Online tax preparation with e-file
Send documents through a secure upload, handle questions by phone, and sign off before your return is e-filed.
How a remote return works
Sending documents
The upload link on this site opens a Dropbox file request. You do not need a Dropbox account to use it, and you cannot see anything anyone else has uploaded. Phone photos work if every page is readable; PDFs downloaded from a payroll site or brokerage are better. Please do not email tax documents. Standard email is not encrypted, and a W-2 holds everything someone needs to file a fraudulent return in your name.
Questions and review
Once the return is drafted we call about anything that needs a decision or a document that is still missing. You see the finished return before it is filed and can ask about any line on it.
Signing and filing
The IRS requires your signed authorization, Form 8879, before a preparer transmits your return, and Colorado has a matching declaration. After you sign, both returns are filed electronically, and the IRS sends back an acceptance, usually within a day or two. A copy stays on file here.
What e-file changes
The IRS issues most refunds from e-filed returns with direct deposit within 21 days. A rejected e-file comes back within a day or two with the reason attached, such as a Social Security number that does not match IRS records, and can be fixed and resent. Returns for years older than the two prior years cannot be e-filed and still go by mail; back taxes and amended returns covers those.
An Identity Protection PIN
Anyone who can verify their identity through an IRS online account can get an Identity Protection PIN, a six-digit number that changes every year. Once you have one, a return filed under your Social Security number without it is rejected. If you have an IP PIN, send the current one with your documents, because the return cannot be e-filed without it.
If you would rather come in
The Lone Tree office is at 9233 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 202. Hours run longer from mid-January through April 15; current hours are listed here. Clients elsewhere in the Denver metro can do the whole return remotely and skip the drive.
Questions about working remotely
Is it safe to upload tax documents online?
Uploads go to a Dropbox file request, which encrypts files in transit and in storage and does not let anyone who uploads see other files. That is considerably safer than email, which is not encrypted by default.
Is this the same as using tax software?
No. With software you answer its questions and pick the entries yourself. Here an Enrolled Agent prepares the return from your documents and asks you only about the parts that need a decision.
Do I need an appointment to file remotely?
No. Upload your documents, and we will call when there is a question or when the return is ready for you to review.
How much does it cost to have my return prepared remotely?
The same as in the office. Pricing is by quote, based on what the return involves, and given before any work starts.
Review
I have known Charles Trautman for over 20 years and as my tax preparer for 5+ years. He has always been professional and answered my questions and concerns.
Start your return from home
9233 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 202, Lone Tree, in the Panera Bread building at C-470 and Yosemite.