Method and system for aggregation and exchange of electronic tax information

[0002] This is an Original Non-Provisional Application claiming priority from the Provisional Application No. 60/105,744 filed on Oct. 26, 1998 and Provisional Application No. 60/106,581 filed on Nov. 2, 1998.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention and the field of endeavor that it pertains to is a system whereby data bases of accounting and tax preparation data, that is owned by accounting and tax preparation professional services firms, are organized and coordinated in a way that allows 3^rdparties to electronically access data directly into their computerized applications without the need to re-key data.

[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0006] CPA firms (and other professional income tax return preparers) maintain paper files of income tax returns as well as computer databases of such income tax returns. Before a lender will make a loan, the lender will request a copy of several years of income tax returns. Presently, loan applicants must furnish these copies to the lender. The manual process of handling paper income tax returns is slow, costly, and places considerable burden on professional tax preparers because they must furnish clients with copies of returns who will in turn give them to their lender.

[0007] This invention and the field of endeavor that it pertains to is a system whereby data bases of accounting and tax preparation data, that is owned by accounting and tax preparation professional services firms, are organized and coordinated in a way that allows 3^rdparties to electronically access data directly into their computerized applications without the need to re-key data. By organizing and coordinating these databases, new and unrecognized benefits will be realized by both the accounting and tax preparation firms and end users such as lenders or data mining firms. There is currently no process or method for electronically exchanging tax return data currently in use that resembles this invention.

[0008] Previously, the Internal Revenue Service began a pilot program around year 1996 that sought to electronically confirm certain key numbers on a tax return after a request was made by a lender participating in the program. The program did not provide a complete transfer of information on the tax return(s) requested but only certain information such as a taxpayers adjusted gross income. Additionally, if the items sought to be confirmed by a lender differed from the amount confirmed by the Internal Revenue Service, the lender was obligated to provide the Internal Revenue Service with a complete copy of the paper tax return submitted by a loan applicant. The loan applicant was then audited and required to account for the discrepancy.

[0009] The Internal Revenue Service program was supposed to be expanded but to date is not widely used (and may not be used at all currently). The reason for lack of acceptance of the Internal Revenue Service program is likely that they have very outdated equipment, an inability to respond quickly because of the sheer size of the organization, a perception of distrust on the part of the public at large, and questions of whether they should be involved with a joint effort with private industry in such a manner at all.

[0010] The Wall Street Journal has called the IRS computer system a tangle of 80 mainframe computers, 1,335 minicomputers and 130,000 desktop computers that are largely unable to communicate with each other. So although the IRS could conceivably market its own data-base of information for electronic data interchange and/or data mining, it is likely that it would be unable to do so physically. Computer Sciences Corporation has been granted a contract in December, 1998 to upgrade the IRS computers however the IRS's own information officer has stated that it could take another 10-15 years to modernize its computer systems.

[0011] Presently, each invention of prior art differs materially from this invention. Specifically, the method for acquiring income tax financial data that is electronically transferred from a data source is different than the method proposed with this invention. The data is not keypunched or re-entered into a computer in any way. This method does not involve the scanning of any documents as a method of re-entry also. While the IRS method resembles the patent applied for in some limited respects, it only supplies partial tax return data drawn from IRS data. Additionally, for conventionally filed paper income tax returns, IRS personnel must manually keypunch tax return information into the tangle of IRS computers. This fact would prevent the IRS from rapidly responding to inquiries from 3^rdparties such as lenders in a manner timely enough to achieve the verification desired by the lending industry. Currently, not all tax returns can be electronically filed because the Internal Revenue Service is not equipped to receive all returns in electronic format. It is well established that the IRS can takes weeks if not months to process much less acknowledge receipt of tax returns. The accounting profession is in a much better if not ideal position to provide these services. This invention relies on the individual databases of tax return information warehoused at individual accounting and tax preparation firms. These differences in the quality, quantity and specific characteristics of data as well as the origin of the source of data have previously not been recognized or used. This represents a very material difference from all prior art. If there is commercial potential for this discrete tax preparation firm owned data, then it has been grossly under-utilized by the profession at large.

[0012] There is commercial potential for income tax data to be exchanged electronically with the financial services industry and specifically the lending industry. There is also commercial potential for using such data in the rapidly expanding area of database mining. This field, DataBase Mining, has the ability to utilize and analyze massive quantities of data to obtain surprising and unexpected results. It has the ability to look at vast amounts of data from multiple sources and find patterns and relationships in the data that are otherwise not readily evident. They remain obscured from ordinary analysis. It is possible that income tax data could be stripped of characteristics that associate it and identify it with a particular individual or entity, and such data could be used in the data mining process. The Gartner Group, Inc. expects the data mining industry to grow to be a $16 Billion a year business by year 2002. Such data could represent an alternative to US Census data because US Census data is updated only once every 10 years. Because of the public relations difficulty and physical obstacles of the Internal Revenue Service becoming involved with selling data to private industry, instead private industry could utilize its own resources to achieve commercial results. It is clear that private industry (and particularly the accounting and tax preparation profession) has not made any connection to the potential improvements and benefits to the fields that this unutilized data may have. In other words, it is not obvious.

[0013] The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has created the CPA Vision Project. The project has identified 7 economic platforms that will affect the profession of accounting in the future. Members of the profession as well as the profession itself are threatened with reduced revenues from traditional services, difficulty in adapting to rapid technological changes in the way the profession provides services, and even the type of services that are provided. Lower level and thus traditional accounting services will be displaced by higher level and higher economic value knowledge based services. By providing a method and framework for organizing the databases owned by the profession, it will advance the reputation, prestige, and utility of services by consumers of accounting and tax services. It is interesting to note that the duration of a utility patent is exactly 20 years, which corresponds to the time span of impact for platform #6 of the CPA Vision Project. Thus the profession will have difficulty maintaining its position as the pre-eminent provider of accounting and tax services during a period of rapid technological change unless the profession embraces methods that improve, enhance, and utilize existing and new resources. Traditional CPA tax services may be eroded by the entry of non-traditional providers of these services. This risk is even greater for solo practitioners and small accounting and tax preparation firms as the accounting profession is faced with consolidating forces. This trend toward large firms is arguably anti-competitive and could negatively affect how such services are priced and delivered. Additionally, it may make it more difficult for lower socio-economic persons to obtain personalized assistance that they need. One of the few remaining buffers between the dizzying bureaucracy of the taxing authorities and ordinary citizens are practitioners who provide personalized service and who know how the system operates. Large consolidated accounting and tax firms would likely exacerbate the problem by further adding to depersonalization in an effort to bolster profits. As a case in point, as of this writing, Cisco Systems said it would invest $1 Billion in the accounting firm of KPMG so KPMG could expand its technology consulting business. It is unclear what impact this would have on smaller practitioners or consumers. However, by providing small practitioners with a new revenue stream as well as enabling them to provide a unique service (that of electronic exchange of tax data) they will have a competitive advantage against both large firms and competition from non-traditional providers of accounting and tax preparation services.

[0014] A difficulty with actually implementing a direct electronic exchange of income tax data between firms and interested parties such as lenders or data mining firms is that without some agreement or standard for data format and a pre-determined arrangement for allocating revenues and expenses associated with such a system, natural competitive forces would make differing systems for implementing electronic exchanges of data confusing. The end result would be that either there would be several large companies dominating the arena or any attempts to implement a workable system would be too fragmented. Therefore it makes sense that there is a gatekeeper organization to coordinate and organize all the databases owned by firms to ensure equal access and uniform standards. The gatekeeper would also provide for controls to protect confidentiality, and serve as a clearinghouse for allocating revenues and expenses back to accounting and tax preparation firms. Finally, the data of each accounting and tax preparation firm has less commercial value individually than it has when grouped together with the data of all accounting and tax preparation firms. In other words, massive amounts of data have greater commercial value but all this data needs to be organized and coordinated by a gatekeeper that would be a cooperative clearing house or service bureau.

[0015] Several prior art patents have been issued dealing generally with the gathering of financial information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,462 issued to Jones et al discloses a method and apparatus to provide the real-time automatic determination of the approval status of a potential borrower of a loan. The Jones et al patent uses facsimile transmissions to quickly determine the approval of a loan application by way of predefined information entered on a form. However, the Jones et al patent does not teach storing information from the different borrowers in a central location to be used for statistical study purposes. The Jones et al patent does not further teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information without compromising the identity of the individual borrowers.

[0016] U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,547 issued to Zoffel et al discloses a system and methods for generating credit reports. A central data processor requests credit information on an applicant from one or more credit repositories through a dedicated data link. A credit report is then generated and transmits the report to the requesting user. Requests and reports are transmitted via a communication system or network. If data is inputted from more than one repository, the central data processing facility eliminates duplicated data. However, the Zoffel et al patent does not teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information for statistical study without compromising the identity of the individual applicants.

[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,496 issued to D'Agostino discloses a personal financial assistant computer system and method including customer terminals at financial institution branch offices or other locations. Each customer terminal stores financial information for the particular financial services sold at that terminal. At least one representative terminal is provided at a central location and includes a display and keyboard. A telephone link is also provided between the customer terminals and the representative terminals for voice communication. A representative at the representative terminal controls the customer terminal in response to commands initiated from the input device. However, the D'Agostino patent does not teach storing information from the different customers in a central location to be used for statistical study purposes. The D'Agostino patent does not further teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information without compromising the identity of the individual customers.

[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,052 issued to Dykstra et al discloses an apparatus and method for automatic credit evaluation and loan processing. The apparatus includes a central processing unit which has capabilities for communicating with off-site remote access terminals. The central processing unit is accessed from a remote terminal, loan application information is entered into the remote terminal, credit bureau information is accessed by the apparatus, credit scoring is performed, and a loan application is approved or declined. All steps, except for the entering of loan application information into the remote terminal, is fully automated. However, the Dykstra et al patent does not teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information for statistical study without compromising the identity of the individual applicants.

[0019] U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,523 issued to Longfield discloses an electronic data processing system for preparation of electronically filed tax returns and authorization and payments of refunds based on the data supplied in those returns. Electronic data processing programs are provided for creating an electronic tax return that is filed with a tax collecting authority. At the same time as the electronic tax return is created a loan application is processed to create an electronic deposit/loan account for the tax filer at an authorized credit institution. However, the Longfield patent does not teach storing information from the different tax payers in a central location to be used for statistical study purposes. The Longfield patent does not further teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information without compromising the identity of the individual tax payer.

[0020] U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,527 issued to Davidson discloses a loan processing system to aid a potential loan applicant preparing the necessary financial statement, loan application, and business plan to apply for a business loan. The lending institution then reviews the transmitted information and responds. However, the Davidson patent does not teach storing information from the different applicants in a central location to be used for statistical study purposes. The Davidson patent does not further teach stripping such information of identifiable characteristics so that third parties may use the information without compromising the identity of the individual applicants.

[0021] Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0022] The invention is a system or apparatus for the electronic exchange of tax data between the financial services industry including the lending industry and/or other interested parties such as data mining firms of such data and the electronic data-bases owned and maintained by individual accounting and tax preparation firms. The exchange should be facilitated by a cooperative service bureau that acts as an intermediary to ensure the smooth flow of information, standardize the data formats, protect confidentiality by providing for controls, and allocating revenues and expenses. The service bureau would also add to the commercial value of the individual firm owned data. The exchanged data would be downloaded directly into applications of end users for analysis thus reducing or eliminating labor and costs due to data entry, filing, etc. A cooperative service bureau could also serve to package income tax data contained in consumer oriented tax software used by individuals to be delivered to other end users such as lenders.

[0023] The invention described has many advantages over existing methods and solves problems relating to prior art. By eliminating the use of paper copies of tax returns, costs for accounting and tax preparation firms are reduced by eliminating paper, postage, labor, and time. Users of such tax information save costs for the same reasons. Because information is accessed rapidly, the public is benefited by additional cost savings and faster decisions by lenders and other interested parties. Also, lenders and other interested 3^rdparties have some assurance that information received directly from a professional tax preparer has not been altered in a fraudulent manner. The pilot program of the Internal Revenue Service only transmitted certain key numbers whereas this system transmits all tax information as well as certain information never before archived by the Internal Revenue Service. This complete transfer of tax information will enable end users to perform a more complete analysis of a type not currently done. For example, these data would be downloaded into credit scoring software that could make an evaluation of a loan applicant based on many more factors than is currently being used including incorporating data-base mining techniques that would provide much more extensive analysis than that currently in use. Since professional tax preparers data would not be different from data submitted to the Internal Revenue Service by taxpayers, a layer of verification would be eliminated on the part of lenders. It should not be the function of the IRS to seek out fraud in the private sector. A self-policing profession would perform this function by its existing and evolving framework for professional ethics. Therefore, loan applicants would not be subject to cases of entrapment by tenders and the IRS. Individual firm databases are more reliable for retrieving and sending income tax data in a fast and efficient manner than IRS or other agency computers. This is so because the source of data is owned and managed by private industry. This invention provides a new and unique use for data owned by individual firms that creates new revenue streams for the profession and other users such as lenders. It does so in a way that enhances the image of the public accounting profession and the tax preparation profession and provides an answer to real competitive threats. Finally, such a system or apparatus would help keep competition open by providing small and large practitioners with a service that would act to reinforce client relationships by providing efficiency, cost savings, and goodwill in the form of improved service. It is similar to private delivery services competing with the United States Postal Service. Not only does the marketplace have a need for private and public carriers, but also competition keeps the marketplace for such services open and fair. There is a risk that large consolidated firms would eventually dominate this invention as the ease of using technology was met with sheer market size. Using this invention would allow smaller practitioners to continue to assist consumers in a personalized manner while still applying technology in a positive way.

[0024] FIG. 1. A flow diagram of my method for the electronic exchange of tax information.

[0025] FIG. 2. A sample request form.

[0026] FIG. 3. A diagram of the growth of goodwill and revenue.

[0027] FIG. 4. A diagram of the flow of data and revenue.

[0028] Finally, the data are also stored in another massive database that strips away all personal identifying characteristics such as names, social security numbers, addresses and telephone numbers 40. These data will be made available for purchase or rental to organizations and companies that wish to utilize the data for data mining purposes 50. The data may be used either as is or combined with other data base warehouses of information.

[0029] In each case the owners of the original accounting and tax preparation firm databases 10 will be paid a usage fee based upon a rational allocation of individual taxpayer files. In the case of a specific tax return requested by a mortgage lender 60 for example, the fee will be paid by the mortgage lender 60. This cost will be built into the cost of the loan application process and will appear to be transparent to a loan applicant. The fee will be allocated to the tax preparation firm 10 and the service bureau 20.

[0030] When individual returns are used as part of a massive data base 40 for data base mining where the identifying information has been stripped away for the other essential data. Then, again, a rental fee or usage fee will be charged and divided between the originating tax preparation firm 10 and the service bureau 20.

[0031] While data may be dispatched directly from preparing firms 10 in the future, the beginning embodiment is for data to be cleared through a cooperative or service bureau 20. As systems are developed in the future, the data may one day be transmitted directly from originating tax preparation firms 10. It may prove to be convenient for such a service bureau 20 to also serve as a transmitter of electronically filed income tax returns because it would make sense to house the information at a single location.

[0032] For specific tax returns that are requested by a lender 60 of other 3^rdparty end user (that is returns with specific identifying characteristics of Name, tax identification number and address) a request form 70 would be filled out and faxed to the service bureau 20. In the future, an electronic request would be used as procedures and technology for authentication of requests is put into place and function with adequate controls.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a sample request form 80 is enclosed with this patent application with the following item descriptions that are numbered from 100 though 1600.

[0034] Item #100. Date of request. (The date a taxpayer requests verification of tax data from the service bureau)

[0035] Item # 200 Fax number. This is the telephone number of the service bureau fax receiving point. At this point, there would either be some human intervention as a cross check for authentication and validity of request and/or the form could be scanned into a data storage and retrieval system used to generate data for the request.

[0036] Item# 300. Represents the full Firm Name of the firm that originally prepared the tax return

[0037] Item # 400. Represents the full name of the taxpayer listed on the return as filed with tax authorities. This could be an individual taxpayer or another type of entity such as a corporation or partnership.

[0038] Item # 500. Social Security Number of Tax Identification number of the person or entity named in item # 4.

[0039] Item # 600. Spouse's full name taxpayer listed on the return as filed with tax authorities.

[0040] Item # 700. Spouse's social security number of the person named in item # 6.

[0041] Item # 800. Calendar years requested or in the case of fiscal year filers, fiscal years requested that relate to the above named individuals or entities.

[0042] Item # 900 & 1000. Authorized taxpayer and spouse signatures. In the case of an entity other than an individual tax return, the authorized signer for that entity such as president of a corporation. In this case the title of the person signing would be so indicated.

[0043] Item # 1100. This is the signature of the authorized firm person such as a partner or the person that actually prepared and signed the return. This person is essentially vouching for the identity of the authorized taxpayer signature contained in item # 900 & 1000. Additionally, a procedure would be established so that a taxpayer could make a direct request to the service bureau without a tax preparing firm authorization. In this case a notary seal or other signature guarantee would be required before the request for taxpayer data would be processed.

[0044] Item #1200. The tax preparation firm would have a firm number as a unique identifying tag. The number would be guarded like a password so that it would be very difficult to masquerade as an authorized tax preparation firm member. Also, the firm signer could also have an identifying number for the same purpose.

[0045] Item # 1300. Like a bank routing number on a check, the end user would have a routing number that would be used to route the data to that firm's computer system for direct download and analysis.

[0046] Item # 1400. This represents the “Uniform Resource Locator” in Internet Jargon. This also would be used to route data to an end user. However, there may also be routing of data over private computer network other than the Internet to ensure integrity and privacy of data.

[0047] Item # 1500. This is the name of the end user of data. This would be the name of the lender for example.

[0048] Item # 1600. The transaction number is a number that would be assigned for tracking purposes and would also act like an invoice number so that the appropriate user fee would be charged to the end user such as a lender.

[0049] Once a valid request for data is received by the service bureau 20, the embodiment of the flow of income tax data from the tax preparation firm 10 to the ultimate end user 50,60 is described as follows. See FIG. 1.

[0050] Step A. A request for verification is faxed to the service bureau 20 organization that houses data from participating tax preparation firms 10. The request is originated by a specific taxpayer 90 who wants to have his or her taxpayer information verified to a lender, for example. This authorizing document (or electronic facsimile), known as the Transmittal from Electronic Return Originator, is processed so that the requested data is located in the service bureau 20 data warehouse and packaged or arranged in a format for download into the end users computer system. The format may simply be one currently in use or may be created to facilitate particular needs of end users.

[0051] Step B. Tax preparation firm 10 submits their databases of income tax data for archival and later retrieval by requesting organizations. Such retrievals will consist of specific requests 70 for taxpayer income tax data with identifying characteristics attached such as name and tax ID#, and request for bulk tax data stripped of specific identifying data to be used for data mining purposes by a variety of organizations. Clients of accounting and tax preparation firms 90 engage and employ these professional service firms 10 to assist them with their tax compliance matters. As a result of automated tax preparation, these accounting and tax firms 10 have warehouses of databases of tax returns in digitized format. These data warehouses are kept traditionally to satisfy Internal Revenue Service rules relating to record keeping and have not been viewed as having a value outside this requirement. Such firm owned databases also represent customer lists that are used for assigning a dollar value as to goodwill or going concern value. These values for goodwill or going concern have no previously recognized value in the marketplace except for purposes of selling an entire or portion of a tax practice and/or for cross selling additional financial products and services. The value of these data lists as lists has been grossly unutilized. Step C. As a result of owning these data bases of taxpayer data that originate form the performance of professional accounting and tax preparation services 10, these data now have value if they can be organized and coordinated to capitalize on the data as data and not just customer lists. By participating in the massive archival of all firm data at a central service bureau 20, a service bureau 20 can organize all these data and coordinate dissemination of such data for a rental fee or user fee. This fee is very different from fees collected by professional accounting and tax preparation firms 10 for the original purpose of their work. That being assisting the client in complying with myriad tax rules. It is this new used coupled with the fact that the data originate directly from tax preparation firms 10 instead of the Internal Revenue Service or other tax authorities together with the fact that the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the data are very different from data archived by tax authorities makes this system extremely commercially valuable.

[0052] Step D. When 3^rdparty users of data 50, 60 analyze data received by direct electronic exchange, they are benefited in several important ways. First, they save money through efficiency. Secondly, efficiency creates speed in processing their paperwork such as a loan application. Third, such efficiency and speed create goodwill for their customers and provide an important marketing tool in marketing their services or goods. Forth, not only is money saved though costs savings, it is possible to mark up such process of participating and executing this invention thus creating a new revenue stream. This revenue stream will be shared with other members in the chain of data flow.

[0053] Step E. Data that is warehoused at the service bureau 20 is also stored in a separate massive data base stripped of its identifying characteristics 40. This data will be sold in bulk for data mining purposes.

[0054] Step F. 3^rdparty users such as lenders 60 remit user fees back to service bureau a portion of which is allocated back to the accounting and tax preparation firm 10 that originated the data. Accounting and tax preparation firms 10 will realize a new and never before seen source of revenue. They will experience enhanced status and client goodwill. The relationships with their clientele will be fortified as clients realize there is a new and additional reason to continue with the relationships between themselves and their accounting and tax preparation firms. Otherwise, changes in the professional of accounting and tax preparation will erode the status and revenues that these firm 10 have had either through technology in the hand of clients or other competitive pressures in the marketplace.

[0055] The embodiments for effecting data exchanges between accounting and tax preparation firms 10, the service bureau 20, and companies performing data mining of taxpayer data 50 are similar to the request procedures above. There will be a request procedure 95 to receive data stripped of identifying characteristics. The request 95 will consist of a form that specifies the exact parameters of data requested such as zip codes, income levels, age of taxpayer, etc. The request would be similar to that used in the list brokering industry except that the use of the information will be for data mining and not marketing directly.

[0056] The service bureau 20 that acts as the aggregator and conduit of massive quantities of data on behalf of accounting and tax preparation firms 10 will allocate revenues and expenses back to the accounting and tax preparation firms. The service bureau 20 will add value to data because the data is more valuable to data miners in massive quantities. The data must also be coordinated and arranged in such a way that it is usable by data mining companies 50. For example, because accounting and tax preparation firms 10 maintain their data in numerous professional tax preparation software packages, the data must be standardized in order to be usable to data mining companies 50.

[0057] This new process creates a entirely new revenue stream for the accounting and tax preparation profession. It will add to the prestige, status, and goodwill of accounting and tax preparation firms 10 by also creating a new and useful service previously unrecognized by the profession and the consuming public by creating cost savings for everyone. It will provide useful and critical strategic insights into existing problems and provide solutions to problems not yet recognized in many industries and the economy as a whole. These massive amounts of data to be used in data mining provide alternatives to existing methods of compiling information such as United States Census Bureau data because they will be available every year on an up to date basis. These massive amounts of data can be used in a way contrary to old beliefs. By adding these massive amounts of data to other data warehouses, it increases the value of all data mining. These massive amounts of data have the potential to influence how business is done on a very large scale and as such will provide startling and surprising results. Because it is not obvious from any prior art that these result would have been predicted, certain details of the embodiment have not been finalized however, the above description provides a working model. The accounting and tax preparation profession have not recognized in any manner that the data bases owned by individual firms 10 have value beyond that of a record keeping/filing system that is a consequence of performing traditional functions and services.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 4, when individuals 2000, small businesses 2010, government 2020, or large businesses 2030 use information, the pay a usage fee 2040. This usage fee is collected by the central data repository 20. The central data repository or gatekeeper authority 20 allocates revenues 2040 back to originating firms and based on a rational allocation. Revenue 2040 may not necessarily be collected by the central data repository 20 in cash money. Such revenue 2040 will also be collected in the form of additional data or other intangible consideration or a plurality of consideration.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, every time a business operating cycle 3000 ends and then begins, the market is increased by a unit of growth. Each operating cycle adds information and revenue to a larger market. With each operating cycle, the number of originators, and the number of third party end users increase. Therefore FIG. 3 represents a sustained marketplace that is the expression of anticipated future revenues. This is also known as goodwill. FIGS. 1,2,3, and 4 represent both individually and collectively a market. Markets are typified by orderliness of transactions. In the instance of the electronic exchange of tax information, it is not likely that such orderliness could be achieved using existing methods and systems

[0060] The invention described above is the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is not intended that the novel device be limited thereby. The preferred embodiment may be susceptible to modifications and variations that are within the scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims and drawings.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows data is to be submitted by participating accounting and tax preparation firms 10 in electronic format as simply a backup of the database of their respective tax preparation software. The data can be submitted by storing the data in a portable storage medium such as floppy disks, data tapes, or compact disks, but preferably is submitted by electronic transmission download over the internet from the tax preparation firms 10 to the service bureau or data cooperative 20. When received by the service bureau or data cooperative 20, the data is catalogued and stored in multiple formats. When received by the service bureau 20 data is stored in the format received. This data can be used for two purposes that provide advantages to accounting and tax preparation firms 10.

[0062] First, a service bureau 20 can provide no cost or very low cost off site archival of data. Backing up firm 10 data is a critical function that is frequently overlooked by smaller accounting and tax preparation firms. Secondly, a service bureau 20 can provide no cost or very low cost transmission of electronically filed income tax returns. Currently, most firms 10 pay a user fee to their software vendor for this service. Then, data is stored in detail with associated identifying characteristics of the taxpayers such as name, social security numbers, and addresses. These data are to be stored on a separate system 30 that protects the confidentiality of each taxpayer and may only be released with proper authorization procedures and controls. These data are also converted to an electronic format suitable for retrieval by users requesting information such as a mortgage lender The format will enable mortgage lenders to directly download the complete tax return into their analysis software and/or credit scoring software.

[0063] When individual returns are used as part of a massive data base for data base mining where the identifying information has been stripped away for the other essential data. Then, again, a rental fee or usage fee will be charged and divided between the originating tax preparation firm and the service bureau.

[0064] While data may be dispatched directly from preparing firms in the future, the beginning embodiment is for data to be cleared through a cooperative or service bureau. As systems are developed in the future, the data may one day be transmitted directly from originating tax preparation firms. It may prove to be convenient for such a service bureau to also serve as a transmitter of electronically filed income tax returns because it would make sense to house the information at a single location.

[0065] For specific tax returns that are requested by a lender of other 3^rdparty end user (that is returns with specific identifying characteristics of Name, tax identification number and address) a request form would be filled out and faxed to the service bureau. In the future, an electronic request would be used as procedures and technology for authentication of requests is put into place and function with adequate controls.

[0066] A sample request form is enclosed with this patent application with the following item descriptions that are numbered from 1 though 16.

[0067] Item #1. Date of request. (The date a taxpayer requests verification of tax data from the service bureau)

[0068] Item # 2 Fax number. This is the telephone number of the service bureau fax receiving point. At this point, there would either be some human intervention as a cross check for authentication and validity of request and/or the form could be scanned into a data storage and retrieval system used to generate data for the request.

[0069] Item# 3. Represents the full Firm Name of the firm that originally prepared the tax return

[0070] Item # 4. Represents the full name of the taxpayer listed on the return as filed with tax authorities. This could be an individual taxpayer or another type of entity such as a corporation or partnership.

[0071] Item # 5. Social Security Number of Tax Identification number of the person or entity named in item # 4.

[0072] Item # 6. Spouse's full name taxpayer listed on the return as filed with tax authorities.

[0073] Item # 7. Spouse's social security number of the person named in item # 6.

[0074] Item # 8. Calendar years requested or in the case of fiscal year filers, fiscal years requested that relate to the above named individuals or entities.

[0075] Item # 9 & 10. Authorized taxpayer and spouse signatures. In the case of an entity other than an individual tax return, the authorized signer for that entity such as president of a corporation. In this case the title of the person signing would be so indicated.

[0076] Item # 11. This is the signature of the authorized firm person such as a partner or the person that actually prepared and signed the return. This person is essentially vouching for the identity of the authorized taxpayer signature contained in item # 9 & 10. Additionally, a procedure would be established so that a taxpayer could make a direct request to the service bureau without a tax preparing firm authorization. In this case a notary seal or other signature guarantee would be required before the request for taxpayer data would be processed.

[0077] Item # 11. The tax preparation firm would have a firm number as a unique identifying tag. The number would be guarded like a password so that it would be very difficult to masquerade as an authorized tax preparation firm member. Also, the firm signer could also have an identifying number for the same purpose.

[0078] Item # 12. Like a bank routing number on a check, the end user would have a routing number that would be used to route the data to that firm's computer system for direct download and analysis.

[0079] Item # 14. This represents the “Uniform Resource Locator” in Internet Jargon. This also would be used to route data to an end user. However, there may also be routing of data over private computer network other than the Internet to ensure integrity and privacy of data.

[0080] Item # 15. This is the name of the end user of data. This would be the name of the lender for example. Item # 16. The transaction number is a number that would be assigned for tracking purposes and would also act like an invoice number so that the appropriate user fee would be charged to the end user such as a lender.

[0081] Once a valid request for data is received by the service bureau, the embodiment of the flow of income tax data from the tax preparation firm to the ultimate end user is described as follows. Each step is labeled to correlate to a schematic diagram that is enclosed with this patent application.

[0082] Step A. A request for verification is faxed to the service bureau organization that houses data from participating tax preparation firms. The request is originated by a specific taxpayer who wants to have his or her taxpayer information verified to a lender, for example. This authorizing document (or electronic facsimile), known as the Transmittal from Electronic Return Originator, is processed so that the requested data is located in the service bureau data warehouse and packaged or arranged in a format for download into the end users computer system. The format may simply be one currently in use or may be created to facilitate particular needs of end users.

[0083] Step B. Tax preparation firm submits their databases of income tax data for archival and later retrieval by requesting organizations. Such retrievals will consist of specific requests for taxpayer income tax data with identifying characteristics attached such as name and tax ID#, and request for bulk tax data stripped of specific identifying data to be used for data mining purposes by a variety of organizations. Clients of accounting and tax preparation firms engage and employ these professional service firms to assist them with their tax compliance matters. As a result of automated tax preparation, these accounting and tax firms have warehouses of databases of tax returns in digitized format. These data warehouses are kept traditionally to satisfy Internal Revenue Service rules relating to record keeping and have not been viewed as having a value outside this requirement. Such firm owned databases also represent customer lists that are used for assigning a dollar value as to goodwill or going concern value. These values for goodwill or going concern have no previously recognized value in the marketplace except for purposes of selling an entire or portion of a tax practice and/or for cross selling additional financial products and services. The value of these data lists as lists has been grossly unutilized.

[0084] Step C. As a result of owning these data bases of taxpayer data that originate form the performance of professional accounting and tax preparation services, these data now have value if they can be organized and coordinated to capitalize on the data as data and not just customer lists. By participating in the massive archival of all firm data at a central service bureau, a service bureau can organize all these data and coordinate dissemination of such data for a rental fee or user fee. This fee is very different from fees collected by professional accounting and tax preparation firms for the original purpose of their work. That being assisting the client in complying with myriad tax rules. It is this new use coupled with the fact that the data originate directly from tax preparation firms instead of the Internal Revenue Service or other tax authorities together with the fact that the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the data are very different from data archived by tax authorities makes this system extremely commercially valuable. Step D. When 3^rdparty users of data analyze data received by direct electronic exchange, they are benefited in several important ways. First, they save money through efficiency. Secondly, efficiency creates speed in processing their paperwork such as a loan application. Third, such efficiency and speed create goodwill for their customers and provide an important marketing tool in marketing their services or goods. Forth, not only is money saved though costs savings, it is possible to mark up such process of participating and executing this invention thus creating a new revenue stream. This revenue stream will be shared with other members in the chain of data flow.

[0085] Step E. Data that is warehoused at the service bureau is also stored in a separate massive data base stripped of its identifying characteristics. This data will be sold in bulk for data mining purposes. Step F. 3^rdparty users such as lenders remit user fees back to service bureau a portion of which is allocated back to the accounting and tax preparation firm that originated the data. Accounting and tax preparation firms will realize a new and never before seen source of revenue. They will experience enhanced status and client goodwill. The relationships with their clientele will be fortified as clients realize there is a new and additional reason to continue with the relationships between themselves and their accounting and tax preparation firms. Otherwise, changes in the professional of accounting and tax preparation will erode the status and revenues that these firm have had either through technology in the hand of clients or other competitive pressures in the marketplace.

[0086] The embodiments for effecting data exchanges between accounting and tax preparation firms, the service bureau, and companies performing data mining of taxpayer data are similar to the request procedures above. There will be a request procedure to receive data stripped of identifying characteristics. The request will consist of a form that specifies the exact parameters of data requested such as zip codes, income levels, age of taxpayer, etc. The request would be similar to that used in the list brokering industry except that the use of the information will be for data mining and not marketing directly.

[0087] The service bureau that acts as the aggregator and conduit of massive quantities of data on behalf of accounting and tax preparation firms will allocate revenues and expenses back to the accounting and tax preparation firms. The service bureau will add value to data because the data is more valuable to data miners in massive quantities. The data must also be coordinated and arranged in such a way that it is usable by data mining companies. For example, because accounting and tax preparation firms maintain their data in numerous professional tax preparation software packages, the data must be standardized in order to be usable to data mining companies.

[0088] This new process creates a entirely new revenue stream for the accounting and tax preparation profession. It will add to the prestige, status, and goodwill of accounting and tax preparation firms by also creating a new and useful service previously unrecognized by the profession and the consuming public by creating cost savings for everyone. It will provide useful and critical strategic insights into existing problems and provide solutions to problems not yet recognized in many industries and the economy as a whole. These massive amounts of data to be used in data mining provide alternatives to existing methods of compiling information such as United States Census Bureau data because they will be available every year on an up to date basis. These massive amounts of data can be used in a way contrary to old beliefs. By adding these massive amounts of data to other data warehouses, it increases the value of all data mining. These massive amounts of data have the potential to influence how business is done on a very large scale and as such will provide startling and surprising results. Because it is not obvious from any prior art that these result would have been predicted, certain details of the embodiment have not been finalized however, the above description provides a working model. The accounting and tax preparation profession have not recognized in any manner that the data bases owned by individual firms have value beyond that of a record keeping/filing system that is a consequence of performing traditional functions and services.