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A reminder to all my friends: Driving on snowy roads is not for weenies...

Also seems that the driver just couldn't cut the mustard.

Frankly, I find this to be the wurst accident imaginable!!

Looks like they were really hot dogging it down the road.............

Is this a desktop or a laptop? If it is a laptop, the video card is integral in the motherboard. If the video card goes bad, you need a new laptop. KC is right. Plan on the replacement right now.

I would like to see one of those Intuit "genius" commercials tackle the ACA for a self employed person on the exchange and show how many iterations of the calculations they do to come up with the right amount of SE Health Insurance Deduction and Premium Subsidy. Lets see them explain that in a 30 second commercial? I keep thinking of the woman (sister of the client) who came into my office who "prepared" the prior year returns for a couple who came to me because they were under audit. The clients asked her to come in because they did not know the answers to any of the questions I was asking. The audit had to do with 5 rentals that were throwing large losses and the deductions for those rental losses. I asked her how she came up with the deductible loss on the rentals and she said "I just kept clicking on different answers in Turbo Tax until I got the highest refund". Tom Newark, CA

Maybe he was just trying to ketchup!

I like the "genius" commercials. I think I'll start preparing tax returns on my smart phone and just pressing a single icon button to make sure everything's fine. No doubt t that's a great business plan.

Medlin is Windows only. We do not use Macs, and if one uses internet statistics, no more than 10% of people do use Macs. If there was a time when Apple desktop OS has ever been above 10%, it was brief.

These puns are dog gone funny!!

I use Medlin for payroll and just export the W2s from that program to the SSA website. Easy.

Catherine, Your friend sounds like the kind of friend I'd love to have. Her story reminded me of NASA's attempt to help their astronauts order the right size of condomn type devices for urination purposes when in outer space. NASA's original sizes were labeled as "small, medium and large". Yep, you guessed it....every astronaut chose a "large", however, the vast majority had problems with them falling off. NASA's answer to the problem was their new sizes: "Gigantic, Humungous, and Enormous"...problem solved! True story... My cousin was an astronaut and was appointed head of NASA after the Challenger disaster....can't wait til I see him to find out what size he was. Actually he is a small guy....most of them are so they can have more room to move around in their capsules. If I had to guess, I'd say he's a "Gigantic"!

I hate the interruption too. I keep one ear open to listen for that tone that let's you know someone is (probably) about to pick up. All I need is the music. And on the practioners line? We KNOW we will lose our place in line if we hang up. Really, we do.

Look into it now, so you can shop for a good price on a replacement card. You want to have it and replace it BEFORE it totally dies, which is sure to happen at the WORST possible time.

I just rebooted and it went away. Weird. It was on the screen no matter which program I was in.

For those that don't click on the links, that footnote reads as follows (bold is mine): 3 A worksheet for determining support is included later in this section. If a child receives social security benefits and uses them toward his or her own support, those benefits are considered as provided by the child. Benefits provided by the state to a needy person (welfare, food stamps, housing, SSI) are generally considered support provided by the state.

IN THE FYI DEPARTMENT: Have to be careful of the new legislation and regulations regarding the tax credits we have been accustomed to. Rev. Info Bulletin No. 15-018 is clear as mud, as well as RS 47:33 (AMENDED IN 2015) points out at the bottom of the law that the provision for a Louisiana taxpayer to be able to claim a credit of the income taxes paid to another state for income derived from property owned in that other state EXPIRED 7-1-2000. Now here is the kicker: Evidently the legislators didn't realize the above as R.S. 33 (4) now states: The credit shall be allowed only if the other state provides a similar credit for Louisiana income taxes paid on income derived from property located in, or from services rendered in, or from business transacted in Louisiana. OK....let's get this straight. We can take a credit against Mississippi income tax (for instance) paid on services our clients renders (works) as long as Mississippi allows their residents not only to do the same about taxes on working in Louisiana, but , unlike Louisiana, Mississippi must also allow their residents to take a credit against Louisiana income taxes paid on income they earned from the property they own in Louisiana. Remember, we stopped the credit for taxes paid to another State based on income they earned from the property they own in the other state on our residents' returns on July 1, 2000. Thus, I suspect is the reason for the note at the bottom of R.S. 47:33 that is written in all caps which is very unusual. Of course, there is the issue of allowing no more of the out-of-state income taxes paid as a credit if the other state's tax rate is higher than Louisiana's tax rate. That's a no brainer as I have often wondered why Louisiana let that happen year after year. I will request a listing of the States that satisfy the new requirements of the tax credit for taxes paid to another state. I reviewed California's instructions and they had two listings. I feel we definitely need the confirmation that a particular state is ok inasfar as the credit is concerned as those out of state returns are a lot of work when we aren't sure whether the credit is gonna fly or not....I don't think Louisiana knows either, but someone needs to find out and I'd rather it be them than someone from another state giving us wrong information. I'LL UPDATE WHEN I GET ANY INFORMATION....IF ANYONE FINDS OUT FIRST, PLEASE LET US KNOW BY UPDATING THIS THREAD Thanks! CATHY

Since H&R is just giving away a million dollars a day ($1,000 x 1,000 people = 1 million), anyone here going to stop by each day, weekly, etc. to see if they are the lucky one ---- "no purchase necessary" according to ad's? Not as good a payoff as PowerBall but better odds. s/ Take time off from your business (just work till 0300 hr. instead of 0200 hr. to make it up. Brief stroll, get a coffee (tea) and become richer at your competitor's expense????? Have a GREAT SEASON!

I think this has more to do with the announcements Microsoft made at CES about the work they've done to improve efficiency and performance with new generations of Intel processors. It sounds to me that they're saying that they won't back port those advancements to Windows 7 from Windows 10, but that shouldn't be a surprise. My guess is that Windows 7 will continue to work on the new chipsets, but you won't get all of the fancy optimization that come baked into the latest version. Intel provides the drivers for their chipsets, and it's up to Intel which operating systems they want to support, not Microsoft.

It's probably Ruff out there.

Lynn, The amended statutes goes like this: R.S. 47:297 (D) (1) This part of the law allows the set credit per child in K through 12th grade "unless the deduction for the payment of tuition and fees for non-public elementary and secondary school tuition is taken for the child as provided for in R.S. 47:297.10." It goes on to say "NOTE: Paragraph (D) (2) EFF. UNTIL JUNE 30, 2018. (AND THAT PARAGRAPH READS:) "(2) Any taxpayer who so qualifies shall be entitled to a maximum tax credit of eighteen dollars per child for educational purposes" OK! It makes complete sense now that I've reviewed the actual laws......If the student qualifies for the 100% deduction of tuition for non-public tuition (capped at $5,000), then the taxpayer can't take the $18 credit also. And thus the reason I only had "1" student magically shown on Line 13 for the educaiton credit. On my test return, one child was in non-public school and the other in public school. This situation goes back to Sen. Rob Marionneaux's last term in office....he slipped the non-public school tuition at 100% (capped at $5,000) at the back of another bill on the last day of his last session. Although my kids and grandkids went/go to non-public schools, I still feel it wasn't right not to include public school costs at 100%. This problem solved! Now the issue at hand still remains the credit for taxes paid to another state. Thanks, Lynn! P.S. The DOR's instructions need clarification. ATX is correctly preparing the return according to the statutes.

See The INstructions for the 2015 form 540 , under what's new, now specifically state it is either the now reduced $18 per child education credit OR tuition credit.

Don't hold back Catherine, tell us how you REALLY feel!!!!

I am SO with you on this one!! Play the &^%$# muzak and SHUT UP with the interruptions. If my call was important you would answer it and not hang up on me after an hour. Until then, I can get on with something else while waiting far better without the constant interruptions.

I don't mind the music - I hate the constant interruptions to tell me that my call is important and that if I call back later this might increase my wait time. I understood that the first 10 times you told me so. I don't have to hear it every 30 seconds.

Those are early symptoms of a video card starting to die.

Disable your anti-virus program. If you have more than one anti-virus program, delete all but one. Only use the latest install file from the ATX download page. Follow the installation instructions exactly. Install ALL provided installation codes. If these steps are unsuccessful, call tech support.

I export from QuickBooks (actually print using an xps printer that comes with windows I believe), import into ATX, complete the 1096 info then create the efile on my desktop. From there you have to download the accuwage from SS and run it on your file from ATX. Once that is done, you can upload it to SS. I have run into 2 obstacles with this method. You have to keep changing the SS password. I am having trouble getting a file to pass the accuwage check. First time for this problem. I have to break down and call SS business services. Rich

OMG. And was she paid for this service or did she do it out of the kindness of her heart?

Alright KC --- HOW -- did you get into my computer and get my selfie?

Form 2120

We use Drake at our office, and once again there has been a problem caused by the update process. Another preparer had printed a finished return last year and waited for the client to come i and sign. After the client signed, the 1041 was transmitted and accepted. Unknown to us, Drake had an update that changed the balance due on the Illinois form. When you mark a file to transmit, the program re-figures the return before queing it up for e-file. The update was applied and the return was transmitted with the new numbers and the preparer did not notice the change. When the letter came to the client,we checked the file on the program and the printed file copy. They were different. The problem that I have with this is that when a change is made in a completed return by an update, there is no notification. If a change is made to a completed file in ATX, the file locks and an error message appears showing a reject status, I wish Drake would implement something like that. This is the third time in the last few years that this has happened here. The clients are not amused. I've talked to Drake about this and they do not seem to be concerned. I just thought that I'd mention this as a heads up. I'm also wondering if anyone else here has experienced this.

sorry to force all of you to be the ones that hear the scream but................. AM I THE ONLY ONE ABSOLUTELY WANTING TO CHOKE THE LIFE OUT OF SOMEONE OVER THE PREP OF THESE 1095/1094 FORMS FROM THE EMPLOYER SIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whew... sorry that is all

The Turbo Tax commercials are the worst and most degrading not only to Preparers but to the general public. >>Donald Trump promised to put H&R Block out of business when he gets elected.<< I wish he would add Intuit to that list.

If I go to Walmart and have Jackson Hewitt do my return for an exorbitant fee, they will give a me $ 50 Walmart Card on the spot ! Whoee, isn't free enterprise a great thing.

I get so annoyed at those commercials, and even more so by the fact that they actually work. It says something about the wisdom of a populace when many choose a tax preparer based on gaming practices, for lack of a better description. Yes, I know there are many fine preparers in the store front operations. That's not an important selling point. Apparently.