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Ok, now the General Chat screen indicates that the last post on the ACA thread is from Jack at 4:09 pm yesterday. When I click on the thread, the last post is from ILLMAS, 10:49 am. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, we're good.

What got me was the ex customer was offended when I asked why employ those you clearly do not trust - since it was not a remove the temptation type of inquiry, but how to keep out those he already knew were not trustworthy. Had to be one of those "setup someone else to blame" situations. I have no history of needing to work with untrustworthy employees to relate to, as the couple I had who were untrustworthy, were made ex employees at the moment trust was gone. 'Tis the life of providing support. One time, you are too "dry" for only answering exactly what is asked, in as short and direct manner as possible. The next, you are butting in when you read between the lines, and talk to the person as if they were standing next to you. Sucesfully reading/guessing/lucking into the intent of the other party is the money zone... For Sailor. References are fairly worthless these days, as the former employer wants to cover themselves. Background checks are not fool proof, not even if just looking for the big issues. (Have experience with checking volunteers for a national org, and all they really do is allow the org to say they tried to find issues.) To me, the best is to start with a safe position and get to know the person before adding more responsibility. Yes, you do what you can to check, but you cannot reply on those checks, or always eliminate people because of one item in their past. In other words a reference background check is no better than buying a used car based solely on carfax, since both rely on the reporter to actually report, and when they do, to report correctly. You still have to test drive the car, and the employee.

Background checks are not as reliable, IMHO, as your own gut feeling when interviewing them. Both good and bad info may be 'planted'. And, as Medlin said, the best is to start with a safe position and get to know the person before adding more responsibility.

Yes; I have a "welcome to tax season" letter that mentions anything new -- such as, a couple years ago, the new foreign holdings reporting forms. This year will talk about the new office location and ACA issues. The engagement letter - straight from Drake, for each client - goes out in that same mailing as well. So it's still a pretty full envelope but it's 4 pieces of paper not 16. Welcome letter, engagement letter, document checklist. In the mail second week of January.

Got my reader going last night. Charged myself a dollar. It was pretty slick. Sent me a reciept to my e-mail. Signed right on the phone screen. I am pretty excited about using this for the upcoming season. Still waiting to hear from them about how to hook up my wife to this account. The website does not explain it very well. Any of you have experience with putting someone else on the account with their reader. You know, step by step instructions for techno dummies like me. Thanks Tom Hollister (Soon to Be Newark) CA

Obviously, since someone with less than solid moral/ethical standards can pass a background check and receive a security clearance.

Thank you for sharing, Catherine.

Thanks for the links.......In the Q & A on the Evergreen site, the author says..."... whether or not an S corp needs a group plan to get the SEHI deduction, the answer is no… you don’t need that. You should be able to do the whole Box 14 deal… Note however that I’m not sure we’ve got good guidance from IRS about how to handle the self-employed health insurance amouunts inside Box 3 and Box 5 of the W-2." I had already read the Iowa State site and it seems to imply that until more guidance is given, we do not know the correct answer.. "Given the breadth of the definition, it is arguable that employer reimbursement of shareholder premiums establishes a group health plan subject to the ACA market reforms. Again, neither the DOL nor IRS has set forth guidance relating to S corporations and their reimbursements of health insurance premiums for more-than-two percent shareholders. Arguments can be made to support the continued reimbursement of premiums to S corporation more-than-two percent shareholders so that they can receive their section 162(l) deduction. Nonethess, the stakes are high. Thus, we believe that the best guidance in the wake of this Q & A is to avoid all employer reimbursements of health care premiums outside of an employer-provided group health care plan, including those to more-than-two percent shareholders, until further guidance is issued by the Departments. This latest communication has affirmed the Administration's clear policy to eliminate such benefits."

Now thru Nov 21st- continue efiling individual returns for 2013, 2012, and 2011 tax years o when IRS opens 1040 efile in 2015, returns for 2014, 2013, and 2012 can be sent. No official start date for efile has been announced. · Now thru Dec 23rd – continue efiling business returns for 2013, 2012, and 2011 tax years o when IRS opens business efile in 2015, returns for 2014, 2013, and 2012 can be sent. · Nov 21st- 1040 efile ends o EFC stops sending 1040 efiles to IRS at 6pm Friday Nov 21st to allow ample time for state return processing and ack retrieval. o IRS shuts down individual efile at noon Saturday Nov 22nd and we will continue requesting acks until noon. o Acks not received by the ERO will become available again when efile opens in 2015 FINALLY!!!