Incompass

Review: We spoke with the owner of this company about our tax situation before we hired them to do our taxes. We were assured they had no problem with the filing of our taxes and were very confident that it would not be a problem. We received our completed tax forms back and after looking at one state filing I called and spoke to [redacted] about the amount they said we owed. It was alot more than we expected. She explained our income had dropped and our taxes withheld had also dropped. We paid the tax (over $2,000) and kept thinking that we should not have had to pay such a huge amount. We finally contacted the employer and found out that the W2's were correct but the tax preparer (Incompass Tax, Estate, & Business Solutions) filed our taxes wrong. They put all of our income instead of the portion to go to a seperate state (which was clearly marked on the W2) to the state it should not have gone to. We were taxed on income not made in that state.. Over $2,000. We did not have the amount to send but had to beg and borrow to get the amount sent by the 15th of April. I called them and they sent an amended form. But [redacted] told me to wait until that state had cashed my check before I sent it in. Upon thinking about the bad/inaccurate service we had received I decided to call that state and ask them. They advised me to send the amended form in immediately because it would probably take approximately six months before it would be resolved. Six months. I emailed [redacted] and he said he would get back to me in a couple of days. I had asked for a refund of our fees since I had tried to talk to someone about it and get someone to examine it before we sent it in.. After not hearing from him for a week I tried to contact him again through e mail. He sent me back a reply saying I was irratating him and he didn't know why I thought I should be thinking I should get my money back. He said he was turning the issue over to an office manager and [redacted] who I had issues with in the beginning.

Product_Or_Service: Tax preperationb

Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I feel we should get a full refund after all the issues and bad customer service we have received.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

While the client is free to disclose their own personal and confidential tax information on a publicly accessible web site, as tax practitioners governed by Treasury Circular 230, Federal law prohibits us from disclosing anything regarding the specific details of any taxpayer's situation or the circumstances under which any specific return was prepared. As a result, we are significantly limited in the manner to which we can respond while continuing to comply with privacy laws designed to protect even the most unreasonable of clients.

The return in question was extremely complex and required 240 separate data entry items, 239 of which were correct. The one data entry item in question was a matter of tax law interpretation. Overall, our firm did a thorough and accurate job.

Many areas of tax practice contain items that are open to multiple interpretations of the tax code, the correct interpretation of which is only determined after review of tax forms and additional consultation with clients. On occasion, information provided by clients changes during the course of preparation of the return. While we are unable to discuss the specifics involved, the client initially provided information, then reviewed, approved and filed a particular tax return as complete and accurate. Subsequent to that filing, our interpretation of how the tax law applied changed as the scenario became more clear to us. The return as originally filed reflected one interpretation of a complex area of the tax code. Upon reconsideration of the facts and circumstances after April 15th, it was our professional opinion that an alternative treatment of this situation which was more beneficial to the client was warranted.

In accordance with our internal procedures and normal industry practices, we attempted to take the following actions:

1. Gather any and all additional information required to file amended returns as necessary with all tax agencies without additional charge;

2. Prepare any and all amended returns for filing with all tax agencies;

3. Explain the impact and purpose of all amended returns to the client.

All of these actions are part of our standard client care procedures that are implemented whenever a real or perceived error in a return occurs. Before we were able to complete the above-listed remediation procedures, the client demanded a refund from the President of the company, refused to accept further assistance and posted incomplete and inaccurate statements regarding our firm in multiple public forums.

The client suffered no monetary damages as a result of any services that were provided by our firm and is complaining as a result of a delay imposed by a governmental agency in their processing of amended returns. This delay is outside the control of our office. While we sincerely regret the need for the filing of an amended return, additional information from the client prior to the client's approval of the original return would have eliminated the need for an amended return ever having to be filed.

While we would have been willing to offer a discount in the preparation of the client's next year's tax return, it is clear that the client is not a good fit for our client base. We sincerely wish them the best and will release documents to their new preparer upon receipt of written authorization. While we are unable to authorize a full refund as valuable and professional services were indeed provided to them in excess of what they paid, we will extend to them a refund of $100.

We take our reputation seriously and take pride in preparing complete, accurate and thorough returns.