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to drive some of us, uh, senior practitioners out of this business. I cite the continued major changes in the reporting requirements that some of us believe will not be fully understood and/or implemented before we take down our shingle sometime in the future. But the very real blaring proof of the conspiracy is the font shrinking on the W-2s and 1099s. Honestly, I find myself guessing at what the number might be and then I suggest to myself that that may not be very professional. So I get out the magnifying glass - and yep, I guessed wrong. Come on man! Help us out here. Some of us have eyes that are very well used and can not see those tiny fonts anymore. The fact of the matter - I am not a conspiracy theorist, but if I were...................I think they are out to get us! And while I ponder this, I keep hearing the theme that there are not as many young folks coming into this business to relieve the pressure at the other end. That has me very concerned. So carrying my conspiracy ideas a bit further.........well, never mind........................

We need a law that says that all tax documents (W2, 1099, etc) must have the year and form number in quarter inch tall Arial bold with the year in the upper right hand corner and the form number in upper left hand corner. We always check the year on the form because clients sometimes give us prior year forms and we have on occasion accidentally entered those forms. I'm sure you've all seen forms where the year is in a bottom border in a tiny font. Why would you hide something so important?!

I would read this and respond, but I can't find my glasses.

The credit card industry is now mandated to make the "fine print" no smaller than a 12-point font or something like that (i.e., no more fine print). Why don't they do that with tax reporting docs? And while they're at it, how about regulating the font size on OTC medicines and even cleaning supplies. They now have so many languages and legal requirements stuffed onto a 3" X 3" label that's it's impossible to tell is you're supposed to take a teaspoon or half cup of cough syrup, or whether you're supposed to rub the polish in and let it sit for 3 hours or just glaze the surface and immediately remove the residue. And how about the clients who don't email or fax unreadable docs but send them via pictures taken with their phones? Sometimes I get black on black, or numbers so broken up you don't know it's a number. Instead of struggling through this crap, it's time to take a stand and just tell the client we can't read it so they have to find another way to get it to us.

Here in CA the ADP W-2 box 14 amounts (mostly for CA SDI) are the smallest font available it seems. Glad I'm not the only one with a magnifier in my desk drawer.

Yep, I had a multi-page fax and had to confirm many of the numbers with her. Today, same taxpayer faxed me a corrected W-2 which was probably on blue or colored paper -- this after I had to have her read me the original over the phone -- and I can't tell what's what. I think, think, the only change is C and an amount for life insurance, but am calling her now, again. I have really bright lights, recessed lights and TWO desk lamps, plus huge monitors. I really can't see the numbers. Clients who make copies of copies and copy colored paper into B&W and shrink to fit two pages on one -- I'm raising their prices. I have about three pairs of reading glasses in my office, but still get the magnifier. Have a great app on my iPhone that magnifies and lights also. This getting old stuff is hard work.

Just had a client email me the 8879 and state sig forms from 2013. --- they received 2014, printed, signed and scanned back in but sent 2013 ---- Oh well, still GREAT people.

I once received a 1099 from a client. Nine hundred dollars. The decimal was so small, you could barely see it. I received a letter from IRS saying I didn't report $90,000 income. I about fell out of my chair. I sent a letter with a copy and enlarged it the best I could with my copier. Luckily, IRS accepted it. Whew. I wish I had a client paying me 90 grand.

My husband says, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action."

Notice that the "entities" controlling the money (credit card co.; government who has to read it, etc.) along with "legal system" (mandated that a 12 pt. font is the smallest allowed to file brief, etc.) has all deemed "IT MUST BE READABLE". Yet we the "poor practitioners" just have to make do and figure it out. Agreed, if it takes more time to "figure" out pages, and make things understandable (as in figuring out clients "images" instead of clean PDF's). Money talks and we should be listening and charging appropriately for our troubles and extra time. We all try to be "fair" but also need to be realistic -- how much time used to figure out forms (not from what they are, just what they MIGHT read) could we be using to do another clients information sooner ---- or my favorite --- spending a little more time with spouse (contrary to her saying "leave me alone" ----).

I know what you mean. I scan and read from the pdf. But sometimes I have to hit that + icon a number of times to make it bigger.

Like so many other things in this business, it's a matter of making distinctions. There is no cookie cutter rule to apply in every situation. It's clear that divorces take many twists & turns, and what starts out amicably winds up with everybody at one another's throats. Once it goes there, the tax preparer is in the middle with no easy way out. If I were inclined to work with both, I'd probably also tell them that if they wind up putting me in the middle at some point in the future, I'm PROBABLY going to resign from preparing either of their returns. That leave me free to do what I said at the outset, or anything else I choose to do.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. Box 5 it is! We are getting little flakes right now, but Tues is supposed to be the bad one.

I have a huge floater in my left eye right in the center of my vision. Of course, I keep all of my papers off to my left side because the way my desk has to sit, there is no room on my right. It drives my crazy. The fonts are small enough and then I have a big, black glob that loves to move wherever I am looking. I am very careful to turn and look at numbers with my right eye if I am not sure what they are, because it's so easy to misread the numbers.

I had to increase the size of the display on my screen in the last year or so. I understand completely about the size of the fonts, and I think there should be a minimum set. I had someone fax me several forms that were missing and I was barely able to make out the numbers!

Funny...because I've been using a magnifying glass this season. I thought it was just me....and I needed new glasses.

You are in the wrong business Rita. That is a lot of tax returns right there. Didn't Haley Berry wear skin tight leather and carry a whip in Batman? Just saying - she made a lot of money for that too! Seems like leather and "pain toys" are more profitable than anything I can do to earn a living. Not my thing, but definitely a money maker. Tom Newark, CA

In PA --- we have BIG flakes --- we call them politicians ---- Yardley, Box 5 is correct. Here is where the "other" preparer made a mistake ----- Many of the SSA-1099 state something such as you posted, in box 3. Box 3 is to explain where the Social Security money went --- to part-B, etc. and one line states that "paid by check or direct deposit" (which is lower than the box 5 number). The mistake is that the recipient actually received all of the box 5 number, while only the amount shown in box 3 was "paid by check or direct deposit". We in south central PA will send all we can of this ice and snow east to you. Have a GREAT season!

It is so nice to see that we all are among mixed company. I too like the larger monitors and the bigger the better. I can't say I have had anything like Randall's post but I have asked clients to verify numbers as well. What I always like most in life are the incredible disappearing ink from receipts. Just have to remember not to leave them in my pocket too long.

Just like people, dogs [and cats] do have various different voices. I've wondered if other dogs laugh at them.

So do I.........

I use a magnifying glass all the time

One of my accounting clients has a cocker spaniel whose bark sounds for all the world like a chicken clucking. It is SO funny.

I have a cat that talks almost exactly like that! I wonder if it's the same language? It's so funny to listen and wonder just what they are trying to communicate.

Thanks, KC and jmdaviscpa. My inclination is to, indeed, ignore the LLC until the title is transferred although I will surely hear about it. But how can I capitalize costs (which I would normally have done if the costs were not (except for the few invoices) charged to the LLC? Maybe it should all be to the wife (probably her credit card anyway). But the other invoices are for labor such as drywall repair, etc. Hard to capitalize that for something that isn't even in the LLC yet. I do have the question out as to whether a bank account exists and how the money traveled to the property seller and the client and others for payments. (I do know the client, of course, receives a 1099 and it goes on Schedule C. I think he may be surprised that the truck will, too.) As this is inventory (unless/until it's rented, there should be no depreciation on anything, I think (except his truck on Sch. C). When I see the funds flow, I think all the property except maybe the truck is put into the LLC as capital contribution from wife. I also have to see whose credit card paid for other stuff.... And then there was the foreclosure of one of their rental properties early last year. Sigh... At least when I did the review of the other rental properties, and I did look carefully at all, I see no issues regarding the repair and cap regs. Just an election going forward. I have another client that will be a real challenge - in case this one isn't enough! Last year for these folks - they are super nice and have the cutest kids ever but always a challenge. Time to cut bait.

Randall - not sure if I understand your question, but here is my answer to what I think you mean. In my practice we maintain the "set of books" for quite afew of my clients. We do monthly or quarterly write up work for them. And if I would take the time to map the accounts we could import the trial balance right into the tax program. I find it just as quick and controllable to print the TB and just hand enter it into the tax program. As an example of that, I did a Corporate return this week in about 15 minutes. We also have a large number of business clients that keep their own set of QuickBooks or Peachtree (Sage) and we get a back up of their books at the end of the year. I review their general ledger and then handle it the same way I do for those that we do the books in house. For those that we do in house, we issue a monthly or quarterly compiled financial statement. So doing it that way, I agree with you, I have never seen the need for a separate TB program. I did try one once and it was way too cumbersome for what I was trying to accomplish.