Fixed-price preparation of public filings for small US public bodies and nonprofits

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How we work

From your first email to the filing, step by step

Every job runs by email, so every step is in writing. No meetings needed, no software to install, and no passwords, ever. The same steps apply to all three services; where a service differs, it says so.

  1. You write to us, or reply to us

    Day 0

    Email hello@publicfilingdesk.com, or reply to an email from us. Tell us which filing and who you are: your water system's PWSID, your Illinois unit's name or code, or your nonprofit's name and group exemption number. What to include

  2. Free check from the public record

    Within 2 business days

    We read your record in the regulator's public file and send one page back. Water: a system snapshot from EPA's records, and the full gap check if you ask. Illinois: a statement of every late report on the Comptroller's list with the fee math. IRS: a readiness sheet from the IRS master file. No cost, no obligation, and nothing to sign.

  3. Fixed quote in writing

    When you ask

    A one-page quote: what we prepare, the fixed price, what is not included, who does what, a delivery date, the payment terms and how to accept. It is valid for 30 days and can be addressed to your board or a funding program. Our full terms come with it. Accept by replying "yes" or by sending a purchase order that names the quote.

  4. Intake and providers confirmed

    On acceptance

    We send the exact list of records we need for your service, and we confirm in writing which providers will hold or process your documents and in which countries. For an IRS package, the first half of the price is invoiced now and work starts when it is paid.

  5. Work starts, in writing

    The day we begin

    We email you the day we start preparing your documents. Until then, either side can end the agreement by email with a full refund of anything paid.

  6. You send records

    Your pace

    Whatever you have, in any form: scans, phone photos, spreadsheets, exports. We ask follow-up questions by email, and tell you early if a gap will matter.

  7. We prepare

    By the date in the quote

    We use the regulator's own format and order, note the record behind each figure or call, and keep a list of anything your records could not settle, with what we assumed and why.

  8. Checked before it reaches you

    Before delivery

    IRS: a licensed reviewer, an enrolled agent or exempt-organization attorney, signs off every judgment call. Water: an experienced water-industry reviewer checks every kit. Illinois: every total is tied to your bank statements, with an optional second check by a governmental bookkeeper.

  9. Delivery

    The agreed date

    You get the filing, plain filing notes for whoever submits, and the assumptions list to read first. Tell us within 10 business days if anything is wrong or missing and we correct it at no charge.

  10. Your officer signs and files

    Before your deadline

    Your officer reviews, decides, signs and submits, with your own login, fax or portal. We never log in as you, sign for you, or contact the regulator for you.

  11. Invoice

    After delivery

    Water and Illinois: one invoice after delivery, net 30. IRS: the second half on delivery. ACH bank transfer or check in US dollars, with our IRS Form W-8BEN-E.

  12. After filing

    If the regulator writes back

    Send us the notice. Within 2 business days we tell you whether the reason is inside our work; if it is, we fix it free and quickly. If you chose a yearly service, we remind you ahead of your next due date.

What we never do

The lines we hold on every job

These are in our terms, and they protect you as much as us.

  • We never ask for passwords or logins to any government system, bank or account. You keep your own logins and file yourself.
  • We never sign, file, submit or speak for you, and we never contact EPA, a state agency, the Illinois Comptroller, the IRS or anyone else who receives your filing.
  • We give no legal, accounting, tax or engineering advice. What we deliver is not a legal opinion, an audit, an assurance report or an engineer's work. Where a question needs one, we say so.
  • We do not promise a result from a regulator. What we deliver says what we prepared, from which records, and on what date.
  • We do not name you as a client, publicly or to other buyers, without your written permission.

Your records

How we handle what you send

We ask only for what the work needs, and we work from copies: you keep your originals. Your documents are kept in access-controlled accounts with multi-factor sign-in, used only for your work and seen only by the people working on it, including the reviewer where the service has one, under a written confidentiality agreement.

Before any paid work starts, we confirm in writing which providers will hold or process your documents and in which countries. Our providers may store data in Canada, the United States or other countries. If you need your documents kept in a particular country, tell us before you send anything: we agree in writing how that will work, or tell you plainly that we cannot, and you may end the agreement with a full refund.

Within 30 days after the work ends, we return or securely delete the working files that contain your information, unless you ask us in writing to keep them longer. We keep a copy of what we delivered and our business records for six years, as Canadian tax rules require. Privacy notice

Tell us which filing you owe. We reply within 2 business days.

Send your water system ID, your Illinois unit name or code, or your nonprofit's name and group exemption number. You get a free one-page check built from the public record, then a fixed written quote if you want the work done.

We work by email, so you have everything in writing. No calls needed, no passwords ever.

Email hello@publicfilingdesk.com What to include