Eight stages from first call to filed return.

1. Discovery Exchange (Free, 15 min)

You book a free 15-minute conversation to talk through your situation. We listen first — about your prior year, life changes, complexity, expectations — and then tell you honestly whether TaxOwl Advisors is the right practice for your return.

If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you who is.

Book a Discovery Exchange

What you need: 15 minutes. What you walk away with: clarity on fit + a flat-fee quote.

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2. Engagement & Payment

You receive an engagement letter in your secure TaxOwl Advisors portal. It spells out the flat fee, what's included, what's not, and refund policy. You sign electronically. Payment is collected at engagement through Stripe.

That's when we start work.

What you need: 5 minutes + payment. What you walk away with: active engagement, work begins.

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3. Tax Organizer

Within minutes of your signed engagement letter, your TaxOwl Advisors portal populates with the tax organizer matched to your return type (1040, 1120-S, 1065, 1120, 1041, or 990), a document checklist, and a welcome email explaining how to upload.

The organizer auto-saves. Complete it in pieces over a few days. Returning clients get last year's data pre-filled.

What you need: 30-60 minutes (individuals; longer for business owners).

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4. Document Upload

You upload your tax documents to TaxDome via drag-and-drop, mobile app photo, or by forwarding email attachments to your personal upload address (created automatically). We message you in the portal if anything is missing.

What you need: documents as they arrive. What you walk away with: every document organized and secure.

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5. Preparation

Two phases:

Phase A — Extraction. We use specialized prep software to extract data from your source documents (W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, brokerage statements) into a structured workpaper.

Phase B — Build. Your preparer takes the workpaper and builds your return in tax software, applying prior-year carryforwards, equity comp cost-basis adjustments, K-1 line items, state apportionment, and next-year estimated tax computations.

A first draft is typically ready in 3-5 business days from full document receipt.

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6. Internal Review (the second-eyes principle)

This is the step that defines TaxOwl Advisors. Every return is reviewed by the second preparer — not the one who built it. The reviewer checks variance vs. prior year, cost-basis adjustments on equity comp, K-1 reconciliation, multi-state accuracy, and estimated tax projections.

If anything looks off, it goes back to the preparer before the client sees it.

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7. Your Review & E-Signature

Your draft return is delivered to your TaxOwl Advisors portal along with a summary of your tax position, side-by-side prior-year comparison, notes on anything unusual, and Form 8879 for your e-signature.

We schedule a Tax Review & Approval Call if your return is complex enough to walk through. For simpler returns, portal messaging is often sufficient.

When you're satisfied, you sign Form 8879. We e-file the same day.

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8. E-File & Delivery

Within 24 hours of your 8879 signature, your return is transmitted. Within 48-72 hours, you receive IRS and state acceptance confirmations, a final filed copy in your portal, direct-deposit refund expected date or balance-due payment instructions, and estimated tax vouchers for next year if applicable.

Everything is archived in your TaxOwl Advisors portal permanently — download anytime, current or prior years.

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After filing: Year-Round Support

The engagement doesn't end at filing:

• Q3 estimated tax check-in (Premium and Bundle clients automatically)
• Q4 planning conversation for year-end moves (Premium and Bundle clients)
• IRS notice response — forward any notice; we triage same-day
• Mid-year questions — equity vests, life events, business changes
• Following year — we carry forward everything and notify you when it's time to start the next return

The same two preparers. Year after year.