Engagement Letters Section Overview

The engagement letters section contains all the information regarding your agreements with TFX.

From the engagement letters section you can:

Unsigned engagement letters and sign them
Information about signed engagement letters and download PDF copies of them
Create an invoice
Prepay engagement letters
View self-prepared form waivers and sign them

Unsigned Engagement Letters

If you have unsigned engagement letters, a blue icon with a number will be displayed on the Engagement Letters button on the menu.

To see the unsigned letters, click Engagement Letters. For each engagement letter, the following information is available:

Date Created – You may view when the letter was created.
Total Amount – You may see exactly how much you will be charged for the services laid out in the agreement.

Viewing Engagement Letters

To view an engagement letter, click Engagement Letters, then click View & SIgn.

Please note that an engagement letter only shows the services that will be performed and their cost. Unlike an invoice, which shows both the total cost of the services and the payments made, an engagement letter will not show any payments that you have made. That information can be found in the Bills & Payments section of our website.

For example, the engagement letter may show a total cost of $500 and you’ve currently paid $350 in prepayment credits. Therefore, the amount due when your return is finished will be $150.

Signing Engagement Letters

To sign an engagement letter, click Engagement Letters, then click View & Sign.

Once the engagement letter is displayed, follow these steps:

1. Review the contents of the engagement letter, then click the Signature style box.

2. Select the style of the signature on the right.

3. Click Adopt and Sign.

4. Click Submit And Email Me the Copy to confirm the signing.

You may choose to prepay the services listed in an engagement letter immediately after signing it. A pop-up will be displayed asking if you would like to prepay. Click Yes to continue to the prepayment screen.

I’m Not Ready to Sign

Sometimes you may have questions or disagree with something in the engagement letter. We are always ready to clarify a point or resolve an issue for you.

To send us a question or voice a concern regarding an engagement letter,

1. Click Engagement Letters, then click Sign.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page, then click I have questions about the EL.

3. You will be presented with a form where you may list any questions or concerns you have regarding each EL item.

4. Click Submit to send your comments to your tax preparer.

Signed Engagement Letters

Once the engagement letter has been signed, it is moved to the Signed EL subsection. For each signed Engagement Letter, the following information is available:

Date Created – You may view the date when the letter was created.
Date Signed – You may view the date when the letter was signed.
Amount – You may see exactly how much you will be charged for the services listed in the engagement letter.

Viewing Signed Letters

You can easily view signed letters in your browser. Click View Signed EL to open the engagement letter.

Downloading Signed Letters

You can download PDFs of signed engagement letters for current or completed jobs.

To save an engagement letter to your computer or device, click View Signed EL, browse to the bottom of the screen, then click Download PDF Copy of Engagement Letter.
When prompted, choose where you would like to save the file, then click Save.
When the download finishes, you will usually see it appear at the bottom of your browser window. Click on the file name to open it.

Creating an Invoice_Engagement Letter

You can create a PDF invoice for the services listed in an engagement letter.

To create an invoice:

1. Browse to the Engagement Letters section, then click Signed EL.

2. Browse to the bottom of the list, then click Create PDF Invoice.

3. Information about the payments you’ve made and the services provided by TFX will be displayed. Select the checkboxes next to the services and payments you wish to include in the invoice, then click Create Invoice at the bottom of the screen.

4. Save the invoice on your computer. When prompted, choose where you would like to save the file, then click Save.

5. When the download finishes, you will usually see it appear at the bottom of your browser window. Click on the file name to open it.

You can now open it using the PDF reader of your choice.

Prepaying The Services Listed In An Engagement Letter

In general, you’ll be asked to pay for our services once your documents have been prepared and uploaded to your personal account. However, you may choose to pay for the services you’ve requested in advance by making a prepayment. This can be done as soon as the engagement letter has been signed. Prepaying after the engagement letter is signed saves you time because it allows you to access your return as soon as it is prepared, with no further steps required.

Prepaying After Signing the Engagement Letter

You may choose to prepay the services listed in an engagement letter immediately after signing it. Once you’ve clicked the Submit and Email Me a Copy button, a pop-up will be displayed asking if you would like to prepay. Click Yes to continue to the prepayment screen.

Standard Prepayment

If you click No by accident or change your mind later, you can still choose to prepay. Browse to Signed Engagement Letters, then click Prepay EL.

To make a prepayment:

Select your credit card type and click OK, then proceed with the payment.

Please note that all payments are made using a secure credit card processing services and we never store your payment details.

If, for some reason, you can't pay with your credit card, please contact our support team. We may be able to offer you other payment options.

Please note that you also have the option of making a prepayment for an amount of your choice.

Prepaying an Engagement Letter using Credit

If you already have credit on your account, you don't need to use your credit card to prepay the services in engagement letters.

If the amount of credit available is less than the total cost of the services listed in an engagement letter, the amount of available credit will be deducted from the total prepayment amount and the difference can be paid with a credit card.

Waivers For Self-prepared Forms

Sometimes you may want to prepare some parts of your return yourself. We allow self-preparation of forms that are not submitted with your tax return (ie - with our signature on it).

For example -- Schedule C, Form 5471, Schedule H, Form 8621, 8938 or any other form that is part of Form 1040 cannot be self-prepared. Forms 3520/3520-A/1065/1120S can be self-prepared as they are not a part of 1040; signed and mailed separately – but if you self-prepare a return, you take full responsibility for its submission to the IRS. We do not review your self-prepared forms. In this case, you must sign an additional agreement with TFX called a waiver, which states that you only wish for us to prepare part of your return.

Waiver must be e-signed just like engagement letters.

If you have unsigned waivers, a blue icon with a number will be displayed on the Waivers subsection button.

How to Review & Sign Self-Prepared Waivers

To access your waivers, browse to Engagement Letters > Waivers.

For each waiver, the following information is available:

Year –The tax year to which the waiver relates.
Forms – The forms covered by the waiver.
Date Created – The date when the waiver was created.
Date Signed – The date when the waiver was signed Signing a Waiver

To sign a waiver, browse to Engagement Letters > Waivers, then click View & Sign.

Once the text of the waiver is displayed, follow these steps:

1. Review the contents of the agreement, then click the Sign Here box.