As with most things, that depends!

If you are an individual, I will need you to complete the Auxiliary Software Consent prior to preparing your engagement package.

Engagement letters for the 2022 filing season (2021 tax returns) are making their way out the door. As of January 11th, we expect these to all be released on or before January 31st. Engagement letters are being sent in the following priority:

• Pass-through entities with K1s that will go to preparers other than Crayon Advisory

• Pass-through entities with K1s coming to Crayon Advisory and whose owners have completed their Auxiliary Software Consents

• Pass-through entities with K1s coming to Crayon Advisory and whose owners have not completed their Auxiliary Software Consents

• Individuals with completed Auxiliary Software Consents

Informed consent is important. Beginning in December of 2021, we started asking our clients to complete an Auxiliary Software Consent. This consent outlines the software we use in providing services to you.

You do not have to grant consent for us to use each piece of software. Choosing not to grant the use of a specific piece of software may incur additional fees.

The sooner we have compelted consents from you (and your sposue or partner if filing a married joint tax return), the sooner we will be able to prepare your engagement letter.

Your engagement package will be delivered through a series of emails:

1. An email directly from me telling you your engagement letter is on the way. This letter will include a link to your engagement letter.
2. An email from Proposify notifying you of your engagement letter. This email will also include links to your organizer and Suralink.
3. An invitation to Suralink if you’re not already set up in there.
4. A notification regarding your 2021 Tax Return Engagement in Suralink

There are two main organizers for tax return preparation:

• Individuals can find their organizer for their 1040 here. If you are filing joint tax return with your partner, only one of you will need to complete this organizer.
• Business Entities filing a separate return can find their organizer here. This includes Partnerships and S-corporations.

Organizers help us help you by asking you questions we need to know the answers to. They help us keep those questions consistent. These organizers may seem tedious and unnecessary, however, they are designed to capture as much information as possible and make sure we’re equipped to help you and offer you all the support you need.

Cognito Forms is fully encrypted. It meets the IRS’s standards for this. I only ask for PII (Personal Identification Information) through secure and encrypted channels. As an Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS, I am bound to ethical standards defined by the IRS, which include standards about data sharing.

Email is not secure, and should not be used for transmitting anything with Personal  Identification Information. 

Crayon Advisory, LLC uses three tools to transmit information securely:

• Suralink Request List Management – this is a portal that provides the ability to request specific information, for us both to see what’s been provided and what else might be necessary, and to provide commentary and additional information as may be necessary during tax return preparation.
• Onvio – this portal is through our Tax Prep Softwre from Thomson Reuters. We use it primarily to deliver tax returns.
• Cognito Forms – we have several forms set up for various uses. Each form is encrypted at rest and in transmission.

There’s two steps to working with me: an introductory survey and a virtual meet and greet. These will give me information about you, be able to price out your return, and get things started. During this process, I’ll learn a bit more about you and what’s going on in your financial life and how I can help with your tax return.