Policies

 Lewis & Co., CPAs, P.C. collects nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:
• Information we receive from you on tax preparation worksheets or other forms
• Information about your transactions with us or others
• Information we receive from other financial services provided to you
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal or business information about you to anyone, except as permitted/required by law.
If you decide to close your account(s) or become an inactive customer/consumer, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described in this notice.
We restrict access to your personal and account information to those employees/contractors who need to know that information to provide products or services to you.  We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal/business information.
Federal law has extended the attorney-client privilege to some, but not all, communications between a client and the client’s CPA. The privilege applies only to non-criminal tax matters that are before the IRS or brought by or against the U.S. Government in a federal court. The communications must be made in connection with tax advice. Communications solely concerning the preparation of a tax return will not be privileged.
In addition, your confidentiality privilege can be inadvertently waived if you discuss the contents of any privileged communication with a third party, such as a lending institution, a friend, or a business associate. We recommend that you contact us before releasing any privileged information to a third party.
If we are asked to disclose any privileged communication, unless we are required to disclose the communication by law, we will not provide such disclosure until you have had an opportunity to argue that the communication is privileged. You agree to pay all reasonable expenses that we incur, including legal fees, that are a result of attempts to protect any communication as privileged.
It is our firm’s policy to retain copies of your tax returns for seven years, after which they will be destroyed.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the above number.  Our fundamental philosophy regarding the information you provide us is that it is not disclosed to anyone except as allowed or required by law.  That is what this policy states.  Individuals have the right to “opt-out” of the provisions of privacy policies, but since our policy is one of non-disclosure with the exceptions noted, you may want to clarify your desires before “opting-out”.  Be sure to call us to do so. 

Fees: Our standard rates are $39 to $255 per hour, depending on the nature of the work performed and the staff assigned to the task. These rates apply to all new clients as well as those that do not choose a STEP plan within the first three months of the year.

Retainers: Retainers are required and Non-Refundable to initiate work for ALL new clients.

STEP Fees: All existing clients will be billed based on their STEP contract with our firm, unless otherwise agreed upon.

STEP 1 - Base services listed on your offer.

STEP 2 - Base services as well as notice       resolution, not including audits.

STEP 3 - Base services, notice resolution (not     including audits), phone calls & additional   meetings with your accountant.

Change Orders – The STEP plan can be changed based on changes to the scope of the work we are hired to do. We can recalculate the increase or decrease with a new STEP designed to fit your needs.
 

Bookkeeping Services: Documentation received for tax preparation purposes that require, compiling receipts, reconciling bank statements, and organizing records will be charged separately at $40.00 per hour.

Income Tax Files on Extension: Documentation received after the due date listed on the engagement letter for extensions will incur additional charges as follows:

Received in the First two weeks after the deadline – 2%

Received in the Third & Fourth weeks after the deadline – 4%

Received after the fourth week past the deadline – 5%

Payment Arrangements:  If you are unable to pay your bill in full, please contact our office to set up a payment arrangement.   We reserve the right to suspend service to any client over 30 days past due.

Arbitration:  If any dispute arises among the parties hereto, the parties agree to first try in good faith to settle the dispute by mediation. Costs of any mediation proceeding shall be shared equally by all parties.

If you have any questions regarding these billing policies, please contact us at 970.856.4133 to set up agreeable terms.