Nonpublic Personal Information We Collect
We collect nonpublic personal information about you that is provided to us by you or obtained by us with your authorization.
Parties to Whom We Disclose Information
For current and former clients, we do not disclose any nonpublic personal information obtained in the course of our practice except as required or permitted by law. Permitted disclosures include, for instance, providing information to other parties, such as government computers for e-filing and bank computers for Fee Collect, who need to know that information to provide services to you. In all such situations, we stress the confidential nature of information being shared. We do not sell or use your information for any other reasons. Taxpayers requesting copies of their own tax returns must show picture ID.
Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of Current and Former Clients’ Information
We retain records relating to professional services that we provide so that we are better able to assist you with your professional needs and, in some cases, to comply with professional guidelines. In order to guard your nonpublic personal information, we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with the highest professional standards. We routinely upgrade our secure servers and computers and do not allow remote access. Internet access is limited for most of employee computers to a whitelist of safe websites.
Please call if you have any questions, because your privacy, our professional ethics, and the ability to provide you with quality financial services are very important to us.
IRS Section 7216 Regulations
On January 1, 2009, IRS regulations under Internal Revenue Code section 7216 became effective. Treas. Reg. section 301.7216 represents a modification of previous regulations that had remained largely unchanged for 30 years. The newly revised regulations attempt to address modern return preparation practices, including electronic filing and the cross marketing of financial and commercial products and services by tax return preparers. We do not use your information for cross marketing or selling.
Absent a specific, exception, Treas. Reg. section 301.7216 generally prohibits the disclosure or use of tax return information without the client’s explicit, written consent. In general, a “disclosure” of tax return information involves a disclosure by the preparer of a client’s return information to a third party. A “use” of tax return information generally involves the use of the return information by the preparer potentially for the purposes of offering non-tax services to the taxpayer, like insurance and other products.
Under section 7216, a tax return preparer is subject to a criminal penalty for “knowingly or recklessly” disclosing or using tax return information. Each violation of section 7216 could result in a fine of up to $1,000-, or one-year imprisonment, or both. Internal Revenue Code section 6713, the companion civil penalty, imposes a $250 penalty on a preparer for each prohibited disclosure or use of the return information.
Because of these rules we are no longer able to provide copies of tax returns to bankers and other third parties who may need a copy of your return if we have not received a proper disclosure form signed by you prior to providing copies of your tax return. We appreciate your cooperation.
