COVID-19: An Important Message to our Clients & Friends

COVID-19: An Important Message to our Clients & Friends March 17, 2020

Dear Clients & Friends,

In order to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, Whitinger & Company will be taking additional precautions that will temporarily adjust our normal business operations. The steps we are implementing are an escalation of the information we provided you a few days ago. These unprecedented steps are in the interest of protecting our associates and clients by limiting in-person contact as is recommended by state and local health officials as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Whitinger will be closing our lobbies to all clients and visitors in our Muncie and Indianapolis offices.

What does this mean?

  1. Our doors will remain locked throughout the day and we are eliminating in-person meetings and consultation for the time being.
  2. If you currently have an appointment set up with one of our accountants, you may consider an alternative method to get your information to your accountant and they will be contacting you to make alternative arrangements.
  3. For clients where our staff members come to you, we will contact you regarding contingency plans to deliver on-site work on a remote basis.
  4. Our staff members who prefer to work from home are being afforded the opportunity to do so and those who prefer to work at the office will be at the office.
  5. If you still need to provide us with your tax documents and would like to drop them off for us to work on, we have a mail slot at each of our offices where you can securely leave your paperwork.
  6. Please bring your tax documents in a large envelope with your name clearly marked on it so everything you submit stays together. If you need an envelope we will have a bin of envelopes outside the front door of each office for you to use.
  7. When your taxes are completed we will be distributing them back to you by mail or through our secure client Portal if you prefer.

Communicating with your Whitinger accountant

The Whitinger team remains available to you throughout this process and we have a variety of methods for answering questions and consulting on matters important to you, your family or organization. Your accountant is available to you by email, phone call, or video conference. We can also receive and distribute documents securely through the Whitinger Portal or through Sharefile.

What about COVID-19 guidance from the IRS or Legislative Action?

This is an unprecedented time for our country, and we are committed to helping our clients navigate the impact of this crisis. This includes providing you with our recommended guidance around future coronavirus economic relief initiatives currently being considered by government officials as well as future actions from the IRS including the possible delay of the April 15 tax deadline.

Moving forward together

Please be assured that while we remain focused on health and safety, we have taken steps to make sure we can continue to deliver the level of quality, excellence and timeliness you are accustomed to from Whitinger. While we hope conditions do not require us to temporarily close down offices, we do have contingency plans in place to ensure our continued service.

Thank you for your continued support and loyal business as we all navigate these unique circumstances. Please feel free to reach out to your accountant with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your own operations. We are here and ready to help. The coronavirus situation is evolving at a rapid pace, and it’s always possible that policies currently in place may be amended on a daily or as-needed basis. We will do our best to keep you informed.

– Whitinger & Company