What Is Virtual Tax Preparation and How Does It Work?

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855 px) What Is Virtual Tax Preparation and How Does It Work?

For a lot of people, virtual tax preparation sounds like a gimmick until they try it and realize they never have to sit in a waiting room again.

A real preparer does the work, but you handle everything online: upload your forms, answer questions, approve the return, and it gets e-filed.

If you live in Texas and your preparer is in New York, nobody cares.

Virtual Tax Preparation Process Step by Step Here is the virtual tax preparation process step by step.

First you upload your documents to a secure folder (W-2s, 1099s, receipts, a mortgage interest statement if you own a home).

A preparer reviews them, checks credits and any missing forms, and messages you with questions.

Then they prepare the federal and state returns, you review and approve, and the return is e-filed.

At Mo-Better Tax most returns are done in about 2 to 3 business days once we have everything, though a complicated one can take longer and we say so up front.

Documents Required for Virtual Tax Preparation The documents required for virtual tax preparation are the same as for an in-person visit: photo ID, Social Security numbers for everyone on the return, W-2s and 1099s, last year's return if you have it, and records behind deductions.

Photos of paper forms from your phone usually work if the numbers are readable.

Our document checklist has the full list.

Secure Way to Share W-2 With a Tax Preparer Online The secure way to share W-2 with a tax preparer online is an encrypted client portal or secure folder, nothing else.

Email, text and website contact forms are not secure.

Please do not email a W-2 with your Social Security number on it, even if a preparer asks you to.

Remote Tax Filing Services and Virtual Assistant Tax Preparation The phrase remote tax filing services covers a lot of ground, from a single person to a large firm.

What matters is who prepares and signs your return.

Some companies advertise virtual assistant tax preparation , and that can mean a licensed preparer working remotely, or it can mean an assistant doing data entry for someone else.

Ask who actually reviews and signs the return.

A paid preparer must have a PTIN and sign it.

Virtual Tax Preparation for First Time Filers If you are looking at virtual tax preparation for first time filers , it is honestly a good fit.

You do not need to know which forms matter, and a preparer can tell you what is missing.

Gather a W-2, any 1099, your ID, and bank details for a direct deposit refund.

The IRS says most e-filed refunds with direct deposit arrive within about 21 days, though it is not a promise.

Signs of a Tax Preparer Scam Online Know the signs of a tax preparer scam online : they will not sign the return or share a PTIN, they charge a percentage of your refund, they promise an unusually big refund, they ask you to sign a blank return, they want your documents by email or text, or they route your refund into their own account.

Anyone who pressures you or vanishes after the due date is a red flag.

Virtual Tax Preparer vs TurboTax In a virtual tax preparer vs TurboTax comparison, software is built for simple returns you are happy to do yourself.

A preparer is for people who want a human to ask questions, catch missing credits, and handle things like a side business or multiple states.

Cost differs (software can be cheap or free, a preparer starts higher), so decide based on how complicated your year was.

Our multi-state tax filing page and pricing show what we do.

You upload documents, a preparer reviews and prepares the returns, you approve, and they e-file.

Avoid anyone who asks for documents by email or text.

Can I just email my W-2 and Social Security number?

Your preparer will tell you if anything is missing.

Often a few business days once your documents are complete.

More complicated returns can take longer.