Preparer FAQ

How do I join AscenTax Pro?

Submit the application on this page. It asks for your name, contact details, credentials, PTIN and — if you will file under your own EFIN — your firm name and EFIN.

An administrator reviews every application. Nothing is automatic: your account is only created after your PTIN (and EFIN, where applicable) has been verified against IRS records and both verification boxes have been ticked in the admin queue.

Once approved you receive a secure set-up link, choose a password, enrol multi-factor authentication and can begin adding clients.

Why do you need my PTIN?

Anyone who prepares a federal return for compensation must hold a current Preparer Tax Identification Number and enter it on every return they sign. We capture it at application so the number on file matches the number printed on the return.

PTINs must be renewed each calendar year. If your PTIN lapses, transmission is blocked until you update it in your firm settings — the change resets verification and returns your record to the admin queue.

Format: the letter P followed by eight digits.

Do I have to share my EFIN?

Only if you choose to file under your own EFIN. In that model you are the Electronic Return Originator, so we must record the EFIN that appears on the transmission and confirm it belongs to your firm.

If you file under Ascendum's EFIN, you never provide one — Ascendum is the ERO and you sign as the paid preparer with your PTIN.

We may ask for a copy of your IRS e-file Application Summary showing the EFIN and its 'Accepted' status. It is stored in the same encrypted document vault as taxpayer records and is visible only to administrators.

Can I switch models later?

Yes. Preparers who obtain their own EFIN can move from the Ascendum EFIN model to their own by adding the EFIN in firm settings; an administrator verifies it before the next transmission uses it.

Returns already accepted stay associated with the EFIN under which they were transmitted — that record cannot be rewritten, because it is part of the filing history.

How does per-return billing work?

You are charged a platform fee per accepted return, at the rate shown for your filing model. There is no seat licence, no minimum volume and no annual commitment.

A return that is rejected and re-transmitted after correction is charged once, not twice. Amended returns are charged at the same per-return rate.

Invoices are issued on the first business day of each month covering the prior month's accepted returns, and are paid by card or ACH.

Who collects the fee from the taxpayer?

If you file under your own EFIN, you do. You set your own prices, issue your own invoices and keep the whole fee; our platform fee is billed separately to your firm.

If you file under Ascendum's EFIN for a retail client that Ascendum brought in, Ascendum bills the taxpayer and you are compensated under your engagement with Ascendum.

What is IRC §7216 and how does it affect me?

Section 7216 of the Internal Revenue Code makes it a criminal offence for a tax return preparer to knowingly or recklessly disclose or use tax return information other than to prepare the return, unless the taxpayer has given written consent in the form Treasury regulations require.

Inside the portal, consent is collected as a separate, signed, dated disclosure before any covered disclosure or use — it is never bundled into the engagement letter and never a pre-ticked box.

Covered situations include disclosure to Ascendum when you file under its EFIN, use of return information for anything other than preparing the return, and any preparation assistance performed outside the United States.

Do I need consent when filing under Ascendum's EFIN?

Yes. Ascendum is a separate legal person from your firm, so passing return information to it for transmission and quality review is a disclosure that requires the taxpayer's prior written consent.

The portal presents the correct consent form to the taxpayer, records the signature, IP address and timestamp, and blocks transmission until it is signed. Consents are retained and available for audit.

Is any work performed outside the United States?

Offshore preparation support is switched off by default. It can only be enabled by an administrator, and when it is, every affected taxpayer must first sign the specific §7216 consent naming disclosure outside the United States.

Access by an approved offshore preparer is gated per return and written to an access log.

What security obligations do I take on?

Every preparer is covered by our Written Information Security Plan under IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule: multi-factor authentication, unique credentials, no credential sharing, and prompt reporting of any suspected data incident.

Taxpayer identification numbers are encrypted with AES-256-GCM in an isolated vault and are masked in the interface; access is enforced by database row-level security and written to an audit trail.