At Kernutt Stokes, the health and safety of our employees, clients and communities are of paramount importance. For this reason, we are taking specific precautions to protect our staff and visitors during the current outbreak of coronavirus. With confirmed cases reported in Oregon, we are considering the potential impact and how we can best protect everyone.
According to the most recent information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is low. However, we want you to feel comfortable working with our firm during this important tax filing season. Below, we’ve outlined how we are working to minimize potential risk as we work towards April 15th together.
Electronic options – To help prevent potential virus spread, we recommend sharing information using electronic options whenever possible. While meeting your tax advisor face-to-face can certainly alleviate stress this time of year, we can accomplish much with telephone and electronic communication. You can send documents to us through Sharefile, available on our website. Additionally, we urge you to take advantage of the option to e-sign and receive e-delivery of your tax returns this year. As an added benefit, if you e-file your federal tax return, you often can begin tracking your refund as soon as 24 hours after the IRS accepts it.
Remote considerations – Our offices remain open at this time and we are taking all necessary hygiene and safety precautions. However, we are refining our plans for business continuity in the event our physical office(s) must close. Should this occur, we want to assure you that our work will not be disrupted as we move to a completely virtual workplace. We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that each of our staff members can serve you remotely for as long as necessary.
Rest assured we are monitoring this developing situation closely, including communications from the U.S. Department of the Treasury regarding potential changes to filing deadlines. If any major changes occur, such as the need for an office closure, we will update you immediately. Thank you for your patience and trust in Kernutt Stokes during these unusual circumstances. If you have any questions or further concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (541) 687-1170.