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Who are these clients who show up when they say they're going to? What? I'm jealous. I swear if somebody tells me they're coming Monday, all I know for sure is they are NOT coming Monday.

Monday appointments are a real pain. Legitimate problems come up over the weekend but clients can't figure out how to call & leave a voice mail message, send an email, or dash off a text to let you know they can't make it Monday as planned. They don't show up, then later will tell you "I didn't know how to contact you over the weekend. I meant to call on Monday morning but I forgot." Yet, if they have a tax question they want answered immediately, they're blowing up your voice mail with multiple calls at midnight Saturday or Sunday. Funny how that works.

I feel the same way this year.

I am just wondering if this is part of the reason hold times are so long when you actually call for yourself.............

It's only Feb 6th and I feel burnt out already. Had a young lady in her 20's email me all her info. I finished her return and she came by to pick them up and she hands me a bunch of quarterly broker statements and say "do you need these"? I look at them and there is no year end with the 1099B though she did have some long and short term gains. She says to me "Can we just leave it off for now" I so want to RETIRE but I can't yet

I am always good for your bail!! We all know EXACTLY how you feel!!

I don't even make appointments. I tell people to drop off when they have all their crap. Most do just that. Obviously, we talk as necessary about their information and when something is extraordinarily different, etc. (And yak, yak, yak, too. Oh, and the inevitable, "I took out some of my retirement, but they already paid the taxes, there it is. Thank you, I would never have know what that was. A 1099-R, hmmm, so that's how they do that.) When someone does call ahead (I'd just as soon they didn't) and tells me when they're coming, about 1/2 the time they miss it. I generally let it go in one ear and out the other. Can't imagine having an appointment calendar. I'd have to kill somebody I know.

Large extra fees!! Make it worth your time. On the invoice/receipt, list the additional charge as "Babysittng 1099B."

I understand the frustration, but I don't charge for missed appointments. Most of my clients mail or email their info to me, and appointments are only for those who simply MUST bring their info in and hand it over (hopefully not one piece at a time). There's always something on my desk to be done so I just turn to something else and don't consider the time for a missed appointment wasted. But I'd probably have a different attitude if I kept a full appointment calendar and a missed appointment throws it off schedule.

Hike the bill for those calls and missed appointments. I am getting SO tired and ticked off with those types of shenanigans, and I am hiking bills (easy for me; I lower the discount given!) for things I used to shrug off.

It doesn't matter. The only one who will ever see it is the IRS. And they use the address on the 1040. Rich

I use virtru to encrypt emails - $48 a year (free for the client). I've had good remarks on it from my clients.

Of course Jack has a MagicJack

Guy asks me the date. 4th. He dates the Form 8879 “1/04/15”.

I have just finished up my 41st return (1-1065; 1-1120; 11-1120S; 28-1040) and was thinking just how smoothly things are going this year. I have to admit though, I am on pins and needles waiting for the other foot to drop. But like Jack says, make it worth your while. This is a teaching moment for that client.

It's none of the other partner's business.

Thanks TaxCPANY, I pinned that site for quick access. Thanks Abby, I knew there was a link in the program but I was looking for it while in the Return Manager and not while in a return.

On the input screen for the 8879 you have to check the box "Entered by ERO" I have not had any problems.

Last week's Kiplinger Letter talks about the IRS's future corresponding via email and text. I hope they do not. I tell all of my clients to never ever respond to IRS email or text. I think if the IRS opens that door it will be nothing but trouble. Next we'll have the IRS on Snapchat!

I do the same thing.

I always type the date in before I give it to them to sign. Just sayin'! Is there one among us who hasn't slipped at least once in January or February?

Like gullible sheep and get fleeced. Scammers keep doing those things because they work. Until I find a pill that restores or imparts common sense, we will keep hearing about people being ripped off by their own actions.

If the property is owned 20% by non-ira sources, it is a prohibited transaction. That is ugly. However, you might want to double-check the facts. I would think that if a client had gone to the trouble to set this up, he would have used an IRA administrator that specializes in this and would not have allowed a disqualifying set-up. Alas, maybe I assume too much, but it just seems strange that the IRA administrator would not have advised the client appropriately. Your client is prohibited from 'self dealing', also, so I assume he has a property manager that is caring for the properties and handling the leasing, etc. And of course, I'm sure none of his friends, children or family members are living in any of the properties! Good luck.

I agree. It seems extremely ludicrous that the so called date of cancellation is several years after the events take place. Has anyone heard of any recourse one can appeal to IRS to consider the effective date of cancellation to be the earlier date or year the 1099A is issued. Seems to be one area that the IRS could issue a reg or something to rectify this.

Danger...Danger...Danger. I think that you may be looking at a prohibited transaction. I am not an expert in this area, but I think I read that while an IRA may hold real estate in it, the Trustee of the IRA account must be the holder of the title, and the owner of the account cannot. And there can be no cash coming from the individual from outside of the IRA funds. This smells very bad. If I am right and this is a prohibited transaction, then the IRA funds used to make the purchase are deemed to be distributed in a taxable event. If the IRA holder is under 59 1/2 years old the early withdrawal penalty may apply as well. Check it out and be careful. Tom Newark, CA

The test for affordability of MEC through an employer's plan is 9.56% of household income. The premium to be used is the lowest premium that the employer offers and must include all discounts such as for non-smokers. It isn't unusual for taxpayer to give the Marketplace incorrect information when determining eligibility. For example, the taxpayer may have given only wage information, but for purposes of determining eligibility for the PTC, household income is used. For this test, household income is MAGI (AGI plus excluded foreign income, n/t soc sec and tier 1 RR benes, and t/e interest) for the taxpayer and anyone else that is claimed as a dependent. Is the taxpayer eligible to contribute to an IRA or HSA before 4/15/16 for the 2015 tax year that would lower the household income enough that the employer's premium would then exceed the 9.56% threshold and thereby qualify the person for the PTC? If the person is able to do so and can come up with those funds, that would be preferential than to pay back the APTC because she gets to keep the funds in her name than paying the government. See items 5 through 10 on this page at the IRS site.