Discussion:Emailing Copy of Tax Return

This document provides final regulations to facilitate electronic filing of returns prepared by tax return preparers. They provide that preparers may avoid paper copies by retaining and furnishing to taxpayers copies of returns in an electronic or digital format prescribed by the Commissioner.

Partly because our state society struck a deal for a limited free account. (finally... something for those dues) but I also like the security and activity tracking that comes with it. Also, so far no clients have been confused by the process.

FWIW

If we want client print out pdf file and send it to IRS, what about preparer signature? Can we add a scanned prepare signature to pdf file, is that consider a legal signature?

Thanks for your tips everyone.

Unfortunately, as Biasinik points out, a client will find any excuse to sue if something goes wrong. Therefore, I use 256-bit encrypted email. I did look into using Leapfile because I have several clients who email me large files. Our state CPA society also got the free account for basic services. Unfortunately, for my purposes I would have had to go with the highest service and the cost was just too high for the number of times I would use it. (There's another case of upselling.)

That is correct. I believe some states, like NY, have barcodes that may print wrong from PDF. Not sure why, but I'll leave that to the Geek Squad.

My business does not have the password capabilities so I don't email those returns. I plan on getting some software that will password the .pdf file. I think Adobe itself (not Reader) can do this. One or two others were mentioned above.

Any experience with the base level of Adobe Acrobat 9.0 standard version.?

I would estimate about 95%-98% of our clients get their copy of the return via some sort of electronic medium. Some via CD, but most now get them through a web portal on our site; it is an SSL-secure client gateway into our online file storage database where we can flag things for them to see. Tends to be expensive.

For good enough security, password protecting the file to be transmitted via email is fine, provided that the same email does not contain the password. It would be most prudent to tell the client the PW via phone, less secure to send it to the client at a different email address than where the return was sent, and the least secure (yet still acceptably secure, IMO) to sent it via email to the same address that the return was sent.

What I am confused about concerning the topic of this thread is whether there are other rules I don't know about that prohibit all electronic transmission of client information. Any thoughts to help this thoroughly confused colleague would be appreciated.