Our Process
At ARK Penny, we have designed a fast, reliable & affordable tax preparation process that is automated, efficient and secure. Why stress out over complicated question-and-answer tax software packages when credentialed tax preparers can do the work and bear the stress for you? Why make an appointment and visit a tax preparer’s office, or drop by a storefront office and wait in a loud and busy waiting room when we can help you from the safety and comfort of your home? Our process is simple and our pricing is affordable, reasonable and transparent.
STEP 1: GETTING STARTED
Click on the “Get Started” tab, choose your client status, complete the online questionnaire, and click “Submit.”
STEP 2: RECEIVE YOUR WELCOME EMAILS
After you press submit, you will instantly receive two welcome emails. The first email is from our Citrix ShareFile client portal and contains a link for you to activate your account. The second email contains a list of required documents and instructions on how to upload your documents.
STEP 3: UPLOAD YOUR DOCUMENTS
Follow the instructions in the welcome email and upload all of your documents to the client portal. Once you have uploaded all of your documents, follow the welcome email instructions by clicking on the button confirming that all of your documents have been uploaded. You will receive periodic reminders to upload your documents if you have submitted a questionnaire but not uploaded your documents.
STEP 4: ENGAGEMENT LETTER AND INVOICE
Once you have confirmed that ALL of your documents have been uploaded, within 48 hours we will send you an engagement letter and an invoice. The engagement letter requires signatures for both the taxpayer and spouse if you are filing as Married Filing Jointly.
STEP 5: TAX PREPARATION AND REVIEW
Once you have signed the engagement letter and paid your invoice, we will begin preparing your tax returns. Our goal is to complete, and upload to the client portal, your draft tax returns for you to review within 72 hours. Preparation time may be prolonged if you have not provided appropriate supporting documentation to us, or if your returns are more complex than average.
STEP 6: FILING YOUR TAX RETURN
Once you have reviewed and approved your returns, we will e-file your tax returns. Please note that, depending on filing requirements, some tax returns may need to be paper filed.
STEP 7: RECEIVE YOUR REFUND OR PAY THE AMOUNTS YOU OWE
Under normal circumstances, if you expect a tax refund, your refund will be credited to your bank account in 2-3 weeks (8-12 weeks for paper filed returns). If you owe any taxes, the payment will be deducted from your bank account on the payment date that was submitted with the return.