Partner Program

Work with YCL: the U.S. tax side of your clients, handled

Bookkeeping firms, platforms, non-profits, cross-border service providers, immigration agencies and accounting firms abroad all meet clients with U.S. tax questions. Partner with YCL: you keep serving your clients, and a multi-state CPA team takes care of the U.S. tax and compliance work, in English and Chinese.

Apply to become a partner See how we work together

Accounting firms, CPAs and EAs: see Peer Firms & Succession

NC · CACPA licensed in multiple states

IRS CAACertifying Acceptance Agent for ITINs

RTP + ShanghaiTeams in two time zones

中文 / ENBilingual on every engagement

Why partner with YCL

A U.S. tax team your clients can be handed to

Licensed in more than one state

CPA licenses in North Carolina and California, an EA on the team and IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent status: returns, IRS letters and ITIN applications without a second firm.

Complex cross-border work

Streamlined filing, Forms 5471, 5472, 3520, 8621, 8938 and FBAR, 8854 expatriation, 1040-NR, FIRPTA and the BE-13 survey: the cases other firms send away.

Two teams, two time zones

A team in North Carolina’s Research Triangle and a team in Shanghai, so partners in Asia and the Americas both get answers in their own working day.

Bilingual, at home in both systems

English and Chinese on every call and every document, and a working knowledge of how companies, banks and paperwork run in both countries.

Cross-border e-commerce and AI companies

One-stop support for TikTok Shop, Amazon and Shopify sellers and AI companies going global: U.S. company, EIN, ITIN, store documents, sales tax and annual returns.

Clear boundaries

We do the work agreed in the partnership agreement and do not approach your clients for anything else. A written quote before any work begins.

Systems partners can use free of charge

Partners can use the YCL client portal and SignLucid e-signature for the clients they bring. What is switched on for each partner is set in the partnership agreement.

Checklist linkEach client gets a private link with a document checklist: no login, no lost e-mail attachments.
Progress boardSee where each client stands: documents received, in preparation, waiting for signature, filed.
Online quotes and paymentWritten quotes and online payment in the portal, so nobody chases invoices by e-mail.
Secure file transferTax documents and IDs move through the encrypted portal, not through chat apps or open e-mail.
SignLucid e-signatureEngagement letters, Forms 8879 and authorizations signed online at signlucid.com.

Access for each partner is set in the partnership agreement.

Who we partner with

Seven kinds of partners

Each card says who the partners are, what their clients usually need on the U.S. tax side, and how we work together.

01In the U.S.

U.S. service firms

Who

Bookkeeping firms
Payroll and HR outsourcing
Registered agents and corporate secretaries
Law firms
Real estate and mortgage brokers
Insurance agents
Financial advisers
Banks and cross-border payment companies

What their clients need

Books are closed and the return is due; a home sale raises FIRPTA or rental income questions; an insurance or wealth client has foreign assets to report or a gift from abroad (Form 3520); a new company needs an EIN, Form 5472 and annual reports.

How we work together

Client referrals both ways, each side staying in its own field
Bookkeeping firms hand year-end returns to YCL, under their brand or jointly
Joint seminars for clients during tax season

Local insurance, real estate and commercial real estate brokers in each state: see Services → U.S. Startup Projects

02Community

Non-profits and communities

Who

Non-profit organizations
Chambers of commerce
Hometown and alumni associations
Trade associations
Churches
Chinese schools

What their clients need

Members are new immigrants, families and small business owners with tax questions; the organization itself has Form 990, tax-exempt status and state annual reports to keep up.

How we work together

Seminars and tax-season Q&A days for members
A dedicated channel for members, with checklist links
Tax articles in Chinese for newsletters and groups
Form 990 and compliance for the organization itself

03Platforms

Small-business platforms

Who

Company formation platforms
Banking, virtual address and mail services
Finance and invoicing SaaS
E-commerce service marketplaces
Incubators and co-working spaces

What their clients need

Right after formation users need an EIN, a first return, annual reports, sales tax registration and payroll, and they ask the platform where to go.

How we work together

YCL services listed on the platform or its service marketplace
A link or button that opens a YCL checklist for the user
Joint packages for the platform’s users

04Going global

Cross-border e-commerce

Who

Going-global service providers and store operators
Amazon, TikTok Shop and Shopify service providers
Overseas warehouses and logistics
Trademark and patent agents
Cross-border payment and collection

What their clients need

A U.S. company, EIN and ITIN; store onboarding documents and proof of tax filing; Forms 5472 and 1120; sales tax nexus, 1099-K, W-8BEN-E and the BE-13 survey.

How we work together

You run the store or the logistics, YCL keeps the U.S. company compliant
Joint going-global packages for your sellers
Store documents collected through one checklist link

05Moving to the U.S.

Immigration and study abroad

Who

Immigration companies and investment immigration advisers
Immigration attorneys
Study-abroad agencies

What their clients need

Tax planning before the move; the first U.S. return as a green card holder; foreign assets on FBAR and Form 8938; Forms 5471, 8621 and 3520; students’ 1040-NR and Form 8843, ITINs, and expatriation (Form 8854).

How we work together

Pre-immigration tax review for clients before they land
A smooth handover to YCL for the first U.S. returns
Group filing for students each spring

06Outside the U.S.

Accounting and tax firms abroad

Who

Mainland China accounting firms and tax agents
Hong Kong accounting and company secretarial firms
Taiwan
Japan
Singapore
Korea and Malaysia
Sweden and Europe
Dubai and the UAE
Australia
Canada
United Kingdom

What their clients need

Clients open U.S. companies, buy U.S. property, send children to U.S. schools, hold green cards or earn U.S.-source income, and the local firm does not file U.S. returns.

How we work together

You handle the local side, YCL handles the U.S. side
Company formation, EIN / ITIN, Form 5472, 1040-NR, FBAR, W-8BEN and BE-13
The Shanghai team works Asian hours

07Anyone with an audience

Other channels

Who

Bloggers, creators and group hosts
HR firms and recruiters
Business consultants
Event organizers
Translation agencies
Property managers

What their clients need

Their readers, members or clients ask about U.S. taxes and need someone qualified to answer.

How we work together

Content: columns, live Q&A and seminars
Client referrals
Events

Partnership models

Five ways to work together

One partner can use several. Revenue sharing, partner pricing and the scope of work are set in the partnership agreement.

Client referrals

Clients are introduced both ways and each side keeps to its own field.

Revenue sharing or mutual referrals, as set in the agreement
Neither side solicits the other’s clients
You can follow each referral’s progress in the portal

Co-branding and channels

YCL services offered on your platform, in your packages or at your events.

Service listings and joint packages
Joint seminars and live sessions
Tax articles in Chinese and English for your audience

Overseas coordination

You serve the client at home; YCL does the U.S. part.

U.S. company formation, EIN and ITIN
Form 5472, 1040-NR, FBAR and W-8BEN
BE-13 and other U.S. reporting

White-label and back office

Delivered under your brand, with YCL preparing and reviewing behind the scenes.

Returns prepared and reviewed by our CPA team
Who speaks to the client is set in the agreement
Preparer signatures follow IRS rules

Free portal and e-signature

Use the YCL client portal and SignLucid e-signature for the clients you bring.

Checklist links and progress board
Online quotes, payment and secure file transfer
Access set in the agreement

Apply to become a partnerApply to become a partner

Example scenarios

What a partnership can look like

Example scenarios to show how partnerships work. They do not describe specific clients.

A bookkeeping firm in North Carolina

It keeps monthly books and runs payroll for restaurant clients. At year end it passes the books to YCL for Form 1120-S and the state return; the client signs online, and the bookkeeping firm keeps the monthly work.

A going-global service provider in Shenzhen

It runs TikTok Shop stores for sellers. YCL forms the U.S. company, gets the EIN, prepares the proof of tax filing the store needs, and files Form 1120 with Form 5472 each year.

A company secretarial firm in Hong Kong

Its clients set up Delaware and Wyoming LLCs. YCL files the annual pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 and keeps state annual reports and registered agent renewals on schedule.

An immigration company

Before an investor lands, YCL reviews foreign companies, funds and gifts for Forms 5471, 8621 and 3520 exposure; after the move YCL prepares the first U.S. return.

A chamber of commerce

Each tax season it holds a seminar in Chinese and a member Q&A day; members send documents through a checklist link. YCL also prepares the chamber’s own Form 990.

An accounting firm in Japan

A client owns a rental home in the U.S. YCL files Form 1040-NR and, when the home is sold, handles FIRPTA withholding and the sale; the Japanese firm handles the Japanese return.

A company formation platform

After formation, users see a “tax and annual report” entry that opens a YCL checklist. The platform and YCL reconcile referrals each quarter.

An accounting firm in Canada

A U.S. citizen client has lived in Canada for years without filing U.S. returns. YCL brings them current through the Streamlined procedures; the Canadian firm keeps the Canadian side.

How we work with partners

Neither side solicits the other’s clients
An NDA before client details are shared; documents move only through the encrypted portal
Each side works within its own licenses: we do not give legal or investment advice
Every client gets a written quote before work begins, with no hidden fees
Compliance first: we do not take on arrangements that do not comply with the law

How it starts

From application to first client

01Apply onlineTell us about your organization and the clients you serve. It takes about five minutes.
02A 20–30 minute video callWe contact you within two business days to talk through your clients and which models fit.
03Agreement and NDAScope, revenue sharing or partner pricing, and client protection, in writing.
04System access and trainingPortal and e-signature switched on as agreed, with a short walkthrough for your team.
05A first client as a trialWe start with one real case and adjust the process together.
06Quarterly reviewEvery quarter we review referrals, turnaround and feedback, and what to improve.

Common questions

Does it cost anything to become a partner?

No. Revenue sharing, partner pricing or service fees for a specific partnership are set in the partnership agreement.

Whose client is it?

A client you introduce stays your client. YCL does the work agreed for that client and does not approach them for other services without your consent. Neither side solicits the other’s clients.

We are outside the U.S. How do time zones and language work?

We have a team in North Carolina and a team in Shanghai, and we work in English and Chinese. Partners in Asia can usually talk to us within their own working day.

What do the free portal and e-signature include?

Checklist links for your clients, a progress board, online quotes and payment, secure file transfer, and SignLucid e-signature for engagement letters and Forms 8879. What is switched on for your organization is set in the agreement.

In a white-label arrangement, who signs the return?

IRS rules require the paid preparer to sign the return and enter a PTIN, and we follow them. How client communication works under your brand is set in the agreement.

We are not in accounting. Can we still partner?

Yes. Creators, communities, HR firms, consultants and event organizers partner with us through content, events and referrals.

Is there a minimum number of clients?

No. Many partnerships start with a single client as a trial.

We are an accounting firm, CPA or EA. Is this the right page?

Peer firms have their own program: white-label back office, peer pricing, busy-season overflow, co-branding and succession. See Peer Firms & Succession (yclcpa.com/peers).

Apply

Apply to become a partner

Fill in what you can; only the fields marked * are required. We reply within two business days to set up a 20–30 minute video call.

Accounting firms, CPAs and EAs: see Peer Firms & Succession

info@yclcpa.com · WeChat YCLUSA · WhatsApp 919-802-8376

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Bring the U.S. tax side to YCL

Apply online, or book a call to talk it through first.

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