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I've never used mailing slips for anything with any software I've ever used. I don't see the point. We use usps.com priority mail and print label and pay for the postage in one step. The envelopes are free too! Added benefit: address gets verified. Edit: The only con is you can't just use first class. But I want a tracking service anyway, when I mail something to a client.

I don't have many of those guys anymore, but a funny thing about them was that when they showed up on April 15th most wanted it done IMMEDIATELY. I'd say I couldn't do it that day but could get an extension for them. Most would reply "Oh, I don't like to get extensions - I want to file ON TIME."

Yep! Human nature doesn't change from year to year. Early filers are most always early filers. Late filers are mostly late filers. And if the filing dates were changed to allow more time, the last minute filers would sill be last minute filers. When extensions that were only allowed to Aug 15, were changed to Oct 15, we tried to keep this info from the late filers and it worked for a uear or two, until they found out about it. So, you all know what happened. The Aug filers now became Oct filers, even with two additional months allowed.

Thanks Debbie. I was wondering how long it would take before the penalty letters started. This will be a cluster as well. Tom Newark, CA

My favorite laughing moment is when clients come in with three years that need completed. Without fail, these are the words: "I just have not had time...." Then, when I file the extension for 15, do a quick scan to see if they should send in a payment before the due date, and put their whole stack at the back of the queue, they get irate. "I will not have time to do your old returns until I have completed all 2015 returns" is my response. "I just do not have the time to fix your extreme procrastination situation." I do this, no matter when these kind of clients come in.

Because we have clients from around the country, sometimes we have to adjust fees according to where the client lives. This link gives the average range of fees by region. Many many years ago when I worked at HRB, they had different fees within 25 miles of different offices, because of income differences. http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12065684/average-income-tax-preparation-fees-increased-in-2015

I thought I'd seen some absurd attempts to file at the last minute, but a postal clerk one-upped me yesterday. Before electronic filing they used to stay open 'til midnight, but now they close the window at 4:30. He told me that on April 18th at five they were in the back getting ready to leave when someone started beating on the door inside the lobby. He opened it and a man said "Do you have any blank tax forms?"

When I converted, I manually entered everything into Drake. It went fairly smoothly, but I didn't have an unusually large number of carry forwards or complex depreciation schedules. I'm sure that would make a difference. I made the switch at the beginning of tax season due to the ATX meltdown. If I had been able to choose, I would have switched at this time of year and then prepare my extension returns using Drake. I think I recall that Drake opens up the current year for full filing during the extension period for evaluators and (of course) new customers.

$160-$190. I always meet with new clients face to face for the first time. After that, I push for drop off their information. If I give a discount, I ALWAYS show the full boat price then show the discount I have decided on. This prevents: "Your price was much less last year" complaint. I also still show a separate line charge for ACA. I want to keep my clients fully aware that I did not choose to be the enforcer of Congress' insurance regulations.

They think you have nothing else to do, just waiting for them to walk in the door. Must be part of the breakdown of society I've been hearing about.

This link was very informative, helps us see how average we are. The original post stated it was a new client, so in my business which is nearly all mail ins I should have mentioned I would be spending some time on the phone getting to know the client (I know, I tend to talk too much, but I get too interested in my clients, for my own protection). The phone contact I have with all clients (mostly routine) is something I don't figure into the price, unless it becomes time intensive. So with a new client, I wouldn't be giving out a bargain price, but I would be setting them up for reasonable pricing to keep them. I have a high retention rate by being fair early on, they rarely get crazy on me for raising a little bit every year.

I could never understand how it is always the same people. They know the deadlines, yet they do the same every year, even joking, "you know me, always late (fill in the name)."

We had one client that always brought in his stuff around 4:30PM on Oct 15th. (of course he was on extension) He was a Sch C and had a number of additional forms, so it took several hours to prepare. One year it was given to me and I said I'm out of here at 6 o'clock. But one of the partners pleaded with me and offerred to buy me dinner if I would stay. At 8 o'clock I told one of the partners, that that was it, he would have to finish it, which he did. The client then drove to SF about 25 miles to mail the return at the only PO open until midnight. The client did this year after year and I refused to touch his returns. Finally, the partners got a little sense and tripled the price of the return. The guy never came back. Were it my choice, I would have just fired him, period, end of story.

Was that our client who dropped off his sales info late this AM (just pages of long columns, mind you, nothing totaled), when the state sales tax report must be efiled by 4PM?