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Interesting. I think I'll start showing my occupation as "Accountant (Semi-Retired) (Marginally Profitable)" and see what happens. Will let everyone know.

I have to tell you about the agent who has been conducting our in-house audit. (finished, finally). Last week she told me that after 2015, I could no longer get a POA to represent my clients before the IRS. She said that she had just seen an e-mail come in about it. I told her that unless something had just recently been passed, she might be incorrect about it. I then explained to her in depth about the ins and outs of the RTFP and the AFSP. I told her that because I had passed the RTRP; I had to have at least 15 hours of continuing education under my belt each year in order to receive my AFSP certificate; which gives me limited POA powers. On the other hand, a preparer with a PTIN could take a test each year and get the 15 hours of CE and would also qualify for an AFSP. She went back and discussed the conversation with her boss. He said that they were having a seminar on the subject yesterday morning and that since she was so knowledgeable about it, she could conduct the seminar. Which she did and was gracious enough to call and thank me for educating her. She has "only" been an IRS agent for six years. I am always ready to concede that I might be wrong, but in this case I was not.

Are you talkin' 'bout Jerome, Peggy Sue the hairdresser's husband from Tennessee? Tom Newark, CA

A big grin with a hug?

The "don't appear to be too trusting of each other" part of your reply is definitely a red flag. All the more reason to do everything strictly by the book.

Well, you clearly crossed the line between preachin' and meddlin' with that sly grin.

I broke it to a new realtor client two weeks ago that she could not write off her wardrobe or lunch or commuting miles. Not heard a peep from her in two weeks. She dropped off April 7 and was wondering, "Where are we on our return?" on April 14. Do you know how much I want to now ask her: "Where are we on your return?" I guess the actual rules are game changers. I also guess I will not see her next season. I'm ok with that. Had a preacher one time (he's found a better preparer, too) that told me, "It's not like I wear these suits to Wal-Mart or anything." Ran into him at Wal-Mart in one of his suits after church the very next Sunday. Gave a him a big grin, and he knew exactly why, too.

On gross income Sch C did he put, "I didn't really make anything this year"?

One ex-IRS tax preparer would show, in parenthesis, "ill health" by the husband's or the wife's occupation. Net to the depreciation on his own return, he had his car listed and after the model he had "bad shape" I suppose he thought the IRS might take those comments to explain why they didn't need to audit those returns

I got to know almost a dozen IRS agents who were classmates in my Master's in Taxation program. They were all smart and very well trained in the law. They wouldn't get a raise or a step up in their civil service classification when they completed their masters--they were just going to grad school because they wanted to do their jobs better. (Of course, the gov't was helping pay for it. But it was a HARD course and A LOT of work, so they had to be interested and dedicated to want to spend two years studying and writing papers and taking exams for no extra pay.) Does something happen to them when they leave the Service? Do they suddenly think that since they know what will and won't send up warning flags, they won't get caught? How can they change mindsets from preventing people from cheating the government to helping them do so? I've attended many seminars where IRS presenters do everything but scold us. (Karen Hawkins did everything but spank us.) I was annoyed because I thought we preparers who stay current, keep our clients honest, know the law, were more akin to IRS agents themselves than we were different. We asked for proof for deductions even if we didn't have to, looked up the Code to see is this or that transaction was allowed, read clients the riot act about amending prior erroneous returns. Lately, though, I am appalled by the number of arrests the IRS makes of preparers who make things up, steal identities, stiff clients. I don't know any preparers who do those things. I cannot imagine any of my former classmates doing those things either once they leave the service. Maybe the former IRS employees whom others in this thread have encountered are former for a reason?

Or a hug in your heart?

My experience as well. There has been more eye rolling in this office about ex-IRS preparers than anything. Any. Thing. Ever. The last one I heard was, "My old preparer [deceased, God rest his soul, but might be burning in hell, just saying] would always make an arithmetic error first thing. That way, the return would get kicked out. The arithmetic error would be fixed: Oh, haha, it's just an arithmetic error... And then everything would sail right through. He was so great, used to work for IRS, you know." Me: Yes. Yes, I know. He: Do you have something in your eye ...

No. He always showed a small profit

I still remember a young TV reporter years ago who pestered me relentlessly about deducting her clothing (especially her shoes) because she had to look sharp for the cameras on assignment. She insisted that shoes were regularly damaged by walking in muddy or unsanitary areas. I finally suggested that she buy some combat boots, since I'd never seen a TV reporter's feet in any remote segment I ever watched. That didn't go over well. Fortunately she moved to Arizona and is probably haranguing some other poor tax preparer.

A former Tax Court judge has been indicted for tax evasion. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-united-states-tax-court-judge-and-husband-indicted-conspiracy-commit-tax-evasion-and What amazes me is how she and her husband could even think of deducting such expenses on their Sch C, Pilates lessons, Wine club fees, music lessons, and more. Then they tried to cover it up for the audit. You can't make this stuff up, no one would believe anyone could be so stupid.

According to this article I saw on Yahoo, a Windows & upgrade can lock up certain ASUS motherboards. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/nasty-surprise-certain-asus-pcs-191148123.html

Thank you Mr. Normal !!

https://consumerist.com/2016/05/06/microsoft-will-finally-stop-nagging-pc-users-to-upgrade-to-windows-10-in-july/

Check to see if your E&O carrier has templates for you to use.

Can't do this as one lives in NC and the other is in Alabama. As for the other comments, the beneficiaries due to pay the tax as Roberts has stated that income passing through to them is very routine. The estate is NOT closed but according to the will these are the only two beneficiaries awarded anything. These brother don't appear to be too trusting of each other which is why I questioned this and will not proceed until I have the permission to do so. Thanks,

Yep. I don't think these I've encountered did a good job anywhere.

I cant tell you how many T/P want to deduct cloths, sales people especially want to deduct their suits, I keep a copy of the requirements handy to show them. I love when they say I would only wear a suit to a wedding it wouldn't replace my regular cloths. lol I highlight this from pub.529 " However, work clothing consisting of white cap, white shirt or white jacket, white bib overalls, and standard work shoes, which a painter is required by his union to wear on the job, isn't distinctive in character or in the nature of a uniform. Similarly, the costs of buying and maintaining blue work clothes worn by a welder at the request of a foreman aren't deductible."

I'm using an SSD as my main drive and plan to convert all my computers to SSDs this summer/fall. I love it. It made my computer feel like a new computer. Fast boot and fast running many programs and windows utilities.

I would ask my client if I could answer brother's questions. In fact, brother most likely has tried to get answers from your client, and we all know he can't explain it like you can. Your client may have told brother to call you, who knows? I would be happy to answer questions about a return I prepared, as I'm sure you are, Terry. I would also ask client if you can give a copy of the Form 1041 to brother. That way, brother's preparer can look it over. I would want to know where the info on my K-1 came from, too. Possibly just having a copy of the Form 1041 would remedy the whole situation. Regardless, I'd talk to client first and get a feel for whether there is discord here, or just a simple desire to understand something that affects my tax return.

Refer him to his brother. Do NOT talk to him about the return. Circular 230 violations abound if you do.

Whoa there, Gene. Are you certain the statute of limitations has expired on Workers Compensation claims?

Years ago I owned a small service station. I had just bought a miniature sand blaster to clean spark plugs. A high school kid that I had hired wanted to try it out and put his finger over the hole where the spark plug goes and turned it on. It really messed his finger up. That "dumb kid" is now a successful lawyer.