What is TCPA consent?
Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Short answer
TCPA consent is the permission a business needs under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act before automated calls or texts to a mobile number. Opt-outs must be honored.
What it is
The TCPA restricts calls and texts made with autodialers, prerecorded or artificial voices to mobile phones without the recipient's prior express consent, and requires prior express written consent for marketing. The FCC has ruled that AI-generated voices count as artificial voices under the law. Recipients can revoke consent by any reasonable means, including replying STOP.
Informational messages a client asked for, such as a status update or a document reminder, sit on the permitted side when the client gave their number for that purpose. Promotions to that same number are a different category with stricter rules.
Why it matters for a tax firm
Status updates and reminders are the heart of client communication, and they are legal when consent is collected and recorded at intake. Firms get into trouble by sending promotional texts to intake numbers, or by not honoring STOP.
How XyloDocs handles it
XyloDocs records the client's channel choice and honors opt-outs automatically; the consent wording a firm uses on its intake form is the firm's and its counsel's decision.
Related terms
Read more on XyloDocs
Sources
Questions about TCPA consent
Do I need written consent to text clients about their return?
Informational messages need prior express consent, which a client gives by providing their mobile number for that purpose; many firms still collect it in writing on the intake form. Marketing texts need prior express written consent.
Do AI phone calls fall under the TCPA?
Yes. The FCC has said AI-generated voices are artificial voices under the TCPA, so the same consent rules apply as for prerecorded calls.
Last reviewed: October 16, 2026. This glossary explains terms; it is not legal or tax advice. Check the cited source for the current rule.
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