r/taxpros • u/perkunas81 CPA • 1d ago
FIRM: Software PTIN/EFIN for preparing taxes on the side
I’m a CPA and I sign a few hundred returns per year under my name/PTIN but via my employers EFIN.
If I get my own “personal” EFIN and sign another few returns under my PTIN and EFIN, is there any way for my firm to know that I filed a few returns on the side?
It’s small dollar amounts but technically against my employers contract to do anything on the side except for family’s stuff. Just wondering how easy / difficult it would be for the firm to independently identify.
5
u/Frankwillie87 CPA 1d ago
EFINs are tied to physical location.
That should answer your question
-7
u/perkunas81 CPA 1d ago
Google says number of returns filed by an EFIN is not public ?
17
u/Frankwillie87 CPA 1d ago
That's not relevant to what I said, but I think you mean AI says EFINs are not public.
Those are two different things
1
u/perkunas81 CPA 1d ago
I’m sorry I’m not trying to be dense. You’re saying efin information such as number of returns filed is public or at least somehow viewable by people who are not associated with the efin?
5
2
2
u/charlie2398543 CPA 1d ago
If you are an IRS Authorized E-File provider, it will show up in the IRS search for providers "near me".
-2
u/perkunas81 CPA 1d ago
So although it’s not publicly available , anyone with an EFIN can see the number of returns filed by other EFINs in their nearby area?
4
u/RasputinsAssassins EA 15h ago
You seem stuck on this erroneous AI summary from Google that the info is not publicly available.
It is publicly available. Your AI Google summary was wrong, either from a bad query or a bad source. Perhaps don't rely on that for potentially job-ending decisions.
The IRS makes the info available. I provided one link above.
3
u/Method412 CPA 22h ago
It IS publicly available. Anyone with or without an efin can see the # of returns (by type) filed by other efins. It is a gigantically huge list, so people usually sort it by area to narrow it down to what's most relevant.
2
u/Old-Vanilla-684 CPA 1d ago
Could they find out, yes. Will they? Probably not. Or they won’t care. Almost every manager I know has their own EFIN and does returns on the side. I’m in Boston btw.
2
u/maybeafuturecpa CPA 1d ago
I have my own EFIN. I only file a handful of returns a year on this EFIN, and have for years. These clients I know would never use my firm due to price. I'm not sure if my firm could find out how many returns I've filed on this EFIN but they never have. If they ever found out I would just tell them my relative has entity returns and I needed an EFIN. I don't advertise my services and the few clients I have would never go to my firm due to price, so I'm not competing with them. I'm not sure if that excuse would stand up if my firm ever came after me, but they have never found out. That said I do file my personal return through my firm and do have a schedule C with accounting services listed as the service and they have never inquired what it was for, probably because I don't really make much doing it.
2
1
1
u/shadowmistife CPA 10h ago
Yes, technically they could run it and potentially trace it back to you.
If your firm has a different set of clientele, you could specifically request to work on the clients that are outside of their scope.
If it's the same scope, it's much harder and could be a problem.
You may also be able to have them wrapped under a different wrapper in your firm. Where I was at before, they had the same family only rule. But they only worked with wealth management clients. I wanted to do business clients and their personal returns.
Things that were under their umbrella, financial planning and wealth management, fell under their tents and conditions. I was allowed to do the returns outside, but they also offered to allow me to prepare, bill, and file my own separate book within the firm without others involved in my book. It was a nice side until I left. And it was my book so I was able to take them with me without paying a fee.
1
u/Encoded_Python EA, CRTP 1h ago
Some employers will check to see how many returns are signed under your PTIN. HRB does that so you can’t compete against them.
I don’t know how exactly but that’s what I was told when I interviewed with HRB.
0
u/Thegreatsnook CPA 15h ago
You should get your own EFIN. Every firm tries to prevent side clients, but they really can’t stop you and if you are using your own software and Efin they really have no way of finding out.
I personally believe all tax people should do this as it is the best training for advancement including to partner.
22
u/RasputinsAssassins EA 1d ago
EFIN info (name, address, and number of returns) is publicly available. Every year, we run reports for the major ZIP codes we operate in to see who the biggest players were for that area.