Tax Client Intake Form: 30 Questions to Ask New Clients

Quick answer: A tax client intake form gathers the information a preparer needs to understand a new client's situation before quoting and starting work: personal and dependent details, sources of income, major deductions and credits, recent life changes, prior-year filings and any open issues with the IRS or state. The best intake forms ask mostly yes/no questions, then follow up only where the answer is yes.

Key takeaways

• Intake is about scoping, not collecting every figure. Numbers come from documents later.
• Yes/no questions get completed. Long blank fields get skipped.
• Ask about IRS notices and unfiled years up front. They change the fee and timeline.
• Collect prior-year returns as part of intake whenever possible.
• Follow intake with an engagement letter and a personalized document list.

The 30 questions

Personal

1. Full legal name and preferred name
2. Best phone number and email, and the preferred way to reach you
3. Filing status last year
4. Did your marital status change this year?
5. Names and dates of birth of dependents
6. Did you have a baby, adopt or gain a dependent this year?
7. State(s) you lived in during the year

Income

8. How many employers did you have? Did you receive tips or overtime pay?
9. Did you do freelance, contract or gig work?
10. Do you own a business or rental property?
11. Do you have brokerage, investment or cryptocurrency accounts?
12. Did you sell stocks, property or other assets?
13. Did you receive retirement distributions or Social Security?
14. Did you receive unemployment or other government payments?
15. Do you have any partnership, S corporation or trust interests (Schedule K-1)?
16. Do you have foreign accounts or income?

Deductions and credits

17. Do you own a home with a mortgage?
18. Did you pay for child care?
19. Did you pay college tuition or student loan interest?
20. Did you make any charitable donations (including small cash gifts)?
21. Did you buy health insurance through the Marketplace?
22. Do you have a health savings account?
23. Did you contribute to an IRA?

History and open issues

24. Who prepared last year's return?
25. Are any prior-year returns unfiled?
26. Have you received any letters from the IRS or a state tax agency?
27. Do you owe any tax from prior years?
28. Did you make estimated tax payments this year?
29. Do you have an IRS Identity Protection PIN?
30. Is there anything unusual about this year we should know?

What to do with the answers

• Scope and quote: each "yes" signals complexity and affects your fee.
• Engagement letter: define scope and responsibilities. See engagement letters and 7216 consent.
• Authorizations: request Form 8821 or 2848 if you'll need transcripts or representation.
• Document list: turn each "yes" into the specific documents needed. Use our tax document checklist as a reference.

Keep the form short enough to finish

• Use yes/no questions and reveal follow-ups only when needed
• Make it work on a phone
• Don't ask for Social Security numbers in an insecure form
• Ask for prior-year returns as an upload rather than retyping details

From intake to documents

Intake answers are most useful when they directly drive the document request. Correctdocs sends each client one secure link with the documents you need from them, checks every upload the moment it lands and reminds them automatically until everything is in. See our client onboarding checklist for the full process.

Correctdocs is in early access. The first 10 US accounting, bookkeeping and tax firms get a free 30-day pilot on real client requests. Request early access.

Frequently asked questions

What should a tax intake form include?

Personal and dependent details, income sources, major deductions and credits, life changes, prior filings and any IRS or state notices.

Should intake forms collect Social Security numbers?

Only through a secure channel. Many firms collect identifying details later, through a secure portal or upload link, rather than in a general web form.