Onboarding a new individual (1040) tax client is the moment your firm sets expectations, confirms who you are working with, and gathers the history you will lean on at filing time. A clean intake covers a signed engagement letter, verified identity, prior-year returns, and a completed organizer, all captured before anyone starts preparing a return. Done well, it protects the engagement on scope and fees, satisfies your due-diligence obligations, and gives the preparer everything they need without chasing the client mid-season.
When onboarding is ad hoc, the gaps show up at the worst time. An unsigned engagement letter leaves fee and scope disputes unresolved. A missing prior return means re-keying carryforwards or guessing at last year’s positions. Identity verification slips, document requests get sent twice, and the client loses confidence before the first return is even filed. A consistent client onboarding process turns intake into a repeatable routine instead of a scramble.
When to run it
Run this at the start of every engagement, the moment a new individual client agrees to work with you. During tax season that often means the same week they reach out, so the engagement letter and document requests go out immediately. The firm owner or partner typically owns onboarding, then hands the prepared client record to the team that runs the return.
How to run it in Tidyflow
Set this up as a reusable job template so every new individual client follows the same path. Each step in the checklist becomes a subtask your team checks off inside workflow management, with due dates and assignees attached to the tax year. The engagement letter goes out for signature, and you collect identity documents, prior returns, and the intake form as items the client completes in their client portal. Because each request is tracked, you can see at a glance what is outstanding without emailing back and forth. Sensitive files like photo IDs and Form 2848 stay in document management rather than scattered across inboxes.
Common pitfalls
- Starting the return before the engagement letter is signed, which leaves scope and fees unconfirmed if a dispute arises.
- Skipping identity verification or filing Form 2848 incorrectly, which delays IRS transcript access when you need it most.
- Collecting only the current year and not the prior 1 to 3 returns, forcing manual rework on carryforwards and state details.
- Letting clients email tax documents instead of using the portal, which fragments the file and creates security risk.
- Not recording income complexity (K-1s, rental, self-employment, foreign income, crypto) up front, so the preparer is surprised mid-engagement.