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I trust that everyone on this forum knows their client base and how the changes to the tax law might affect their behavior. But HRB is a large company with numerous resources to evaluate their business potential going forward. I doubt they are making the decision to close those offices on a whim. If I were following a business model which paralleled that of HRB in any meaningful way, I'd feel compelled to consider the implications of their business decisions and what their conclusions might suggest for my own future prospects.

Back in the days when the Tennessee Vols were a national power, we had an announcer who would start the broadcast: "It's FOOTBALL TIME in TENNESSEE!!!" Tennessee is not anywhere close to a national power, and the announcer has retired. But fear not, for "It's ELECTION TIME in TENNESSEE!!" Indeed it is. In front of our courthouse in Manchester there are no less than 300 signs. Government jobs are obviously immensely popular. In days of yore, virtually no one wanted to work for the govt. Low pay, boring jobs, sketchy benefits. If you wanted to run for a state or county office position you could easily be unopposed. 30 years later, everyone wants a govt job. People who own businesses are even shutting down so they can run for office. The industrial base now offers leased employees, no benefits, layoffs, plant shutdowns, etc. And a husband and wife must both work at WalMart in order to deliver a 40-hour week at wages only a dollar or so above minimum wage. Govt jobs? Very typical is one of my customers who has a clerical job with a $29,000 W-2 and $19,000 coded as "DD" in box 12. If she works only a few years she will get a retirement which increases every year. (Commercial retirements normally don't increase, ever) No overtime, cushy work, ultimate job security and medical insurance practically 100% paid for. And state governments claim they are broke?? I wonder how many states have the state government as its largest employer? For example, in 1980 Fortune 500 company "Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M)" was the largest employer in Minnesota. Today the largest employer in Minnesota is....you guessed it...the State govt of Minnesota itself. Mercifully, in August this charade/beautycontest will be over. I think Alabama has this going on and Kentucky as well. I don't know that this post goes anywhere or has a theme, or conclusion. Just a sign of the times.

Be careful, there is a waterfall (by/under a bridge) along this route. A stop to sight see here, has sucked many an hour out of my days.

I have wondered whether VA and other states will allow itemizing even if the standard deduction is taken on the federal. This woke me up, from the article, "H&R Block, like many tax practitioners, tends to charge larger fees for more complex returns. " I don't charge enough for more complex returns, so this is my gateway to step into reality.

I agree with you, John. I think that if I did a lot of EITC returns, or returns with itemized deductions being the main separation from a short form I would be very concerned. And even though I don't anticipate much impact on my business (at least not right away) I do suspect that if I want to sell my business and retire in a year or two, or four or five, this will probably impact the marketability of a tax firm in general. Time will tell - and it would be interesting to see if they anticipate growth in 2025 when the laws for individuals will revert back to their current status. I think it is 2025 - I don't plan to be in business that long.

In Oregon, where you are allowed to itemize on the state return even when you are taking the standard deduction on the federal return and the state standard deduction is very low, I anticipate no effect on my practice.

I think that it depends on your niche in this business. Most of my clients are probably either already filing short form, or they have businesses/farms/rental property and that won't be any simpler. I do very few returns that have itemized deductions only. I may lose a few clients, but I don't think that it will substantially impact my business.

I would see more business for them, for every tax preparer.

Ringers, what you described sounds correct. I don't have any with that exact fact pattern to check it out where the input must be completed for the 8863 on that input and on the 5329 if there is a 1099Q. Then there are the due diligence questions that are all combined on one "set" of screens along with blank "notes" pages that I've been tailoring to each client's situation in a Q&A format for my documentation. My clients' children who received 1099Qs didn't have any taxable portion so I had the 5329 and attached a pdf showing qualified expenditures and that no 8863 credits were taken that should reduce those amounts. They were also dependents on their parents' returns where any 8863 credits would phase out due to income thresholds, so none were claimed. I'm not sure if the # of years rolls fwd as Catherine describes. I usually make brief notes in the bottom large box on the "Notes" screen that I mark to print with the preparer's version of the return that I keep in electronic format, and any info in that bottom large box has been rolling forward to the next tax year. I just wish that section would be expanded to allow more characters of input. There is a similar situation that requires input on multiple screens for the 2441 also. Expenses paid are entered there and also must be entered on the dependent screen with the breakdowns by child also. It is not automatic. For all the other benes I've derived from switching to Drake, I can live with these that affect very few of the clients i serve.