2024 Tax Prep Procedures
Make your tax preparations easier with our tax prep process.
To increase the efficiency of your tax return preparation and to minimize turn-around time, we continue to implement time-saving changes to our tax preparation process for this upcoming 2024 tax season.
Tax Preparation Process:
- The tax organizer will be accessed and completed electronically for 2023 through My1040Data Online Tax Organizer. We will not be sending out paper tax organizers for 2023. All clients must complete the electronic tax organizer to provide us with all necessary information to complete your tax returns.
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Engagement letters will be sent to you through RightSignature to officially retain our services and initiate access to the electronic tax organizer.
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Dependents with filing requirements who have had tax returns prepared in the prior year will need to complete their own tax organizer and tax engagement letter.
- Dependents with a 2023 filing requirement, who have not filed tax returns in the prior year, will need to contact our office to request electronic organizer setup.
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You will have access to a secure ShareFile folder to facilitate secure document uploads throughout the tax preparation process.
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If requested, a review of your draft tax returns will be either a tax summary email, telephone call or zoom meeting, depending on your fee structure.
- You will receive an electronic copy of your final tax returns for review.
- Convenient online access to pay your invoice securely by credit card or an e-check.
Please provide all of your information at one time as there is a very short window for the preparation of your tax returns.
If time becomes an issue, and you are missing or know you will be waiting on information, please submit the majority of your information so that we can prepare as much of the tax returns as possible. We process tax returns in the order that they are received, so if you have a specific deadline or other time constraint, please advise us as early as possible.
Scheduling Appointments and Important Dates:
If you wish to schedule an appointment to review a draft of your tax returns, we are requesting that you schedule your appointment and then submit your tax information ahead of that meeting (at least 15 days in advance). This will allow us to prepare draft tax returns for review during your appointment and have a discussion relating to any tax issues.
March 29: Last day for tax appointments.
All of your information, (with 15 days advance scheduling), must be received by March 13, 2024 to schedule an appointment for that week.
24Lindsey McAvey will be coordinating the tax appointment calendar. Lindsey can be reached at (508) 871-7178 or by email at Lindsey@ssbcpa.com. Unless otherwise requested, Lindsey will be scheduling appointments in half-hour time blocks, so if you have a particularly complicated tax return, please be sure to let her know to block off additional time. We will be scheduling appointments to begin on February 12, 2024. If you have deadlines imposed for any reason, please contact us immediately to schedule an early appointment.
Completing Your Engagement Letter
We must receive your signature(s) on the engagement letter, the engagement letter questions must all be answered, and the organizer questions must be answered “yes” or “no” in order to process your tax returns. If any questions are left blank throughout the organizer, the answer will be assumed “NO” or “$0”.
The tax organizer is meant to assist you in gathering the appropriate information necessary to prepare complete and accurate tax returns. Fully completing the tax organizer minimizes the time spent with additional questions.
Your Tax Form Data – (including 1099, 1098, W-2 and Schedule K-1’s)
Please be sure to submit electronically through MY1040Data your forms W-2, 1099, 1098 and Schedule K-1’s to us. Please use the “Status/Action” dropdown box to help us determine documents applicable for 2023, versus documents no longer needed. If you receive a document(s) after you have submitted your organizer and documents, please upload to your ShareFile folder pdfs of the document(s).
JPEGs (photos) will not be accepted, as the document cannot be read clearly in our scanning software.
Please note that 2024 tax planning is not part of your 2023 tax preparation services, but we will be happy to assist with the preparation of estimated tax vouchers for safe harbor planning. We can set up a separate appointment or telephone conference after the April 15 deadline if additional tax planning is needed.
Tax Information 2024 Deadline
We receive an abundance of tax returns to process – especially as we approach the final weeks of tax season. Receiving your initial tax return information after March 22, 2024 will result in an extension of your 2023 tax returns, assuming that we have sufficient information.
You’re busy, we get it – Streamlining our Services
We are looking forward to tax season and will continue to look for ways to improve and streamline our tax preparation services. Our goal is to work together as a team and to provide you with professional, cost effective, tax preparation and consultation. Thank you for your business and your referrals, we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Is Your CPA Looking Out for You?
We Are.
Contact Us
Tel: 508-871-7178
Fax: 508-871-7179
Mailing Address
Smith, Sullivan & Brown, P.C.
80 Flanders Road, Suite 302
Westborough, MA 01581
Professional Memberships:
Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants
Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce
Metrowest Chamber of Commerce
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