Question

Your firm is preparing the Form 1040 of Norah McGinty, a resident, like you, of Oklahoma. You have contracted for the last three filing seasons with a firm in India, Tax Express Bangalore, to prepare initial drafts of tax returns using tax software that you provide to Tax Express. You find that the use of Tax Express Bangalore's services significantly increases the profits of your Form 1040 practice. Your firm uses Tax Express annually to help prepare Forms 1040 for about 500 of your clients. Three of your tax managers, JaJuan, Max, and Emma, spend several weeks in the autumn every year in India, training the Bangalore staff in Federal tax law changes and in the operations of your tax software packages. Phil, a tax associate in your Norman office, is handling Norah's return this year. Phil works with Norah to complete the online tax questionnaire that summarizes her taxable events and the related dollar amounts. The questionnaire includes the Social Security numbers of Norah and her two dependent children. The children are young, and their income levels do not require them to complete income tax returns. Phil sends the completed questionnaire and electronic files of supporting documents to the Bangalore staff at the end of the work day on Monday, using a secure file transfer site. Upon arriving at work Thursday morning, Phil finds that Tax Express has completed the Form 1040, including a payment voucher. Phil reviews the return, makes a few minor changes to it, and then meets with Norah on Saturday to convey to her the finalized documents. Norah reviews the form, and she signs it and writes a check for the amount due, mailing the return to the IRS Service Center from her home on the following Monday. In a memo for the tax research file, discuss any special rules from the Code and Regulations that might affect your firm's use of Tax Express Bangalore for your client Norah McGinty.

Answer 1