Tax Season Client FAQ Template
Twenty questions your clients ask every February, answered in plain English, with the official IRS page linked on each one.
A ready-to-publish set of answers to the questions US tax clients ask most, written in plain English with official IRS links. Copy it into your client portal, your website or your knowledge base, replace the bracketed items with your own process, and check every date before the season starts.
Last updated: September 16, 2026 · Reviewed by Waqas Sagar, ACA FCCA, chartered accountant (UK) and founder of Remindoo.
How to use it
- Copy the questions your firm actually gets
- Replace every [bracketed] detail with your own process
- Verify each date and link against IRS.gov
- Publish it where clients already look
- Review it every December
Twenty questions clients ask every season
Anything in square brackets is a firm-specific detail. Nothing should be published with a bracket left in it, and every deadline should be checked against IRS.gov first.
1. When is my individual tax return due?
For calendar-year filers, individual returns are generally due April 15. When April 15 falls on a weekend or a legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day, and IRS disaster relief can postpone it further. We will confirm your date with you before the season starts.
Source: IRS: When to file
2. Can I get more time to file?
Yes. An extension (Form 4868) generally gives you until October 15 to file. It does not extend the time to pay: tax you owe is still due by the original deadline, and interest and penalties can apply to anything unpaid. [Your firm's extension cutoff date.]
Source: IRS: Extension of time to file
3. What documents should I send?
Common items include Forms W-2; 1099-NEC, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B and 1099-R; Form 1098 mortgage interest; 1098-T tuition; Form 1095-A if it applies to you; records of estimated tax payments; and last year's return if we did not prepare it. [Link to your firm's full document list.]
4. How do I send my documents to you?
[Your firm's process — secure portal, secure upload link, or in person.] Please do not email Social Security numbers or full account numbers unencrypted. If you are unsure how to send something securely, call us before you send it.
5. Did you receive my documents?
[Your firm's confirmation process, for example: you will receive a confirmation within two business days of uploading.] If you have not heard from us in that time, contact [name or inbox] so we can check.
6. When will my return be ready?
[Your firm's turnaround time.] Work starts once we have all of your documents; a single missing form usually holds up the whole return, which is why we chase the last item so persistently.
7. Where is my refund?
Use the IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool with your filing status, Social Security number and exact refund amount. Refund timing is decided by the IRS, not by our firm, and we do not have a faster view of it than you do.
Source: IRS: Where's My Refund?
8. How do I sign my return for e-filing?
The IRS e-file signature authorization, Form 8879, is how you authorize us to electronically file the return on your behalf. We cannot file until we have your signed authorization. [Your firm's signing process.]
Source: IRS: About Form 8879
9. How do I pay tax I owe?
Pay the IRS directly using the official payment options, including IRS Direct Pay from a bank account and your IRS Online Account. Keep the confirmation and send it to us so our records match yours.
Source: IRS: Payments
10. What are estimated tax payments and do I need them?
Estimated tax payments (Form 1040-ES) apply when your tax is not covered by withholding, which often affects self-employed people and those with investment income. Quarterly due dates are generally April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 of the following year.
Source: IRS: Estimated taxes
11. I received a letter from the IRS. What should I do?
Do not ignore it and do not panic. Send us a copy right away, including the notice number and any deadline printed on it. Be alert to scams: the IRS generally makes first contact by mail, not by phone call, text or email demanding immediate payment.
12. Do I need to file a state return?
It depends on your state and where you earned income during the year. Tell us about any move, remote work arrangement or income earned in another state, and we will confirm which returns are required. [Link to your state tax agency.]
13. I started a side business. What do I need to track?
Income received, business expenses, business mileage and any Forms 1099 you receive. Keep receipts and keep business money separate from personal money — it makes the return faster and the result more defensible. [Your firm's bookkeeping service.]
14. What is Form 1099-NEC and when should I get it?
Form 1099-NEC reports nonemployee compensation, such as payments to independent contractors. It is generally furnished to the recipient by January 31. If you were paid as a contractor and have not received one, tell us — the income is reportable whether or not the form arrives.
Source: IRS: About Form 1099-NEC
15. How long should I keep tax records?
Generally three years from the date you filed, with longer periods in certain situations. Keep records relating to property for as long as you own it, plus the period that applies after you dispose of it.
16. Can you file my return if I'm missing a form?
Filing without a form you are expecting risks an inaccurate return and an IRS notice later. We would rather extend than file something we know is incomplete. [Your firm's policy on missing documents.]
17. What is an Identity Protection PIN?
An IP PIN is a six-digit number that helps prevent someone else filing a return using your Social Security number. You can request one through IRS.gov. If you have one, send it to us securely each year — we cannot file without it.
18. How much will my return cost?
[Your firm's pricing policy, or a reference to the engagement letter.] If your situation has changed since last year — a new business, a property sale, a move between states — tell us early and we will confirm the fee before we start.
19. Can I change something after my return is filed?
Sometimes an amended return (Form 1040-X) is needed, for example when a corrected 1099 arrives after filing. Send us the new document and we will tell you whether amending is worthwhile. [Your firm's process for amendments.]
Source: IRS: About Form 1040-X
20. How do I contact my preparer during tax season?
[Your firm's contact rules, hours and expected response times.] During the busiest weeks, email or the portal usually gets a faster answer than a phone call, because the person working on your return is not sitting by the phone.
How to publish this FAQ
Pick the questions that match your firm
Delete anything you do not do. A list of twelve questions your clients actually ask beats twenty that cover somebody else's practice.
Replace the brackets
Everything in [square brackets] is a firm-specific detail: your turnaround time, your portal, your cutoff date. Nothing should ship with a bracket left in it.
Publish it where clients look
Your website, your client portal or your knowledge base. Send the link in your tax-season kickoff email rather than answering each question individually.
Check the dates and links before each season
Deadlines shift for weekends and holidays, and IRS pages move. Verify every date and link against IRS.gov before you publish.
Review it every December
Put a recurring reminder in December so next season starts with a current document instead of last year's one.
In Remindoo, publish these as client-facing FAQs alongside your internal procedures in the client knowledge base.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this FAQ on my firm's website?
Yes. Copy the questions you need, replace the bracketed details with your own process, verify every date and link against IRS.gov, and publish it under your own brand.
How many questions should a client FAQ have?
Enough to cover the calls you actually receive. Most firms land between ten and twenty. A shorter list that is accurate and current beats a long one nobody maintains.
Should the answers include tax advice?
No. A client FAQ explains your process and points at official sources for the rules. Anything that depends on a client's specific facts belongs in a conversation, not on a web page.
When should we update it?
Every December, before the season starts, and whenever a deadline, a form or your own process changes.
Sources
- IRS: When to file — When is my individual tax return due?
- IRS: Extension of time to file — Can I get more time to file?
- IRS: Where's My Refund? — Where is my refund?
- IRS: About Form 8879 — How do I sign my return for e-filing?
- IRS: Payments — How do I pay tax I owe?
- IRS: Estimated taxes — What are estimated tax payments and do I need them?
- IRS: Understanding your IRS notice or letter — I received a letter from the IRS. What should I do?
- IRS: About Form 1099-NEC — What is Form 1099-NEC and when should I get it?
- IRS: How long should I keep records? — How long should I keep tax records?
- IRS: Get an Identity Protection PIN — What is an Identity Protection PIN?
- IRS: About Form 1040-X — Can I change something after my return is filed?
- IRS: Tax relief in disaster situations — postponed deadlines
- IRS: Tax scams and consumer alerts — IRS impersonation
General information for US tax clients, not tax or legal advice. Rules and dates change; confirm on IRS.gov and with your state tax agency before publishing anything to your own clients.
Answer these once, not four hundred times
See how these become published client FAQs sitting beside your firm's internal procedures, with visibility controlled per article.