TERMS & CONDITIONS
FOR BOOKKEEPING CLIENTS
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the services provided by Richard Colins, Inc. ("Company", "we", "our", "us"). By accessing and using our services, you ("Client", "you", "your") agree to comply with these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, please refrain from using our services.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Richard Colins, Inc. offers tax-related services, including but not limited to individual tax return preparation, corporate tax return preparation, tax advisory, bookkeeping, IRS and FTB audit representation, filing assistance, and related consulting services. The specific services provided to you will be outlined in a separate engagement letter or contract.BOOKKEEPING START OF SERVICES & PAYMENT ACKNOWLEDGE
We will not commence any bookkeeping work until the full payment and a signed engagement letter have been received. Clients must acknowledge and agree to this condition by selecting the designated checkbox at the time of engagement. This applies to:
Monthly Plans: The client must pay the first month’s fee plus a security deposit equivalent to three months.
Annual Plans: Full payment for the annual term must be received upfront.
Cleanup Projects: The full retainer must be paid before any cleanup work begins.
Bookkeeping Coaching: Full payment must be received before any coaching sessions can be scheduled.
CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
You agree to provide accurate, complete, and timely information in connection with the services we perform. This includes, but is not limited to, submitting all required documents, financial records, and personal information necessary for tax preparation, advisory, or other professional services. Failure to provide requested information in a timely manner may result in delays, inaccurate filings, or the assessment of additional fees.For purposes of this engagement, “late submission” is a non-negotiable and defined as:
After Work Has Commenced
If documentation is submitted after our team has begun work on your file, any new or missing item is considered late; additional review and revision fees apply.Within Five (5) Business Days of a Scheduled Engagement
If documentation is submitted less than five (5) business days before a scheduled engagement (e.g., a meeting, tax deadline, filing submission, or deliverable due date), it is considered late and may impact our ability to meet the deadline or complete work without rush fees.
Failure to submit documents by the specified time may result in:
Additional service fees at our prevailing hourly or rush rate
Delays in the delivery or completion of your work
Postponement or rescheduling of your meeting or filing
These fees reflect the additional time and resources required to reorganize work in progress, adjust scheduling, and maintain compliance standards. All additional fees due to “late submission” or rescheduling will be disclosed in advance whenever possible and will be billed separately or added to the final invoice, at the firm’s discretion.
Statement Uploads. Clients are required to provide access to their QuickBooks Online (QBO), and all relevant bank statements must be uploaded in PDF and CSV format. If login credentials are provided, we may assist in retrieving bank statements and converting them to usable formats. Work will not begin until all necessary documentation has been received. This applies to both monthly and cleanup services.QUALITY CONTROL & TAX FILING DEADLINES
To ensure accurate bookkeeping and timely tax filings, clients must adhere to our internal deadlines. If a client fails to submit required information or respond after our RC Review & Quality control deadline, we cannot guarantee that their bookkeeping or tax filing will be completed on time. Expedited fees may be available for rush services. For a detailed breakdown of tax filing & internal Firm quality control deadlines visit our website https://www.richardcolins.com/important-dates.FEES AND PAYMENT TERMS
Our fees for services will be outlined in the engagement letter or as agreed upon prior to service commencement. Payment for services is due upon completion of services or as otherwise specified in your agreement. Fees are nonrefundable. All rates are subject to change at our discretion to accommodate inflation and growing cost of operations.
Non-payment & Outstanding Payments. If payment for the month (monthly service contract) is not received by the first day of that month to initiate work, services will be:
Legacy Clients: immediately paused until a 3 month security deposit plus current month is fully paid, and the “Legacy” status expires. Any future outstanding payments are automatically deducted from the security deposit until fully depleted; work is paused until security deposit is replenished plus current month is paid in full. See Monthly Deposit & Prepayment Terms.
Standard Clients: continued and outstanding payments are automatically deducted from the security deposit until fully depleted; work is paused until security deposit is replenished plus current month is paid in full. If outstanding payments are a common occurrence, we may reserve the right to terminate the contract without any refund and refuse further services to the client.
Bookkeeping Cleanup. Cleanup work is no longer billed hourly. Instead, a flat fee upfront retainer will be required. VIP pricing may apply for clients with ongoing service contracts. If the project exceeds the scope, additional hours will only be billed with prior approval and a new retainer will be required.
Recurring Payments requirement. Clients must set up and maintain recurring payments directly through their QuickBooks Online (QBO) account to avoid service disruption and ensure timely processing. Clients on monthly recurring payments are committed to a calendar engagement to maintain the consistent prior period cleanup rate.
Renewals & Re-engagement After Initial Term. At the end of an initial annual calendar year engagement client is automatically locked in to the “special rates” for the following year. If the client chooses to opt out, there is no guarantee the “special rates” will remain in effect and standard rates may apply.To maintain continuity and special rates, clients are expected to renew their annual engagement by September 15, of the current calendar year. To avoid any disruption in service and maintain current rates, clients must ensure there is no lapse in service and payments remain current.
‘Catch-up’ Reinstatement Fee. If a client fails to upload required bank or credit card statements for two consecutive months or more, a reinstatement ‘catch-up’ fee will be applied. This fee may be waived the first time as a courtesy. Repeated delays may result in additional fees or termination of service.
Annual & Monthly Deposit & Prepayment Terms. Clients on annual/monthly engagement are required to pay the first month plus three (3) months as a security deposit. If statements are not uploaded for two (2) or more months, or if payment is late, we reserve the right to use the security deposit to cover hourly catch-up work and additional client correspondence. Once the security deposit is depleted, all work will pause. To resume services, the next payment will be applied to both replenish the required 3-month security deposit and cover the current month’s fees. Work will continue once both are received.Prepayment each month refers to payment for services for that month, including any past due balances and catch-up work as needed.
Annual & Monthly Plans. Clients may opt for a special rate annual plan to lock in their current rate. Monthly plans are priced higher and require a calendar year commitment.Clients who sign up for monthly payments or prepay annually are committing to a calendar year contract. Early termination does not void the contractual obligation. If a client wishes to end services before the contract concludes, no refunds will be issued, and any outstanding balances must be settled.
Premiums apply to special scenarios that require extra levels of experience and execution. All premium fees are specially outlined in client contracts.REFUNDS
All fees are non-refundable unless stated otherwise. All services require time, expertise, and resources to execute, which incur costs regardless if a client decides to continue working with our firm. The quality of services, such as, but not limited to, Client Setup & Onboarding, Tax Returns, Bookkeeping, IRS Audits, and Advisory provided can be highly subjective from a professional viewpoint vs an untrained civilian viewpoint. Therefore, we do not negotiate refunds.MONTHLY/ANNUAL BOOKKEEPING RETAINER PURPOSE
The retainer serves as a financial safeguard to cover any catch-up work, additional tasks caused by client delays, or unforeseen bookkeeping needs that fall outside the standard monthly scope. In the event of non-payment, work will be paused after a defined grace period.Any remaining security deposit may be refunded upon written request after and only after:
The client has completed their full service term;
All monthly payments are up to date;
No catch-up or additional work is outstanding; and
The client is in good financial standing with no unpaid balances.
If any portion of the retainer is used during the service period, the client may be asked to replenish it to maintain uninterrupted service.
Use & Refund of 3-Month security deposit. Once the client is current with payments and no outstanding work is pending, the deposit may be refunded upon request or applied to future services.
The deposit may be applied toward:
Additional Bookkeeping Services
Additional Follow-ups for Bookkeeping related questions
CORRESPONDENCES
We limit the number of follow-up communications to a maximum of two follow-up correspondences per outstanding tax matter for each client to ensure effective and efficient communication. After two unsuccessful follow-ups, the client is moved off of priority queue and our team will cease to continue any further follow-ups until the client has reached out in response to our most recent communications. Convenience fees are applied to any additional and necessary correspondences outside of the normal scope of service maintained throughout our Terms and Conditions. It is the client’s responsibility to reply promptly. This policy helps manage resources by preventing excessive time and effort from being spent on any single case, allowing for broader client engagement. Additionally, limiting follow-ups encourages clients to take timely action on their tax matters, fostering a sense of responsibility and urgency. This approach also helps avoid overburdening the client, ensuring that attention can be focused on resolution. By maintaining a clear limit, we promote professionalism, reduce confusion, and improve the overall client experience.If a response is not received within two weeks, the matter will be reassigned to the queue for further processing.
DISCOUNTS
Our rates are not negotiable and there are no discounts. A client is not merely paying just for our time. A client is paying for our expertise, combined 40+ years of team experience, serviced over 40,000 federal and state tax returns, hundreds of hours of case studies and classes yearly, the research, interpretation of the IRS Sec. Codes, convenience, white glove assembly line we have finely tuned the past decade, and more. Our rates are appropriately structured to give you the best service we are meant to provide, saving you the most money we possibly can and assist you as you meticulously design your financial freedom ahead of you. Your time and money is important to you, so it is important to us.REFERRAL FEES
Although we do not offer referral fees due to a conflict of interest in the Tax Professional IRS Code of Ethics, we can work out a valuable and consistent relationship and set up something special together.CONFIDENTIALITY
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of your personal and financial information. Like all providers of personal financial services, tax professionals are required by law to inform clients of their policies regarding the privacy of client information. Our firm adheres to professional standards of confidentiality that are even more stringent than those required by law, all software that holds client data is IRS compliant. The only nonpublic personal information we collect is information that you provide to us or information that we obtained with your authorization.
We will not disclose your information to third parties without your consent, except as required by law or as necessary to perform the services requested. Permitted disclosures might include providing information to our employees or, in limited situations, to unrelated third parties that need the information to assist us in serving you. In all situations, we stress the confidential nature of the information being shared.
We employ appropriate physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Our liability for any claim arising from our services is limited to the total fees paid by you for the specific services giving rise to the claim. In no event shall we be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of our services. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide, and that any errors or omissions in the information may lead to inaccurate or incomplete tax filings or advice.INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The content provided by Richard Colins, Inc., including but not limited to tax resources, templates, forms, and other materials, is protected by intellectual property laws and is the property of Richard Colins, Inc. or its licensors. You may not use, copy, distribute, or modify such content without our express written permission.AMENDMENTS TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS
We reserve the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be posted on our website, and the updated Terms will be effective as of the date of posting. We recommend reviewing these Terms periodically to stay informed of any changes.TERMINATION
Either party may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause, by providing written notice to the other party. Upon termination, you will be responsible for paying for services rendered up to the date of termination. Our firm can terminate this agreement in the event of your material breach, including failure to pay sums when due, unless resolved within ten (10) business days of notice of breach or nonpayment. Our firm has the right to immediately terminate this agreement, without notice, upon client’s breach of confidentiality obligations or proprietary rights. In addition, and without limiting its termination rights, our firm may suspend client access to the services in the event of a breach. Upon termination for any reason, we will store any information provided by the said client and any documents provided through the service for the client’s convenience as a courtesy until the end of the calendar year. We will make these documents available to the client upon client’s written request during that said calendar year, provided that the client is current on all payments under this agreement.FORCE MAJEURE
We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of our obligations under these Terms if such failure or delay is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, strikes, or government actions.SEVERABILITY
If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is determined to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.RESCHEDULING & NO SHOWS
Reschedule at least 48 hours in advance as a courtesy. Last minute reschedules and no shows fall into a low priority client queue for future appointments.
Reschedules or cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance, or no-shows, will result in the loss of that session & meeting time. It cannot be refunded, credited, or rescheduled. This means the session cannot be refunded, credited, or made up, as the time was reserved specifically for you.
WARRANTIES
You warrant to our firm that you have full power and authority to enter into this agreement and to perform your obligations herein and that you will comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations including those relating to professional ethics, conduct, and advertising. You represent and warrant that the provision and use of content provided by you does not and will not violate any copyrights, trade secrets or other proprietary rights of any third party, or create any liability to any third party. You acknowledge that any breach of your representations and warranties is a material breach of this agreement.
By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.