TERMS & CONDITIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: JANUARY 1, 2007
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the services provided by Richard Colins, Inc. ("Company", "we", "our", "us"). By accessing and using our services, you ("Client", "you", "your") agree to comply with these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, please refrain from using our services.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Richard Colins, Inc. offers tax-related services, including but not limited to individual tax return preparation, corporate tax return preparation, tax advisory, bookkeeping, IRS and FTB audit representation, filing assistance, and related consulting services. The specific services provided to you will be outlined in a separate engagement letter or contract.CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
You agree to provide accurate and complete information when using our services. This includes, but is not limited to: providing all necessary documents, financial records, and personal information required for tax preparation or other services. Failure to do so may result in inaccurate filings, delays, or additional fees. Additional fees incur from late submission of tax documents. “Late submission” is defined as 72 hours prior discussion of tax return appointment and/or after comprehensive tax appointment.TAX RETURN APPOINTMENTS, RESCHEDULING, & NO SHOWS
A deposit of 325 is required when scheduling the tax return appointment through our website. The deposit is used as a credit on the final invoice of the tax return.
Rescheduling 3 business days in advance or more is fully refundable deposit.
Rescheduling a full 24 hours-2 business days in advance is 50% refundable deposit.
No Shows, same day cancelation/reschedule, or less than 24 hours cancellation/rescheduling forfeits the deposit in its entirety. Rescheduling in this scenario requires a new deposit.FEES AND PAYMENTS - TAX RETURN FILINGS ONLY
Payments for services specifically rendered to ‘Tax Return Filings’ are required to be paid before the signing of tax documents. We will not accept any signatures prior to payment, due to time constraints from IRS Code of Ethics for tax professionals on the filing of a tax return.Tax Season Rates
All rates are subject to change each year to accommodate inflation and growing cost of operations.*There may be additional forms that are uncommon to the usual tax return. Additional forms fees or additional client correspondence hourly rate is applied in those circumstances.
*For services where forms are not filed through a tax return, an hourly rate is effectively applied to client’s invoice. All services rendering time is either invoiced or based on a contract.
*Hourly rates for our time and expertise apply even if you choose not to file a tax return with us for reasons specifically associated with our rates that you had already agreed to prior to scheduling your own appointment.FEES AND PAYMENT - OTHER THAN TAX RETURN FILINGS
Our fees for services will be outlined in the engagement letter or as agreed upon prior to service commencement. Payment for services is due upon completion of services or as otherwise specified in your agreement. Fees are nonrefundable. All rates are subject to change at our discretion to accommodate inflation and growing cost of operations.
Interest and Collections on Late Payments. Clients have until 10 business days after the initial invoice is sent to pay the balance in full for services completely rendered that was not previously retained on a contract; after 10 business days it is considered a late payment and will incur an additional charge of 1% interest per month and collection fees.
Premiums apply to special scenarios that require extra levels of experience and execution. All premium fees are specially outlined in client contracts.
Regular and Off Season Hourly Rates
IRS and FTB Audit Services. If applicable, the owner of this portal shall pay our firm an initial retainer in the equivalent of 6 hours plus any premium fee assessed to start the services discussed in the assessment together. A new 6 hour retainer plus any premium fee assessed must be fulfilled after the depletion of the prior retainer for the continuation of services. Any portion of the retainer unused is reimbursed after the completion of services.
Richard Colins Audit Assurance Policy or ‘RAAP’ service is only available upon the filing of a tax return. RAAP may be be added up to 14 calendar days after the tax return has been filed and accepted by the relative tax agencies. Covered in RAAP is the initial 3 - 4 hours of service allocated to the assessment of the first and only the first audit regardless of tax agency to a specified tax year return, discovery of facts, initial assessment to potential options of approach, establishing Power of Attorney, all the way up to completing the very first initial call to the IRS or FTB state tax agencies respectively.
Individual/Corporate Strategies & Advisory. A concise outline of year round milestones and fees are agreed upon per contract and paid upfront before any job begins. The client holds the responsibility to execute all steps advised by our professionals within an appropriate timeline. All contracts expire by end of each calendar year of its original signature date. Client forfeits any remaining credits or unused hours upon expiration of contract. If strategies and advisory requires additional scopes with new discoveries and correspondences, a new outlined retainer is required.
Tax Planning & Estimated Tax Projections. All retainers and invoices due immediately in full. If tax planning requires additional scopes with new discoveries and correspondences, a new outlined retainer is required.REFUNDS
All fees are non-refundable. All services require time, expertise, and resources to execute, which incur costs regardless a client decides to continue working with our firm. The quality of services, such as, but not limited to, Client Setup & Onboarding, Tax Returns, Bookkeeping, IRS Audits, and Advisory provided can be highly subjective from a professional viewpoint vs an untrained civilian viewpoint. Therefore, we do not negotiate refunds. You may also refer to #14 ‘Tax Filing Accuracy’.CONVENIENCE FEES
Convenience fees apply to delay in services due to client tardiness of providing all pertinent documents prior to deadlines. Cut off dates for data and document uploads to our regular fee schedule is transparent and outlined via important dates of the calendar year on our website. By booking your appointment with Richard Colins, Inc., you are agreeing to the terms of our rates as stated on our website. We keep our rates fair, transparent, and competitive within our industry. Convenience and Expedite fees apply for urgent requests throughout the year. Due to the rigorous demand of attention and the extensive bandwidth required of our team to execute last minute requests towards the end of tax season, a Convenience Fee of $275 is added to the final tax return invoice when scheduling between 7 - 14 days prior to tax season deadline; $550 is add to the final tax return invoice when scheduling for the final 7 days before deadline. You have the option to file an extension. Our team can assist you with that.MISSING DOCUMENTS/INFORMATION
Missing documents and missing information that requires additional correspondences from the original appointment are invoiced a flat convenience fee of $550 per separate topic and matter. These terms are required consent when booking your appointment.
We have noticed many clients, through the years, were not prepared for their original appointment even though we have concise instructions upon scheduling, proper tools, like our highly comprehensive checklists, expense spreadsheets, and a solid team to make saving money and filing tax returns convenient. Although we have very specific instructions on how a client must upload their documents and data, we can organize your files for you upon request for a flat convenience fee of $550 added to the final tax return filing invoice.
To ensure quality of service to our clients/regulars, appointment requests are canceled without notice if we conclude that we may still be missing information and documents from the client, and/or if we do not get a response from the client from our follow ups regarding potentially missing documents and data. All additional pertinent tax documents and data that were not originally submitted upon the scheduling of appointment is required to be submitted within 3 business days before the scheduled appointment to give our team ample time to prepare the tax return for discussion and adjustments with the the client. Otherwise, the client may reschedule when everything is submitted and ready for our team to prepare and review.When it takes us additional time and follow ups to finish a return with incomplete information, that could have been valuable time for another client. In the additional time spent together, we still pay a full team of staff their personal hourly to operate. Therefore, we invoice a convenience fee for any additional discoveries and correspondences that fall outside the original guidelines.
CORRESPONDENCES
We limit the number of follow-up communications to a maximum of two follow-up correspondences per outstanding tax matter for each client to ensure effective and efficient communication. After two unsuccessful follow-ups, the client is moved off of priority queue and our team will cease to continue any further follow-ups until the client has reached out in response to our most recent communications. Convenience fees are applied to any additional and necessary correspondences outside of the normal scope of service maintained throughout our Terms and Conditions. It is the client’s responsibility to reply promptly. This policy helps manage resources by preventing excessive time and effort from being spent on any single case, allowing for broader client engagement. Additionally, limiting follow-ups encourages clients to take timely action on their tax matters, fostering a sense of responsibility and urgency. This approach also helps avoid overburdening the client, ensuring that attention can be focused on resolution. By maintaining a clear limit, we promote professionalism, reduce confusion, and improve the overall client experience.DISCOUNTS
Our rates are not negotiable and there are no discounts. A client is not merely paying just for our time. A client is paying for our expertise, combined 40+ years of team experience, serviced over 40,000 federal and state tax returns, hundreds of hours of case studies and classes yearly, the research, interpretation of the IRS Sec. Codes, convenience, white glove assembly line we have finely tuned the past decade, and more. Our rates are appropriately structured to give you the best service we are meant to provide, saving you the most money we possibly can and assist you as you meticulously design your financial freedom ahead of you. Your time and money is important to you, so it is important to us.VIP & MEMBERSHIP RATES
Special individual and corporate tax return rates are available to clients listed below:
- Clients of 4+ years
- Clients of 7+ years
- Clients of 10+ years
- Advisory Clients
- Annual Membership Clients
Click here or more information on becoming a VIP or our being a part of our Membership Program.REFERRAL FEES
Although we do not offer referral fees due to a conflict of interest in the Tax Professional IRS Code of Ethics, we can work out a valuable and consistent relationship and set up something special together.CONFIDENTIALITY
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of your personal and financial information. Like all providers of personal financial services, tax professionals are required by law to inform clients of their policies regarding the privacy of client information. Our firm adheres to professional standards of confidentiality that are even more stringent than those required by law, all software that holds client data are IRS compliant. The only nonpublic personal information we collect is information that you provide to us or information that we obtained with your authorization.We will not disclose your information to third parties without your consent, except as required by law or as necessary to perform the services requested. Permitted disclosures might include providing information to our employees or, in limited situations, to unrelated third parties that need the information to assist us in serving you. In all situations, we stress the confidential nature of the information being shared.
We employ appropriate physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Our liability for any claim arising from our services is limited to the total fees paid by you for the specific services giving rise to the claim. In no event shall we be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of our services.You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide, and that any errors or omissions in the information may lead to inaccurate or incomplete tax filings or advice.
TAX FILING ACCURACY
While we make every effort to ensure that our tax filings are accurate and comply with relevant laws, it is ultimately the client’s responsibility to ensure that the information provided is accurate as stated in the closing instructions of each client’s tax return. We are not responsible for any penalties, fines, or additional taxes resulting from incorrect or incomplete information provided by and signed off by the client. Our firm provides a post-tax appointment checklist and clear instructions on how to review a tax return thoroughly for clients to follow before signing your tax return.Inaccuracies and amendments required due to any incorrect advice from our team is complimentary; penalties and interests are covered by our team as a credit back to you. In some cases, our insurance will cover the penalties and interests.
In the event that the tax authorities require adjustments, we will assist you in resolving the matter, but we are not responsible for any financial consequences. Refer to Terms and Conditions #3; Section ‘IRS and FTB Audits’.
Richard Colins Audit Assurance Policy or ‘RAAP’ service is only available upon the filing of a tax return. RAAP may be be added up to 14 calendar days after the tax return has been filed and accepted by the relative tax agencies. Covered in RAAP is the initial 3 - 4 hours of service allocated to the assessment of the first and only the first audit regardless of tax agency to a specified tax year return, discovery of facts, initial assessment to potential options of approach, establishing Power of Attorney, all the way up to completing the very first initial call to the IRS or FTB state tax agencies respectively.INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The content provided by Richard Colins, Inc., including but not limited to tax resources, templates, forms, and other materials, is protected by intellectual property laws and is the property of Richard Colins, Inc. or its licensors. You may not use, copy, distribute, or modify such content without our express written permission.AMENDMENTS TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS
We reserve the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be posted on our website, and the updated Terms will be effective as of the date of posting. We recommend reviewing these Terms periodically to stay informed of any changes.TERMINATION
Either party may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause, by providing written notice to the other party. Upon termination, you will be responsible for paying for services rendered up to the date of termination. Our firm can terminate this agreement in the event of your material breach, including failure to pay sums when due, unless resolved within ten (10) business days of notice of breach or nonpayment. Our firm has the right to immediately terminate this agreement, without notice, upon client’s breach of confidentiality obligations or proprietary rights. In addition, and without limiting its termination rights, our firm may suspend client access to the services in the event of a breach.Upon termination for any reason, we will store any information provided by the said client and any documents provided through the service for the client’s convenience as a courtesy until the end of the calendar year. We will make these documents available to the client upon client’s written request during that said calendar year, provided that the client is current on all payments under this agreement.
To ensure a smooth transition, clients will need to complete the following steps:
Log in to your client portal.
Navigate to the "Documents" section.
Select and download all relevant files, including tax returns, statements, and any other pertinent documents.
FORCE MAJEURE
We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of our obligations under these Terms if such failure or delay is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, strikes, or government actions.SEVERABILITY
If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is determined to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.WARRANTIES
You warrant to our firm that you have full power and authority to enter into this agreement and to perform your obligations herein and that you will comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations including those relating to professional ethics, conduct, and advertising. You represent and warrant that the provision and use of content provided by you does not and will not violate any copyrights, trade secrets or other proprietary rights of any third party, or create any liability to any third party. You acknowledge that any breach of your representations and warranties is a material breach of this agreement.CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions regarding these Terms, or if you need to contact us for any reason, please use the following contact information:
Richard Colins, Inc.
Email: guestservices@richardcolins.com
Phone: (415) 298-8880
By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.