deductions or for resulting taxes, penalties, and interest. We will not begin work on your 2020 return until your account is paid in full.