Happy Tax Filing Season!

Transmitting information to our office

Please send your tax information to our office as soon as you have all of it assembled. We will need your data at least 14 days ahead of your Tax Preparation appointment, and we handle returns on a first-come, first-prepared basis. To provide your information, use one of these methods:

• fill out our Electronic Tax Organizer, which you can find at p-f-p.com > For Clients > Client Resources
• upload to your To PFP portal on Box.com
• drop off hard-copy data to our office—please contact Ellen at 216-688-3737, ext. 102 to arrange a time for her to meet you
• fax to 216-688-1737

If you prefer to send your information by US Mail, please keep the originals and mail us copies of your documents. To avoid your confidential information becoming compromised by theft of mail, take your envelope into the Post Office instead of using a public mailbox. We recommend Priority Mail so you can track your envelope. 

Assembling your data

There are two ways to see the data that we need to complete your returns:

• Use our Electronic Tax Organizer, which you can find at p-f-p.com > For Clients > Client Resources 
• Click here for a list of the data we need

Because fewer of our clients have been using our hard-copy organizers, we are now mailing them on request. Please let us know if you would like one. 

Our virtual assistant, Nicki Kuznicki

Nicki Kuznicki will be assisting us with tax preparation again this year. She specializes in tax and is very familiar with our comprehensive financial planning approach. Nicki provides virtual paraplanning services primarily for advisors like us, who are members of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP). Her background and expertise help us to provide high quality and timely service. 

Nicki will input information into our tax software and may have follow-up questions for you. If you get a call or email from Nicki, know that she is working for us. If you have any doubt about whether you can reveal confidential information to someone who contacts you (by phone, email, or any other way), politely end the call and then phone us at 216-688-3737 so we can verify whether or not the request is from our office.

You may call Nicki at 877-761-5381. As always, please do not email confidential information—upload it to your To PFP portal and let us know, or use one of the other delivery methods mentioned above. We will then forward it to Nicki if required.

Consent forms

We must ask for two documents from you before we begin to prepare your taxes. 

• Consent to Use of Tax Return Information: We are required to have your consent if we are to use your tax data to benefit you in other ways, such as tax planning and investment advice. 
• Consent to Disclosure of Tax Return Information: We are required to have your consent if we are to share your tax data, even if the disclosure is to benefit you. To make recommendations in connection with such services, including whether to provide them or to offer them for a fee, we may need to disclose your tax return information. For instance, we sometimes consult with other experts who may need your tax data to assist us in preparing your returns.

You can download the consent forms here. Review and sign both pages and return them with your tax data. Or we can email a link for you to sign them electronically if you prefer. We are happy to provide a copy for your records. And as always, our privacy policy still applies—we never release any of your information from our office for any purpose except those you authorize or as required by law.

Tax Preparation appointments and electronic signatures

Most returns will require only a 30-minute screen-share so we can review your completed return with you. Please let us know if you prefer a more detailed appointment. We're happy to review your return with you in as much detail as you might like.

We will be using electronic signatures for returns that are eligible for E-filing. Of course, we can provide hard-copy forms for your signature if you prefer.

Extensions of time to file

Please note that in addition to circumstances where there is a specific reason to do so, it is our practice to submit an Extension of Time to File for any client whose complete tax preparation information is not available to us before April 1. Most years, our office closes for all or part of April 15.

If we ask for more info, make sure it's us!

You may get a call from us (or from Nicki Kuznicki—see above) requesting further information. If you have any doubt about whether you can reveal confidential information to the person calling, please end the call and then phone us back at 216-688-3737. We won't be offended--we appreciate your caution.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.