How to have an Online Tax Prep appointment with Jen!
1. Check out the scheduling page and sign up for an appointment. Just like an in person appt, this needs to be a time you can commit to being at your computer/by your phone for the duration (90 min) and not doing something else.
2. Two days before your appt, Jen will email you a link to upload all your things to her on Sharefile. If its the day before your appt and you haven't gotten the link, email Jen! Here is a video showing you how uploading works!
3. Prior to the appointment, fill out the New or Returning Client Intake form and any spreadsheets for deductions to the best of your ability and either upload them or email them to jentaxprep@gmail.com. Get them here! There is no need to upload receipts unless you have a large charitable donation. The Client Intake form needs to be sent as either a doc or pdf, not pages. Spreadsheets need to be in xls or ods, or shared as an editable Google Sheet. Please don't send numbers or pdf.
4. Prior to the appointment, gather all your income documents - W2s or 1099s from every job, and info about income from other sources such as savings account interest, investments, unemployment etc. I need the official tax documents - 1099G for unemployment, 1099DIV for stocks, etc. If you are missing a W2, wait to schedule until you have all your documents. If you know for certain there is no possibility of getting a missing W2, email jentaxprep@gmail.com for possible workaround. Also note that if your job is on a 1099 (i.e. no taxes taken out) you won't get a 1099 for any amounts less than $600. Upload all docs to the secure link. A list of docs can be found here.
5. Prior to your appointment, gather any other tax documents, such as student loan interest, mortgage interest, and your health insurance documents. For many of you, I also need pics of your ID. Also, if you are a new client, a copy of your 2019 return is also super helpful! You can upload all that to the link as well.
6. Upload all of your documents and spreadsheets to me by the start time of the appointment, and be at your computer and by your phone! Be prepared to pay the tax prep fee by Paypal, Venmo, or Zelle. Also have your bank account and routing number if you want direct deposit/direct debit. You can also upload your bank acct info ahead of time as well through the secure link.
7. Have your online appt through Zoom, Gchat, or phone! Enjoy chatting with Jen about how you survived 2020. Together we will go through everything, and you will be sent efile docs to sign through AdobeSign.
8. Within a few days of your appt, receive an email through Sharefile with a full copy of your return for your records.
9. Treat yourself to some delivered food or booze, you can now stop thinking about 2020!
FAQ
Q: How do I get all this stuff to you?
A: However you can! Ideally, PDF's are the best if its something you can download. If you have a physical copy and can scan to a pdf, that's also awesome. If you don't have that though, a good picture with your phone is fine! Just make sure its a jpg or png, I can't open Apple HEIC files. Worse comes to worse, you can also physically mail me copies, email me for my address.
Q: Anything else I need to know about uploading?
A: If you can, please name your files something helpful to me, like W2 Job 1 or Student Loan info. When the filename is just a series of numbers, I have to go through everything and re-label. Also, count the number of files you are uploading, you can check with me to make sure that's how many I have. Sharefile won't give you any kind of confirmation, so it's good to check! Here is a video about how to upload!
Q: How secure is this?
A: As good as we can with current tech. I am the only one with access to my Sharefile account, and I do my best to keep that secure by changing my password regularly. The links I send you can only be used for uploading, not downloading, so if anyone gets into your email the link is useless. I am a very small outfit, so it's unlikely my account would become a target. And your files only stay on Sharefile during calendar year 2021. At the end of every year, I download all my files to my external drive and erase everything on Sharefile to make room for the next year.
Q: Are you a Mac or PC?
A: PC all the way baby! So no, I don't have Facetime, and I can't open pages or numbers, so make sure what you send is PC compatible! Thanks!
2. Two days before your appt, Jen will email you a link to upload all your things to her on Sharefile. If its the day before your appt and you haven't gotten the link, email Jen! Here is a video showing you how uploading works!
3. Prior to the appointment, fill out the New or Returning Client Intake form and any spreadsheets for deductions to the best of your ability and either upload them or email them to jentaxprep@gmail.com. Get them here! There is no need to upload receipts unless you have a large charitable donation. The Client Intake form needs to be sent as either a doc or pdf, not pages. Spreadsheets need to be in xls or ods, or shared as an editable Google Sheet. Please don't send numbers or pdf.
4. Prior to the appointment, gather all your income documents - W2s or 1099s from every job, and info about income from other sources such as savings account interest, investments, unemployment etc. I need the official tax documents - 1099G for unemployment, 1099DIV for stocks, etc. If you are missing a W2, wait to schedule until you have all your documents. If you know for certain there is no possibility of getting a missing W2, email jentaxprep@gmail.com for possible workaround. Also note that if your job is on a 1099 (i.e. no taxes taken out) you won't get a 1099 for any amounts less than $600. Upload all docs to the secure link. A list of docs can be found here.
5. Prior to your appointment, gather any other tax documents, such as student loan interest, mortgage interest, and your health insurance documents. For many of you, I also need pics of your ID. Also, if you are a new client, a copy of your 2019 return is also super helpful! You can upload all that to the link as well.
6. Upload all of your documents and spreadsheets to me by the start time of the appointment, and be at your computer and by your phone! Be prepared to pay the tax prep fee by Paypal, Venmo, or Zelle. Also have your bank account and routing number if you want direct deposit/direct debit. You can also upload your bank acct info ahead of time as well through the secure link.
7. Have your online appt through Zoom, Gchat, or phone! Enjoy chatting with Jen about how you survived 2020. Together we will go through everything, and you will be sent efile docs to sign through AdobeSign.
8. Within a few days of your appt, receive an email through Sharefile with a full copy of your return for your records.
9. Treat yourself to some delivered food or booze, you can now stop thinking about 2020!
FAQ
Q: How do I get all this stuff to you?
A: However you can! Ideally, PDF's are the best if its something you can download. If you have a physical copy and can scan to a pdf, that's also awesome. If you don't have that though, a good picture with your phone is fine! Just make sure its a jpg or png, I can't open Apple HEIC files. Worse comes to worse, you can also physically mail me copies, email me for my address.
Q: Anything else I need to know about uploading?
A: If you can, please name your files something helpful to me, like W2 Job 1 or Student Loan info. When the filename is just a series of numbers, I have to go through everything and re-label. Also, count the number of files you are uploading, you can check with me to make sure that's how many I have. Sharefile won't give you any kind of confirmation, so it's good to check! Here is a video about how to upload!
Q: How secure is this?
A: As good as we can with current tech. I am the only one with access to my Sharefile account, and I do my best to keep that secure by changing my password regularly. The links I send you can only be used for uploading, not downloading, so if anyone gets into your email the link is useless. I am a very small outfit, so it's unlikely my account would become a target. And your files only stay on Sharefile during calendar year 2021. At the end of every year, I download all my files to my external drive and erase everything on Sharefile to make room for the next year.
Q: Are you a Mac or PC?
A: PC all the way baby! So no, I don't have Facetime, and I can't open pages or numbers, so make sure what you send is PC compatible! Thanks!
