2027 Official Tax Season • Welcome Kickoff Party • Live on Zoom
WELCOME TO THE 2027 AJ COLLECTIVE TAX NETWORK
You Said YES to Taxes. Now Let’s Build Something Bigger.
PTIN Preparers•ERO Office Owners•Service Bureaus
“Learn It. Implement It. Lead With It. Grow From It.”
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 01 / 26
Full energy from the first second. Welcome everybody to the 2027 Official Welcome Kickoff Party. Recognize each audience out loud: our new and returning PTIN preparers, our ERO office owners, and our service bureau owners. Set the theme for the night: this season is about learning, implementing, leading, and growing, and no one builds alone. Timing: about 1.5 minutes, then move.
The Opportunity
WHY WE SAID YES TO TAXES
“90–105 Days Can Shift Your Season.”
Real Earning Potential
Extra income with genuine, season-after-season earning potential.
A Business, Not a Gig
A skill you can build into a real business of your own.
Serve Your Community
An opportunity to serve the people around you well.
A Rewarding Season
A season that rewards learning and implementation.
Chat Prompt What made YOU say yes to taxes?
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 02 / 26
Pause and let people answer in the Zoom chat. Read a few answers out loud and celebrate them. Key message: everyone in the room has a different "why," but the path starts the same way, with a commitment to learn and implement. The 90 to 105 day window is our planning frame for the season ahead. Timing: about 2.5 minutes including the chat moment.
The Possibility
WHAT COULD 105 DAYS CHANGE FOR YOU?
Could additional income help eliminate debt?
Could it help build emergency savings?
Could it fund a new business?
Could it create breathing room for your family?
Could it become the foundation for something larger?
A season of consistent effort can create possibilities beyond the season itself.
A hypothetical 105-day planning challenge, not a representation of the IRS’s official filing-season duration.
Chat Prompt What could additional seasonal income help you accomplish?
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 03 / 26
Walk the questions slowly and let people picture their own answers. Debt, savings, a new business, breathing room for the family. Then land the closing line: consistent effort in one season can create possibilities beyond the season. Be clear that the 105 days is our planning challenge, not an official IRS season length. About 2 minutes.
PTIN Growth & Earning Opportunities
YOUR PTIN GROWTH PATH
LEVEL 1
New PTIN Preparers — First Season
Start at 60% preparer / 40% network
Advance to 70/30 after 30 error-free or minor-error returns
Advance to 80/20 after 50 error-free returns
LEVEL 2
Second-Season Returning PTINs
Start at 70/30
Advance to 80/20 after 30 error-free returns
LEVEL 3
Third-Season Returning PTINs
Receive 100% of their tax preparation fees
Separate backend fees are charged to the client, not deducted from preparation-fee shares
Quality + Consistency + Volume = Movement. Your split applies to the client’s tax preparation fee. Separate backend charges (such as document preparation and e-filing) are billed to the client on top of, and independent of, your preparation-fee share.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 04 / 26
The core growth slide for preparers, so take your time. Explain the ladder: first-season preparers start at 60/40 and advance to 70/30 and 80/20 with error-free production at 30 and 50 returns. Second-season preparers start at 70/30. Third-season preparers keep 100% of their preparation fee. Then draw the line clearly: preparation fees and backend charges are two different things, and backend fees are charged to the client, never taken out of their prep-fee share. About 4 minutes.
The Math, Made Simple
WHAT DOES A $550 PREP FEE LOOK LIKE?
“Illustrative preparation-fee example.”
60% Split
$330
to the preparer, per return
70% Split
$385
to the preparer, per return
80% Split
$440
to the preparer, per return
100% Split
$550
to the preparer, per return
The more you grow, the greater your opportunity to retain more of your preparation fees.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 05 / 26
Make the math tangible: one illustrative $550 preparation fee, and what the preparer keeps at each split. Say it plainly: 330, 385, 440, and at the third-season level, the full 550. Remind them this is an illustrative example, not a promise of what every client pays. About 2 minutes.
Your Season, By the Numbers
15-WEEK INCOME POTENTIAL
“Illustrative scenario based on a $550 preparation fee per return.”
Returns Per Week
Total in 15 Weeks
60% Split
70% Split
80% Split
100% Split
3
45
$14,850
$17,325
$19,800
$24,750
5
75
$24,750
$28,875
$33,000
$41,250
10
150
$49,500
$57,750
$66,000
$82,500
15
225
$74,250
$86,625
$99,000
$123,750
Illustrative only. Assumes one constant split across all returns. Before personal taxes and business expenses. Not guaranteed income.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 06 / 26
Walk the table left to right. Three returns a week is very achievable for a first-year preparer with a plan, and that is nearly 25,000 dollars gross at the starting split. Read the 10-per-week row for impact, then be crystal clear on the disclaimer: illustrative, one constant split, before taxes and expenses, not guaranteed income. About 2.5 minutes.
Pick Your Number
105-DAY PRODUCTION CHALLENGE
“Pick Your Number. Build Your Plan. Work Your Season.”
Returns
60% Split
70% Split
80% Split
100% Split
25
$8,250
$9,625
$11,000
$13,750
50
$16,500
$19,250
$22,000
$27,500
75
$24,750
$28,875
$33,000
$41,250
100
$33,000
$38,500
$44,000
$55,000
150
$49,500
$57,750
$66,000
$82,500
200
$66,000
$77,000
$88,000
$110,000
Assumes a $550 preparation fee per return. Illustrative only — before personal taxes and business expenses. Not guaranteed income.
Chat Prompt What is YOUR 105-day production goal?
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 07 / 26
Ask the chat prompt and read a few numbers out loud. Affirm every answer, from 25 to 200. The right-hand column is third-season territory and shows where consistency leads. Repeat the disclaimer naturally: illustrative, based on a $550 preparation fee, before taxes and expenses, not guaranteed. About 2.5 minutes.
The Power of Advancement
YOUR FIRST 100 RETURNS: THE POWER OF ADVANCEMENT
“Illustrative preparer compensation from 100 qualifying returns.”
RETURNS 1–30
First 30 returns × $550 × 60%
$9,900
RETURNS 31–50
Next 20 returns × $550 × 70%
$7,700
RETURNS 51–100
Final 50 returns × $550 × 80%
$22,000
100 RETURNS TOTAL
$39,600
in illustrative preparer compensation
Assumes the 30th and 50th returns meet advancement requirements and the new rate applies to subsequent returns. Before taxes and expenses. Actual outcomes depend on collected fees, return quality, production, and advancement eligibility.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 08 / 26
This is the advancement story in one slide. A first-year preparer starts at 60 percent, hits 30 error-free returns, moves to 70, then hits 50 and finishes at 80. Walk the three stages and let the total land: 39,600 dollars from 100 qualifying returns. Stress that advancement is earned through quality and consistency, not just volume. About 2 minutes.
Beyond the Return
DON’T JUST PREPARE TAXES. BUILD A TAX BUSINESS.
Build repeat clients
Develop referral relationships
Improve marketing consistency
Strengthen technical expertise
Create systems and organized workflows
Prepare for future growth
Your PTIN is a starting point, not the limit of your potential.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 09 / 26
Shift the mindset from doing returns to building a business. Repeat clients, referral relationships, consistent marketing, sharpened technical skill, systems and workflows. Land the closing line slowly: your PTIN is a starting point, not the limit of your potential. About 90 seconds.
ERO Leadership, Support & Earnings
TO OUR EROs: WELCOME TO YOUR NEXT LEVEL
“You’re no longer only preparing tax returns. You’re now leading an office and developing other professionals.”
Becoming an office owner takes real commitment, and we see it. Here is what leadership looks like in this network:
Stay connected to your preparers
Be the mentor or coach you wish you had
Encourage training attendance
Help your team implement what they learn
Communicate consistently
Model professionalism and ethical tax practices
Support your preparers through challenges
Leadership is more than having a team. It’s helping your team grow.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 10 / 26
Speak directly to the EROs and acknowledge what it took to become an office owner. Frame the seven expectations as leadership commitments, not demands. Slow down on "be the mentor or coach you wish you had" and on modeling ethical tax practices. Close with the line about helping your team grow. About 3 minutes.
Dedicated ERO Support
ERO SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON
“You’re leading an office, and we’re here to support you.”
Office Leadership Guidance
Direction for running and growing your office.
Support for Your Preparers
Help developing the people on your team.
Community & Self-Paced Training
Community access plus training on your schedule.
Live Coworking Zooms
Work alongside the network with live guidance.
Advanced Trainings
Advanced Schedule C, credits and deductions.
Ongoing Help & Answers
Support with questions and challenges all season.
Lead Your Team With Confidence. You Are Not Building Alone.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 11 / 26
Reassurance slide for EROs. Tour the six pillars quickly and warmly: leadership guidance, support for their preparers, the community and self-paced training, live coworking Zooms, the advanced Schedule C and deduction trainings, and ongoing answers all season. Close on the promise: you are not building alone. About 2 minutes.
ERO Earnings
ERO BACK-END REVENUE POTENTIAL
Office Returns
Gross Client-Charged Backend Fees
25
$3,250
50
$6,500
75
$9,750
100
$13,000
150
$19,500
200
$26,000
Important: Illustrative example based on $130 in combined backend charges per return, which may include document preparation, e-filing, and service bureau-related charges. These figures represent total hypothetical backend fees generated, NOT necessarily the ERO’s net revenue or amount retained. Any amount received by the ERO depends on the contractual distribution of those fees, processing arrangements, and expenses.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 12 / 26
Be precise with language here. These are gross backend fees charged to clients at 130 dollars per return, covering things like document preparation, e-filing, and service bureau related charges. Say it twice: this is total fees generated, not the ERO's take-home. What an ERO actually retains depends on their contract, processing arrangements, and expenses. About 2.5 minutes.
Team Production
WHAT IF YOUR OFFICE HAS A TEAM?
“Your office production can extend beyond your personal tax preparation.”
Preparers
Returns Each
Total Office Returns
Gross Backend Fees at $130
2
50
100
$13,000
3
50
150
$19,500
5
50
250
$32,500
5
100
500
$65,000
10
100
1,000
$130,000
Highlight: 5 Preparers × 100 Returns = 500 Office Returns → 500 × $130 = $65,000 in illustrative gross backend fees. These are total fees generated by the office, not the ERO’s retained revenue. Retained amounts depend on contractual distribution, processing arrangements, and expenses.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 13 / 26
Paint the team picture: production is no longer just your own returns. Walk a couple of rows, then highlight the 5 by 100 scenario: 500 office returns and 65,000 in gross backend fees. Repeat the distinction clearly one more time: total fees generated is not the same as revenue retained by the ERO. About 2 minutes.
Service Bureau Opportunity
THE SERVICE BUREAU OPPORTUNITY
As a service bureau, you may support PTIN preparers, EROs, and multiple tax offices through software infrastructure, operations, training, resources, and ongoing guidance.
Build Beyond One Office
Growth opportunities may include contractual revenue associated with the returns generated throughout the network, in addition to personal preparation and office-level income.
Systems at Scale
Software, operations, training, and support become your product: infrastructure that helps every office you serve run better.
Think Beyond Individual Production. Build Systems That Support Growth.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 14 / 26
Turn to the service bureau owners. Their game is scale: supporting preparers, EROs, and multiple offices through software, operations, training, and guidance. Growth can include contractual revenue tied to network returns on top of their own preparation and office income. Close on the systems mindset. About 2 minutes.
Dedicated Service Bureau Support
SERVICE BUREAU SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON
Support for Your EROs & PTINs
Help for every office and preparer you serve.
Training Resources for Your Teams
Materials to develop the people you support.
Our Community — or Your Own
Use AJ Collective’s community or create yours.
Authorized Training in Your Structure
Assistance making authorized training available.
Systems & Business Growth Support
Support building scalable operations.
Questions Answered All Season
Guidance throughout the filing season.
Build With Support. Scale With Structure. Lead With Confidence.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 15 / 26
Quick, warm tour of the six support areas for service bureau owners: support for their EROs and PTINs, training resources for their teams, the choice to use our community or build their own, help making authorized training available inside their structure, systems and business growth support, and answers all season long. About 90 seconds.
Network Earning Potential
SERVICE BUREAU NETWORK GROWTH POTENTIAL
Table A • Network Production
EROs
Preparers per ERO
Returns per Preparer
Network Returns
3
5
50
750
5
5
50
1,250
5
10
50
2,500
Table B • Illustrative Service Bureau Fee Revenue
Network Returns
$10 / Return
$20 / Return
$30 / Return
750
$7,500
$15,000
$22,500
1,250
$12,500
$25,000
$37,500
2,500
$25,000
$50,000
$75,000
Actual service bureau fees and revenue depend on contracts, participating office production, and applicable costs. These per-return fee examples are the service bureau’s own illustrative share and are separate from the $130 total client-charged backend example shown earlier.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 16 / 26
Two tables. First, network production: three EROs with five preparers at fifty returns is 750 network returns, and it scales to 2,500. Then the illustrative fee revenue at 10, 20, and 30 dollars per return. Draw the distinction clearly: this is the service bureau's own share, completely separate from the 130 dollar client-charged backend example. Actual fees depend on contracts and participating office production. About 3 minutes.
Alexis & Jasmine • AJ Collective Tax Network
Leadership & Training
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ALEXIS & JASMINE — AND WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU
From Alexis & Jasmine
Structured training
Support and mentorship
Systems and resources
Encouragement and accountability
Ongoing guidance through the season
From You
Show up consistently
Be coachable
Practice what you learn
Maintain professionalism
Protect confidential client information
Communicate and take ownership of your growth
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 17 / 26
The heart of the deck. Warm the room up, then read both columns with heart. What they get from Alexis and Jasmine: structured training, mentorship, systems, encouragement, accountability, and guidance all season. What we ask in return: show up, be coachable, practice what you learn, professionalism, protecting confidential client information, and owning your growth. Accountability is a promise in both directions. About 3 minutes.
Your Season, Planned
15-WEEK TRAINING ROADMAP
1
Week 1
Official Welcome Kickoff
2–5
Weeks 2–5
Marketing, Mindset & Client Acquisition
6–9
Weeks 6–9
Tax Law, Compliance, Due Diligence & Fundamentals
10–12
Weeks 10–12
Software Mastery & Practice Returns
13–15
Weeks 13–15
Season Readiness, Live Q&A & Production Prep
Live training, self-paced resources, hands-on practice, and real implementation — every single week.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 18 / 26
Walk the roadmap left to right: tonight's kickoff, then marketing, mindset and client acquisition in weeks two through five, tax law, compliance and due diligence in weeks six through nine, software mastery and practice returns in weeks ten through twelve, and season readiness with live Q and A to close it out. Emphasize that it is live training plus self-paced resources plus practice, so nobody is left behind. About 2.5 minutes.
Let’s Get Official
LET’S GET OFFICIAL! PTIN APPLICATION PARTY
We’re meeting virtually to apply for or renew our PTINs together, as a team.
IRS PTIN registration and renewal guidance, step by step
Have required identification and login access ready
Watch GroupMe for the date, Zoom link, and instructions
Announce the PTIN Application Party: the whole team gets official together on Zoom, applying for or renewing PTINs side by side. Tell everyone to have their identification and login access ready, and to watch GroupMe for the date, the Zoom link, and instructions. Do not announce a date or the 2027 fee here; that comes in GroupMe. Point to the official IRS portal. About 90 seconds.
Momentum Starts Tonight
YOUR FIRST SEVEN DAYS START NOW
Join GroupMe
Access your assigned tax training community
Enable notifications
Review the training calendar
Establish a personal seasonal production goal
Begin identifying potential clients and referral partners
Prepare for the PTIN application or renewal event
Show up ready to learn, practice, and implement
Your Next Level Starts With Your Next Action.
Chat Prompt What is ONE action you will take in your first seven days?
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 20 / 26
Give the room its marching orders for the week: join GroupMe, get into the training community, turn on notifications, review the calendar, set a personal production goal, start listing potential clients and referral partners, get ready for the PTIN event, and show up ready. Then fire the chat prompt and read a few commitments out loud. About 2 minutes.
Communities & Communication
PTIN TAX TEAM COMMUNITY
“Your Home Base for Learning, Practicing, and Staying Connected.”
This is home base for preparers: self-paced tax education, software tutorials, practice resources, replays, announcements, and support. Have everyone who has not joined yet scan the QR code and get in right now. Give people a real moment to do it before moving on. About 2 minutes.
Communities & Communication
ERO & SERVICE BUREAU COMMUNITY
Office leadership education
Operational support and systems
Team development
Growth strategies
Authorized training resources
Option 1
Keep your team inside AJ Collective’s existing training community for self-paced education and reduced administrative burden.
Option 2
Build your own branded team community. AJ Collective can show you how and help make authorized training resources available.
The ERO chooses whichever option fits their office.
Show the ERO and service bureau community, then explain the two paths clearly. Option one: keep your team in our existing training community, less admin for you. Option two: build your own branded community, and we will help you make authorized training resources available inside it. Stress that it is entirely the ERO's choice based on what fits their office. About 2.5 minutes.
Communities & Communication
IF YOU’RE NOT IN GROUPME, GET IN THERE NOW!
GroupMe is our communication headquarters for:
Training announcements
Reminders
Schedule updates
Non-confidential team questions
Coworking session invitations
Advanced training announcements
Seasonal updates
Traditional group text messages are being phased out in favor of GroupMe. Turn on notifications so you never miss an invitation or update.
Say it with a smile but mean it: if you are not in GroupMe, get in there tonight. It is the communication headquarters for announcements, reminders, schedule updates, coworking invitations, and non-confidential team questions. Note that group texts are being phased out, and press hard on enabling notifications. Give people time to scan. About 2 minutes.
Continued Training
WHO WANTS TO GO TO WORK TODAY?
During filing season, AJ Collective holds live Zoom coworking opportunities: work inside approved software, ask questions, collaborate, and get guidance as you go. Some sessions are scheduled, and spontaneous invitations may be posted in GroupMe.
Also Coming This Season
Advanced Schedule C training
Advanced tax schedules
Advanced credits and deductions
Complex return scenarios
Ongoing Q&A and additional workshops
Client privacy rule: never expose confidential taxpayer data in public chat or unauthorized screen sharing. Use approved secure systems only.
Dates and details for these opportunities will be announced during the season.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 24 / 26
Coworking is where theory becomes muscle memory: join live on Zoom, work inside approved software, ask questions, and get guided in real time. Some sessions are scheduled and some will pop up spontaneously in GroupMe. Preview the advanced trainings, then deliver the privacy rule with full seriousness: no confidential taxpayer data in public chat or unauthorized screen shares. About 2 minutes.
Essential Resources
YOUR TAX PRO QUICK REFERENCE TOOLKIT
Save these now. Official contacts published by the IRS, U.S. Treasury, and HealthCare.gov.
Phone contacts verified against public IRS, Treasury, and HealthCare.gov listings as of October 2026. Screenshot this slide.
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 25 / 26
Have everyone screenshot this slide right now. Walk the cards quickly: IRS individual and business lines, the refund status hotline, the Marketplace line for 1095-A questions, and the Treasury Offset number. Then the three bookmarks: Where's My Refund, the PTIN portal, and forms and instructions. These are the official published contacts. About 90 seconds.
2027 Official Welcome Kickoff • Send-Off
YOU SAID YES TO TAXES.
NOW SAY YES TO WHAT’S POSSIBLE.
“Your next level doesn’t start when tax season opens. It starts with what you do between now and then.”
LEARN IT. IMPLEMENT IT. LEAD WITH IT. GROW FROM IT.
“Welcome to the AJ Collective Tax Network.”
AJ Collective Tax NetworkSlide 26 / 26
Bring it home with everything you have left. You said yes to taxes; now say yes to what's possible. Remind them their season is decided by what they do between tonight and opening day, not on opening day itself. Then deliver the closing charge with energy: learn it, implement it, lead with it, grow from it. Welcome to the AJ Collective Tax Network. About 2 minutes.
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Presentation Overview — AJ Collective Tax Network 2027 Kickoff
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