1. Check fit
Answer nine non-identifying questions. Standard cases may proceed only when checkout is enabled; exceptions stop before payment.
Controlled California pilot. Public checkout and fulfillment remain launch-gated.
Fixed-fee professional setup
Turn personally paid company expenses into a documented reimbursement process.
Accountable Plan Pro is a narrow, $499 professional service for straightforward California S corporation and C corporation owner-employees. It combines structured intake, deterministic documents, and final review by a licensed tax professional.
Best for one corporation, prospective adoption, active payroll, and an owner or covered person who is an actual employee or officer. Expanded work receives a separate written scope.
Exactly what is included
A working reimbursement system, not a generic download.
The package creates a documented operating process. It does not replace substantiation, payroll and bookkeeping discipline, or the company's responsibility to adopt and follow the plan.
Accountable Plan Policy
Company adoption acknowledgment, release-gated pending counsel approval
Expense reimbursement report
Mileage log
Home-office allocation worksheet
Vehicle-method comparison worksheet
Implementation checklist
Bookkeeping and payroll instructions
Reimbursement-cycle evidence index
Executive summary of assumptions and responsibilities
The company acknowledgment remains blocked from signature and delivery until the locked model is approved by California counsel. Arc & Ledger LLC does not provide corporate-law advice about authority or validity.
The safety envelope
Evidence is labeled. Decisions stay human.
The system separates what the client reports, what the rules and formulas calculate, and what a licensed tax professional decides. Every package carries an assumption ledger and remains blocked until exact-file approval.
- 1
Client representations
Entity, payroll, employee relationship, expense, and adoption facts remain labeled as client-reported until reviewed.
- 2
Deterministic checks
Versioned rules return pass, flag, block, or not applicable. They route work and never declare a case compliant.
- 3
Licensed professional decisions
A licensed tax professional controls engagement acceptance and approves the exact final package before release.
Routing language is deliberate: pass means a stated rule did not raise an exception, flag means expanded review, and block means the standard service stops. None of those labels guarantees tax treatment.
California pilot fit screen
Check fit before payment.
Nine questions separate standard cases from cases that need a conversation or a different service. The screen does not ask for your name, email, EIN, documents, credentials, or tax return.
Private by designYour answers remain in this browser. They are transmitted only if you receive a standard-fit result, checkout is enabled, and you choose to continue.
Current launch statePublic payment is off while legal, security, signing, and delivery gates are completed.
What happens after you start
Automation moves the case. Professional judgment controls it.
2. Firm acceptance
Payment does not create the professional relationship. An authorized licensed tax professional reviews identity, conflicts, scope, payroll, and eligibility.
3. Sign and complete intake
After acceptance, sign the engagement letter and complete the secure structured intake. The standard service does not request tax returns or credentials.
4. Review, adopt, and receive
Documents are generated deterministically, reviewed by the assigned licensed tax professional, signed by the authorized company representative, and delivered through the secure portal.
The delivery clock starts late on purpose: after acceptance, after the engagement is signed, and after the intake is complete. This protects the client from a false promise when facts are missing or the case is outside standard scope.
Standard $499 fit
- California corporation, or California LLC taxed as an S or C corporation
- Owner or covered person is an actual employee or officer
- Formal payroll is active
- Prospective adoption only
- No historical payroll or bookkeeping cleanup
- Client will substantiate expenses and return excess amounts
Expanded scope
- Prior reimbursements or expense advances
- Payroll correction, bookkeeping cleanup, or multistate work
- Manual allocation or uncertain vehicle method
- Unusual facts that need more records or professional time
Decline or referral
- Sole proprietor, partnership, disregarded LLC, nonprofit, or foreign entity
- No active payroll or no employee or officer relationship
- Backdating or historical-cleanup request
- Wage substitution or refusal to follow substantiation and excess-return rules
- Corporate-law authority that requires separate legal advice
Clear answers before payment
Frequently asked questions
Is this an IRS filing or approval?
No. An accountable plan is operated by the employer. Accountable Plan Pro does not file it with the IRS, promise IRS approval, or guarantee a tax result.
When does the five-business-day period begin?
Only after the case passes professional fit review, the engagement letter is signed, and the structured intake is complete. Weekends, configured federal holidays, and declared firm closure dates are excluded.
What happens if the case is declined?
If the firm declines before work begins, the order enters a full-refund review requiring authorized tax professional approval. Refunds and scope changes are never issued automatically.
Can I backdate the plan or clean up old payroll?
Not in the $499 service. Backdating is excluded. Historical payroll, bookkeeping corrections, multistate work, and unusual governance questions require a separate written scope or a decline.
What information should I avoid sending?
Do not email or upload SSNs, full EINs, bank data, tax returns, receipts, payroll reports, or Login.gov, ID.me, Pay.gov, IRS, payroll, bookkeeping, or TaxDome credentials for the standard service.
Does a written policy make every reimbursement tax-free?
No. The company must actually operate the arrangement. Expenses need a business connection, timely substantiation, and return of excess amounts. Personal, commuting, duplicate, or wage-substitution payments are outside the plan.
Are bookkeeping, tax, or tax resolution included?
No. The $499 Accountable Plan Pro engagement is limited to the stated setup. Bookkeeping, tax, and tax resolution services may be offered separately through Arc & Ledger under a separate scope, price, consent, and engagement.