What to Expect When You Hire Nguyen Accounting Group: Your First 14 Days

Hiring a CPA you have not worked with before is a small leap of faith. You are about to share tax returns, bank statements, business records, and IRS correspondence with someone you just met. Every Houston taxpayer we have onboarded since 2002 has had the same first question. What actually happens after I sign?

Here is the literal walkthrough. Day-by-day, hour-by-hour for the first 72 hours, then milestone-by-milestone through day 14. Written by Thuy Nguyen, JD, CPA, CTC, CTRS at Nguyen Accounting Group. Twenty-four years of doing this. Bilingual English and Vietnamese. The process is the same whether you are coming in for tax preparation, bookkeeping, tax planning, or full-blown tax resolution. The first 14 days set the tone for everything that follows.

TL;DR: the first 14 days at a glance

• Hour 0: you book the free 30-minute consult online or by phone

• Day 1 (within 24 to 48 hours): the consult itself, flat-fee quote at the end

• Day 2 to 3: engagement letter sent, secure portal opened, document request list delivered

• Day 4 to 7: kickoff call, document intake, initial review

• Day 5 (resolution cases): Form 2848 Power of Attorney filed with the IRS

• Day 8 to 14: first real deliverable depending on engagement type

• Day 14: review of progress, next steps clearly mapped

Hour 0: booking the free consult

You either call (832) 500-4299 or book online. Calls during business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM) usually get scheduled the same day. After-hours calls go to voicemail and get a return call the next business morning. Online booking lets you pick your slot directly.

We ask three short questions when you book: what brings you in, do you have any IRS correspondence, and what is the deadline you are working toward. That is enough to make sure the consult time is used productively. We do not collect documents before the consult and we do not ask for a credit card. The consult is genuinely free.

Day 1: the free 30-minute consult

The consult is 30 minutes. By video, by phone, or in person at our Sugar Land office (12440 Emily Ct Suite 303). Most clients pick video; we use whatever works for you. Bilingual English and Vietnamese, your choice.

What we cover in 30 minutes

• Your situation in plain English (5 minutes)

• Any documents or letters you have on hand (5 minutes)

• What the right scope of work looks like for you (10 minutes)

• What the timeline looks like (5 minutes)

• Flat-fee quote and engagement options (5 minutes)

What you walk away with

A clear answer on whether you actually need a CPA. A flat-fee quote in writing. A timeline. And a yes/no decision left entirely to you. We do not high-pressure-close. If we are not the right fit, we say so and recommend a different path. Sometimes the right answer is DIY software (more on that at myhoustoncpa.com/post/when-to-hire-cpa-houston-vs-turbotax). Sometimes it is a different specialist. Sometimes it is us, and we send the engagement letter.

If you decide on the spot, we move to day 2. If you want to think about it, that is fine. The flat-fee quote is good for 30 days; you can come back when you are ready.

Day 2 to 3: engagement letter and secure portal

Once you say yes, you receive three things by email.

1. The engagement letter

Plain-English contract. Scope of work. Flat fee. Payment schedule (typically 50% on engagement, 50% on delivery for one-shot engagements; monthly billing for ongoing). What is included and what is not. The deliverables and the timeline. Estimated 2 pages. You sign electronically.

2. The secure document portal

Encrypted client portal. You log in with email and a password you set. Upload documents in PDF, image, or any common file format. The portal is where every document, signed return, IRS letter, and deliverable lives for the duration of the engagement and after. No emailing PDFs of W-2s or bank statements (we strongly avoid that for security).

3. The document request list

Specific list of what we need from you to do the work. Tailored to your engagement, never a generic template. For a tax preparation engagement, this is typically last 2 years of returns, current-year W-2s/1099s, brokerage 1099-Bs, mortgage 1098, K-1s, and any IRS correspondence. For bookkeeping, we ask for QuickBooks file access and last 6 months of bank/credit card statements. For tax resolution, we ask for IRS letters, last 3 years of returns (if filed), and a basic financial picture.

By the end of day 3, the engagement letter is signed, the portal is open, and you know exactly what to upload. We block your slot on the calendar at this point so the work starts on schedule.

Day 4 to 7: kickoff call and document intake

The kickoff call (45 to 60 minutes)

Scheduled for day 4 or 5 typically. Longer than the consult, more substantive. We walk through your full situation, ask the questions that did not fit in the 30-minute consult, and clarify any documents you have already uploaded. The kickoff call is where the engagement actually starts; the consult was just the introduction.

Document intake

By day 7 we expect most documents in the portal. The faster you upload, the faster we move. Cases where the client uploads everything within 48 hours close at the fast end of every timeline range. Cases where documents trickle in over weeks close at the slow end. Same scope, same fee, very different speed.

Day 5 specifically (tax resolution cases only)

If you are coming in with an IRS issue, we file Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) within 5 business days of engagement. From that point on, IRS correspondence and calls route through us. You stop opening dread-inducing letters. We start handling them. This is one of the most relieving things that happens in the first week.

Day 8 to 14: the first real deliverable

The first concrete output of the engagement lands by day 14. Exactly what you receive depends on which service you signed up for.

Tax preparation engagement

Draft return delivered for review by day 10 to 14, assuming documents were complete by day 7. The draft is a full return with line-by-line explanation of any unusual items. You review, ask questions on a 30-minute review call, sign, and we e-file. Most personal returns close end-to-end in 14 days; most business returns take 21 to 28 days.

Bookkeeping engagement

Month 1 cleanup of any QuickBooks issues complete by day 10. First reconciled month delivered by day 14: bank reconciliations, credit card reconciliations, P&L, balance sheet, and a 30-minute review call. From there, monthly cadence kicks in (closing each month within 10 business days).

Strategic tax planning engagement

Initial planning memo by day 14. Includes entity-structure analysis, owner-compensation review (if S-corp), depreciation strategy, retirement contribution plan, and quarterly tax projections. Plus a 60-minute strategy review call to walk through it. From there, we meet quarterly to update projections and adjust strategy.

Tax resolution engagement

Form 2848 Power of Attorney filed by day 5. Full IRS account transcripts pulled by day 10. Initial strategy memo with case map and timeline by day 14. The strategy memo lays out which path we recommend (Installment Agreement, OIC, Currently Not Collectible, audit defense, etc.), why, and what the realistic timeline looks like. Full case-type-by-case-type timelines at myhoustoncpa.com/post/tax-resolution-timelines-houston.

Full-service engagement (bookkeeping + planning + tax prep)

All three deliverables stack. Month 1 books reconciled by day 14. Initial planning memo by day 14. Tax preparation timing depends on where in the calendar year you are starting. The full pricing detail is at myhoustoncpa.com/post/how-much-does-a-cpa-cost-in-houston-a-2026-pricing-guide.

What we do not do (intentionally)

Onboarding is the moment when most firms run scope creep, surprise fees, or aggressive upsells. We do the opposite. Here is what we explicitly do not do.

• No surprise fees. The flat-fee quote in your engagement letter is the price. If scope changes, we tell you in writing before doing the work and you choose whether to expand the engagement.

• No hourly billing. We do not invoice in 0.1-hour increments. Flat fees per engagement, period.

• No upsells during the first 14 days. We are doing the work you hired us for. If we identify a separate opportunity (an amended prior-year return, a tax-planning engagement, an entity-structure project), we mention it once with a separate quote, no pressure.

• No handoffs to junior staff. Thuy works on every case. You are not getting routed to an offshore preparer or a first-year associate.

• No selling of your information. The portal is encrypted. We do not sell, share, or repurpose client financial data.

How we communicate during the first 14 days

Two main channels. The portal handles documents and signed deliverables. Email handles questions and updates. Phone is for scheduled calls (consult, kickoff, review). We do not use text messaging for tax matters because of the security/audit-trail issues.

Response times. Inbound emails get a response within 1 business day, usually same-day. Portal uploads get acknowledged within 24 hours. Scheduled calls happen at the scheduled time. Urgent IRS matters (a notice with an imminent deadline) get same-day response. We are not a 24/7 firm; calls outside hours go to voicemail. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM (we close for lunch from 1 PM to 2 PM).

What you do during the first 14 days

Three things, in order of importance.

• Upload requested documents to the portal within 48 to 72 hours. Speed here drives the entire timeline.

• Show up for the kickoff call (day 4 or 5) with any specific questions or context that did not come up in the consult.

• Respond to clarification emails within 1 business day. Most cases stall on small questions that go unanswered for a week.

What you do not need to do. You do not need to organize documents into folders, label files, or create a binder. The portal sorts everything. Upload as you find them, in whatever format. We do the organization on our side.

Who you are working with

Thuy Nguyen is the practitioner. Twenty-four years of experience, JD (South Texas College of Law), CPA, CTC (Certified Tax Coach), CTRS (Certified Tax Resolution Specialist). Founder of Tax Solution Pro Advisor LLC, doing business as Nguyen Accounting Group. Bilingual English and Vietnamese. Lives and works in Sugar Land. Most of our clients are in Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford, Bellaire, West University Place, Richmond, Mission Bend, Meadows Place, and the broader Houston metro.

The combination of CPA, JD, and tax-resolution credentials matters specifically for clients with audit, payroll-tax, or Trust Fund Recovery Penalty exposure. Most Houston CPAs cannot represent in U.S. Tax Court. Most tax attorneys do not prepare returns. We do both. The full Houston market context is at myhoustoncpa.com/post/houston-cpa-comparison-2026.

After day 14: what the ongoing engagement looks like

Tax preparation engagements (one-shot): we are mostly done. Final return signed and e-filed by day 14 to 28. We are available for IRS correspondence, amendments, and questions for 12 months at no additional fee.

Bookkeeping engagements (ongoing): monthly cadence kicks in. Each month closes within 10 business days. Monthly review call at your preference (most clients do quarterly review calls).

Tax planning engagements (annual): quarterly check-ins, year-end strategy meeting, and the tax return preparation in the spring.

Tax resolution engagements (case-based): we work the case to resolution. Most close in 60 days to 14 months depending on type. Weekly status emails so you always know where things stand.

Full-service engagements (monthly): bookkeeping closing each month, quarterly tax planning, annual return, on-call advisory throughout.

Common first-14-days surprises (in a good way)

• How quickly the IRS letters stop being scary. Once Form 2848 is filed, IRS calls and letters route through us. You sleep better by day 7.

• How much we can pull from IRS transcripts. Lost W-2s, missing 1099s, last-known address records. We rebuild a lot from transcripts.

• How specific the deliverables are. The first planning memo is 8 to 15 pages with concrete dollar amounts, not a generic boilerplate.

• How fast we are when documents are uploaded fast. Cases where everything is in the portal by day 5 close at the fast end of every range.

• How direct we are about misfit. If we identify on day 3 that a different specialist is the better fit, we say so and refund the unearned portion of the engagement fee.

Common first-14-days surprises (less fun but worth knowing)

• If your books are messier than you thought, the first deliverable may take a week longer (we surface this on day 14 with a specific follow-up plan).

• If you have unfiled prior years that you did not mention on the consult, the engagement may need to expand. We quote the expansion in writing and you choose.

• If the IRS is slower than expected on a transcript pull or response, the case timeline shifts. We cannot control IRS pace; we can only stop their clocks where the law allows.

• If you uploaded documents that turn out to be from the wrong year or wrong taxpayer, we ask you to re-upload. This adds 2 to 5 days but is a normal part of any engagement.

FAQ

How fast can I get a free consult with Nguyen Accounting Group?

Within 24 to 48 hours of booking, often same day during business hours. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM. After-hours calls return next business morning.

Do I have to pay for the first consult?

No. The 30-minute consult is free. No credit card requested at booking. If we are not the right fit, you walk away without paying anything.

How long until you start working on my case after I sign?

Engagement letter and portal sent within 1 to 2 business days of signing. Kickoff call scheduled by day 4 to 5. Form 2848 (resolution cases) filed by day 5. First deliverable by day 14.

What documents do I need to bring to the first consult?

Whatever you have on hand: any IRS letters, last filed return, any tax forms you have already received for the current year. You do not need to organize anything. If you have nothing, the consult still works; we ask questions instead.

How do I share documents securely with you?

Encrypted client portal. You log in with email and password. Upload PDFs, images, or any common format. The portal is the only channel we use for sensitive documents. We strongly avoid email attachments for tax records.

Will I work with Thuy directly or with junior staff?

Thuy works on every case. We do not hand off to offshore preparers or first-year associates. Support staff handle administrative tasks (scheduling, document intake, billing), but the tax work is Thuy's.

What happens if I miss the kickoff call or fall behind on uploads?

The timeline shifts proportionally. We send reminder emails for missed milestones. If you go silent for more than 2 weeks, we pause the engagement and reach out before continuing. We do not penalize fees, but the original timeline cannot hold without your inputs.

Can I ask questions outside scheduled calls?

Yes. Email questions get a response within 1 business day. Quick questions are part of the engagement fee; substantial new analysis (a separate decision, a different tax year, a new entity) gets quoted separately.

Is the engagement fee refundable if I change my mind?

If we have not started work, yes. Once work has started (typically by day 4 to 5), the unearned portion is refundable but the work-completed portion is not. We are transparent about where things stand if a refund question comes up.

Do you serve Vietnamese-speaking clients?

Yes. Thuy is bilingual English and Vietnamese. The consult, the kickoff call, and all deliverables can be in either language. A large share of our Sugar Land and Bellaire client base prefers Vietnamese for tax matters; doing this work in your first language matters.

Ready to start

Free 30-minute consult, scheduled within 24 to 48 hours. Flat-fee quote at the end. No pressure, no upsells, no surprises. Call (832) 500-4299 or book online. We are at 12440 Emily Ct Suite 303, Sugar Land, TX 77478, Monday through Friday 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM.