What is Filing Readiness?
What the year-end Filing Readiness process is, when it happens, who you'll work with, and how it gets you ready to file.
Filing Readiness is the short, guided process we run at year-end to get your business ready to file its tax return. The goal is simple.
We make sure your books are finalized and we have what we need about your tax situation. That helps your return get filed accurately and on time.
If you've heard us say "Tax Onboarding" before, this is the same thing, renamed. Filing Readiness happens at year-end, ahead of filing season — not when you first sign up.
Getting your books set up and your accounts connected is a separate, earlier step. Filing Readiness is the tax-prep stage that comes once the year is in the books.
When it happens
Filing Readiness kicks off after your tax year ends, as filing season approaches. We reach out when it's time, so you do not need to track the timing yourself.
There is real work on both sides before a return can go out. The earlier we start, the more comfortable the runway to the deadline.
Who you'll work with
You'll be assigned a tax contact — the person who guides you through Filing Readiness and answers your questions along the way. They'll let you know what's outstanding, walk through anything that's unclear, and keep your return moving toward filing.
Part of the process is a short meeting, usually about 45 minutes. We use it to go over your year, confirm tax details, and clear up open questions.
It's a working conversation, not a test. Come as you are, and we'll fill in the rest together.
Your two tasks
Almost everything we need from you falls into two buckets:
- Your tax questionnaire — a set of questions about your business and tax situation for the year. It covers ownership, entity details, major changes, and anything else that affects your return.
- Your documents — the supporting paperwork we need to back up the numbers and complete the return. We'll tell you exactly what to gather.
Knock out those two things and you've done the bulk of your part.
Before we can file, your books for the year have to be finalized. Finalized books are what your return is built from — so this is a hard requirement, not a nice-to-have. More on why in Why your books must be finalized before we file.