ATSMAN wrote:How is your engagement letter worded? I am sure this is not the first time you encountered this issue if you have been in this line of business for a while.
Before I take on a new business client I want to see the last 3 year's filings. My engagement letter says very clearly that I am relying on their books and records for tax return preparation. I am NOT doing any audit of their books and records
OK, fair enough, I'm not totally lost here. I just thought it was an interesting topic and I wanted to gather and compare a knowledge base.
Our agreement says lots of things. We haven't had a chance to send it yet. ..Here are the related items...
Additional fees may apply when:
• Bookkeeping services are requested or required
<lots of other things>
This engagement is for income tax preparation services only. It does not include:
• <lots of things>
• Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is not included in the price quoted for tax preparation:
• To avoid bookkeeping fees, clients will provide categorized income and expense statements or completed organizers/questionnaires as provided by the tax preparer.
• The tax preparer charges additionally to extract, interpret, sum, or merge data from receipts, ledgers, bank statements, or other documents that are not fully completed and categorized financial statements.
• The tax preparer may or may not be able to provide bookkeeping services on a case by case basis depending on the tax preparer’s workload.
Other Items and Expectations:
• The tax preparer will depend on the client to provide the information the tax preparer needs to prepare complete and accurate returns. The tax preparer may ask to clarify items but will not audit or otherwise verify the data submitted by the client.
<lots of other things>