Tax season is extremely busy for most accountants. Usually, there is a lot of information coming and going. Mistakes or missing information can cost both the client and your accounting firm time and money. Worse, you could trigger an audit or have insufficient documentation to support a file under audit.

You need every edge you can get.

The Manifast®-AF Personal Tax Checklist was built and tested in partnership with professional accountants to make the process of dealing with personal tax clients easier.

This may be for you if you:

• Have many high net-worth individuals as clients
• Work with a lot of business owners who want you to complete their personal taxes
• Have clients who need to file both Canadian and US Tax forms
• Need a better way to manage and document all the incoming paperwork
• Are extremely busy during tax season
• Like to spend time with your family
• Want to improve your processes
• Want a better audit trail
• Employ other accountants and team members
• If your clients secretly wonder why you don’t have a better online process for completing the checklist and submitting documents.

Not for You

This probably isn’t for you if you:

• Only have a few personal tax clients with complex requirements
• Don’t like new-fangled, innovative technology or change

The benefits of an online solution:

• Simple to insert into your existing workflow and processes
• Save time
• Fully documented intake process as an output
• Automatic audit trail
• Easy to use
• Mobile support – fully responsive design supports modern browsers
• No additional software to install for you or your clients
• Branded with your logo, etc. so your clients know it is you
• Checklists are updated each year on your behalf
• In future years, clients can compare prior responses
• The system can be extended to other intake forms and processes

The most cost effective approach is use the software out of the box. If you need more than the standard tools, customization and enterprise licensing are also available.

We are currently updating our pricing model. Please call for details.

Initially, you prepare a list of eligible clients with some basic information. Then, you paste that data into the Manifast®-AF tool and send out invitations. You can add new clients as required during the tax season.

Your clients get a custom email invitation to use the forms.

First, the client clicks the link in their invitation email. On the first login, they accept the user agreement and create a password so they can return as required.

Next, the client completes the smart forms answering basic questions. If more information is required, based on responses, they are prompted to enter that information. They can upload receipts and documentation in any supported format and even snap a photo.

When they are done, they press submit. Finally, they can download the entire completed checklist and files for their personal records.

Once the forms are submitted, someone at your firm will verify and download the completed form in PDF format – complete with all images and PDF attachments viewable. Additional files in Word or Excel can be downloaded.

Then, you mark the client file as complete.

You are done.

Q. What if a client doesn’t want to use the online Online Personal Tax Checklist and insists on dropping off the files directly?
A. Sometimes, this can happen with some tax filers. In this case, you can have someone in your office complete the checklist on their behalf using the supplied information. This approach ensures consistency and completeness and allows you to delegate the initial information gathering to a more junior team member.

Q. How many personal tax clients do I need to make this application worthwhile?
A. The answer is really “it depends” but a good rule of thumb would be 30-50 personal tax clients. The more complex the files are, especially if they also file Canada and US returns, the lower the threshold is. Of course, if you are looking to present your firm as innovative, this application could help you generate more profitable business from business owners and high net worth individuals. This is especially true with small business leadership transferring to the next generation.

Q. Where is this hosted?
A. We don’t share all the details for security reasons. However, we do host our applications in Microsoft Azure which is a world class secure facility.

Q. What if I don’t support US tax returns at my firm?
A. We can turn off that part of the checklist for your clients. You might also want to partner with a firm that does to expand your offering.

Q. Can I just pay for one month of usage?
A. The short answer is no. We are actually billing based on the number of clients you have using the system in a year and make it available all year for our clients. Any monthly pricing is for comparison only.

Q. We like the idea, but we are busy. Should we just wait until next year to use the tool?
A. The tool is easy to insert into an existing process so there is no good reason to wait. The Manifast®-AF Personal Tax Checklist is thoroughly tested each year and further improvements made. The bottom line? Waiting just defers the benefits.

Q. I am a business owner or high net worth individual and my accountant doesn’t offer this service. What should I do?
A. Refer them to us and encourage them to make your life easier by using the latest technologies. If you don’t have an accountant, we would be happy to refer you to one that is using our system.