ACCOUNTING TAX-YEAR CHECKLIST AND SUBMISSION STARTER
Prepared October 16, 2026. Free manual guide/template, not tax advice.
Original guide: https://burki.dev/blog/accountant-tax-year-checklist-voice-agent

PURPOSE
Clarify the explicit requested year/service, explain the firm's approved public
checklist/submission process, and keep actual receipt/review/filing evidence
separate. This resource does not generate personalized document requirements,
upload files, access a portal or confirm a return. No client files, credentials,
tax-software action or paid call was used to prepare it.

1. PRACTICE APPROVAL
Approving qualified staff owner and date:
Business name:
Intended jurisdiction and approved wording:
Supported service descriptions:
Who maintains public checklist/process facts:
Who handles unsupported years or personalized requirements:
Actual authenticated staff contact process for private status:
Approved retention/access policy for the conversation:

Do not put SSNs, passwords, identity-protection PINs, financial balances,
document contents or client records in this template or public instructions.

2. APPROVED YEAR-AND-SERVICE MAP
Create one entry for each actually supported public process. Do not infer an
unlisted year/service from a nearby entry. Replace all placeholders before use.

EntryA explicit year:
Service (individual return/business return/other approved description):
Approved public checklist title:
Checklist version/effective date:
Actual checklist location or staff request method:
Actual approved secure submission instructions:
Prior staff review needed before checklist/submission, if applicable:
Approved exceptions:
Staff owner and actual contact process:

EntryB explicit year:
Service:
Approved public checklist title:
Checklist version/effective date:
Actual checklist location or staff request method:
Actual approved secure submission instructions:
Prior staff review needed, if applicable:
Approved exceptions:
Staff owner and actual contact process:

A checklist explains an approved process. It does not prove suitability for a
particular client. Do not invent financial-document lists, eligibility, deadlines,
extensions or a portal URL. A familiar-looking URL is not a security guarantee.

3. BURKI SETUP FOR AN AUTHORIZED BUILD
Assistants -> New assistant -> Set up manually -> Receptionist.
Assistant job: Receptionist.
Fill actual Assistant name, Business name, Business facts and Desired outcome.
Desired outcome: corrected explicit year/service -> approved public checklist and
submission instructions, with actual receipt/review/filing left to authorized staff.
Apply business details to instructions -> review Instructions and First greeting.
Applying text is not a save. Create assistant persists new setup; Save changes
intentionally updates an existing assistant.

GPT Live First greeting is guidance and may be paraphrased, not exact playback
proof. Review Voice/model/language/provider/funding and actual allowance.
The setup is not a document-portal or tax-software connector.

4. ADAPTABLE INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER STAFF APPROVAL
Help with public checklist/submission questions using approved facts for the
requested year and service. Clarify the explicit year when this year is ambiguous.
Retain latest corrections, not the first year mentioned. Explain only the actual
approved checklist location or staff request method and submission instructions.
If year/service unsupported, use the approved staff process rather than invent a
checklist. Do not personalize document requirements, give tax advice or calculate
deadlines. Do not ask for passwords, SSNs, identity-protection PINs, balances or
file contents. Public instructions are not authenticated client records. Never
claim receipt/review/submission/filing/acceptance without actual authorized evidence.
Explain unknowns and the actual approved staff next step.

Approved public facts and real contact methods to insert before use:


5. FICTIONAL WORKED EXAMPLE
Practice: Alder Accounting Reception, fictional.
Caller initially says 2025, then corrects to 2024 for an older individual return.
Caller wants checklist and says something was uploaded yesterday.
Caller asks whether the return is already filed.

Expected conversation:
Retain 2024 correction, clarify individual-return checklist request, explain only
approved 2024 location/process. If prior-year staff review is required, say so.
Do not verify the caller's upload claim or infer receipt/filing from it.
Explain the actual approved authenticated staff process for private status.

Expected planning record:
Requested year: 2024, corrected from 2025.
Service: individual-return checklist enquiry.
Caller report: something uploaded yesterday.
Actual receipt/review/document sufficiency/filing/acceptance: unverified.

No real portal, checklist link or filed return exists from this example.

6. MANUAL REVIEW RECORD
Suggested worksheet only, not automatically generated fields or delivered CRM data.
Reviewer and time:
Actual conversation reference, if authorized:
Latest caller-stated explicit year and correction:
Latest caller-stated service and correction:
Checklist/version/process entry actually explained:
Caller-reported submission, if relevant:
Actual next step given:
Unknowns:

Authorized staff findings, separate from caller statements:
Authenticated record reviewed and reference:
Actual document receipt evidence:
Actual staff review/sufficiency evidence:
Actual return submission/filing evidence:
Actual acceptance evidence:
Owner of unresolved question:

Do not fill staff findings from an AI answer or from a caller saying uploaded.
Instructions given, files received, staff review and filed return are distinct.

7. PUBLICATION AND EXPECTED VERSUS OBSERVED CHECKS
Actual Publish -> Published version state and read time:
Saved settings revision and approved facts/checklist versions:
Voice/provider readiness and actual route:

Unpublished requires reviewed saving/authorized checks before Publish assistant
and real calls. Published saved edits remain drafts until Publish saved changes;
telephone uses published version. Legacy live settings means saving affects
connected calls. Knowledge/provider/calendar dependencies remain live. Publishing
alone does not verify phone, portal receipt or tax-system action.

Write expectations before separately authorized tests. No call was run for this
resource. Text review and actual audio/portal/filing acceptance are different.

2025 corrected to 2024:
Expected: only approved 2024 process, not current-year assumption.
Observed/evidence:

This year ambiguous:
Expected: clarify explicit requested year, not infer from current date.
Observed/evidence:

Individual enquiry becomes business return:
Expected: correct year and service entry or approved staff process.
Observed/evidence:

Unsupported year:
Expected: no nearby-year checklist invention.
Observed/evidence:

Caller says they uploaded:
Expected: caller report distinct from actual receipt.
Observed/evidence:

Caller asks filed:
Expected: authorized staff/system evidence, not receipt-as-filing.
Observed/evidence:

Caller offers private credentials/identifier:
Expected: stop unnecessary collection, use approved staff process.
Observed/evidence:

Personalized requirements/advice/deadline:
Expected: qualified staff process, no invented recommendation.
Observed/evidence:

8. COSTS AND IMPROVEMENT
Free guide/template does not mean free platform/model/voice/carrier usage.
Check actual account allowance/provider prerequisites and https://burki.dev/pricing.
No paid call/provider action needed merely to prepare this document.

Review period:
Actual year/service corrections lost:
Missing public checklist entries:
Unclear approved submission routes:
Actual receipt/filing evidence, if attributable:
Unknown attribution:
Next factual/process improvement and owner: