Paper Vs Electronic Client Copy

[Gary2]

GOOGLE DOCS boys and girls. FREE! Client Portal for the budget conscious (poor ok cheap - but I prefer - Smart!! ) They give you 2 gigs but you can buy 20 gigs a year for $5.

I do NOT keep client docs out there. But, when a client wants a copy of THEIR tax return I send them a shared request from Google Docs - Has worked great this summer alone!!. It is HTTPS so it is 230 compliant. Sending in email -Nope! Not even sure how acceptable an encrypted Doc is.

The https protocol encrypts the network connection, but says nothing about the storage. I didn't see anything in the Google Docs help about the files being encrypted while on their servers, or otherwise inaccessible to their employees.

I don't see a huge difference between https or a standalone utility both using the same encryption algorithms, other than the difficulty of determining whether the standalone utility is really doing what it's advertised as doing.

[MAJ]

Some Free-Bee's... Not BeeNees ---

Okay -- I am virtually paperless. On my end.
All documents that touch my desk get scanned. Works Great - ScanSnap!.
Although the new Epson is similar priced and TWAIN compliant. Missed by that much! 8-(

Paper copes - most - but I am trying to go electronic. Kills me when clients expect me to print things for them because they can't find what I gave them yesterday or last month! I have to start charging. Paper is $40 a case at Staples. I wait for the Uber-Sale though.

GOOGLE DOCS boys and girls. FREE! Client Portal for the budget conscious (poor ok cheap - but I prefer - Smart!! ) They give you 2 gigs but you can buy 20 gigs a year for $5.

I do NOT keep client docs out there. But, when a client wants a copy of THEIR tax return I send them a shared request from Google Docs - Has worked great this summer alone!!. It is HTTPS so it is 230 compliant. Sending in email -Nope! Not even sure how acceptable an encrypted Doc is. Call PrimoPDF (very familiar with them) - Tell them you lost the password and see what they say -- If they can crack it for you - NO WAY ACCEPTABLE!

GOOGLE Voice... You can sign up for a Free phone number. This is the phone number you can give out to those certain clients but don't want to give your real cell number out to. You know - the good clients - not the PIA's!! they can call the /dev/null phone number! (That's computer geek speak for - direct to the garbage).

My pitch to my client this year will be - On CD means you get the tax return and ALL supporting documents (I do NOT hard print every supporting document). In addition, all scanned documents that support your tax position. In addition, a copy of the last two years returns as well. That's 3 years in one place -

All of your returns in One Place (they will misplace that too). but at least I saved on paper and ink!! A 100 pack of CD's can be had for dirt these days on sale. Drag and drop the client folder and your done. Takes what - a minute to burn. Less than the print out!!

[Roberts]

Per their website and PCWorld:

PrimoPDF also allows you to secure your document. Unlike in older versions, you don't select the level of encryption; everything is 128-bit.

[Gary2]

FREE SOFTWARE - PrimoPDF will allow you to generate pdf files with password protection. You can get it at download.com

Just a reminder. As I've pointed out in the past, "password protection" is not synonymous with encryption. If it's at all recent, it's probably encrypted because the underlying encryption software is readily available. However there was a time when password protection was only intended to keep things from unintentional or uneducated eyes.

[Roberts]

I give EVERYONE a physical copy of their return in an envelope with their documents. I know few read the return but some do. If it were electronic, I'm doubtful any would look it over.

One client receives his digitally and it's because he's always desperate. They have an investment club partnership and I email him everything so he can then email out the k-1's. It's 100% his choice to do it that way.

FREE SOFTWARE - PrimoPDF will allow you to generate pdf files with password protection. You can get it at download.com

[Gary2]

There are interesting trade-offs between the security of information that you encrypt yourself versus the security of a web portal operated by a third party.

Both are vulnerable to attacks on your system (e.g. a keylogger trojan), so that's a wash. With the email approach, the information is subject to brute force attacks, including password attacks, as well as those cryptographic (i.e., mathematically sophisticated) attacks that benefit from having a complete message and a known subject domain.

A web portal, on the other hand, adds another link to the chain. It's dependent on the security of the portal, which can be harder to gauge than the security of an encryption program. It's also vulnerable to social engineering attacks, since there are now more people in the loop with potential access to the information. Can you get independent verification that the portal operator does background checks on employees, limits access to those with a need, and gets reviewed by independent security experts?

[joanmcq]

I won't email anything that has any sensitive client data on it. It's one of the reasons I got my website; it has a secure portal. You might want to check Circ. 230 about emailing and security of client documents. Now if they want to email YOU stuff, you have no control over it. But there are restrictions on what you can do.

[oceanlovin'ea]

I have actually only emailed the 8879 to them to sign and send back to me. Then I mail the return to them.
I know that I would have to have a secure way to actually send the tax return to them. I'll look into that later.

Linda, EA

[ttbtaxes]

I give them a paper copy of the return.Most of my clients prefer a paper copy. I have a couple of clients that live out of town. I will email their return to them if they choose.

I guess I need to look into sending it in a safe way...not just attached to an email if I am going to do that. Hmmmm.....another thread to investigate.

Linda, EA

I'd be very wary of emailing any document, like a tax return, to anyone even if it is password protected. Have you consider getting a portal system where every client has his or her own portal? That way, you are much more secure when exchanging documents.

I will not email any document to a client. If they want it, the document goes snail mail or is uploaded to a personal portal.

[DaveO]

We give a paper copy. Our copy is stored on the harddrive along with scans of their backup information. If they want an electronic copy we will provide it at no extra charge.

[ToledoEd]

We always provide a paper copy along with their documentation. We do charge for additional copies. With Drake we can email the pdf copy with password protection. I have out of town clients who like to review the email copy, but we do have paper copies for them also.

[oceanlovin'ea]

I give them a paper copy of the return.Most of my clients prefer a paper copy. I have a couple of clients that live out of town. I will email their return to them if they choose.

I guess I need to look into sending it in a safe way...not just attached to an email if I am going to do that. Hmmmm.....another thread to investigate.

Linda, EA

[taxea]

I provide the required copy manually....any additional I charge 50. It irritates the hell out of me when businesses assume that everyone has the means of opening/reading an electronic/digital. Not everyone has a computer or is computer literate.

[FEDUKE404]

Paper copies all around

Right now I always give my clients a printed/paper copy of their tax return.

One reason for doing so is that I also include some explanatory worksheets (such as how Social Security benefits were taxed, or details of capital loss carryovers, or even a depreciation summary) as a courtesy. Such is not technically part of "the tax return" but my clients appreciate such extra effort.

Some clients also request an electronic/PDF copy, and I always comply with no additional charges. The issue of dumping the file onto media has never occurred, but I would certainly have to consider additional charges for providing a DVD or flash drive.

As for charging extra to print a client copy (regardless of whether the tax return itself was efiled....but most/all are!) I consider that practice unconscionable. I do charge an additional fixed amount, mainly to cover my costs, to mail the tax returns back to a client.

FE

[erchess]

My practices

I charge $25 to paper file a return that could be efiled. This year at least I will let the fee slide for people who would have to efile imperfect returns since that is new and I don't know how it's going to work and therefore don't want to pressure clients at that point.

If a client paper files a paper copy for their files is included. If they efile, a paper copy for their records is $15 extra. While I will have a busy day this coming Tuesday, the week won't be busy and even the next week won't be very busy so I'm still ordering things and even making final decisions about how I will conduct business this season. I will make a decision this weekend and order either a bunch of low capacity thumb drives or blank CDs and cardboard holders. Whichever I get will be imprinted with my name my business name and contact information.