Pros & Trust — Nobody Scams Anybody Here
How pros are vetted
- Government-ID verification, PTIN verified against IRS records, credential verified at the source (state board / IRS).
- FCRA-compliant background check — with written consent and the full adverse-action process. No silent auto-bans; individualized review and an appeal path.
- Disqualifiers mirror IRS Publication 3112 suitability: financial-trust crimes (theft, embezzlement, fraud, forgery, money laundering), Circular 230 / OPR or state license discipline, e-file sanctions, sanctions-list matches, material tax noncompliance.
- Annual re-verification and re-attestation. Suspension ladder: warning → restricted → suspended → removed.
- Records store status + dates only — background-check contents are never stored.
Verify a Pro
Anti-scam structure
- Fees are fixed and shown before engagement — never a percentage of a refund (§10.27). Refund Transfer, when it exists, runs only through a licensed settlement bank; a refund never routes through the pro (§10.31). No partner bank = no pay-by-refund feature.
- You enter your own disbursement account where the pro cannot see or edit it. Bank-detail changes need re-verification plus a cooling-off hold.
- Every message and document stays in the platform record; you always receive copies of everything prepared or filed for you.
- Reviews come only from completed engagements. There is a complaint button on every engagement, and fee outliers are flagged automatically.
The contract stack
Platform Terms + DIY Accuracy Attestation — you sign, per case, that the information you entered is true, correct, and complete. Niptei Tax calculates from what you provide.
Pro–Client Engagement Agreement — scope, fixed fees, both sides' information duties, a separately-signed §7216 consent clause, your data ownership (export on demand — never held hostage), the complaint path, termination, and retention. E-signed in-app with an ESIGN/UETA audit trail.
Pro–Platform Agreement — vetting consent, code of conduct, no percentage-of-refund fees, suspension-ladder acceptance, indemnities.
Honest legal note: no contract makes a company un-sueable. Contracts allocate responsibility and create the evidence trail. The real protection is vetting + structure + E&O / cyber insurance (bound before the first paying client) + working complaint machinery. No chargeback waivers; no waivers for fraud or gross negligence.
Responsibility Matrix
| Your inputs (facts, figures, documents you enter) | You |
| Our math (calculations from your inputs) | Niptei Tax (Accuracy Promise when live and insurance-backed) |
| Your pro's work (advice, preparation, filing) | Your pro (their engagement agreement + their own E&O) |
| Platform duties (WISP security, §7216 privacy, honest claims) | Niptei Tax — cannot be contracted away |
Talk to a Pro
Personal tax advice is given only by credentialed pros (CPA / EA / attorney — the only unlimited representation rights under Circular 230), never by this app. In the beta this is a request-only path: tell us the topic and a vetted pro conversation starts from there.
No outcome promises, ever. No “pennies on the dollar.”