Taxfyle Pros: Doing the Work

Is my Pro account set up to pick up opportunities?

First, ensure that the notification isn't from the Onboarding workspace, as this workspace is only for potential Pros who are submitting applications. Next, you'll want to verify that your roles and permissions all appear to be in order. That means you have to be officially onboarded and your Skills are updated.

Note: The New Pro skill allows you to pick up all the basic business and personal return jobs that become available. As you pick up more jobs, your scope of opportunities will increase as well. And we have miscellaneous skills attached to a Pro's profile for more niche deliverables that aren't encompassed in the New Pro skill.

Please contact Taxfyle Support to confirm that your skills are up to date so you're eligible to pick up opportunities. If all your Skills are in order, then it's possible that the job opportunity that was seen was already picked up by another Pro. We encourage you to continually check for opportunities as job volume is at it's highest during tax season and deadline weeks. We’ve found that the best way for Pros to pick up work is by leaving the Opportunities section open on a separate tab as the portal gets updated in real-time. Usually, around noon ET and the evenings are when jobs are more abundant on the platform. Also, ensuring that you have desktop notifications enabled helps to receive up to date alerts for when new jobs are available for pickup (see How to Enable Desktop Notifications).

There are a lot of Pros currently active on the platform looking to acquire new opportunities. That being said, we recommend staying as active as possible, enabling all notifications in the web app, and downloading the mobile Worklayer app to pick up opportunities on the go.

Haven't received job opportunity email notifications?

If you've received email/push notifications for available job opportunities but found nothing available when you logged onto the Pro Portal this means the job was already picked up by another Pro. Because job acquisition is based on a first come, first serve basis it's really dependent on being alert and attentive on the Opportunities page since you're in competition with a bevy of other Pros in our network.

We've been getting a healthy influx of job opportunities submitted daily through the platform since tax season started. For the most proven way to pick up work, we recommend:

• Leaving the Opportunities section open on one of your tabs (as it gets updated in real time)
• Enabling desktop notifications for your browser to receive up-to-date alerts of new job postings (Google Chrome , Firefox , Safari)
• Downloading our Worklayer mobile app to get notifications and pick up opportunities on the go (look up Worklayer in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download)

Follow these best practices and you'll start picking up job opportunities in no time! For any additional questions, concerns, or feedback, reach out to Taxfyle Support.

What if my client isn't responding?

Clients will receive push notifications either to the Taxfyle mobile app or desktop browser every time you send a message, upload a document, or there's an update to the engagement status.

If you feel your client is not receiving notifications, it may be your client has disabled push notifications, or has not installed the Taxfyle mobile app. Best practice would be to ask your client to download the Taxfyle mobile app and ask them to enable push notifications so they may enjoy an optimal tax filing experience.

If your client has been unresponsive for a considerable amount of time, you may reach out to the Taxfyle Pro Success team through the help chat and a member of the Taxfyle team will reach out to the client on your behalf.

What if there's more work to be done than what was originally indicated?

At times, there may be additional forms and schedules required to complete an accurate filing than what was originally indicated when you accepted the opportunity. Note that it's not uncommon to encounter required forms which are simply ancillary to those indicated within the engagement details. In events such as these, please complete the tax return as required. If you feel the additional forms are excessive in relation to what was indicated within the dashboard, you may reach out to the Taxfyle Pro Success team and they will assist in resolving the matter.

There may also be instances where the client improperly answered their on-boarding questions. This will be evident after communicating with the client in comparison to the on-boarding responses appearing within the job on your dashboard. Please contact the Taxfyle Pro Success team if this is the case, and they will contact the client and correct pricing on the engagement.

When is it appropriate to close a job?

You are required to follow the points below before closing a job to ensure your client has all the necessary information and documentation needed to mark their engagement complete:

1. You must upload a final, signed copy of the client's tax return.
2. An executed e-file authorization must be uploaded to the documents section.
3. An e-file confirmation page/proof of mailing receipt must be uploaded in the documents section.
4. You must tell your client that you will be closing the engagement and they will no longer be able to communicate with you.  Inform your client that if it's necessary for them to contact you again, they must reach out through the Taxfyle help chat for a member of the Taxfyle team to reconnect you.

• Note:  If you close the engagement you will not be able to upload the documents, so it is not okay to close the job and come back later.

Once you've uploaded all the necessary documents and informed your client the engagement has been completed, you may close it out and accept a new opportunity.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you do not close out a job prematurely simply due to the client's unresponsiveness. Jobs that are closed within the dashboard are queued for payout. If you did not complete a job and receive payment, you will owe Taxfyle for the funds improperly transferred to your account.

Failure to follow these steps may result in your job limit being reduced or suspension of your access privileges.

Can I call or email the client?

External communication (i.e. telephone, email, in-person, etc.) is strictly prohibited. The chat messaging system is the primary tool for communication while working within the Taxfyle platform. All communication and documents shared are end-to-end encrypted to maintain a high-level security.

We strictly prohibit solicitation to our customers and communication through other channels as this limits the engagement communication records. Pros suspected of communicating externally will have their account flagged for quality control and potential indefinite suspension.

While there may be extraordinary circumstances where a phone call is necessary, it's expected that Taxfyle Pro Success team be notified of the situation so approvals may be made and contact information shared.

Can I remove unresponsive clients?

Unresponsive clients can be a pain when they clog up your job limit. If your client has been unresponsive for an unreasonable amount of time and you would like to remove that job from your list, please reach out through the help chat and a member of  the Taxfyle Pro Success team may have the job transferred to an available Tax Pro. Please note that in doing so, you will be forfeiting the fees you were looking to collect for this job. If the Client becomes available and is responsive, Taxfyle may reach out to you if you'd like continue the engagement.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you do not close out a job prematurely simply due to the clients unresponsiveness. Jobs which are closed within the dashboard are queued for payout. If you did not complete a job and receive payout, you will owe Taxfyle for the funds improperly transferred to your account.

Document permissions functionality

All Pros should note that any documents uploaded by either a Pro or a client will ultimately belong to the client and remain on their account.  Taxfyle clients have the ability to remove a document from a job or restrict their Pro from versioning or editing over it (regardless of who initially uploaded the document). When access has been limited, this will be apparent by the "Read Only" symbol next to the document name on the right side panel (document must be selected for right side panel to appear). Some things to keep in mind when working with documents:

Versions tab

While on the files tab of a document, you should see an "Upload New Version" button which can be used to version over the selected document. In the event that you do not see this button, it is likely because the client actively removed your ability to edit this document (i.e. Read Only). In order for your access to be reinstated, you will have to ask the client to reinstate your access. You may use the following as reference:

"Looks like my access may be limited for this document. Not sure if this was done on purpose, but if you could please select the document on your end and edit the Access tab from 'Just me' to 'Everyone'? Once thats done, I should be able to version over it and/or edit the file name as necessary. Thanks!"

Also, should you ever notice a yellow highlight within the 'Files' tab, please note this means you are currently looking at an outdated version of the document. Select the document drop down within this tab to pick the most recent version.

Info tab

Assuming the client hasn't limited you to "Read Only" on a document, you should be able to change the Name, description, and tags for any document by editing the respective fields within the Info tab. If the fields are greyed out, please reference the suggested language above to ask the client if they can remove the "Read Only" limitations.

How can I delete documents?

Any document submitted within the Taxfyle platform cannot be deleted. In the event you accidentally uploaded a photo or document, simply inform your client of the improper upload and it may be ignored as necessary. Delete functionality is not supported within the platform as communications and uploads are maintained as a transcript for engagements. Should you need to review your interactions at a later date, Taxfyle provides the benefit of an unaltered transcript. If you believe it's vital a document be deleted, you may reach out within the help chat and a member of the Taxfyle Pro Success team may delete as necessary.

IMPORTANT: You are alone responsible for ensuring all documents in your possession are handled with care. Stay attentive when uploading documents to a specific client folder. Ensure you're uploading specific tax documents to the correct client. Documents can not be deleted without the Taxfyle Pro Success team authorization.

What if my client stops responding but I've completed the return?

If your client's return has been prepared and is ready for filing, but the client has not responded or signed off the return of the e-file authorization, please include the following final message:

"I've gone ahead and prepared a version of your return that you can use to file by mail. I've included specific filing instructions for your reference. If you'd like for me to e-file your return for you, just reach out to Taxfyle Support via the help chat and they'll reopen your job for you so that I can e-file for you. It's been a pleasure working with you and I hope to be working with you again next year!"

Feel free to copy and paste the message above.

After sending the above message, upload the final version of the return along with the filing instructions and proceed to close out the job. If the customer returns and would like to e-file, you will need to e-file their return for them.

How should I handle suspected fraud?

We understand that there are a few bad apples in every bunch.  So when you suspect that you've picked up a bad apple as a client, there are a few things that you should know:

1. Be alert - Fraud comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
2. If you suspect fraud, report it via the help chat right away.
3. Don't file a return that you don't feel comfortable with

So let's dive into a little more detail on these items.

Be Alert

‍Some clients aren't filing fully fraudulent returns.  Some of them just want to bend the numbers to their favor.  It is your professional duty to provide your client with the highest level of professional service.  This means obtaining every credit and including every deduction that they are legally entitled to; it also includes helping them plan their transactions so that they're structured in the most legally advantageous way possible.
Some individuals may be more egregious in their attempts at fraud.  Some of them may be engaging in identity theft and may be using our service as a means of perpetrating identity theft en masse.  In these situations, you are the front-line of defense.  Some of the easiest ways to spot these individuals is to demand and examine photo IDs;  These IDs are often doctored and faked, and spotting them can be surprisingly easy.  If you're suspicious, do a Google search for the ID that they submitted.  

1. Do the fonts look right?
2. Does the signature look like a signature or does it look like a font that supposed to look like a signature?
3. Are the units of measurement consistent (lbs vs KGs - ft/in vs CMs)?
4. Does the whole ID look like it's a photo?
5. Are there holograms over the pictures or are they unobstructed?

Some of them may provide inconsistent answers when questioned about their documents.  
In any case, you need to stay alert when it comes to these things.

If you suspect it

‍Unfortunately, someone who is engaged in identity theft, will often use a stolen credit card to pay for your services.  As a result, we cannot bill a card that we suspect to be stolen.  To help reduce the amount of time you spend on these returns, we strongly recommend that you obtain their photo ID at the onset.  We also strongly recommend that you report anything that is suspicious so that we may further investigate and see if there is any other evidence to corroborate your suspicions.  If you feel that it is necessary, you may report your suspicions to the IRS as well.  You may fill out form 3949-A to report your concerns.

Don't file it

‍If you have your doubts about the correctness of a return or the underlying information, or you doubt the authenticity of the identity of the person that is using your services, you should not file the return.  Instead, contact the Taxfyle Team and they will remove the job from your queue and they will handle the situation from there on out.