re: Taxfyle. New Tax Prep Website for CPAs. Is it legit?

Does this in-app communication system feature video/audio, or is it purely text/written communication?

As a professional, I would have difficulty signing a return without full control of the entire process. The fact that my communications can only take place via a protocol that is NOT of my choosing is pretty much a non-starter for me.

You have to understand, when we sign that return, every time we sign that return, our license and our good standing gets put on the line. You have to understand while the law says CPAs can rely on the client and not audit information, the IRS' pattern of imposing preparer penalties says otherwise.

While I think there is a lot of potential in your company, what your are offering is very much a subcontractor relationship. The taxpayer's relationship is to you, the Taxfyle company, not the CPA. As such, in most subcontractor relationships in the tax world, the subcontractor does not sign the return.

I would be happy to consider, under the current circumstances of your company, preparing the return as a subcontractor, with the understanding that the return will be reviewed and signed by a competent, licensed CPA that is an employee of your company. I understand and accept that I would be paid less than if I was signing the return, but to me, the additional compensation is not worth the additional risk of having to sign a return without full control of the process.

I wish you guys a lot of luck, and I hope you will report back to us after 4/18 and let us know candidly, as much as you can understanding confidentiality, how things went. The 70 percent you are going after, those who don't want to do online filing themselves, are stuck with the crappy chains, or worse, the fly by night here today, gone tomorrow hood shops that are just outright frauds.