Stop Checking Boxes - The Story Behind the Yes Class Replay

Stop Checking Boxes! The Story Behind the Yes™

How to Complete Form 8867 Like an IRS Examiner Thinks: 40-Minute On-Demand Class Replay

You’ve completed Form 8867 hundreds of times. But when an examiner opens your file, will your “yes” hold up?

Most preparers aren’t trying to cut corners. They check the boxes, file the return and move on. Then a due diligence exam shows that the answers on the form were never backed up in the file. That’s when penalties land, one failure at a time.

In this class, former IRS Revenue Agent Marliceia Chavers shows you how examiners actually read Form 8867. She spent 13+ years auditing individuals, businesses, and tax preparers. Her point: the form doesn’t create due diligence, it documents it.

In this replay, you’ll learn:

• Why good tax returns still fail due diligence examinations
• What IRS auditors are really evaluating when they review your file
• The biggest mistake preparers make: completing the form before the due diligence
• The Story Behind the Yes™ framework: the four things every Form 8867 answer needs behind it (a meaningful interview, supporting documentation, professional judgment and contemporaneous notes)
• The five questions that change everything: did you rely on reliable information, satisfy the knowledge requirement, resolve inconsistencies, keep the right records, and can your taxpayer support the return?
• How to build a file that stands on its own, so another professional could read it three years from now and understand exactly how you reached your conclusion

This class is for you if:

• You prepare returns that claim EITC, CTC/ACTC/ODC, AOTC or Head of Household
• You want to protect your practice from due diligence penalties
• You’re tired of treating Form 8867 as a checklist and want to answer it with confidence
• You train or supervise preparers and want a clear standard for your team

What you get:

• The full 40-minute class replay, edited and ready to watch on your own schedule
• An examiner’s view of Form 8867 you can apply to your very next return

Before you check your next “yes,” pause and ask yourself: Can I explain it? Can I support it? Can I defend it?

This class shows you how to answer all three.

Because every “yes” has a story. Make sure yours can be told.

Licensed to the original purchaser for single-user viewing only. Non-transferable; please do not share or redistribute. For educational purposes only; not legal or tax advice for any specific taxpayer. © 2026 The Audit Ally, a subsidiary of Right Way Tax Pros, LLC.