HBE Coronavirus Response & Preparedness
Business Continuity, Onsite Services, and Tax Deadlines
March 11, 2020
There continues to be a great deal of information in the news and online regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The health, safety, and well-being of our employees and clients are important to us. HBE is committed to taking any reasonable and necessary steps to ensure a safe and healthy office environment, not only for our employees but also for our clients and visitors.
Although we hope that the virus does not escalate, we are developing a business continuity plan to ensure we are prepared should an outbreak occur. If there is a widespread outbreak in the Lincoln, Omaha, or Norfolk areas, HBE may close our local office(s) for a period of time. With this in mind, we are requesting that clients submit the information that is necessary to prepare their tax return(s) as soon as possible. Please submit any information you may have in hand now, even if there is additional information you are still waiting on. This will allow us to begin work on the returns at our offices or from remote employee locations.
While it is our intent to complete all tax returns in a timely manner, we are preparing to place all individual tax returns on extension. We will adjust as necessary should the IRS announce changes to filing deadlines in response to coronavirus circumstances.
HBE has made protective supplies available to all employees and clients within each of our office locations. In addition, we are advising our employees to refrain from shaking hands in an effort to prevent the spread of germs. Employees and clients are reminded to always practice preventative measures as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you or someone you have come in contact with has potentially been exposed to COVID-19, we ask that you please refrain from visiting any of the HBE office locations. Our team is more than happy to conduct business via e-mail or schedule time for a phone call or video conference as often as is needed.
If you wish to discuss options for other onsite HBE services, such as audit procedures, please reach out to your appropriate HBE contact.
Although we cannot predict whether there will be a coronavirus outbreak, we are keeping abreast of the situation and trust the public health experts to serve as guides should our protocols need to be adjusted. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your HBE accountant.