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For years, my own return was the last tax return that I prepared until the year that I rushed off on vacation. I returned back to work in November and suddenly realized that I hadn't filed my own tax return. Now my own tax return is the very first tax return that I file every year, which allows me to test my tax software. That's my story and I'm going stick to it.

Three stacks here in the office; two are new clients, and I'm about finished with them. Four that I can think of who haven't dropped off, but I see on Facebook that two had nice vacations last week. I'm about finished with them, too, if you know what I mean. No, not firing them, just not going to care more than they do. When they wander in, I will thank them kindly and say I'll be in touch in the next few weeks.

Every year I push all my procrastinators to be done by the 10th because this week in parts of MA and surroundings is prime fall foliage viewing. I try to get points for scheduling viewing at the right time, to make up for the rest of the year of missed non work opportunities. Life isn't all about work, I heard that somewhere.

I'm transmitting the last I'm going to do by Tuesday -- paying clients, that is -- a family for 2018 plus their new-to-me mother's 2017 and 2018 transmitted Saturday and just now. Now to prepare ours! One dropped off today; he knows they'll be in November. And, another got me wife's revised info only a couple days ago and was told November (but I did work out his Schedule C so he can make his SEP contribution on time) and discovered husband has some negative expenses scattered in his Quicken books; so I'm very glad I didn't try to work them in now. And, yet another yesterday; told November. I have my own payroll taxes and an all day tax seminar Friday in another town and fly to CO next Monday for days of tax classes and meeting up with some CO clients. I'll be back by Halloween. But, we got invited to the Metropolitan Opera to see Porgy & Bess on Wednesday, so that's my treat. And, I took off last Sunday through Wednesday for my granddaughter's 4th birthday in PA and to play with her baby sister, too. I know I read Cinderella more than 27 times!

No, not a barefoot, long-haired nut in sackcloth and ashes entering a bar carrying such a sign (prompting patrons to say "Quick, another round!"), but instead the state of my outstanding clients' returns. I've got two left: one's a straight-up businessguy who will appear tomorrow morning for sure and pay up all due (even my fee); the other's a maybe yes, maybe no - they owe IRS an arm and a leg so it's iffy -- we'll see. And how many have YOU got to go?

In recent years, I've prepared our own after all my paying customers, at least all that I have a chance of completing by 15 October. A few years ago, ours was rejected, because someone used my SSN (not hubby's). So, printing and mailing checks to the IRS, CT, and IL was a day late with P&I. I filled out all the paperwork, but that was the year with some IRS hacks, including into their IPIN system, so I couldn't get an IPIN to e-file the next year. The next year, I stopped everything weeks early to be able to e-file ours in plenty of time, expecting it to be rejected again. It was not. I've been preparing ours about 1 October since, just in case. But, this crazy year with TCJA, rehabbing my new hip, and two new grandbabies, I started yesterday! Need to get through all my Schedule C-related stuff to be able to write a check for my SEP for hubby to run down to our broker today or first thing tomorrow. And, IL does not accept the e-postmark, so I'll send the states separately tomorrow and federal on its own. Next year, I'm back to 1 October. I used to start ours first. But, broker statements get so many extensions. By then, clients are dropping off. Ours got later and later. Maybe I should just pick a time, such as August, and prepare ours no matter what. Acknowledgements are straggling from the IRS, PA, and NY for those last three. Good luck, everybody!

I have four done, waiting for them to show up and pick them up, and two I am still working on. Plus one to do that I doubt I get finished before the deadline and I am not going to lose a lot of sleep over that one. She won't either.

Since I am leaving on vacation in several days, I pushed all of my extensions to get me their information by the end of August. I finished my last tax return on the 16th of September. However I still have 3rd quarter payroll reports to finish for 3 more clients .

I have worked with small landowners and ranchers with occasional timber sales. In these cases, I have taken the position that the taxpayer is not in the business of raising and harvesting timber and have reported on Schedule D. I find it odd the basis equals sales, unless the land was recently inherited. I have seen cases where tax preparers pull a number out of the hat to determine basis. It can be tricky but using timber growth rates, and historical market prices a reasonable estimate is possible. When dealing with timber keep in mind the $10,000 above line deduction for reforestation cost.

That was a great reference Mike. Your expertise in Clergy Tax a is great Blessing to this board! Per Rev. Rul. 64-326 : A day or two before concluding his services, B meets with authorized officers of the host church to determine the amount of compensation he will receive. It is customarily agreed at that time that a portion of B's remuneration will be designated as a `rental allowance.'

The designation must be proscriptive. So as long as the designation is prior to ministry payment. I would recommend even prior to ministry to ensure no confusion.

Traveling evangelists are entitled to a housing allowance exclusion if they maintain a permanent home and have local churches in which they conduct religious meetings declare, in advance, a portion of thier compensation as a housing allowance. See RR 64-326.

Exactly ! If they do that, in advance, he can take it. If they don't, he can't.

Here is the thing. He gets contributions from a variety of sources, kinda like a missionary does. Some of the churches he goes to give him a monthly support amount on a regular basis, some on a one time basis. There are about 3 organizations (his home church, the organization that he is loosely working under, and another church that he does not attend) that make up the bulk of his income. But those amounts are not guaranteed, it is just a payment like they would do to a missionary. There is a blurb in Pub 517 about traveling ministers and their housing. From what I read, the donor organizations possibly could designate a portion of their contribution to him as housing allowance provided they did it before the beginning of the tax year. But I am not sure. Thanks Tom Newark, CA