Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer a free consultation?

Sorry, but no. We tried this, and unfortunately it did not work. Over the years we encountered too many people that merely wanted free advice and never intended to use our services.

What is your pricing structure?

Our fees depend on the complexity of the return. The complexity of the return depends, in part, on the number of forms within the return. Our prices are published HERE.

What does my fee include?

In exchange for your fee:

  • We will prepare your tax returns.
  • We will electronically file your tax returns.
  • We will retain copies of your tax returns and the supporting documents you provided to us. These documents will be stored on our secured server for seven years and you will have access to them at any time.
  • You will receive audit protection. We partnered with Protection Plus, a third-party audit protection company. If you receive a letter from the IRS/State regarding your tax return, Protection Plus is available to assist you. 1040-NR returns are excluded.

Do you offer discounts? What if I am a repeat or long-time client?

We do not offer discounts to new, returning or long-time clients. Our pricing is standardized and competitive. Not convinced? Check out these two recent studies:
CLICK HERE to view Study 1
CLICK HERE to view Study 2

What if I just have a “quick” one-off question?

Tax laws may have special rules and exceptions which need to be carefully considered before responding to a question. Providing generic responses to tax questions can be detrimental to your situation and have negative long-term impacts. As such, our firm policy is not to answer one-off questions until we have a good understanding of your tax situation.

You used to answer questions, anytime of the year, without charging me. What changed?

Whereas in prior years ARK Penny may have offered advice and/or answered questions over the phone or through email as a courtesy, the demand, expectation and time commitment to do so increased to the point where we must charge for our time for any work we do outside the scope of tax preparation. Our current billing rate is $90/hour, billed in advance in 30-minute increments. Unused time is not refundable and may not be carried forward.

Do you prepare tax returns for non-U.S. Citizens?

We are experienced with filing 1040-NR tax returns & working with non-citizens with most visas, including F-1, H-1B and others.

If I get audited by the IRS, can you represent me?

Our firm can represent you before all administrative levels of the Internal Revenue Service for audits, collections, and appeals. Our current billing rate is $90/hour, billed in advance in 30-minute increments. Unused time is not refundable and may not be carried forward.

How do we exchange sensitive documents?

All sensitive documentation is sent and received through our secure portal with multi-layer encryption technology to keep your information safe and confidential.

Do you offer tax resolution services or assistance with IRS tax problems?

No, but we are pleased to refer you to Cloud Tax Team (www.cloudtaxteam.com).

Do you offer bookkeeping and/or payroll services?

No, but we are pleased to refer you to Cloud Tax Team (www.cloudtaxteam.com).

Why do you charge a rush fee within 15 days of filing deadlines?

Because of supply, demand and state labor laws. Unfortunately, too many people wait until the last moment to file their tax returns and tax preparers become overwhelmed with the workload.  As such, they have to work longer hours, including weekends to complete the returns.  California labor laws mandate that eight hours of labor constitutes a day’s work, and employment beyond eight hours in any workday or more than six days in any workweek requires the employee to be compensated for the overtime at not less than:

  • One and one-half times the employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of eight hours up to and including 12 hours in any workday, and for the first eight hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek; and
  • Double the employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 12 hours in any workday and for all hours worked in excess of eight on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek

Why is your rush fee based on a percentage of the total fee instead of a flat fee?

Preparing a return for someone with Schedule A Itemized Deductions, a Schedule C business, voluminous Schedule D stock transactions and multiple Schedule E rental properties is much more time consuming and complex than completing a return for someone with only one W-2. As such, a percentage is more equitable than a flat fee.