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I agree with this - getting an extra high fee makes you feel much better about putting up with guff and grumps. While I haven't found any one solution that works for all, pricing them out of the office seems most effective. One particular pest told me he'd leave if I went up again, so I promptly added $100 to his fee and he's now torturing some poor soul at Jackson-Hewitt. This post reminded me of something I still chuckle about. Years ago I had a doctor for a client. We were in my office going over his stuff and I was complaining bitterly about a PIA customer who'd just left. He grinned knowingly and said "Yeah, he's also my patient. I'd like to refer him and a few others to Dr. Kevorkian."

no way would I let him double dip, refund your fee or cover his cost but not both. The fact that he even let another cpa look at your work and then didn't give you the chance to fix it says that he isn't coming back anyway. He lost faith in you or was shopping around. since the return was in your system the fix would have been 10 minutes but the new guy had to recreate the return first and then amend. Probably paid full prep charges to that guy.

I'm gonna leave that typo.

My two cents... Tell him your long-standing policy. Offer the return of the prep fee (that you say you have no problem with) and the free return next year (IF and only if you would want him back a s a client). Tell him you would have prepared the amended return gratis but since he decided to go elsewhere he took that option out of your hands. If you really want him back and/or you really want to keep the parents as clients, you could offer to pay the amended return up to the amount YOU charge for those returns (when you do them). Or you can simply say you have offered what you believe is fair, and stop talking. Once you make that point (as they say in sales) the next person person to talk, buys.

I never have referred out a client. It is not my job to find them a new preparer. When I fired the bottom third of my client base several years back, I did it before the season started so they had plenty of time to do their own research. And there is only one other that I ever invited to leave. She was a real PITA and seemed to keep the whole office in a heightened level of anxiety whenever even her name was mentioned. She threw a fit when I said I was not interested in dealing with it anymore. Now I have a client base "to die for". I cannot think of one client that I would kick out right now. And like Rich, now it is completely MY decision as to who becomes a client. I have had three meetings with new prospects this year so far. Two will be clients, the other will not. I am grateful that I have arrived at that place with my practice. There was a time when I had to take anything that walked through the door. No more! But for the original post - I stand by my previous comment. Short, sweet and to the point. No explanation is necessary. If you do not want to deal with the client, just say that.

I'm one of the moderators at /r/tax over at reddit, and I recently recreated a new avatar for our sub. It's a 3 piece suit wearing, bow tied, bespectacled, coffee mug holding, laptop carrying, disheveled haired reddit alien (or snoo, as it's known). I know it looks more Big 4 than most of us, but I think it turned out nicely.

@mcb39 -- calling my HOME office on a Sunday is, prima facie, grounds for being fired. Multiple times? Grounds for egging his house... or at least thinking about how much fun *that* would be!

If it's somebody who's a top 98th percentile PITA, and they ask me who I'd recommend they go to, I tell them the hateful preparer who messes up returns and charges an arm and a leg to do it. That way, I get rid of the client, and I inflict pain on both him and the mean preparer. Win-win-win! Just kidding. Ok, not really.

I had to do just that today. This was a client for several years. Last year they made an appointment and never showed up or called to cancel. This year he calls begging me to take him back. Last year they went to Liberty and he said it was like dealing with the Mafia. He weakened my resolve on SUNDAY, of all days and even at 4 times the prior prep charge, he wanted to come back. Today, I sent him a polite email stating that now that I had time to think it over, we would both be better served if he were to find someone else. I simply could not fit him into my busy schedule. He had forfeited that privilege last year. He returned a kind email thanking me for my time and wishing me well. You have no idea how much better I feel. I had a bad feeling about this apple and suggested he might want to take it to a VITA preparer since he has so many issues. Even my husband is glad that I got rid of him.; because he called four times on Sunday; left a long message as well as a long email. He was a little upset that I hadn't responded. All of the above suggestions are good and correct. Even Doctors have to refer out patients that they have issues with.

If I am firing a client, but it is because I am moving in a different direction, then I will give a referral. If they are a PITA, its not my job to give a referral. When the client states: "What am I going to do?" Not my problem. I am upfront when the client comes in for the FIRST time. The first 30 minutes, *I* make the decision if I want this person as a client. It is *NOT* their decision. That helps a lot..... Rich

You are correct! It is the Alien's antenna. I guess along the lines of Ray Walston in My Favorite Martian... except with one antenna instead of two.

I tend to match my referrals out to the reason i am referring. If it is someone that I wouldn't mind doing the return, but they want a RAL and I don't do those, I send them to a competent, professional office that sends me referrals for more complex issues they don't have time for. If it is someone who wants to push the ethical envelope, I know the local preparers that will help them push, and send them that way. They might as well go to jail together - I just don't want to be part of it.

What is the thingy sticking out of the head? Is it a sort of client bs detector, maybe?

Hey; eighty is the new sixty!

Saying no to a client is not the Kiss of Death. Rather, what will certainly lead to some issues in business is saying yes when you can’t deliver — or your gut has told you that the prospective client and/or their project is not the right fit. Although as a business owner, you don’t want to turn anyone away, sometimes it makes more sense when it comes to the welfare of your business to decline a business relationship at an early stage with a prospect if the relationship between the two of you is not mutually beneficial.

Fortunately, I haven't had that problem. Actually, so far I haven't had any problems . I have probably just jinxed myself

IRS Form 8594.

We have a template "fire client" letter that has options like "the direction our practice is taking" or "staffing changes" or "staff expertise" means we can no longer provide the service/attention your tax situation deserves and that you will be better served elsewhere. Be nice to the client, like it's not their fault. Like Catherine, we have a PIA client we couldn't outright fire because he'd been with us for so long so we kept raising his fees hoping he'd go away. He's still with us, paying us a fortune, so the pain is greatly lessened.

So old is when a person becomes a hundred years old.

I do not want to work on your return this year!

Congrats to Janitor Bob, and all the other grandparents! Rich

Lady dropped off Monday. She had no health insurance 2015. She calls today: Hold off on doing my return. I've been checking around and I'm getting health insurance so I won't have to pay that penalty. I had no idea she had a DeLorean Time Machine. Her Flux Capacitor is really going to pay off this time.

You have a brilliant one there, Rita!

what was the basis at time of death? that is your cost plus expenses. And if held as investment property not lived in by the beneficiary you can take some carrying costs too. Since it was the mom's personal residence there might be a way to exclude the $250 profit but I forgot the time frame for that. 2009 might be too long ago.

someone to clean your home? no office in home, no deduction. If OIH, then I would include in the OIH expenses and allocate accordingly.

8594?

Ditto what Abby said AND we have been e-filing since Jan. 20 with no e-filing issues. Some issues with new State regulations, but that is not a software issue.

Okay, I'll bite. I have no idea what this means but think I am not too old to learn. If it isn't too complicated, would you kind folks explain Project Fi and Nexus 6 in simple language? Maybe I could impress my son by throwing out a couple of relevant comments!

I just assumed it was an antenna. (Moral: Assume Nothing!)

I use Arial 14 pt. I don't have many state returns, so I have room, and I omit the tax bracket lines at the bottom. I don't know what the hell happened to the "your return will be e-filed". I have tried to get it back, and I'm not holding my teeth right. I played around with color and cursive font some, too. It's a girl thing. ATXLetterCoverSheet.pdf

I hear ya, sister! Letters take way too much time and my edits never stay. I export the templates and copy/paste the letters into rtf files in my documents so I can import or copy/paste to fix the letters. Though most of the time I just edit/save the letters. I like the small margins because I like a letter with estimates and one state to fit on one page. My letters only go to two pages if there is more than one state and there are balances due and estimates. I don't care if my signature block ends up on page 2. But I agree that 10pt is too small. I use 12 pt Book Antigua. CLIENTTEST.pdf

I wasn't referring to Rita. I was referring to me.

Identify something unique about his return or his filing situation. Then just tell him you think he needs someone who has a focus in that area and it isn't something you are interested in pursuing. That's what I tell people with EIC. Or else you could just tell him you're fed up with his nonsense and you know he won't want to pay 4 times last year's fee for the same work. Either of the above is effective. Just be sure to slam the door shut on any possibility that you'll change your mind. He has 10 weeks to find someone, so he'd better get busy.

His needs do not fit your business model. You do not specialize in his type of return. He would be better served by someone with more time/different expertise/larger staff/pick what fits. You are not taking new clients. You do not accept new clients after January of each tax season. Keep it short and sweet with no detail he can argue with. Smile, and look a bit sorry!

9 out of 10 I do, the 10th usually have books that can be used to clean something "insert word"

Congratulations. Become a grandparent changes the way you view everything in life. Especially the long view. Every new grandchild is the best one ever born. Enjoy them at all ages. Sooner or later they'll be old enough to get their drivers license, and my oldest of 3 grandsons just did. All of a sudden you're thinking "2 more years and it's college time."

Congrats to all!!

Cutie pies, every single one of them!

I had one or two - I think they paid the estimated taxes via credit card only once or twice; after they learned that the user fees were greater than the value of their points they went back to other ways to pay them.

Ok, you started it! Granddude pics for your viewing pleasure. 3 of the current 4 with one on the way in July.

What a beautiful boy -- and you look so happy, JanitorBob!

NOW.........wait for the Great-Grandchild. We are expecting our second one in June.

Congrats, JB you even look happy..... I love Jacks shirt pocket contents.....I Remember when mine looked that way.

Great Pics! Congrats to all!

Congratulations! He's a good looking boy. I'm grateful for the three awesome ones that we have from my step-children, because I don't want our son to have any for a few years.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Bob. I agree with Jack, being a grandpa is the best. I'll have to dig up some pics. We have a total of 16 grandchildren. We have five children all who have kids. I think they are all done. Spoil the heck of out him and buy him things that makes lots of noise to payback the parents for all the irritation they put you through. Just kidding, love em to pieces.

Beautiful boy there Bob!!! Let the spoiling begin!!