Leaderboard

Linda & Randall -- my sympathies to both of you. Hang in there and we forgive in advance ANY and ALL lame questions. Catherine

Just found this again, and thought it might bring a laugh and help the day go better.... HOW TO ANNOY THE IRS (WITHOUT GETTING IN TROUBLE) 1. Always put staples in the right hand corner. Go ahead and put them down the whole right side. The extractors who remove the mail from the envelopes have to take out any staples on the right side. 2. Never arrange paperwork in the right order, or even facing the right way. Put a few upside down and backwards. That way they have to remove all your staples, rearrange your paperwork and re-staple it (on the left side). 3. Line the bottom of your envelope with Elmer's glue and let it dry before you put in your forms, so that the automated opener doesn't open it and the extractor has to open it by hand. 4. If you're very unfortunate and have to pay taxes, send a two or three party check. On top of paying with a third party check, pay one of the dollars you owe in cash. When an extractor receives cash, no matter how small an amount, he has to take it to a special desk and fill out a few nasty forms. 5. Write a little letter of appreciation. Any letter received has to be read and stamped regardless of what it is or what's it's on. 6. Write your letter on something misshapen and unconventional. Like on the back of a grocery store bag. 7. When you mail it, mail it in a big envelope (even if it's just a single EZ form). Big envelopes have to be torn and sorted differently than regular business size ones. An added bonus to the big envelope is that they take priority over other mail, so the workers can hurry up and deal with your mess. 8. If you send two checks, they have to staple your unsightly envelope to your half destroyed form. (MARILYN DOESN'T GET THIS ONE -- PLEASE EXPLAIN) 9. Always put extra paper clips on your forms. Any foreign fasteners or the like have to be removed and put away. 10. Sign your name in ink on every page. Any signature has to be verified and then date stamped. These are just a few of the fun and exciting things you can do with the IRS. These methods are ONLY recommended when you owe money.

Hmm, depending on the business, could it be uniforms or other work clothes?

>>the $5 “incident” portion of the per diem as defined by the IRS.<< No such thing. The IRS publishes a rate for M&IE and an incidental-expenses-only rate. There is no meals-only rate. If the driver pays for meals, he is eligible for M&IE rate (80% deductible).

Try deleting the ( ) in the phone number fields. It worked for me.

Your parents are lucky to have you. And, you are more than just a tax preparer; you're a good daughter and good person. Hang in there.

"Normal", like "beauty", is in the eye of the beholder, so to speak. The "normal" 60 to 65 hours per week that some of us work during the "off season" is a brutal schedule for others (nobody on this board, of course). And speaking of the less than sane phone calls, I truly have had two calls this year asking when I would be finishing their return, both of which I countered with, "do we have all of your information?", and both said, without hesitation, "no". Somebody on this board needs to teach me how to NOT throw the phone during those kinds of calls. Are you kidding me? ;)