Organize project phases, retainers, and partner roles before comparing advisory proposals.
Identify which projects are in design, delivery, or collection when discussing the year ahead.
Start with project backlog, phase budgets, partner duties. How will work in progress and partner responsibilities inform the planning brief?
Choose the decision closest to your actual needs. A worksheet helps you compare a written proposal; it does not recommend a tax position or establish an advisor’s experience.
The owner’s work, pay arrangements, and cash needs should be described before a provider proposes compensation-related work. Ask how the analysis will be documented and coordinated with payroll rather than requesting a number in isolation.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA new payroll process needs an operational handoff as well as analysis. Identify the payroll provider, information required, implementation date, and the person who checks the first reporting cycle.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefStart with a complete entity map and the commercial reason for the proposed change. A provider’s recommendation should distinguish financial modeling, legal work, filings, and the responsibilities that follow the change.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA proposed ownership change should be reviewed before its commercial terms become binding. Gather the current agreements and intended economics, then ask which questions require coordinated tax and legal analysis.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefThe commercial terms of a buyout may change during negotiation. Ask for an engagement that identifies who updates the analysis when price, payment timing, or the ownership arrangement changes.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA family transition involves business continuity and the interests of several people. Explain the intended roles, timing, and ownership goals. Ask the advisor to separate its analysis from legal documentation and valuation work.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAn investment proposal changes ownership economics and may introduce reporting or consent obligations. Bring the actual proposed terms and ask which modeling, documentation, and specialist work the engagement would cover.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefReallocating ownership is a specific transaction rather than a general planning label. Explain the commercial reason, existing interests, and proposed change so candidates can identify the facts and professionals needed.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAcquisition work should be tied to an actual target, transaction structure, and timetable. Ask what the provider will examine, which information it needs, and how findings will reach the negotiating team.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAn asset purchase requires a clear inventory of what is being bought and who will own it. Ask for analysis based on the purchase documents and how the final agreed terms will be handed to the accounting team.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefSale preparation begins before a final buyer proposal. Describe the expected timing and available records. Ask which work can help organize the financial and ownership information that a transaction team will need.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefPayment timing, credit risk, and contract terms belong in the same transaction discussion. Ask which alternatives the advisor will compare and which assumptions require input from counsel or a financing professional.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAn earnout depends on defined performance measures and a future calculation process. Provide the draft terms and ask who reviews their financial assumptions, reporting requirements, and interaction with the wider transaction.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefClosing a transaction does not finish the record handoff. Ask who connects closing documents, the accounting records, payroll, and future filings, and who confirms that the assigned tasks are complete.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA property purchase may involve an operating company, a property entity, financing, and separate specialists. Describe those relationships before requesting a proposal and identify the decisions still open.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA first property can introduce records and responsibilities that differ from the operating business. Explain how it will be owned and operated, and ask who coordinates the property information with the owner’s existing tax work.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA portfolio review should make property-level information usable. Ask how the provider will identify missing schedules, reconcile ownership, and coordinate any separately scoped specialist work.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA specialist report needs an assigned review and filing handoff. Ask the candidate to distinguish the study itself, analysis of how it fits your facts, and preparation of any required reporting.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA disposition review needs the property’s history and the intended transaction terms. Ask how the advisor will gather schedules, review alternatives, and coordinate with the people completing the sale.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA sale and leaseback connects property ownership with the operating company’s future commitments. Ask for analysis of the actual proposed arrangements and coordination with legal and financing specialists.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefThe review should start with the business need, purchase commitments, financing, and expected use. Ask how the provider separates the operating decision from any tax analysis and documents the assumptions used.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefCompare the actual agreements rather than only monthly payments. Ask who reviews ownership, payment timing, ongoing obligations, and the complete cost assumptions used in the analysis.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA fleet decision involves ownership, financing, use records, and operating capacity. Describe how vehicles will be used and ask who maintains the documentation after the decision.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA new location changes operating costs, commitments, and reporting needs. Bring the location budget and proposed agreements, then ask how the advisor coordinates entity, filing, and bookkeeping questions.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefIdentify where work, people, property, and customers will be located. Ask the candidate to evaluate the actual facts and define the jurisdictions and filings inside the engagement.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefRemote hiring requires a reliable inventory of where people work and who maintains that information. Ask which payroll, tax, and legal questions are included and which require separate specialists.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefDescribe the actual working arrangements and contracts. Ask which questions belong to tax, payroll, and legal specialists, and how the review will distinguish analysis from implementation.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAn additional advisor should have a clear place in the existing team. Ask who owns forecasting, book adjustments, planning recommendations, and filing handoffs so work is neither assumed nor duplicated.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA planning proposal should identify whether the records are usable and who corrects gaps. Ask for a separate description of cleanup, recurring bookkeeping, and advisory analysis.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA provider change requires a specific record transfer and deadline plan. Identify open work and ask which firm handles each return, notice, adjustment, and prior-year question.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefExplain the planning gap and the current CPA’s scope. Ask candidates to define how analysis, implementation, and filing will be shared before assuming that a new engagement requires replacing the preparer.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA recurring projection process needs dependable inputs and a review date. Ask which records are required, which assumptions are refreshed, and who explains changes to the owner.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefThe owner’s available cash and the company’s operating needs should be described separately. Ask how the analysis incorporates known commitments, uncertain income, and the responsibilities for updating forecasts.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefOne unusually strong or weak period should be explained in context. Bring the reasons for the change and ask how the candidate distinguishes recurring activity from one-time events in its analysis.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA signed contract may create costs before collections arrive. Ask the advisor to work from the actual contract, expected delivery, and financing needs rather than simply projecting last year’s results upward.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA plan discussion may require tax analysis, administration, legal input, and employee information. Ask which professionals perform each part and how the decision and implementation timeline are coordinated.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefDescribe the actual owners, employees, and existing arrangements. Ask which benefits questions are inside the advisory scope and which require administrators, insurance professionals, or counsel.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA proposed incentive arrangement needs analysis of the actual terms and coordination with counsel. Ask which options the provider will evaluate and who handles documents, records, and ongoing reporting.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefDefine the question that prompts the review and the years involved. Ask the candidate to distinguish an initial review, further analysis, and any separately authorized amendments or representation.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefA notice has a specific issue and deadline. Ask who is responsible for reviewing it, obtaining authorization, preparing a response, and tracking follow-up. Do not assume a general advisory fee includes representation.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefAn extension period can involve unfinished preparation and new business decisions at the same time. Ask who owns each workstream and how draft information will be distinguished from finalized records.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefIdentify each interest and the team responsible for obtaining and reviewing the records. Ask how incomplete or changing information will be handled and how business and owner work will be coordinated.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefSeparate the company records, owner records, and shared decisions in the initial brief. Ask which people and entities are covered and who coordinates information across engagements.
Prepare the scope ↗Advisor hiring briefCompare the work and support period rather than only the payment schedule. Ask each candidate to show deliverables, meeting cadence, implementation responsibility, exclusions, and the complete project cost.
Prepare the scope ↗Growing profits, new properties, or an ownership change can create planning questions that deserve attention before the paperwork is final. Discuss your next decision with AE Tax Advisors.