Leaderboard

I always use Tenenz. Usually order when they have the early bird discount, but due to the flow of business, this year had to order extra mid season. They always arrive the next day. They will send you a catalog and free samples of any product that you want to see before purchasing.

Well, that's a different issue. Whether or not the sellers want to break the law isn't really a factor in the decision on how to prepare your client's return, is it? Although if your client is inclined to help them cheat might be important info for you in the future. What else might the client be willing to do WITHOUT telling you, just because it benefits him or someone he wants to impress? And who might be the first person the client would throw under the bus if IRS comes calling? After all, at that point he will still have an obligation to pay for the rental property to those same sellers, but there are plenty of tax preparers out there...

Americans have always enjoyed the privilege of living abroad without losing citizenship. Think Hemingway and Fitzgerald decamping to write in Europe after World War I, or Gen. MacArthur spending decades in Asia around World War II. Expatriates remain Americans, and have generally been welcomed back to our shores with open arms. But today there are at least 3,000 fewer Americans than there ought to be. That’s how many people live overseas and voluntarily gave up their citizenship in 2013 alone. And they won’t be coming back—at least not as Americans. Their decision to become foreigners is being driven, in many cases, by changes to domestic laws. The United States is one of only two countries that attempt to tax money citizens earn while working overseas (Eritrea is the other). And two laws aimed at bringing tax revenue back into the U.S.—the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)—are actually driving Americans away. FBAR focuses on citizens, demanding that anyone with $10,000 or more in a foreign bank inform the IRS about that account. FATCA is even more invasive, because it attempts to compel foreign companies to cooperate with the IRS. Instead, many companies are simply deciding to dump their American customers. Congress passed FATCA in 2010 to make it harder for Americans with foreign accounts to illegally evade U.S. taxes. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of FATCA has been a painful burden inflicted on innocent law-abiding U.S. citizens residing abroad whom the law is forcing to make life-changing decisions. “I have been kicked out of a Swiss bank,” Brian Dublin told USA Today. “I have also been kicked out of a Swiss pension fund. They told me they don’t want any Americans in the fund. They don’t want to work on behalf of the IRS.” He intends to apply for Swiss citizenship. The law requires Americans to file expensive paperwork even if they don’t owe anything. “If you have to dish out thousands of dollars each year just to retain your U.S. citizenship you start to say, ‘Look, do I really need it that much?’” tax expert Andrew Mitchel explains. Still, the decision to surrender American citizenship isn’t easy. “When I gave up my American passport I was so upset that I went out in the street and vomited,” Donna-Lane Nelson says. But it’s happening more and more often, jumping from 231 people giving up their citizenship at the end of the George W. Bush administration in 2008 to roughly 1,000 in 2012 and 3,000 last year. The United States has always been the exceptional nation, the land of opportunity, even if some Americans chose to pursue opportunities abroad. We’ve been able to lure the best of the best from all around the world to become Americans and help build our economy. However, if the federal government continues to pile on burdensome regulations, that may not always be the case.

I thought FBAR was an extreme law, but FATCA is unbelievable, IMHO. This is what happens, tho, when tax laws are written for political reasons, apparently without any understanding of economic cause and effect.

http://www.smallbusinessdelivered.com/hourly-pricing-9-reasons-to-stop-charging-hourly-rates.html 9 Reasons To Stop Charging Hourly Rates When’s the last time you walked into your dentist’s or accountant’s office and said, “I want to buy some hours”? I’d bet some pretty good money that it was never. Instead, you ask to have a painful tooth checked or your taxes done. That’s because people don’t buy hours…they buy solutions. Hours are an expense…solutions are an investment. And you always want to be talking about the investment. In fact, hourly rates are rarely in your client’s best interest-or yours. For you, hourly rates… · Double the trouble. Giving estimates with hourly rates means the prospect can take issue with both the rate itself and the number of hours you estimate. So now they have two fronts to try to needle you about when they want a lower price. · Cause sticker shock at invoice time. Folks who don’t do the type of work you do or who don’t bother to track how much time they spend on similar tasks are often shocked at the number of hours it takes. · Instantly brand you. Prospects want a fast and easy decision. If your hourly rate is much lower than the competition’s, you must be an amateur. If it’s higher, then you’re the “expensive” option. Remember, the prospect doesn’t know it’ll take the competitor take twice as long to do the work or that you automatically include something that they don’t. And since quality of work is so subjective, they may not even bother trying to judge it…because it’s much easier to judge based on price. · Penalize you for experience. It’s ironic-the more you work with a client, the faster and better you’ll naturally get at their projects…but since you’re paid by the hour, you end up making less. Maybe I’m crazy, but that kind of math just doesn’t add up. · Involve tracking every smidgen of time. Every phone call you take while you’re in the middle of something else. Every email you write. Heck, even the time you spent brainstorming on the way to the grocery store…are you having fun yet?! · Mean renegotiating. If you’re going to keep paying the bills, hourly rates eventually have to rise. But telling clients you’re raising them is about as much fun as a root canal. And if they’re a particularly big client, you may end up having to justify the increase, negotiate your new rate, sign a new contract and so on. Every year or two. · Occasionally spark jealousy. A client once made a snide comment that I should be rolling in the dough, given my hourly rate. So if you work with folks who get a salary, inevitably some will divide it out to an hourly rate and compare it with yours. Of course, they don’t get that you’re factoring in health insurance, taxes, expenses and so forth that they get in addition to their regular paycheck. All they see is that you seem to be making more than they do. And the resulting attitude can be a pain in the arse to deal with-especially when they DON’T say something and you’re wondering what’s wrong. · Undervalue what you provide. What’s a new $20,000 client worth…especially over time? Or to have a professional-looking website presence that builds credibility and trust? To finally be pain-free? Or to finally find the career or relationship of their dreams? Granted, it’s harder to judge worth in some cases. But the value of the solution you provide is certainly worth more than an hourly rate. · Mean your income is forever limited by the number of hours you can work and the hourly rate you feel comfortable charging. Enough said.

How very sad. And the law makers and President don't seem to care.

I have had three phone calls and an e-mail about renewing. In fact, my rep called again today. I told her that I needed more time to think about it, especially in view of the $85 increase in price. I don't think that it should be my onus to pay for the mistakes of others. The fact that they delivered this year does not make up for the frustrations of 2012; especially when they deny that there were all sorts of different discounts for different folks in 2013. Basically, the squeaky wheel got greased. If you didn't complain enough in 2012, they just assume that you didn't have any issues. Also, I never even installed my "reward" for beta testing 2013. None of the choices were of any value to me.

My business for 2013 tax season suffered loss due to the issues of ATX2012. Despite my best efforts, I lost about 20 clients. As I predicted a year ago, the effects of the trash program would follow us for at least 2 years. As a result, I am looking very skeptically at the simple 10% normal early renewal discount I have been offered as an insult to my professionalism and intelligence. This year was FAR better than last year, but ATX/CCH has yet to deliver a program that is nearly as stellar as it was in 2011. CCH management has no clue how the trainwreck of 2012 is still costing us money and clients. Rollovers this year would not rollover all fixed asset information. Now this problem may not be here for 2014, if they have standardized the data storage protocols. CCH is still leaving a bad taste in my mouth i.e. the lack of quality tech support. Same song second verse from last year. I managed to make myself such a nuisance that I could send an e-mail and get a call if I had an issue. This is NOT the typical tech support response for most ATX users. I am on the fence again. At the firm, we will probably not change due to the extensive resistance of the preparers here at the firm to adapt to the totally different methods of other softwares. I, however have no trouble adapting whatsoever and changing is on my plate of consideration again. CCH is going to have to be even more forthcoming about next season to sway me. Currently on the fence and do NOT have any reason to be pressured one way or the other. I guess all my public relations actions this year have had no meaning to anyone there. Film at 11.

I try to charge a base $100 plus any new forms, schedules, worksheets -- if it was obviously the client's error. If the client is a PITA or this isn't the first time they've forgotten to bring in the 1099R for the distribution they took or the second/third 1098 because they refinanced without telling me, for instance, I aim for half the original cost or more. If the client doesn't see it as their fault (IRS issue, I didn't question them enough, etc.), I lower it considerably for a continuing client based on their perception of the problem and how much I want to keep them. I hate doing amendments. If I'm going to do it for free or cheap, it goes to the bottom of my stack.