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I reviewed three years of returns for a bat I mean real pleasant lady. Amended one year to recover $150 for her. Plus interest. Charged her $60. "Well, I'm not even coming out ahead," she bleated I mean said. She is either Grinch or does math like Congress.

Nah, I just got back from TN, it's not so cheap! If I were you, I'd: (1) go up on fees, and (2) tell the pleasant old lady to go be pleasant somewhere else (there are some real nice bat caves in Kentucky).

Turbo-Tax does not meet the definition of "a good client" by any set of standards. The people who start with Turbo-Tax are only looking for cheap costs and maximum refunds. They rarely give a damn about rules and laws. NO WAY will I ever be connected with them. My advice is the same to the OP. RUN FORREST RUN!!!

I really like the "I don't grade paper's" answer. Checking a return is the same as preparing it for me. Same fee. None of my clients spend $35-55 buying TurboTax and checking up on me. Yet, these folks have spent that, and then want to save *money* because they have *done all the work*. No, they haven't. Nor have they done the training. Rich

Dogs have masters. Cats have staff.

I tell people I don't grade papers. If they want me to check their return, they must pay me for the time to do a preparation from the ground up. Even at that, the processing time involved in setting up a new client means the first year's return is often much less profitable than subsequent years. You can't build a strong business based on providing the cheapest service for one-time bargain shoppers. Catering to that crowd just makes you one of many people out there trying to see how cheaply they can work. It's a no-win situation for you.

Impossible to have a concise questionnaire for such a convoluted and complex set of rules. I am reminding my clients over and over: "Congress passed these rules. This complexity and extra expense are both due to the ACA.

How in the heck do you stay in business doing $60 amended returns? I charge a minimum of $75 and that is if I prepared the original return (oops, I forgot about the brokerage statement that has 28 trades on it). Otherwise, I charge the fee I would have charged for the return plus $75. This bat, oops, I mean pleasant lady, just is not as afraid of you as she should be. You need to scare her like you scare me!!!! Merry Christmas Rita. Wishing you and your family all the best. Tom Newark, CA