Frequently Asked Questions

We believe that communication is key to any great relationship! As such, we strive to make it easy for our clients to communicate with us. Below are a handful of ways that clients and prospective clients can reach us!

For Referrals, Prospective Clients, and General Questions About MSM Advisors:

• Fill out our contact form at https://msmadvisors.net/contact/
• Call our Office Manager at (678) 804-5530

For questions about matters specific to your business (your account, transactions, copies of documents, etc.):

• Chat with your accountant via the Client Portal
• Email or call your assigned accountant
• If you do not know your accountant’s email, please visit our Meet the Team page and click the “Send Email” button under your accountant’s profile.
• If you do not know who your accountant is, please call our Office Manager at (678) 804-5530

For questions related to our software and applications (technical issues, login issues, “how to” questions, etc.):

• Call our Office Manager at (678) 804-5530
• Chat with us via the Client Portal
• Visit the “Apps & Tools” section of our Resources on the website

If you get this error message, then the email address that you entered may have a typo, or it may be a different email address than the one that we have on file. Double check that your email address is entered correctly, and if this does not work, then try any of your alternative emails.

If the issue persists, then please contact us via phone or email so that we can get it sorted out for you!

Our office number is (678) 804-5530.

You are encouraged to chat with us via the FinancialCents Client Portal because we receive alerts almost immediately that there is a message waiting.

However, if you are in the portal and don’t see a chat window, then it means that we need to send you an initial message first (also called “Requests”).

If you have Requests, but don’t see a chat window, click into one of the requests and the chat box should be visible.

If the issue persists, please call our Office Manager at (678) 804-5530!

Yes! If we have requested documents via the Client Portal, you can click the paperclip icon to Attach Documents. Alternatively, it may direct you to upload documents to SmartVault.

The FinancialCents Client Portal is a secure and efficient way to upload documents.

FinancialCents and SmartVault are two different systems with two different functions. They both make it easier for our clients to securely contact our accountants and to access and upload documents.

The FinancialCents Client Portal is a communications hub for clients and MSM accountants to securely communicate with each other:

• You will receive messages or requests through the portal
• You can chat with us via the Client Portal, e.g. to notify of a new mailing address, new email address, etc.
• You can securely upload documents

SmartVault is a Secure Documents hub where documents are stored in secure folders.

• You can securely upload documents
• You can download documents, such as your Tax Return and Payment Vouchers
• You will receive requests to sign documents

The Client Portal and SmartVault work together to create a seamless way for us to communicate, and upload/download documents.

Scanning a document from your mobile phone is easy!

There are several apps available, but one that we recommend is called Adobe Scan. AdobeScan is a free app that you can use to scan your document and save it as a .pdf, which is the file file type that we require for any uploaded files.

You can watch our Adobe Scan tutorial video on our How-To Videos page.

You can get Adobe scan at the Google Playstore or the Apple Appstore.

Most of our Tutorials are available on our Resources page, under the “Apps & Tools” section. You can find our Resources page here: https://msmadvisors.net/resources/

If there is a specific application or function that you have questions about, please contact us by filling out our Contact Form or calling our Office Manager at (678)804-5530.

If you forgot your password, then you can select “Can’t Sign In?” on the SmartVault login page. This will allow you to reset your password. Please note: MSM Advisors does not know, nor is able to access, your SmartVault passord.

If you are having other issues with logging into SmartVault, please contact us directly! You can email or call your Accoutant or our Office Manager. Our office number is (678) 804-5530.

If you are logged into SmartVault but do not see the folders or files to which you should have access, please contact us directly! You can email or call your accountant or our Office Manager.

Our office number is (678) 804-5530.

If you wish to grant another user access to any of your folders, please contact us directly! You can email or call your accountant or our Office Manager.

Our office number is (678) 804-5530.

PLEASE NOTE: Before we can grant another user access to your folders, you will be required to provide us written authorization.

Update your SmartVault Notifications to be notified as soon as possible when we have uploaded your completed Tax Return. This is especially important when it’s time for your to sign your authorization to eFile your taxes!

You can access a step-by-step tutorial on how to update your SmartVault notifications by clicking here.

We require all file uploads to be in a .pdf file format.

This is especially important for all tax documents because the systems used to prepare your taxes are unable to read other file format types.

We cannot accept image files like .jpg, .png, .bmp., etc. If you upload files in the incorrect format, we will contact you for a .pdf version instead, which leads to more time spent to re-do your uploads. This can significantly delay preparation of your taxes, which can result in costly fees and penalties.

Important Annual Tax Filing dates and deadlines are available on our website under the Tax Year Timeline page.

Quarterly Estimated Taxes are due every January, April, June, and September. Report the prior quarter’s earnings by the 10th calendar day of those months.

For Personal Tax Returns (1040) these are a good place to start:

In order for Quarterly Estimated Taxes to be filed, you must upload all of your income information for that quarter.

Quarterly Estimated Taxes are due four times per year: January 15th, April 15, June 15th and September 15th.

When it is time to upload the required documents, MSM Advisors will send you a request and reminders via the FinancialCents Client Portal. You will upload your documents to SmartVault.

You must upload all income and earnings information by the 10th of each month that Estimated Taxes are due. 

Upload By January 1oth – Income information from (previous year) Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec

Upload by April 10th – Income from Jan, Feb, March 

Upload by June 10th – Income from Apr and May

Upload by September 10th – Income from Jun, Jul, Aug

If all of your required tax documents arew uploaded and your Tax Client Checklist is submitted by the March 15th due date, we commit our best effort to ensure your taxes are prepared on time. The IRS due date for taxes is April 15th.

However, the following factors impact our ability to prepare your return promptly:

• Documentation or the Tax Client Checklist are submitted after March 15th
• Documentation is not uploaded in approved format (.pdf)
• Missing documents or information
• Interruption in technology systems
• Unanswered questions awaiting client response

Any of the above factors can cause delays, resulting in a tax filing extension, and may incur additional fees or penalties.

Annual taxes are due to the IRS on April 15th. Our firm’s deadline to receive all tax documents and your Tax Client Checklist is March 15th. If these are fully completed and received by March 15, we commit our best effort to ensure that your taxes are filed on time.

However, the following factors impact our ability to meet the April tax filing deadline, such as:

• Documentation or the Tax Client Checklist are submitted after March 15th
• Documentation is not uploaded in approved format (.pdf)
• Missing documents or information
• Interruption in technology systems
• Unanswered questions awaiting client response

Any of the above factors can cause delays, resulting in a tax filing extension, and may incur additional fees or penalties.

Please reach out to us via the Client Portal or email your accountant whenever you need an update your tax return. We are happy to assist!

Tax Returns and Payment Vouchers are located in SmartVault under the folder labeled “Tax.“

• Annual IRS and State returns and payment vouchers are located in the applicable Tax Year folder (e.g. TY22) under the “Client Tax Returns” folder.
• Quarterly Estimated Tax reports and payment vouchers are located in the folder that pertains to the specific quarter, also under the folder for the applicable tax year.

You are strongly encouraged to REVIEW your tax returns carefully before eSigning your authorization for filing.

We are always happy to help! There are a number of ways to contact us for help: 

• Via Chat in your FinancialCents Client Portal
• Via Phone – (678) 804-5530
• Via Email – You can email your accountant directly (Do not include confidential information or documents via email!)
• Via our Contact Us Form on our website

For all tax payments you owe, you can find the Payment Vouchers in SmartVault. Go to the Tax folder and select the tax year folder for which you need the Payment Voucher (e.g., TY22 for Tax Year 2022 Client Tax Returns.)

The vouchers and payment instructions are typically the last pages of the tax return.

For information on how you can pay IRS tax payments, you can visit the Make a Payment page on the IRS website.

For information on how you can pay state tax payments, visit your State’s Department of Revenue website.

For tax payments to the IRS, visit the Additional Information on Payment Plans page on the IRS website.

For tax payments to your state, visit your State’s Department of Revenue website for available payment arrangement options.

For IRS Tax Refunds, you can check the Where’s My Refund page on the IRS website.

For State Tax Refunds, you can check your State’s Department of Revenue website.