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Not just the price. ATX has always had more forms than any other single tax software package. For one price you got not only tax but also payroll, OIC, sales tax forms, Franchise tax forms, LLC, etc. A fantastic option for not only tax offices but law firms, etc.

A client knocked on my door today while I was walking past, no hiding possible. Also, no shower, no brushed teeth or combed hair, just my flannel jammies and a fleece top over it all with slippers. We talked at the door a good long time as she dropped of their materials so I can compute amounts for extensions. Hope I didn't scare her too badly. Hubby will cook a ham and thaw out Cosco mac & cheese and nuke green beans and said he bought Easter chocolate for Sunday. I set my alarm so I can make it to church. Tonight I told him he has to have dinner at 6:09 so I can watch MSU in the Final Four! He's making breakfast for dinner, probably omelets.

Said like a true accountant! This made me laugh because we think like this. My husband would have eaten a whole row, or half of a row if it's a large package.

I've been hitting the Skittles that I had been bravely staying away from all season. Tea, skittles, double-chocolate muffins, shortbread, and honey-roasted-salted cashews are my fuels of choice lately.

You are correct, you can use only one education credit per student. Let's say the student paid $20K for education, you cannot use 6K for AOC or $14K for Lifetime education credit. Tuition is limited to per return.

Yes, I buy 10-15 boxes of GS Tag-a-longs. I limit myself to a 5 cookies a day. There are 3 rows of 5 in each box, so I am good until after the 15th! Judy, Glad you got thru the credit card statements. NECPA: I would have looked at her and said: So, this is payment for THIS years return, I will take another check for LAST year.... (Big Smile) Rich

He and the X each get to exclude up to 250K of their share, but his new wife is not part of it unless she meets all the tests. He's good on his . Home transferred from spouse. If your home was transferred to you by your spouse (or former spouse if the transfer was incident to divorce), you are considered to have owned it during any period of time when your spouse owned it. Use of home after divorce. You are considered to have used property as your main home during any period when: You owned it, and Your spouse or former spouse is allowed to live in it under a divorce or separation instrument and uses it as his or her main home.

I bought a case of energy bars right at the beginning of the season; 32 or 64 or some huge number of bars. That was breakfast & lunch. Was eating it while meeting with a client, and washing it down with a Monster. Don't care any more.

There's an AR-15 in the gun safe downstairs, and he knows about it, but he hasn't seen it or touched it. (Don't anyone freak out, please. There is no ammo in the safe, and it is locked up tight and too heavy to steal.) Even with the Cadbury Mini Eggs, I think the recoil might knock him on his back side. He only weighs 59 pounds . When he's older, Daddy will take him to the range after he has completed all his safety courses and successfully made it through all of the 4H shooting-sports progressions. Rita, do you think the eggs will still be good 7 years from now? Or the clients will still be 'deserving'?

Eek! My son is bringing his girlfriend over tonight after we celebrate an early Easter at my sister's tonight. We had not planned on having anyone here (grandkids don't count) so the house is very cluttered upstairs. I just keep the downstairs looking good during tax season. Instead of working, I have been shoving stuff in closets and cleaning like a crazy person. I will have to burn the midnight oil after they leave, but I'm glad to have him around and she is a super nice girl.

JM, are you using ATX MAX? How much do they charge for the extra user? Maybe you should consider purchasing the Total Tax office package that includes up to 5 users and would give you the research package too. I used MAX for years and then found that purchasing TTO actually saved me some money because I was able to eliminate other research products I was purchasing separately.

Yes, I have had several of these as well. There is a worksheet they send, which gives those adjustments. So take the proceeds and basis from the brokerage, apply the basis corrections, then adjust *again* to get the split between capital gain (or loss) and the 4797 sale of business assets piece that the worksheet gives you. I have one here that I did yesterday; PM me for my phone number and I can walk you through it if you want hand-holding - but you *can* do this yourself. It's just niggly and fussy rather than hard.

Yes.

And to think these people walk on this earth and procreate!

LOVE the "synonym rolls"!!!

Joan -- sympathies on your kitty; I hope she recovers quickly and fully!

Now that I'm in my third year with Drake, I don't think I could tolerate the agonizing slowness of a program such as ATX. My priorities have completely changed thanks to Drake, and (second only to reliabllity) speed is at the absolute top of the list. Speed - more profit. But one doesn't appreciate this fact until they have experienced it first hand.

Your client will split the proceeds and basis with his former spouse with each reporting 1/2. Even though your client files a joint return with his current wife, because he owns the home jointly with another person that isn't his spouse, he can only exclude up to $250K as long as he meets the requirements. The same is true for his ex-wife, although you aren't concerned with that return. Pub 523, use CRTL-F and search for the word "divorce" and you'll have your answers. I DON'T THINK THIS IS YOUR CASE, BUT JUST FOR INFORMATION'S SAKE: His situation would be different if the house was transferred to him as property settlement incident to divorce and then it was sold. If he was sole owner, then he and new wife would meet the "ownership" test, and then they'd each work through the "residency" test to determine how much to exclude. He'd most likely exclude all of his 1/2 (of the $500K, and the new wife would have to determine what % of the 24 months out of the last 5 years it was her principal residence, AND not have excluded any other home during that period also)

"Abandoned or converted to personal use" would be my choice.

I think that person that can 'take care of things' is Rita.

Judy, I just ate a GS peanut butter cookie because I was on the phone so long talking to someone. I love peanut butter cookies! My client absolutely knew that she didn't pay, because I just looked at the check and it had the added finance charges on it.

Update - I made it through the credit card statements without too much effort! I did reward myself with 2 Nutter Butter cookies and the last of the coffee. Just thought you all should know. Well darn it, I was going to put a smiley and then realized that I have a headache because it's after 4:30 and I forgot to eat lunch. I guess those 2 cookies were it. No, you guys get my smiley after all, because I can move on to this guy's return now. Hooray for that, anyway!

Isn't it a great feeling when you fire a PITA client? Like you just had a huge weight removed from your back.

You guys are killing me! I would be so miserable if I couldn't come here and see what everyone is up to. I suspect that there will be problems at home for the wife of a long term client of mine. The husband (client since he was in college, love him!) called me today and asked if I could still get his return finished by 4/15 since he just found out his wife didn't bring it in. I told him that I was so sorry, but I am so far behind that I would have to put him on extension. I nicely asked if he realized that I had not been paid for last year and he had no idea that it had not been paid or that my statements had been ignored. There were no problems last year, but two years ago, she made me cry when she unleashed on me when they weren't done until 4/13 and they came in after my deadline anyway.

During the past week I told about 10 clients to stop by today between 10am and 1pm to pick up their tax return, 9 of them showed up between 9:45-10:30am, first time this has happened, I still have returns from clients that were supposed to stop by three weeks ago.

Well, yes! I agree with that, but in your original post you did not indicate that you were requesting a waiver and that is the reason my post was worded as such. If you don't request the waiver then the shortfall is the full amount and the penalty is 50% of that. If you are requesting a waiver, follow the above. Whichever you choose, your original post of your input was incorrect.

I found some additional information. Line 52 should be zero according to this: Make sure to properly fill out form 5329. File a separate form for each year. On line 50, enter the amount of the RMD that you’re required to take. On line 51, enter the total distributions that you actually took during that year. On line 52, enter “zero” (VERY IMPORTANT) and write “RC” (reasonable cause) and the amount you want waived in parentheses on the dotted line next to line 52. DO NOT ENTER THE AMOUNT OF THE SHORTFALL!

Your call, I'd say bill him since he's used your time, but that's always a gut call.

I don't make appointments, just tell people to drop off whenever. Invariably, there's that one client (ok six clients) who insist on an appointment to drop off. Invariably, they miss that appointment. Yes, go buy a lottery ticket.

And, make the adjustments to report ordinary income/loss and the other details in the sales worksheet from KM. A royal pain.

Can a self supporting 23 year old claim the AOC credit? Has not used any credits in prior year. TP does not live at home and maintains all his expenses. 1098-T half time box is checked. The way I worked through the requirements he can.

You are completely correct.

LOL where do you find this stuff.

Speaking of education credits, I was doing one last night and switching between AOC, lifetime & deduction to see which gave lower tax. Deduction was giving lower tax and I almost didn't give it a second thought because it was a higher income return, but my spidey senses told me I should look at the 8863. Well, lo and behold, there was no 8863 in the return. I almost blew that one! Would be nice if ATX alerted you to the fact that no 8863 was in the return when you choose. It probably would have added it when I left the detail input screen but I didn't try that.

Hmm, I would leave on the books with a business use of .001 and if necessary you could unlink it from the 2106. Other posters have suggested this in kind of similar circumstances.

I think he can do grenades! He's still in BB guns, and he has to progress through air rifles before he gets to anything serious, but grenades I think he can do. He works cheap - a frosted sugar cookie ought to do it.

"Please send me the charge statement from the bank for the stop payment charge, including the check number and the date it was written. I will refund you that charge." See how THAT goes up her ...... ...... nose....

Yep, like a penny in the parking lot of the grocery store.

The wife just showed up with a check for last year! She claims that she had to stop payment on the check today because she left one here last April. Funny, how all of my statement's must have been lost in the mail so she didn't know that she still owed me. She was lying like a rug.

This guy deserves a grenade, not an arrow!

She probably didn't bring it in because she knew she had not paid you for last year. But even if he's a nice guy, he surely knows his wife well enough that he should not have left it up to her to deliver something as important as the tax return info. Or at least called much sooner to be sure you "had everything you needed". She sounds like someone [we've all had a client or three like this] who puts off anything unpleasant, as if it will magically 'go away' if ignored long enough.

Renewal already? I didn't get mine yet. Where is this pricing detail, anyway? Why am I so out of the loop (sniff, sniff)?

Great advice. And there is at least one superior alternative in the same price range.

I took my two staffers to lunch last Saturday. We called the order in, so it was ready when we walked in. (Don't have much time, we are working right...) We sit down to eat, and are enjoying ours selves, and the PITA Client comes in to pick up a pizza. Now, this guy has been a client for 5 years, and this past year he started grumbling about the bill. I did the corp work, and YE Payroll. Usually did the 1040, but the quote of $400 seems "too high" this year. So, said PITA client ambles over and asks: "Can I ask you a few questions about...." Rich: "Sure!, call my office for an appointment!" PITA Client: Blank stare... "But...?" Rich: Yep, call the office for an appointment and we can discuss whatever you need...." And arrow would not be good enough... Rich

I got a call at 3:55 from my 4 PM appointment, that I squeezed in even though I told her that I didn't want to see her because she was going on extension. She was running late and didn't have everything ready to see me today, could she come next week? I said absolutely not, just fax me what you think I need tomorrow and I'll tell you what to write the check for to go with your extension. WTH is wrong with people? They have one stinking return to pull together and then wonder why we don't jump for them. I try to be nice, but it is getting so much more difficult.

This has been a terrible tax season. With some health issues here at home and several brain-dead clients, I am nearly in tears at times. STOP! STOP! STOP! Calling me. I will call you. What part of that don't they understand? And, why are so many clients coming in so late? And, why are they not bringing all their info in at once? And, why do I still have 43 returns left to start in the box? Of course, most of them are businesses that will take an entire day to finish. AH! Now I feel better!

I would be inclined to report as an early distribution but not sure how to input absent a 1099R. There would be no matching but maybe an easier conscience and good documentation of the what happened. Boy, we really get the weird ones on this board, don't we?

I tend to agree with Jack, although I do believe this is a new era of regulation and it needs to be discussed and thought through. My first reaction was - TIRES! no brainer, repair. Then I thought about the differential, and not being a master mechanic and putting my IRS idiot hat on, I thought, what would an idiot IRS agent who is overworked and under appreciated and certainly has no interest in getting it right say? Obviously, the IRS guy is going to say Capitalize because it makes the tax bill larger. But I still think it is a repair. And I think it would be a winner at the higher levels of audit. But it would probably go to appeals before it got looked at by anyone who would take a reasonable position. This is where I miss Jainen. He would give us the IRS position. Tom Newark, CA

I find myself in the same boat as so many folks here and doing way more of ^this -- not replying yet. What really fries me is the carefully bulleted (like * not like "bang" - with my hobby I feel I must specify lol) list I send out -- and get back one or maybe two of the five or seven items listed. Thank you for answers to items a and b; I am still waiting for answers on c, d, e, and f. Thank you for answer e, I am still waiting for answers c, d, and f..... et cetera. Or the emails that say, "I don't have this yet, just thought I'd let you know," -- I don't CARE. Send me the info when you have it and other wise LEAVE ME ALONE so I can get something DONE!!!! Argh! What a season this has been.

2012 just about did me in, too. Took the leap and frankly, when I go back to ATX (that I loved SO much) for whatever reason (lots of that this year with 3115 issues - all my notes are in the program as comments) I find the format is not as wonderful as memory makes it, and I am astounded at how long it takes for some portions to load - and that is NOT with the 2012 program!