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I don't believe the IRS will try again. Their automated system will send your client a letter with a NSF penalty. I think in this situation you need to be proactive and either you or your client needs to call the IRS, explain the situation and ask them what would be the best payment option to resolve this snafu.

I lean towards over the top. What I mean is for backups out of my control, such as third party online, I only backup copies of my self made encrypted backups. This way, if the third party does get hacked, and someone figures out a way to break their encryption, they would have to then break my encryption. The idea is not to be the low hanging fruit. Just as important, after completing your first backup with a new system (and periodically going forward), try restoring the backup. This will show you any missing items, or missing instructions you need to have. There is no point spending time on a backup if you are not certain you can restore from it...

Thanks, Yardley CPA, for this info. I had best call my business bank first to see. PNC is my personal bank but Fifth Third is business.

Or, it can be cashed at any bank. If it is a postal money order, at any US post office.

Wow! Just got off the phone with IRS e-help and my EFIN application is updated, I'm just waiting for the code letter to complete the EServices registration, and the woman who helped me could not have been nicer!!!

I only do about 100 tax returns - mostly 1041s and rental 1065s. It was all and all a good season. Monday morning I had some pickups but I had moved onto my regular job - investments and financial planning. As was mentioned - the comparison form showing income, deductions and tax for the last few years was a freakin godsend on several clients. They paid 20% less in tax overall but owed with the return. Really made my life far easier. The only pain is the horrifically late arriving K-1s.

I really fail on the upside down this year. Embarrassing and Unprofessional.

I experienced zero crashing. Overall, the program was the only help that I had. As many have said, the Comparison sheet was what told the truth and every client got one. Many extensions to go. We cannot rule out the Schedule A in WI, because many, many times some of the deductions flow through to the WI return. I had WAY too many people who owed a LOT. That's a hard situation to deal with, unless the client understands. From beginning to end, the worst tax season that I have ever had.

UT has a worksheet named "1040 reconciliation." It is the old 1040! It was a godsend. I'd skip over the "postcard" and go over their return from here, where you can tell what the numbers are and where they came from. We have used ATX for payroll and 1099s and had planned to switch to it for tax this year. We decided against it because the learning curves for the new tax laws and for a new program would have overwhelmed us. Ever notice how the new schedules have lines that correspond to the old 1040? Like lines 1-9 are "reserved" and line 10 is exactly what the 1040 had. It makes me think (hope) that even the IRS doesn't believe the new postcard has a future and won't have to change all the form instructions if it gets revised back. If only the same could be said for the new W4. I agree that this was a horrible tax season. We had so many clients who owed and were not prepared for it. My heart goes out to Tracy Lee. There certainly is an emotional side to tax prep, and that plus the strain on our brains figuring out this new code made for a lot of stress. Yesterday I accomplished nothing. I did not have the energy to look at another tax return or read another email. I cleaned out old emails (probably deleting many unread that I didn't have the desire to read), did some filing of scanned documents, straightened up the office, and did not even feel guilty collecting a paycheck while accomplishing nothing substantive. I so appreciate this forum for the tax knowledge shared. Every question asked received thoughtful answers, and many of the topics were so relevant to what we were all going through. We have over 150 on extension and I picked up a bunch of estates, so it will be a busy off-season but without the long hours and pressure of deadlines. If only I can get my @ss in gear.

Yes

Yep, that's us alright!

The client does not owe state estimates so no worries there. He could not find it possible to list future estimated IRS payments until 30 days prior to due date. This and most of my clients are pdf via electronic methods only hence my instructions in a single highlighted sentence to confirm payment methods and bank accounts. I will in the future, however, include those pages to be initialed/signed and dated and returned along with the 8879. Thanks for that idea, Bart. Then again, this is the first time in over 20 years to have such an issue so may not be a huge worry going forward.

My choice since 2003 has been custom built by my computer guy nearby. He has built the last 3 with upgrades in between and an annual 'spa' treatment. Because he knows exactly what the components are, he can trouble shoot in a heartbeat although issues have been extremely rare. There is no bloatware or other crap, just what I want and need. When he does remote in, he knows exactly what to look for and where to find it. We are discussing whether to go to Win 10 or not next year. Support for 7 pro is still available for 3 more years but I am familiar with 10 on my Surface Pro so undecided for now. I would not have an off the shelf computer again for business. YMMV

I've been having clients sign the Direct Deposit/Debit Report my software prints out. I think that glazed-eyes condition prevents them from paying much attention to the numbers, though. But, at least, I have their signatures covering MY butt.

EFTPS allows for scheduling up to all 4 quarterly payments ahead, and can be changed or cancelled if the taxpayer's situation changes.