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I agree and I disagree. There is a HUGE push towards panic by the media looking for clickbait. So the panic is most decidedly being pushed. Cui bono? Who benefits? What important issues are no longer in the public eye? Distraction works, no doubt. However, there is a long time between exposure and symptoms, but not between exposure and sharing the wealth (as it were), which means that for every case known, there are up to hundreds that are not yet known. The emergency measures are a good idea, but not because it's "so dangerous" rather it's logistics. Most people who get this will have mild cases; the younger the milder - so with kids it's almost un-noticeable. Serious cases tend to be those compromised (by age, by pre-existing condition, by smoking, by local pollution levels, by general sanitation, and more). That's a big factor in the seriousness they had in China; older population living crowded with bad sanitation, some of the world's worst pollution levels, and adult male smoking rates near 50%. If you get a boatload of serious cases needing ICU support *at once* you overwhelm the system. Then death rates skyrocket, because people who could recover with care can't get the care because the necessary equipment is in use for someone else. Plus anyone who has another health issue (bad accident, heart attack, who knows - acute scrofula, fer gosh sake) also cannot get care. Health workers are exhausted; they get sick. Or make sloppy, exhausted-people errors. When you slow down transmission, that overwhelmed system does NOT happen. The serious cases can all get attention, because there is space within the system to provide it. Death rates plummet. They found in the Spanish Flu in 1918 that cities like St Louis, that instituted school shut-downs etc earlier (before there were any cases in the city) had incidence rates and death rates far lower than cities like Denver, that didn't shut down until after cases cropped up. (Side note: as it turns out, a lot of the young, healthy people who died in the 1918 incident died from massive *aspirin* overdose - Bayer had a new drug, and was recommending dosage levels that turned out to be lethal. That got covered up for them, but the symptoms presented of hemorrhage etc in the younger victims were not signs of flu, but rather of aspirin overdose.) Transmission rates are high, yes - but transmission rates are far higher for measles or chicken pox. I remember being sent to the neighbor's house when the three boys had measles, so my brother and I would catch it and get it over with. We shared lollipops with them. Neither my brother nor I got measles. I'm sure most of us here are old enough that we remember similar events. Death rates will go DOWN as more cases are identified. There are so many mild cases simply not being reported currently that death rates are over-stated since those diagnosed are largely the more-seriously ill cases. If you are under 70 or so and healthy (and don't smoke or vape), there is a very low chance of having a serious case. Those who do get a serious case need substantial care for a longer than normal (for a flu or pneumonia) time. So slowing the rate of incidence of all cases will keep us better able to treat anyone who needs more help than a box of tissues, motrin, and chicken soup.

I’ve instituted one new procedure in my client waiting area

I put out a notice to my remaining clients that they can submit their paperwork via secure file pro. I will forward electronic signature forms through signature flow and will return all documents and the final return through the secure file pro portal. Also, wiping down everything in my office. I too work from home but wipe down all door knobs, the pen on the signature pad and the pad, the desk, arms of the chairs and hand rails on the stairs. Unless I have an elderly client who can't wait, the bathroom is off limits. If it is used, it will be cleaned after the client leaves. I agree with staying safe. I am at the vulnerable age but fortunately don't have any underlying conditions except I like to eat too much. I guess for a 65 year old guy who takes no meds and is fairly healthy, that's not too bad and maybe I'm only at a minor risk, but who knows so I will error on the side of caution.

The toughest thing for me is to NOT touch my face. I tend to lean on my hand, scratch my itchy eyes and nose (allergies), brush hair out of my eyes with my hand, and otherwise touch my face. I'm making a conscious effort to NOT touch my face, but it's very hard.

It will be the same as the government has always handled tax matters. Last minute. I'm thinking they'll let us know on 04/14? Maybe 04/16?

Thanks, John. Now we know where the toilet paper all went.

Cancelled the few appointments I have left and I'm working from home. I'm in a high risk group and I already have an over-reactive respiratory system. Plus I've always been a 'better safe than sorry' kinda guy. I'm actually more productive at home, due to fewer interruptions and no phone ringing all day. Plus I save an hour a day on the road.

Yes, that’s difficult as you touch your face numerous times without even thinking. Try to always have clean hands. If you are out remember to use a wipe to clean hands after touching hard objects. It’s a crazy time, and these precautions seem silly but look at Spain and France on lockdown because it is escalating possibly getting out of control and overwhelming the medical community. Don’t believe it can’t happen here, it will unless we smack it down. So far it’s mostly personal decisions, NYC subways are vacant, they’re getting the message in old NY.

I have lots of "remote" clients but am pushing for all the rest to upload to my portal, mail/UPS/FedEx, fax, or use the mail slot in my front door. I'm using eSign when possible (NY won't accept any type of electronic signature) and otherwise use my portal for delivering signature pages, return to review, payment vouchers if not paying electronically, etc. I mail tax folders after e-files are accepted. We do wipe the front door handles and mail slot now, as well as all door knobs and light switches and bathroom counter/fixtures and my desk. I'm washing my hands before and after handling each client's documents. I have a bottle of sanitizer on my desk and a small bottle in my purse and tissues on the desk. It's a home office. I have a couple of biz clients that I work at their sites; haven't been to one lately, but was at the other on Wednesday and took my wipes to wipe down the desk and chair before and after I worked and had my hand sanitizer with me but washed my hands frequently, didn't shake their hands, etc. They were using paper towels in their bathroom instead of cloth towels as in the past. My clients are mostly long-time, so lots of hugs and even kisses and, at least, handshakes. But, not this year. Just smiles. I love the idea of pens, taking them with. I'd done that with pens with my info on them for years but didn't buy any this year. Still the mug of pens for clients (mostly handouts from seminars and samples mailed by imprint companies) -- I'm going to have them take them with them as they use them. I do keep the pens I use on the other side of me to NOT loan to clients. Going to be extra careful about that now. Thanx, Lynn. I got some push back from a couple of older women who drive a fair distance to come to me. We struck a compromise: they'll drop off in my mail slot; I'll call their cell with any questions; they'll return to sign (they won't use a computer and don't trust the mail) at my front door or front hall, not my office. We usually do a fair amount of chatting at their appointments, but this year we did that on the telephone instead. Signatures and out of my house. I think they want to sit in their car in my driveway for hours while I prepare two sets of returns!

Just now from AICPA: Yesterday, we told you about our efforts and conversations with the Treasury Department and the IRS to secure filing and payment relief for taxpayers and tax preparers in light of the uncertainty and challenges caused by the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Based upon our conversations, we anticipate that Treasury and the IRS will announce this week an extension of the April 15th deadline by as much as 90 days, and a waiver of penalties and interest for most taxpayers. Additionally, Treasury and the IRS are aware of the major deadline for businesses tomorrow, March 16th, and the challenges facing taxpayers and tax preparers in meeting that deadline. They have indicated that they would be generous in determining reasonable cause abatement of any penalties for taxpayers and tax preparers unable to file in a timely manner. We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information.

At the office, we are using bleach wipes on all knobs, the light switches, and keyboards a couple of times a day - more often if there are a lot of people in and out. We scan all client docs, so if I'm using docs on a screen, and my keyboard etc has been wiped, while I'm still trying (and failing, mostly) to keep hands away from face (hard, with glasses and allergies), I'm not too concerned. More hand-washing. There is a bottle of sanitizer; that is getting more use, too. The huge box of pens we bought a year or so ago is getting more use; I'm putting out new pens for each client and urging them to take 'em away with them. We're finding more people want to drop off docs without talking (fine with me!) and more are using our portal (even better). More people want returns mailed back rather than coming to pick up, so we are getting signature forms later. LOTS of questions about what is going to happen about deadlines; my standard answer is that we'll know when there is an official announcement.

Monday 20 April end of business day.

If he values his job, Schedule C. If he left that job, use Form 8919 and SS-8 to report it as wages and pay only his half of FICA and Medicare. Let your client decide. It is NOT other income.

Compensation is W-2 wages. If they didn't pay wages last year, take it to distr. if they are over their basis then tax it. For 2020 set up on Payroll. You can't redo what didn't happen.

I do all my business mostly through USPS or email. I did visit the PO everyday at 10:30 so I could shoot the breeze with Joe the maintenance guy and sometimes the counter people. But now I go before the PO opens and if I have to sign at the counter I'm first. Since I did some pro bono work for the maintenance guy he opens the side door for me if he sees me so I am always first. Now I open the door with a disposable glove. If I need to go to the counter I have a wipe to clean my hands when I get back into the car. It's the times we live in, I don't like it but it is what it is. I have to stay safe, there are people who depend on me and I will do my best to not let them down.

I am working strictly from home, which I do mostly anyway, as I share an office. I did cancel one appointment from a new client, who wanted to meet face to face. A few years ago, I had pneumonia twice in the same year, so I have been super cautious since then.

Westchester County, NY, with a big outbreak, is right next door to Fairfield County, CT, so it's leaping this way. One man at a large party in Westport, CT, who didn't show symptoms until days later (he'd gone back to his home country, so a communication lag added more days) led to 14 more cases in Westport who didn't show symptoms until days later. How many people did those 14 contact before showing symptoms? Their own children, work colleagues, children's school events, religious services, more parties and social events, political events, grocery shopping, routine doctor visits, etc. During that time, my hubby was at Westport stores (Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, dry cleaners, post office, and nearby Costco, plus three different doctor check ups for eyes, feet, etc.). Did he come into contact with one of the 14 or any of the people that previously contacted the 14? Hubby did our shopping and touched everything in this house. How many other people touched the soup can, frozen food box, dry cleaning, etc.? One of the CT cases is a hospital worker in TWO hospitals. How many people, including those with already compromised immune systems, did he contact before he knew he was sick? Another lives in NY so counts as a NY case, but worked in two CT hospitals. All of our doctors provide services in those hospitals. The CT cases will grow exponentially, not linearly. If one of us -- both old and type 2 diabetic -- gets sick, the other can't isolate, is the caregiver. How much higher is the 14% for TWO risk factors. How much higher for the second to get sick after spending weeks caring for the first? Do you understand why I don't want my clients in my home office? I need to protect them and their families, as well as my family, and everyone we come into contact with before we know we are sick.

I just bought a box of Bic pens for clients to use (the few that come to pick up/sign/pay) and take with them. Those pens will be segregated from the ones I use on a regular basis. Other than that, business as usual - cleanliness, hand sanitizer, hand washing, mailing as many returns as possible. Most of my clients mail or upload their info.

Ever since this started, I have wondered if Chaz, Janitor Bob's friend that stands on the corner and drinks warm Corona, has anything to do with it. I don't know about drinking corona warm - does that cause disease?

If one more person....just one; comes in and starts in on what all's gonna happen; I swear I'll either overdose on a bottle of Germ-X or throw myself out the window (even if it is only a one-story building). (Not that I, myself, haven't already mentioned every possible dire consequence in the world 'til my other half finally told me to shut up.)

I wanted to start a separate topic related specifically to changing office procedures related to the spreading virus. I am small volume as far as the number of returns I prepare and already have the majority of people's data in via drop box or delivery service. I already have a bottle of hand sanitizer and tissues at the door, will be wiping down after appointments, and of course lots of hand washing. I am considering changing over to mailing completed returns back to people wherever possible to limit in-person contact at this point. Clients already have multiple ways to return signature forms to me, so there's not really a change needed there. What have others here changed or are considering changing because of this?

You mean, like half of our tax clients?

Did she repay in 2019 or 2020?

This is how the IRS defines it. No mention of financial distress. "An involuntary conversion occurs when your property is destroyed, stolen, condemned, or disposed of under the threat of condemnation and you receive other property or money in payment, such as insurance or a condemnation award. Involuntary conversions are also called involuntary exchanges.? https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/involuntary-conversions-real-estate-tax-tips

Ignoring all the hype, and doing business as usual. No different than any other flu season. Common sense rules our actions. Not media hype.

Some people have to learn the hard way.

From what I get from my client, they are got sucked in by one of those programs and they think this is how they are going to spend their retirement years. When you see the look in their eyes, like they are the ones who found the goose that lays the golden eggs, you know they are not going to listen to anyone but the guy who sold them the program

California has announced June 15 as the new deadline.

I'm sure, if it happens, it will be announced everywhere and only someone living in a cave, disconnected from everything, will not find out about it.;)

They are county tax liens on property that the county has been unable to collect on. The county auctions them off from time to time. That means the buyer of a lien has to try and collect on it from a deadbeat property owner and if it can not be collected, the property can be foreclosed on. If successful, the lien holder takes possession of the property and then has to evict the former owner, unless it is abandoned. Then the new owner either tries to resell it, or rent it out. Much of the time the property is in bad shape and requires a substantial investment, in repair and remodeling. There are companies on TV and the internet promising riches by investing in tax liens. Just buy their tax lien kit packed with all the info and tools to become a wealth tax lien investor. It is not so easy, as there are many legal traps and pitfalls that can occur. There is also the condition of the building which can only be seen from the outside. What if, if after the lien has been bought you find out it has mold, mildew, water damage, termites, etc.? There is no refund on the lien. I have a client who has been buying liens and acquiring property for several years, but now has given it up. Several properties were acquired, but no profit was ever made.

I keep hand sanitizer on my desk for clients to use.

For years I've been doing everything possible to keep my clients out of my office so I could get some work done. I've migrated as many of them as possible over to email, text, and even private messages on social media. Seems like I can now add another reason to the stack - "I don't want to risk getting your Hunan Flu or giving you mine if I contract it. "

We didn't have it confirmed here until a U of Del professor visited someone out of state that has it, and every state around us has cases. Now multiple cases related to that one professor, and how many did he infect before his results came back? Because we are so small, we have many out of state workers coming from neighboring states, and in reverse, many residents in my county working in those other states. It was only a matter of time before it got here anyway. Those of you in less densely populated areas will hopefully be less affected.

I like Rita's method if there is any question about which way is best. The worksheet can be a starting point, but most programs will only do that for the federal, and sometimes the state matters too.

I fell like i have been self-quarantined for the last month anyway, since there are never large crowds in my office, lol. Seriously, I am not upset about not shaking hands and hope that perhaps that change will stay even after the virus is contained - i have arthritis in my hands and some handshakes are downright painful! Mostly, I think right now we don't truly know (at least in the US) what the mortality rate is because we cannot identify everyone who has the illness. The area I am in has no confirmed cases in this end of the state. Might mean there are none, might mean the people who have it are young and healthy and don't know that they have it. I have always washed my hands, with soap, multiple times a day. I am trying to not touch my face but usually that is an unconscious thing so I don't know if I am succeeding. I don't feel a need to hoard supplies, and I am really too busy right now to need much. I will miss March madness, though!

That worksheet didn't used to be all that useful to me years ago; I always had to tweak it a lot. Maybe it's better now. However, what I usually do is prepare the MFJ return. Then I duplicate it twice. I delete one spouse's information on one, and I delete the other spouse's information on the other. I also print all three and give to the taxpayers. This generally stops the self-appointed tax matters spouse who made 2,000 and paid in 11 bucks from asking again. True story. This really happened this year. It was worth the trouble. Some things are better than money.

Not to be doom and gloom, but about the mortality rate that's mentioned, those are averages, and CoVid-19 mortality rates goes up significantly in age brackets over 60 and even higher for the aged that also have other underlying illnesses or disease processes. The rate can be as high as 14% for those with heart disease, diabetes, any sort of lung disfunction, etc. I am sure that similar patterns exist for the flu for the elderly with those sorts of ailments. I am worried for my mother at 93. She just came home from a short stay in a rehab facility 2 days ago and is supposed to have some ongoing in-home PT. I'm not thrilled with that idea of having strangers coming directly into her home at this point. Before her release, the wing of the building went through very restricted visitation and other protocols for active flu cases, then last week started with restrictions on visitors for this new virus. I was visiting at lease once every day and was being screened each time entering, having temperature taken, masks, hand sanitizer, and the smallest sniffle would be cause to be examined by a nurse. The facility was going on full lockdown the afternoon of her release, no visitors allowed at all.

Okay, that's it. Out the window.

`It appears that quarantine measures are pretty much going to cancel any celebrations in in March and April. So the best big holiday will be May 5 -> Cinco De Mayo, sponsored by.....Corona.

Lee is right on with these facts. Since the flu mortality rate is 1/10th of 1 percent, that's where the 30 times higher comes in to get to 3% ( I don't have to tell this to a bunch of accountants). If you calculated the rate of current confirmed cases and deaths we are around 2 1/2% now. I am in contact with my cousins in Italy and I think we are about 3-4 weeks behind them if we're lucky. They were dying 100 a day and the quarantining is needed to stop the transmission. It looks like it is the only method that works. New Rochelle NY had a serious outbreak and they are trying to stop it, imagine that happening everywhere at the same time, something not out of the realm of possibilities if we don't take serious measures. We'll get past this but the medical community is afraid of being overwhelmed and older people are afraid of being a victim. That's why nursing homes are in lockdown. We need to stay calm, know the facts and take proper precautions, but a 1 month Netflix Binge Watch Quarantine Holiday would go a long way to end this, and what an amazing stock buying opportunity. Stay safe out there, it can be an unforgiving world at times.

There were a lot of deaths from AIDS before we had time to develop a protocol of anti-viral drugs, and we slowed the spread by safe sex, getting bleeding athletes out of the arena, and other lifestyle changes. Only now are we seeing a vaccine, and it's been around since the early 1980s. Without hand washing, social distancing, no hand shaking, etc., we will not slow the spread of the corona virus. It lives for hours on surfaces, so that paperwork we handle (how can I sanitize paper without the print running?), the desk or light switch we touch, etc., can be deadly to an old lady like me with type 2 diabetes. Look at Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and they're a decade younger than I am. Our medical facilities cannot treat (there is no cure) or control this virus. If they have enough respirators, they might be able to keep some of us old people alive long enough for our bodies to recover.

Not to minimize the effect on those who have contracted the disease, but it does seem a little overblown. From what I understand, this is a very nasty flu bug that if not treated aggressively can turn to pneumonia pretty quickly. The transmission rate is equivalent to the flu. Is my understanding correct? But I look at the numbers and I don't get it. California has 40 million (give or take) residents. We have about 250 confirmed cases. Yet they are shutting down everything. No church, no sports, no events, nothing can happen if more than 200 people are going to get together. Because 250 people got the flu. Maybe I am just not seeing this the right way. If I am offensive, it is not my intention, but I don't see the end of the world happening, unless it is because our reaction to this disease leads to it. Tom Modesto, CA