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Hello all, We've had some (very few, but more than zero) issues where database tables have crashed during times of heavy load on the server. These load spikes are usually related to other sites that I'm responsible for that happen to share resources with the ATX Community. These haven't been significant issues, and in fact have been very easy to resolve when they arise, but it does cause brief downtime on the Forum. So, in the interest of constant improvement, I would like to move the ATX Community to its own server (VPS) with its own dedicated resources. There are other server configuration changes/challenges that I'll tackle at the same time. Because this is the only forum I maintain, I am less experienced with performance tuning for this software than, say, more standard website content management systems. All that to say, I am expecting it to be a slightly bumpy transition but with improved speed and stability in the long term. There might be as much as one or two days of downtime followed by intermittent hiccups until everything is smoothed out. I'm aiming for mid-May to get this work done, but there is no hurry on my end. If there are business reasons to put it off longer, please speak up! Thanks!

Once in awhile there is a client that no price is high enough!

My daughter gave me a placard for my desk that reads, "I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you."

Here's to health, happiness, and prosperity in 2024!

My younger daughter and her husband today gave their toddler girl a baby brother. The handsome little bruiser clocked in at just a hair over NINE pounds. Mama and son are doing well.

I left my son to answer the phone once day for FIVE MINUTEs. i happened to call back and found out he was answering the phone, "This is Ryan, I can't help you."

My daughter worked for me a couple of years ago. We always end phone calls with Love You, Bye. And she caught herself saying that more than once. On another note, my other daughter was helping in the office. My name is Elizabeth but I've always been called Beth. I hear her repeating on the phone "Beth. You know, like meth but with a B"

May your holidays be merry and bright!

The punishment for competence.

Anyone looking for a couple of CPE hours in late April, I'm presenting online. https://www.bigmarker.com/tax-practice-pro-inc1/When-1040s-Go-Wrong-Navigating-a-Tax-Train-Wreck @Lion EA saw the first presentation of this, live, last September.

Thanks to Eric and to all of you. I am starting to double guess myself and waking up in panic mode. Not Good! Without you, I would be lost, even with all the research material that I have. Please donate to keep this board alive and always appreciate all of the knowledge and comradery found here. Happy Summer to everyone.

I don't know what I would do without all of you and a couple of groups that I belong to on FB. I am hesitant to ask questions of some groups, but this bunch of awesome people are willing to help and be kind. All of my cronies here are dead, retired or just said that they had had enough. I hope that it's OK if I hang around here for awhile after I retire. I am just letting my permit go inactive, in case I get desperate and have to work for somebody else in Colorado.

For tax season this year I want a summary page for all of the Sch E's. Thank you, Santa.

Unless there was tax withheld, I'd just take the 2021 amount times 1.059. It might be a couple dollars off due to rounding.

Almost over people !!! Take a couple weeks off then finish the stragglers we filed extensions for. Its been a trying year that has dragged on forever !!! Been saying for years we need to cut back, but this year solidifies we need to. Tired and wore out as I imagine we all are. Hope everyone has a fantastic summer !!

This was my last April 15th when I have to care about anyone else's return except my own! I just finished a bunch of extensions, but I still feel like a huge weight has been lifted. This has been the worst tax season ever. I didn't think that it could ever be worse than losing my Mom, but this last five months of having my husband so sick has been the pits. It was getting so hard to concentrate and get enough sleep. We got a new puppy, too for my husband. He turns out to be a Morkey, not a Poodle but I am happier with him anyway. I am also pretty sure that he will never know to go to the door to be let out. He is way too small, anyway. At least he is very good at using pads. Between a dog and 3 cats, it keeps me busy cleaning up. I just hope that we can find a condo that will allow 4 pets when we move. It was a sad and happy day. Lots of hugs and tears, and I will miss my clients. I got some beautiful bouquets, a customer made blankets for both my husband and me and gift cards to go eat. I did get a gift that I bet none of have ever received. My clients sent me an adjustable leg rest because they know that my leg is still a mess after my scope and that I will be getting a replacement. My client had just broken his leg very badly and was using this after his surgery. I have been blessed and still have a ton of work to do. I am hopeful that my husband will improve so that I can get a part time job out of the house in anything but taxes. Thanks so much for everything. See you all soon!

I have the utmost respect for everyone here and I thank you for sharing your day to day and making me feel less alone. Sincerely. My plan was for this to be my last year but I looked at the numbers and I think I have to do at least one more. Here's hoping I'm just exhausted and maybe I can call it a day? Congratulations to those who are done. My best to those who will continue.

I will be working all day today and tomorrow. Then on to the extensions. This has been a whirlwind year. A client is bringing homemade soup for tomorrow. Then I can say that we have been given everything from soup to nuts. Friday it was two quarts of homemade maple syrup. You just have to love these clients who appreciate what you do for them and we really try to do the best job possible. Off to work I go.

Yes, a very heartfelt thank you to Eric, the moderators, and every colleague who reads and posts here. Without you, I would be bereft of what small dregs of sanity remain to me.

Certain people do come to mind and then they turn to dust. Breaking things after an aggravating day can be very satisfying.

Amazingly 20 minutes after e-mail she shows up all apologetic. Didn't give her the return, only the original documents.

I'm fortunate enough to be at a point in my life where I don't need to be bringing in money from preparing returns. For the most part, I still enjoy it and the vast majority of my clients I look forward to seeing each year. Email sent and now I'm going to go dig in some dirt and plant some veggie seeds!

For me, this site is a place to learn, get answers, vent or commiserate, or just take a break during the day. It continues to be an invaluable resource that's been a part of my daily routine for 17 years. Eric has taken care of us from the site's inception, mostly unseen, and his work is ongoing. Soon he will migrate the forum to a new host and is waiting for us to get through the 15th before doing so. I've made a donation today and hope others here will consider that as well.

In case anyone here needs a laugh today besides me, it is so corny that I couldn't resist sharing.

A check

When my girls worked for me, they quickly learned to identify themselves immediately - because the three of us are utterly interchangeable on the phone. They would answer, and people would instantly launch into their complicated questions only to be told, "You'll have to talk to mom; hang on she's coming." The flip side is when older daughter had her first job, they handed out the W2s in January. Her response was, "great; thanks!" and the other kids were asking "what is this and what do I do with it?" She started explaining and next thing she knew, she had the entire shop surrounding her as she explained the data fields and where the information went on the federal and state forms. She told me later, "As I was talking, I was thinking to myself 'I sound just like mom...'"

Facts and Circumstances. Document, document, document. Be ready to defend at audit. You can distinguish the BS from a person who really wanted to start a business and make a profit. IF the expenses were things like filing fees for SOS, software, letterhead, accounting and legal, things that are really business expenses that have receipts and cannot be used personally after the closing of the business, then I say you have a good argument. If the startup expenses are a new iPhone, awesome computer and trips to resorts to hear about an awesome opportunity in a MLM company, then I would be very, very leery. Tom Longview, TX

"ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that's taken the world by storm, has already conquered numerous tests–the Wharton MBA exam, the Bar exam, and several AP exams among others. But the talking bot met its match when Accounting Today ran it through the CPA exam as an experiment: ChatGPT failed utterly in all four sections. — The experiment took place at the Arizent office in New York City's financial district on April 13 in collaboration with Surgent CPA Review. We used two laptops, each running a separate ChatGPT 3.5 Pro account (metering on free accounts, or on GPT 4, would have made the experiment impractical). One laptop ran the BEC and FAR section. The other ran the REG and AUD section. When all test sections were completed, its scores were: REG: 39%; AUD: 46%; FAR: 35% BEC: 48% The results indicate ChatGPT did not pass any part of the CPA exam." I wonder how ChatGPT would do on the EA Exam?

So I had an issue with a client that I needed to talk with IRS about. Called the PPL expecting a 20-30 minute wait. I was shocked at how quick it was. The agent was on the line before I had my paperwork out of the file. Issue resolved in 10 minutes. I need to get a lottery ticket tonight. Tom Longview, TX

The cats hated him at first, but the Alpha is getting closer to him. He only weighs 4.5 pounds and our smallest cat weighs 12. Yoda can't figure out why they are annoyed when he chases them or runs headlong into their side to try to get them to play. The cats are positive that he is beneath them. He really needs our son to bring back their two Great Pyrs again, because he has a blast with the youngest one. When we get moved out to Colorado, they will have fun. A Morkey is part Maltese and part Yorkie. He does have some poodle in him according to his DNA test. He does not shed and he is the faster than greased lightning.

Yes! I definitely agree. Especially for those of us who work solo. Thank you!!

Cigarette smoke and couldn't wait to get them out of my office. The firm I worked for early in my career had a seafood market, and the stench from its papers was nauseating. The owners knew it too because they and the kids would shower and change clothes after work. AIr out as best you can, keep the docs sealed up and in a separate area until ready to work on them, and get the work done sooner than later. Maybe you could put a box of baking soda or some odor absorber/neutralizer in a bag with the papers.

Just received an email from "Karen" that says "I have uploaded my 2023 tax documents in the workdrive below secure link, please look through it, and let me know if you need any additional information. Also will it cost the same as the last." I'm small enough that I know all my clients and didn't fall for it. Those that deal in volume returns or have staff beware!

Almost every client I have, has "some" Social Security included in taxable income. When I started in this business, only the "pretty well-off" did.

I may need some more coffee this morning. Client: I'll be dropping my taxes off this morning. Our 2nd child was born Feb 17th. Hope that helps us. Me: If she was born in 2023, I'll need her SSN. Me again: Oh, of course you meant 2023. We haven't reached the 17th of this month yet. At least I haven't ended a client call with "love you too" like a friend did. Friend's employer is a large city in FL. Friend and caller (a stranger to her) both had a good laugh.

I asked my two new assistants to throw out the paper box cover and this is what happened! IMG_1048.mp4

I gave a little speech this year right before we prayed. Since my youngest Grandson and his wife just bought their first home and the entire family that my husband and I are the heads of, were here. I pointed out how thankful we are and how proud we are of all of them. I said that we were very thankful for the life we have built together over 64 years of marriage and hope that they all take something away from our example. However, this Great-Grandma is getting tired and it may soon be time to pass the torch. Since I don't have a daughter, they will have to figure that out. When I heard my Grandson say "Nobody's dressing tastes like Grandma's", my heart swelled. I am certainly not giving up on life or the work that I do in this office. It was just time to contemplate! And, then we prayed!

I stopped preparing tax returns for family members and etc. I asked my daughters to find someone else. Last spring, I fired the young woman who used be our dog sitter because she emailed me bits and pieces, never had everything I needed to prepare her return. I decided I was happier not knowing their financial details.

I would fire immediately based on the threat, then do nothing. No need to file a claim or take any action based on a childish threat. Any customer who leads with or starts with some sort of threat immediacy becomes an ex customer. In my case, threats are usually to cancel, to challenge a charge card payment, or to post bad reviews. These are almost allays the first sentence in the first message in a thread. It seems safe to believe these folks have Come to believe being unprofessional is the way to get things done.

Any time is ok with me for the conversion business-wise, but I may have withdrawal during the downtime. As always, thank you for taking care of us so well, Eric.

You are so right! I had about a dozen that I out right fired, about 10 more that I doubled the price and they went elsewhere and a couple more that paid the PIA fee. The stress these clients caused was not worth the money.

I've had a policy for years - and my annual tax letter states in bold - that any return not ready for signatures and e-filing as of April 1st *will* be put on extension. My cutoff is March 15th, but the poison pill in it is that I have to have all the documents and information in-house by that date. People rush to get me docs on March 14th & 15th - but it's never, ever, complete, so they have not made the cutoff. Manage your clients, or they'll manage you into premature gray hair and high blood pressure.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Comfortable New Year and New Tax Season. May we all continue to prosper and be of some value to each other.

The client is a couple. He had a stroke 5 years ago. She had to stay at home to care for him. They have been living off savings and government support. The amount they have been living on is very little. She had to take money from her retirement account early to cover living expenses as her last resort. He is recovering but she is struggling to find work after a 5 year layoff from the workforce. These are not people who have made bad decisions, they have hit hard times. I know when I see clients feeding me BS about their spending habits. This couple is not that. I have known them for nearly 2 decades. Poverty sucks, especially when you live in a very high cost state. Tom Longview, TX

"Timothy J Lundquist of Minnesota pleaded guilty to willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes for his automobile transmission business. Lundquist was responsible for filing quarterly employment tax returns, as well as collecting and paying over to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from employees’ wages. For at least the last quarter of 2013 through 2018, Lundquist did not pay withholdings to the IRS or file required employment tax returns. In total, he caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1.2 million. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Lundquist faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties." I am astounded that he got away with this for 5 years!

Quick answer is "no." Long answer is also "no." After that, the response is "no, and please leave."

Thanks @Lion EA. I can now see why this is being put into effect and that this may be put on tax preparers to file these reports. Not to derail this topic, but I will say though that as tax preparers, we should not be "forming companies with the Sec of State for [your] clients" as you said. At least in my state, that would be considered practicing law and also most likely would not be covered under tax preparers' typical malpractice policies. If anyone here is doing this, you may want to check with your insurance carrier about your current risk exposure.

I am thinking that their percentage went up because people have decided that it is a waste of time to try to contact them so they got fewer calls.

I was taught to write explanations line by line for those that changed, although this no longer appears in the instructions. This would certainly abbreviate your text. For example: Lines a, b, c : Corrected Form NEC received. Line d: Form 1099-MISC added. Line ?: SE tax changed as result of above. No need to tell them how much the refund is, as that's in the 1040X.