53 Built-In Starter Templates
53 CPA engagement letter & Section 7216 templates with e-sign
Scope creep starts when sending an engagement letter takes 15 minutes of copy-pasting. CPA Relay ships with 53 built-in starter templates for tax returns, Section 7216 consents, bookkeeping, and advisory—complete with auto-filling client fields and built-in e-signatures.
Included in every firm account · Zero per-envelope signature fees
The starter library
53 accounting-specific templates ready to copy and customize
CPA Relay includes 53 practitioner-drafted CPA engagement letter and IRC Section 7216 consent templates covering individual Form 1040 tax preparation, business returns (Form 1120-S, 1065, 1120), monthly bookkeeping and CAS, compilations, payroll, IRS representation, and standalone Revenue Procedure 2013-14 disclosures—complete with auto-filling client merge fields and built-in e-signatures.
In Settings → Templates, click Pick a starter to add any of our 53 built-in drafts to your firm's library. Every starter follows a clean, consistent structure: Date, Greeting, Scope of Services, Client Responsibilities, Firm Responsibilities, Fees & Payment, Sign-off, and Acceptance.
Breakdown of CPA Relay's 53 Starter Templates by Practice Area
| Category | Count | Included Engagement Letter & Consent Templates | Default Signer Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Tax (Form 1040 Series) | 11 | Standard 1040, 1040 with Schedule C/E, High-Net-Worth 1040, Amended Return (1040-X), Non-Resident (1040-NR), Gift Tax (Form 709), Prior-Year Unfiled Returns | Taxpayer + Spouse (supports shared email via dual OTP) |
| Business Tax (1120-S, 1065, 1120, 990) | 12 | S-Corp (1120-S), Partnership/LLC (1065), C-Corp (1120), Non-Profit (990), Multi-State Nexus Filing, Business Extension & Estimated Tax | Authorized Officer / Tax Matters Partner |
| Fiduciary, Estate & Trust (1041 / 706) | 5 | Form 1041 Fiduciary Income Tax, Estate Tax Return (Form 706), Trust Administration Accounting | Trustee / Executor / Personal Representative |
| Bookkeeping, CAS & Financial Statements | 10 | Monthly Bookkeeping, Catch-Up / Cleanup Bookkeeping, Fractional Controller / CAS, SSARS 21 Compilation, Financial Statement Review | Business Owner / Officer |
| Payroll, Sales Tax & 1099 Compliance | 6 | Full-Service Payroll Processing, After-the-Fact Payroll, Annual 1099-NEC/MISC Filing, Multi-State Sales & Use Tax | Business Owner / Officer |
| Tax Planning, Advisory & IRS Representation | 5 | Year-Round Tax Planning & Projection, Entity Selection (LLC to S-Corp), IRS Audit / Examination Representation, Offer in Compromise / Penalty Abatement | Taxpayer or Business Representative |
| IRC Section 7216 Disclosures & Consents | 4 | 1040 Disclosure to Mortgage Lender / Third Party (Rev. Proc. 2013-14 compliant), 1040 Use Consent, Business Return Third-Party Disclosure, Outside Tax Support Disclosure | Separate Standalone Affirmative Signature |
Tax preparation
Individual, Business & Estate Returns
Structured engagement letters for Form 1040, Married Filing Jointly, Schedule C, S-Corporations (1120-S), Partnerships (1065), C-Corporations (1120), Trusts (1041), Estates, and Nonprofits.
IRS compliance & disclosures
Section 7216 Consents & Authorizations
Ready-to-send IRC Section 7216 consents to use or disclose tax return information, third-party records-release authorizations, and client payment authorizations.
CAS & recurring services
Bookkeeping, Payroll & Advisory
Clear scope-of-service letters for monthly bookkeeping, clean-up engagements, payroll processing, fractional CFO / tax planning advisory, and compilation or review engagements.
Good to know: Our 53 starter templates are professionally structured drafts designed to save your firm hours of setup—not legal advice. Review your templates with your counsel or E&O carrier before sending them to clients.
Smart merge fields
Fields that fill themselves in—and custom questions when you send
Wrap a field name in double braces and CPA Relay handles the rest. Standard client and firm
fields pull straight from your records. Need a custom detail that changes per job—like
{{retainer_fee}} or {{states_filed}}? Type any custom tag in double
braces and CPA Relay automatically turns it into a question on the send form.
- Zero manual retyping: Legal name, DBA, entity type, fiscal year-end, billing contact, and payment terms populate automatically.
- EINs stay protected: For security, client EINs are never auto-merged into letter templates by default.
- Live PDF preview before sending: Click Preview or Download PDF to inspect the exact rendered letter before your client ever sees it.
Terms & Letterhead
Maintain one standard Terms & Conditions addendum across every letter
When you update your firm's standard dispute resolution, record retention, or late-payment language, you shouldn't have to edit 20 separate letter templates.
- One Default Terms card: Write your firm's standard Terms & Conditions once in Settings. Any template with "Attach the firm's Terms & Conditions" ticked appends them automatically under a clean heading.
- Frozen letterhead & text: Your firm's logo, name, address, and terms are locked at the exact moment you send a request. Editing a template or changing your address next year never alters a letter a client already received.
- Executed PDF with SHA-256 fingerprint: Once signed, the letter, signature page, timestamps, IP addresses, and cryptographic hash are bound into a permanent Executed PDF on the project and in the client's Papers to keep.
Sample engagement letter
What should a sample CPA engagement letter include?
A compliant CPA engagement letter must clearly define five elements for a specific tax year: (1) exact scope of returns and jurisdictions covered, (2) explicit exclusions (such as audits, bookkeeping cleanup, or FBAR/BOI filings), (3) client document cutoff deadlines, (4) fee estimates and retainers, and (5) joint-spouse signature blocks.
Below is a condensed sample from CPA Relay's Form 1040 Individual Tax Preparation Engagement Letter showing how auto-filling merge tags populate automatically when you send:
Sample CPA Engagement Letter — Individual Tax Return (Form 1040)
1. Scope of Services: We will prepare your
{{tax_year}}federal Form 1040 and{{primary_state}}individual income tax returns for{{client_legal_name}}based exclusively on information you provide. This engagement excludes bookkeeping cleanup, audit representation, FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR), and BOI reporting unless authorized under a separate written agreement.2. Document Cutoff Date: Complete tax documents and signed questionnaires must be uploaded to your client portal no later than
{{document_cutoff_date}}. Documents received after this date may require an automatic extension of time to file (Form 4868), which extends the filing deadline but does not extend the deadline to pay taxes owed.3. Fees & Retainer: Preparation of your
{{tax_year}}returns is estimated at{{estimated_fee}}, with a{{retainer_amount}}retainer due upon signing. Electronic filing (Form 8879) will be transmitted upon signature completion and invoice settlement.4. Spousal Authorization (Married Filing Jointly): Both spouses must independently review and sign this agreement.
When is a separate IRC Section 7216 consent form required?
Under IRC Section 7216 and IRS Revenue Procedure 2013-14, a tax preparer must obtain a separate, standalone written or electronic consent—formatted in at least 12-point type with verbatim statutory warning language—before disclosing or using a Form 1040 taxpayer's return information for any third party, such as a mortgage lender or financial advisor.
CPA Relay includes 4 standalone Section 7216 templates that enforce Revenue Procedure 2013-14 formatting automatically and never bury disclosures inside a standard engagement letter.
Frequently asked questions
Engagement letter template and merge field questions
What templates are included in CPA Relay's 53 starter library?
CPA Relay includes 53 built-in starter templates covering individual (Form 1040), business (1120-S, 1065, 1120), trust and estate tax engagement letters, monthly bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, audit-type engagements, Section 7216 consents to use or disclose tax return information, records-release authorizations, payment authorizations, and a standard Terms & Conditions addendum.
How do auto-filling merge fields work in CPA Relay?
Wrap any supported field in double braces, such as {{client_legal_name}}, {{client_fiscal_year_end}}, {{payment_terms}}, or {{firm_signer_name}}, and CPA Relay fills it in automatically from the client profile and your firm settings when you generate the letter. Any unrecognized brace tag (like {{tax_year}} or {{retainer_fee}}) automatically becomes a question on the send form.
Does editing a template change engagement letters we already sent?
Never. Editing or deleting a template in Settings only affects future letters. Every sent letter freezes its text, Terms & Conditions, and firm letterhead at the moment you send it, and seals the final signed copy with a SHA-256 cryptographic fingerprint.
Can a CPA engagement letter include an IRC Section 7216 consent clause?
No, for Form 1040 filers, IRS Revenue Procedure 2013-14 prohibits burying a Section 7216 consent inside a general engagement letter. The consent must be a separate, standalone document in at least 12-point type containing mandatory IRS statutory warning text, specific recipient details, and a separate affirmative signature.
Do both spouses need to sign a CPA engagement letter for a joint return?
Yes. Because Married Filing Jointly taxpayers share joint and several liability under the Internal Revenue Code, professional liability insurers recommend obtaining signatures from both spouses. CPA Relay supports dual-spouse electronic signatures even when both spouses share a single household email address.
Should small CPA firms use evergreen engagement letters?
Professional liability insurers strongly advise against evergreen (multi-year) engagement letters for tax preparation because tax laws, state nexus rules, client entities, and firm billing rates change annually. Issuing a tax-year-specific engagement letter each season ensures clear scope boundaries and enforceable fee terms.
Related guides & comparisons
Best practices for engagement letters
Practitioner Guide
Engagement Letters & 7216 Consents
Learn the core scope clauses, Section 7216 consent requirements, and merge field structures.
Read guideE-Signatures
Signatures & Form 8879
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