Confidentiality agreement

[Catherine]

Here's the document jasdlm referenced

confidentiality agreement.contractors.doc

[Lion EA]

Thank you very much, Jasdlm, for sharing. And, thank you very much, Catherine, for providing the technical support. :rolleyes:

[Margaret CPA in OH]

Yes, thanks for sharing and isn't it great to have such wonderful tech support? What a team!

[Edward]

Is the Confidentiality Agreement kinda like a consent for disclosure of tax information pursuant to IRC Section 7216, or is it intended for something else?

[jasdlm]

It's not a consent for disclosure, in my opinion, because the taxpayer is not consenting. I have a comprehensive financial management practice (law, tax, financial advising), and I use this agreement, or a version of it, when I have a situation where someone might have access to confidential information (like my IT guy . . . he has the ability to remote on to my server at any time, which is invaluable to me because he can fix most things within 10 minutes of me sending him an email, but that obviously means he has access to all my files). I am not intentionally disseminating the information, but I recognize that sometimes in the course of business, other people potentially have access. I also have a similar agreement that I make employees sign (anyone who does any work for me at all, from photocopying to my main assistant and office manager, etc.). It could probably be written better, and it wouldn't necessarily be absolutely failproof, but I feel better having it, and I think that when I force others to read/sign it, they know that I take confidentiality very seriously. This is especially important to me with employees.

I don't think any of the arrangements I'm talking about would be regarded as 'knowingly or recklessly disclosing or using the tax-related information provided other than in connection with the preparation of such return', nor do I think it would protect me if I did 'knowingly or recklessly' disclose.