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I read in Reuters and Politico that Sole Props are included. When they talk tax reform for a pass thru they consider Sch C since taxes on business income is paid on individual side. Really can't be certain with the one page they gave us, need to be a mind reader. If that's true I'm all for it, we all have plenty of people with Sch Cs in 25 or 28% bracket who are paying out nearly half their income the more successful they become.

Going "overpowered" is always better than "just enough" because once you get it hooked up, you'll realize you have smartphones and tablets that don't use data if they're on wifi; gee I can watch YouTube on my TV if I hook that up.... etc.

Not just pass throughs will get the new low rate. From the article: " Mr. Mnuchin offered few specifics about the blueprint, other than confirming that its centerpiece will be a 15 percent business tax rate, which would apply not only to corporations, but also to small businesses...." The IRS has been working hard to reclassify "subcontractors" who are really employees. If this passes, bet their lead dry up.

My experience is that the less expensive routers work ok if you are in the same room, but once you have more than one wall between you and your router performance starts going downhill. The other big issue is how many devices will be accessing the router at the same time. With less expensive routers, 1 or 2 devices should be fine. Once you get to three devices, things start to go downhill. Both P C mag and PC World have good reviews and rate their top ten routers every year.

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop on personal property taxes, now that we're expensing everything 2,500 or less. The MD form asks for 'expensed' personal property. Hold on while I find that list. I'm sure it's here somewhere.

Just like when media people assumed that a candidate did not pay any taxes of any kind for 20 years because of a loss on one return. This is my face when anybody, any profession besides this one, either party, tries to explain taxes. They can't. They don't know.

I read the article. It was like watching someone trying to chew the cap off a child proof bottle. I don't think the media is going to be able to write correctly informative articles without having at least a basic understanding of how the current tax code works. And, they don't. So, we should be prepared for a lot of amusement and amazement.

How true, no one wants a rotten kid.

If your ISP is Optimum, they give you the equipment for free/already included in your price and replace it as needed. We used to buy our own, but now what Optimum provides satisfies our techie.

I use a NETGEAR - Nighthawk DST AC1900 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router with DST Adapter in my home office. It's on sale for 70 off at Best Buy. My favorite feature is "access control". If you set it to on, you have to approve any device that tries to connect, even if they have the password. There is also an app where you can control alot of the features, approve connections, reset the router, etc. Coverage is very good. It is located on my main level and I get excellent signals upstairs, basement, outside. It also has a built in guest network, which I use for household connections and the main connection for business.

If you files schedule c you pay 25% or more in income tax plus 15.3% social security--40%,

If you have a Samsclub in your area, you could buy a good one for a cheaper price then Best Buy or Office Max.

I've had good luck with NetGear routers and switches. Had bad luck with an ASUS router. Had to send it back. Make sure it's a gigabit router and dual band is preferred.

Employer Reminder: Reporting Tips versus Service Charges; Key Differences Between Categories Affect Employees, Tax Reporting FS-2017-08, April 25, 2017 Español The Internal Revenue Service reminds employers that so-called “automatic gratuities” and any amount imposed on the customer by the employer are service charges, not tips. Service charges are generally wages, and they are reported to the employee and the IRS in a manner similar to other wages. On the other hand, special rules apply to both employers and employees for reporting tips. Employers should make sure they know the difference and how they report each to the IRS. What are tips? Tips are discretionary (optional or extra) payments determined by a customer that employees receive from customers. Tips include: Cash tips received directly from customers. Tips from customers who leave a tip through electronic settlement or payment. This includes a credit card, debit card, gift card, or any other electronic payment method. The value of any noncash tips, such as tickets, or other items of value. Tip amounts received from other employees paid out through tip pools or tip splitting, or other formal or informal tip sharing arrangements. Four factors are used to determine whether a payment qualifies as a tip. Normally, all four must apply. To be a tip: The payment must be made free from compulsion; The customer must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount; The payment should not be the subject of negotiations or dictated by employer policy; and Generally, the customer has the right to determine who receives the payment. If any one of these doesn’t apply, the payment is likely a service charge. What are service charges? Amounts an employer requires a customer to pay are service charges. This is true even if the employer or employee calls the payment a tip or gratuity. Examples of service charges commonly added to a customer's check include: Large dining party automatic gratuity Banquet event fee Cruise trip package fee Hotel room service charge Bottle service charge (nightclubs, restaurants) Generally, service charges are reported as non-tip wages paid to the employee. Some employers keep a portion of the service charges. Only the amounts distributed to employees are non-tip wages to those employees. Reporting Tips and Directly and Indirectly Tipped Employees Employees must report to their employer all cash tips received -- except for the tips from any month that total less than $20: Cash tips include tips received from customers, charged tips (for example, credit and debit card charges) distributed to the employee by his or her employer, and tips received from other employees under any tip-sharing arrangement. Noncash tips (that is, tips received by an employee in any other medium than cash, such as passes, tickets, or other goods or commodities) from customers are not reported to the employer. All cash tips and noncash tips should be included in an employee’s gross income and subject to federal income taxes. Both directly and indirectly tipped employees must report tips to their employer. A “directly tipped employee” is any employee who receives tips directly from customers, including one who, after receiving the tips, turns all of them over to a tip pool. Examples of directly tipped employees are waiters, waitresses, bartenders and hairstylists. An “indirectly tipped employee” is a tipped employee who does not normally receive tips directly from customers. Examples of indirectly tipped employees are bussers, service bartenders, cooks and salon shampooers. Employers are required to retain employee tip reports, withhold income taxes and the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes from the wages paid, and withhold income taxes and the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes on reported tips from wages (other than tips) or from other funds provided by the employee. In addition, employers are required to pay the employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes based on the total wages paid to tipped employees as well as the reported tip income. Employers must report income tax and Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from their employees’ wages, along with the employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes, on Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, and deposit these taxes in accordance with federal tax deposit requirements. Tips reported to the employer by the employee must be included in Box 1 (Wages, tips, other compensation), Box 5 (Medicare wages and tips), and Box 7 (Social Security tips) of the employee's Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Enter the amount of any uncollected social security tax and Medicare tax in Box 12 of Form W-2. See the General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3. For more information, including what to do if there are not enough wages to withhold all of the taxes, see Topic 761 - Tips – Withholding and Reporting. Reporting Service Charges Employers who distribute service charges to employees should treat them the same as regular wages for tax withholding and filing requirements, as provided in Publication 15, Employer’s Tax Guide. Distributed service charges must be included in Box 1 (Wages, tips, other compensation), Box 3 (Social Security wages), and Box 5 (Medicare wages and tips) of the employee's Form W-2.

Let us not forget friendly form 8846 to claim the tip credit for our restaurant clients https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/credit-for-portion-of-employer-social-security-paid-with-respect-to-employee-cash-tips-irc-45-b-credit

More conjecture I have no time for. I am making plans to spend time with my Grandson. Now THIS is important!!

Mass had that law on the books since the original sales tax law was passed back when I was a toddler or something. No one bothered. So they put it on the Form 1, and have a "safe harbor" calculation. We used to use that a lot before Amazon started charging sales tax. We've gone back to mainly leaving it blank - because people DON'T track, and the safe harbor figure is wildly skewed in favor of the state. One of my persnickety clients who used to owe $75+ a year in use tax (pre-Amazon tax collection) went through last year and came up with less than $3 in tax due. We still ask - but don't worry about it as much when we get the blank stares and "I dunno" as answers.

And if they did write a correct article, the reaction of the general public would be this

This use tax line has been on the Ohio returns for many years. A few years ago the then tax commissioner said the Dept. of Tax was hiring additional agents just to audit returns for this added (or omitted) tax. So I have my clients state yes or no using the verbiage on the return. And you cannot efile Ohio without marking yes or no. But I will not make that choice for my clients. Yes, it is a royal pain to keep track but I manage.

I haven't delved deeply into it, but it seems an LLC taxed as a partnership (or S corp) would have a special flat 15% tax rate on the pass thru income. So if you're in the 25% bracket, you'll save money if the cost of filing an entity return doesn't exceed the tax savings. BUT, what about S corp salaries and who would a sole prop add as a partner, etc. etc. The devil is always in the details.

Funny story. AZ legisvermin decided to add a line on the state income tax form to report use tax for internet purchases. Evidently, when the lawmakers were confronted with having to list all of THEIR OWN amazon and eBay purchases, they changed the reporting requirement retroactively in the middle of the tax season, claiming it was too much of a burden to look up all those receipts. I think Catherine is on the right track

Here's one we can all probably agree on: lock all the legis-vermin (state and federal) in separate rooms, with sharp pencils, LOTS of erasers, and NO calculators. Keep 'em in there (oh, all right, we can feed them) until they prepare their OWN tax return correctly. Teach them how complicated it is and how many gyrations real people have to go through to "voluntarily comply." Plus, all the time they are locked away, they can't make anything *worse*. Looks to me like a win all 'round.

Tell me how to separate tax LAW being changed can be separated form Politics? Has everyone become the ultra-sensitive snowflake? Politicians are the ones to make the tax law changes.

That will be sweet if that law passes. Do you own a house? NO Do you have a letter from your church for donations? NO. "Then you will get the standard deductions... please put away that CVS bag full of receipts"

It can be frustrating trying to help clients when they get in this predicament. And we don't always know the whole story. But sometimes it seems that wealthy clients have family in the wings who can't wait to get their hands on the money. I've seen clients that have lost the ability to handle their own affairs get totally ripped off by family. And family that turns on each other as soon as there is an estate to divide. Makes me so sad, and mad. I wish sometimes that I could hug as well as Rita.

I wouldn't fire this lady yet. I'd be doing what Sara is doing: trying to figure out a way to help her. I am thinking of a client I have who's in this shape, too. I'm pretty sure he's having some dementia issues. It's sad - he has been such great client, and I'd be happy to sort thru his stuff if he'd just bring it.

@RitaB I just LOVE your sense of humor!

I am trying to keep it shorter, because I think they lose all letters over three or four sentences. Dear (Ex) Client: It's me, not you. (It's you.) I am writing to inform you that my business is going in a new direction (away from you), and I be unable to provide services to you in the future. Good luck (with the next poor fool you make miserable)!

Oh. I thought we were bashing the specialty niche of those who pay bills for elderly clients. Hugely helpful to their clients but the liability gives me the willies. For financial advisors - I know some really good ones. Completely outnumbered by the ones who need Rita's back yard post-hugging.

My client brought me these cute little pictures that she had made from looking at our three cats. It made my day. She did tell me that I looked exhausted and my eyes were really puffy. I am really feeling my age these days. I do love most of my clients, some need to make a trip to Rita's yard.

Don't know if this in any way eases the pain, but here's my experience. Over the years, I've had one or two ex-clients whom I would have gladly PAID someone $1,000 to insure I never heard from them again. One situation did involve a new wife who obviously knew more about this business than I did (at least according to her).

Unfortunately, without a Section 7216 disclosure, you cannot tell ANYONE (her kids, her lawyer, her minister) that she is even your client. The only thing I can think of is to ask her to have one of her kids drive her over for the next appointment "so that you have some help carrying those papers in" and the tacit approval of having brought her kid along might make it possible to talk to the kid. "Let's ask Mary's opinion since she's here" sort of thing. Nasty tightrope to walk.

I was engaged a few years ago to help an elderly woman with her checkbook and help her sort mail and pay bills. She did not have children, but had a nephew who was afraid he was not going to be getting any money from her because she was making too many donations to the church. Now - I was young and didn't realize how messy this could get. But after a few months of helping her, the nephew called me up just furious because my name was on a credit application that she received in the mail. Yikes! I did not apply for anything, but my name got on her mailing lists, and so he accused me of trying to get credit in her name. And he was also mad because I had "allowed" her to continue to make contributions to the church. I certainly could not stop any one from making a contribution. But somehow he felt that I was supposed to. I quickly disengaged myself from that mess. (Unfortunately shortly after that they managed to sedate her heavily and moved her to a nursing home where she died a very untimely death, in my opinion.) So - anyway - BEWARE!

I have had some small success in refusing to provide information to a *new* accountant until I have been paid. And one client contacted me after several years needing some crucial document and hoping I had a copy. I did - but would not look for it (anything that old was in deep storage) until she paid up. Paypal payment within the hour, and I found her stuff that evening. We were both thrilled.

Rock and a hard place, Jack. ES didn't give the worman any work product, and is required to give back the original documents, if asked. It is an ethical violation for CPAs to hostage a client's original records for a fee. ES, I'd let it go and never do business for this family again. Others here have laid out the path if you decide to try to collect, but I think you may rack up more in aggravation that it may be worth.