Build your tax career with Approved Tax & Financial.
Keep more of what you earn preparing returns. New preparers under the proposed contractor program earn 80% of their agreed tax preparation fees — with clear per-return costs and a compliance-first onboarding process.
Earn 80% of your agreed tax preparation fees.
Approved Tax & Financial retains 20% of the defined preparation fee under the applicable signed contractor agreement. The compensation base excludes separately itemized legitimate third-party charges as defined in the final approved fee schedule. Existing contractors' signed compensation agreements are not changed automatically — they receive appropriate notice and sign any required amendments before new terms apply.
80% to you
You keep 80% of the defined preparation fee you agree with your client.
Compliance-first
PTIN validation, written agreements, and role-based access.
Training & support
Onboarding and guidance to set you up for the season.
Clear per-return costs
Technology, transmission, and service bureau fees disclosed up front.
No percentage split. Clear per-return fees.
Total of $119 applies when all three charges apply. The service bureau fee is mandatory under the applicable service bureau arrangement and may be optional for eligible independent ERO/EFIN holders under separate agreements. Third-party refund-transfer fees are separate and apply only when the relevant bank product is selected. This is not a cost-free arrangement.
A staged, secure path to preparing returns
Every applicant moves through the same compliance-first steps. No automatic approval, and no live software access or e-file credentials are granted automatically.
1 — Join Our Team
Submit your application: legal name, contact, PTIN status, preparation experience, and availability.
2 — Compensation & Training Disclosure
Review the 80/20 preparation-fee structure, $250 training charge, weekly payout policy, and compliance expectations. Acknowledge receipt.
3 — Identity & Credential Verification
Securely submit government photo ID, PTIN verification, and required credentials through an approved secure document process.
4 — Contractor Agreement
Sign the administrator-approved agreement covering compensation, EFIN/software use, confidentiality, termination, and dispute resolution.
5 — Training Payment Selection
Choose an available payment arrangement for the $250 training fee. Backend arrangements require separate written authorization.
6 — Administrator Approval
Your application is reviewed. No automatic approval based on submission, signature, or payment alone.
7 — Software Access
After approval, receive the authorized Approved Tax preparer software login.
8 — Confirmation
Receive a professional acknowledgment of your current status and next steps.
Transparent terms before you start
These disclosures are part of contractor onboarding. Acknowledging them confirms you received the information — it does not replace the final signed agreement.
80/20 preparation-fee structure
New preparers under the proposed contractor program earn 80% of the defined preparation fee, with Approved Tax receiving 20%, subject to the signed agreement. The base excludes separately itemized legitimate third-party charges.
$250 initial preparer training fee
Available payment arrangements: pay upfront, request approved installment payments, or request a backend arrangement with written authorization where legally permitted. The selected arrangement is documented in the signed agreement or a separate signed payment authorization. Fees, schedules, and refund conditions are disclosed before enrollment. No financing or deferred-payment approval is guaranteed.
How and when preparers get paid
Weekly payment cycle
Approved Tax processes eligible preparer compensation on a weekly cycle. The first payout is expected to begin after the first applicable IRS refund and bank-product settlements result in preparation fees actually being received and available for distribution. The first settlement period is generally anticipated around late February — an estimate, not a guaranteed payment date.
Thursday processing cutoff
Weekly payout processing takes place on Thursdays. Eligible fees received, cleared, and reconciled before the approved Thursday evening cutoff may be included in that week's payout. Fees received after the cutoff generally roll into the following weekly cycle. The administrator confirms the exact cutoff time and expected disbursement day before this policy is published.
Payment eligibility
Preparer compensation is calculated only on eligible preparation fees actually received and cleared. A taxpayer's refund approval, refund-issued status, or expected deposit date does not automatically establish that the preparation fee has been received and is payable. Approved Tax does not guarantee individual IRS refund dates or third-party bank settlement timing, and no advance against unreceived preparation fees is promised.
Payout reconciliation
Each payout provides a clear accounting of the relevant details. No taxpayer Social Security numbers or other sensitive information appear in ordinary payout notifications.
Payout questions must be submitted through the approved support channel. Open the contractor support form.
Every preparer meets the same standard
Preparers comply with applicable IRS requirements, tax laws, due-diligence obligations, and lawful Approved Tax operating policies.
Missing documentation
Approved Tax may request additional substantiating documents when necessary. Where supporting documentation is inadequate, the company may pause submission of affected returns, restrict access to affected functions, or place an account under compliance review. Missing documents are not, by themselves, proof of fraud, and earned compensation is not automatically forfeited. Any lawful payment hold is documented, appropriately limited, and reconciled.
Suspected fraud
Serious or credible indicators of fraud, intentional misrepresentation, unauthorized EFIN use, improper disclosure of taxpayer data, or repeated material violations may result in immediate protective suspension pending investigation. Confirmed serious violations or material breaches may result in termination, subject to applicable law and the final agreement.
Contractor liability
The agreement addresses each party's responsibilities for its own acts, omissions, legal violations, and authorized activities. Appropriately limited indemnification and liability provisions are prepared for attorney review. No unlimited personal liability, automatic penalty charges, or legally unsupported waivers are included.
Returns filed under Approved Tax's EFIN follow our procedures
All returns prepared or filed under Approved Tax's EFIN must use its authorized software, filing, documentation, security, and review procedures.
Preparers may not
- Use Approved Tax's EFIN without authorization
- Transmit Approved Tax returns through unauthorized systems
- Share login credentials
- Move protected taxpayer information into outside software without lawful authorization
- Circumvent approved filing and payment procedures
- Misrepresent themselves as the ERO
- Redirect company-controlled transactions through unauthorized channels
Violations may result in suspension or termination, subject to the final agreement and applicable law. A blanket prohibition against unrelated lawful outside employment or business activity is not imposed without attorney-approved language.
Termination & no buyout
- Voluntary: A preparer may discontinue the relationship without paying a buyout fee or termination penalty. The preparer remains responsible for properly documented, lawfully incurred, and contractually authorized outstanding obligations — including any unpaid portion of the $250 training fee. No new penalty is imposed simply for leaving.
- Company-initiated: Approved Tax may terminate for material breaches, fraud, unauthorized EFIN use, serious compliance violations, security breaches, or other lawful grounds. Immediate access suspension may occur when necessary to protect taxpayer information or prevent unauthorized filing.
- Final reconciliation: After termination, eligible earned compensation is reconciled, outstanding authorized obligations identified, only lawful deductions applied, remaining compensation paid when due, access revoked, legally required records preserved, and secure offboarding completed. Termination does not eliminate the obligation to protect taxpayer information.
Official matters go through designated channels
Group messages, group chats, social media messages, and personal texts are not official case-submission channels, and a group post does not automatically create a support ticket. Use the verified company support email or formal support ticket system for compensation, software, compliance, or access questions.
Secure document submission
Sensitive identity and credential documents are collected through approved secure document processes only — never as ordinary marketing-form attachments or through unsecured email.
Apply to join
Do not submit SSNs, identity documents, background-check authorization, or sensitive financial information through this public form. Those are collected securely later in onboarding.
Onboarding after screening
Qualified candidates move to a secure onboarding process: identity verification, PTIN validation, written agreements, training, compensation disclosures, data-security policies, and role-based software access. For the upcoming 2027 preparation season, follow official IRS PTIN renewal requirements. PTIN possession alone does not authorize someone to operate as an independent ERO.