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Tax Star of the Week for 2/16 - 2/23/18


jklcpa

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OK folks, here goes. Let's break up the drudgery, have some fun on the forum, and put yourself or another member in the running to earn the new and prestigious "Tax Aficionado" gold star to be awarded weekly.    For those of you that missed the conversation of how this idea evolved, it is in the topic called "How Many Times Per Day."

This is rather loose and fluid at this point and may be further refined.  We'll see how it goes and how many participate.

What to post -

  • Post something about your week, a particular kooky client, a wacky situation, something that happened in your office, whatever you want to share with us here that brought smiles, laughs, exasperation, or appreciation and gratitude from those around you.
  • If you already posted something in another topic that you would like to have considered, please make mention of it here by directing us to that post, link to it, or quote it here.
  • Nominate other members that were particularly helpful or enthusiastic during the week. Make mention of the post, link to it, or post a quote within this topic. Make this clear enough so that other readers will know what you are referring to.  I'd suggest that you also tag that member by using the "@" function. As an example, to tag me, you would type @jklcpa somewhere in the post.

How it works -

  • Each week will have a pinned post running from Saturday morning through the following Friday until 11:59pm. Voting will continue through the next day so that posts made on that ending Friday will still have a chance to earn votes.  This week's pinned post will start now and run through 2/23 with voting through 11:59pm eastern time on 2/24/18.
  • Vote for your favorite Tax Kook/Aficionado by clicking one of the positive emoticons of "like", "thanks" or "haha" within this topic.  If referring to posts in other topics, the reactions made there are NOT counted.  Thumbs down and angry face won't be included in the count.
  • The topic will be locked at the end of the week to disable the voting.
  • The winner will be the member that earns the highest number of positive reactions for any one post within this topic.  For members having multiple posts in one week, the posts will be considered as stand-alone entries; votes not tallied across the multiple posts.

 

The star will be placed in the winner's signature line over the weekend after votes are tallied.  The star is also easily removed by editing your own signature line to delete it.

Star-aficionado.jpg.b25322101de70b12257f1f9568311080.jpg

 

And who knows, maybe at the end of the season I'll spring for some treats like those banana splits someone is always mentioning . . . or replace the crystal ball that is broken.  :P   just kidding about the ball.

 

 

 

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  • jklcpa changed the title to Tax Star of the Week for 2/16 - 2/23/18
  • jklcpa pinned this topic

Kook of the week nominee.....

Get a call from a Texas number.   Guy leaves a message.   Referral from another client.   I call him back and he starts telling me how he has this little problem with the IRS.   Apparently, he has not paid his taxes from 2013 and 2014.   Says he has been disabled and he can't seem to get through to anyone at the IRS because they keep getting disconnected while he is on the line.   The penalties and interest are really piling up.   But the last person at IRS he talked to said if he would fill out a "Form 22 something" he could get all the penalties and interest wiped out.

So I start asking questions.   Do you have your tax returns from 2013 forward?  "Well, I moved and I don't know where they are".   Did you prepare your returns or did you have someone do them?   "Well, my daughter did the returns".   Can you get the returns from her?  "Well, we aren't speaking right now".

His next statement "I only have disability this year, but I need my taxes filed and that 22 something form filled out.   Can you do that?"

My response..."Yes, I can do your tax return.   The representation is at $XXX per hour, and will include taking a power of attorney, getting copies of your transcripts for the years in question, communicating with the IRS and you, and then coming to some resolution that allows you to pay back what you owe, or put you in the Currently Not Collectible status until such time as you can start making payments.   I estimate a minimum of 10 hours, and I require a 50% retainer before I start working on your case."

His response..."Well, let me look for my returns and I will get back to you."

Tom
Modesto, CA

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12 minutes ago, RitaB said:

You are killing me with that sad face, @BulldogTom.  I can't wait to feed you some BBQ and give you a hug.  :wub:

 

You are the favorite person on this board.   And Judy had to nominate you for the star of the week.   I think it is a conspiracy to keep me from my star, so I am crying.....

Right now, it looks positive for us to get out to see you, so long as there is some business purpose (Abby Class on ATX customization?).   I love me some BBQ, and I could use a hug....

Tom
Modesto, CA

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So do we post our tax kook of the week nomination here? 

I had a client this week that I still have a headache from!  Think of everything he said as being in a Gomer Pyle voice, because that's what it was.  Last year, he came to me for a second look at his return because "there is no way she prepared it right last year.  She didn't know what she was doing.  Look at that high amount on that form (his Social Security statement).  That high amount should've gotten me thousands of dollars in refunds."  I had to explain to him that receiving Social Security did not actually amount to a large refund.  If no money was withheld, there would be no refund from that.  I also had to explain that last year's preparer did, in fact, prepare his return correctly.  He argued with me for quite awhile - I had to chat my husband to come in and rescue me.  I dreaded my appointment with him this year from the moment I saw it appear on my calendar. 

This year was worse!  He insisted on claiming his daughter because it was his right to claim her because she was his daughter.  No SSN.  No support paid to the mother, and she did not live with him.  I told him that I would need a signed form from the mother allowing him to claim him or a court order that gave him permission to claim her.  Aside from that, I could not put her on his return.  He told me he didn't care what the IRS or the courts said, he should get to claim her because she's his daughter.  (Remember Gomer Pyle voice)  Then he freaked out because "every tax form is required to have a dollar amount on it (?) and that form there (insurance documentation) doesn't have a dollar amount on it.  While I don't think the dollar amount on it should be as high as a thousand, it should have at least $500 on it."

He had to get additional documentation to me to finish his return, and I finished it last night.  I knew I should've just sent him on his way with his documentation on Sunday, but I thought maybe I could talk some sense into the guy.  He came in to pick it up today and refused to pay the measly $60 I charged him "because you must've prepared it wrong.  You don't know what you're doing.  You're scamming me out of my money.  You wouldn't let me claim my daughter.  That paper I brought in from the mobile home park (lot rent) had a lot of money on it, and I should be getting at least $1000.  And $60 is too high.  A normal tax return is only $25."

Guess my nine plus years of preparing returns does not qualify me to prepare a simple property tax credit in Michigan.  I can't believe I could only get him around $300 when he got all that FREE Social Security money!  I did invite him to pick up his documentation and take it to the place that would only charge him $25 and would know how to prepare his return.  I just hope all the paper they give him has dollar amounts on it!

Have a great night, everyone!

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Mine is not wacky, just annoying to me.  HOH with a full time job that pays around$ 88K and also earns $40K through direct sales. One of her friends sells the same stuff with probably $200K in sales and a couple of other self employed businesses. He says that he and his wife don't pay any taxes, because they write off everything.  She wanted to know what I was missing. I explained that we are using every legit write-off possible and that I have been for years and that next year there will be a new business deduction that will help decrease income tax only. I told her that if were legal to write EVERYTHING off, that I'm pretty sure that no one would pay any taxes. I hope that he was just blowing smoke up her rear or that he gets caught some day. She is pretty sure that he prepares his own taxes. Go figure!

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On ‎02‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 3:11 PM, BulldogTom said:

You are the favorite person on this board.   And Judy had to nominate you for the star of the week.   I think it is a conspiracy to keep me from my star, so I am crying.....

Right now, it looks positive for us to get out to see you, so long as there is some business purpose (Abby Class on ATX customization?).   I love me some BBQ, and I could use a hug....

Tom
Modesto, CA

Quote

I love me some BBQ, and I could use a hug....

IT's a Trap! Don't do IT!

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On 2/22/2018 at 10:17 PM, jcarlson said:

So do we post our tax kook of the week nomination here? 

I had a client this week that I still have a headache from!  Think of everything he said as being in a Gomer Pyle voice, because that's what it was.  Last year, he came to me for a second look at his return because "there is no way she prepared it right last year.  She didn't know what she was doing.  Look at that high amount on that form (his Social Security statement).  That high amount should've gotten me thousands of dollars in refunds."  I had to explain to him that receiving Social Security did not actually amount to a large refund.  If no money was withheld, there would be no refund from that.  I also had to explain that last year's preparer did, in fact, prepare his return correctly.  He argued with me for quite awhile - I had to chat my husband to come in and rescue me.  I dreaded my appointment with him this year from the moment I saw it appear on my calendar. 

This year was worse!  He insisted on claiming his daughter because it was his right to claim her because she was his daughter.  No SSN.  No support paid to the mother, and she did not live with him.  I told him that I would need a signed form from the mother allowing him to claim him or a court order that gave him permission to claim her.  Aside from that, I could not put her on his return.  He told me he didn't care what the IRS or the courts said, he should get to claim her because she's his daughter.  (Remember Gomer Pyle voice)  Then he freaked out because "every tax form is required to have a dollar amount on it (?) and that form there (insurance documentation) doesn't have a dollar amount on it.  While I don't think the dollar amount on it should be as high as a thousand, it should have at least $500 on it."

He had to get additional documentation to me to finish his return, and I finished it last night.  I knew I should've just sent him on his way with his documentation on Sunday, but I thought maybe I could talk some sense into the guy.  He came in to pick it up today and refused to pay the measly $60 I charged him "because you must've prepared it wrong.  You don't know what you're doing.  You're scamming me out of my money.  You wouldn't let me claim my daughter.  That paper I brought in from the mobile home park (lot rent) had a lot of money on it, and I should be getting at least $1000.  And $60 is too high.  A normal tax return is only $25."

Guess my nine plus years of preparing returns does not qualify me to prepare a simple property tax credit in Michigan.  I can't believe I could only get him around $300 when he got all that FREE Social Security money!  I did invite him to pick up his documentation and take it to the place that would only charge him $25 and would know how to prepare his return.  I just hope all the paper they give him has dollar amounts on it!

Have a great night, everyone!

So, yesterday, my husband and another attorney had to escort this client out of the office when he came in to pick up his tax documents.  He told the guy to never step foot on the property again.  What a pleasant way to start my afternoon!

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2 hours ago, jcarlson said:

So, yesterday, my husband and another attorney had to escort this client out of the office when he came in to pick up his tax documents.  He told the guy to never step foot on the property again.  What a pleasant way to start my afternoon!

I'm sorry you and the others had to deal with that. Our work is stressful enough without that kind of drama and worry.

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  • jklcpa locked and unpinned this topic
  • jklcpa unlocked this topic

I was mistaken with something I posted in the rules.  Locking the topic stops any more postings, but it does not shut off the access to the emoticons like feature, so this is to record the final tally on the voting posts for those of you that shared -

10  - RitaB

8  - Bulldog Tom

7  - jcarlson

2  - NECPA

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