Leaderboard

Of course, I'd charge. It's your time. If you're going to work for free, take a vacation instead! Charge them your top hourly rate, plus a PITA fee (I tend to label it The CARES Act or something appropriate on the invoice). And, when they run payroll themselves in QB and call you with questions, charge them your top hourly rate, minimum one hour (or, if you're feeling generous, 15-minute increments) billed monthly. Don't forget to charge them for all the clean-up (bookkeeping on your invoice) you'll be doing for them before you can prepare their tax returns next year. Stop work when an invoice is unpaid. They are going to suck up your time, so start by charging them now. If they don't complain, raise your rates.

You set them up on your QBDT, right? And, they now want to run their own payroll on QBO. Unless you can transfer from your QBDT to their QBO in less than a few minutes (I might consider up to 30 minutes FOR AN ONGOING CLIENT) charge them for it. At the very least, I would charge a new client and MAYBE offer them a discount on their 2020 tax preparation in 2021. Or, do what large companies do and give them free setup, but NOT NOW, deducted from their 3rd invoice or 12th invoice or something like that. You could be spending your time on another new client who's not so needy. Or preparing tax returns for me through 15 October, and I'll pay!

Contact your E&O insurance carrier for legal advice, OPR for advice, etc.

Why wouldn't you charge them again? You are having to totally redo the setup in different software. If you don't charge them again, they won't learn the valuable lesson the making changes costs time and money.

Perhaps I misunderstood. I thought that ILLMAS set everything up on his desktop version of QB, and charged them for that. Then they decided, against his advice, to go with QB Online and do their own payroll. I assumed they would be setting that up themselves. If he has do the work over again on the version they purchased, of course he will charge again. It is new work. BUT if they are setting it up themselves, I am not sure he can charge them even though he more than likely gave them a break, however slight, for setting it up because he thought it was an ongoing revenue generator. And LIon, anyone on here would help you if we really thought that you needed our help.

I would copy just your (new) client's info and shred the rest. I would not give back the return as is. Lynn

It was actually not that hard after I fiddled around with it. Actually, I duplicated the return and fiddled in that one until I had it right. I prepared the 8824 first, then went to fixed assets, disposition tab, type exchange. Once I completed the disposition a new asset was created, but I was able to edit the activity. Everything flowed smoothly through to the Sch. E. It is pretty slick. Reminds me why I stick with ATX. This was one of those transactions I don't do very often, so I needed a quiet time to play with it. Tom Modesto, CA

I know, Gail. This is a great board. Catherine helped me out one year when my son got married 1 October with little warning. And, Jack has helped me with those pesky OH local returns. I thought I was on-track this year. But I'm on the education committee for the NY/CT Association of Tax Professionals that decided in August to have self-study courses from September through January, so I had to learn new testing/grading/certificates software this month. It's always something.

Thanks for that, Lynn. I'll see where I stand after this weekend. I have a couple missing information; if they delay until 1 October, they are going to be late, and I don't care. I'm most worried about a couple stragglers who are long-time clients who might drop-off 2 October and expect to file on time. I'm not sure I have space in my queue. [And, I really need to train hubby to leave me alone when I'm in my home office. A broadcaster client offered to order me an On Air sign!]

Lion - I'll help you with your tax returns if you wish .

It would not surprise me if their 2018 return was on the flip side of someone else's return. I am going to let them know what happened so they can be alert for any identity theft issues.

Is it possible that your new client and his girlfriend have their 2019 returns duplicated on the flip sides of random strangers' returns, also? I realize you can't deal with the previous preparer who passed away, but should you warn your clients? Report to your IRS liaison?

If you already charged them the set up fee, I don't think you can charge that again. But I agree with Lion, that all the questions they ask so they can do it themselves and save money have to cost them. Just my opinion.

I've gotta amend this piece of that last post. About that movie on Netflix that they're carryin' on about so much (yeah; that one); well I haven't actually seen it but they played a few clips on the news and I was so flabbergasted that I'm cancellin' my subscription. And here's where this turns into a non-(N/T) question: I don't actually have a subscription to Netflix, but my tech-savvy granddaughter who lives off from here does and somehow I'm gettin' the movies on her card, code, cosmos, or whatever. Is there a deduction (AR allows schedule A) in there somewhere for sacrificing for "the greater good" (some of those movies are just terrible)? Or is my six months of watchin' them for free (never knew Bruce Willis and so many other aging actors were on it) a taxable line 21 item (after all, where else could you put it?)? I think I already know the answer, but if my luck holds (I won a cakewalk when I was eleven years old), who knows?

Have them send Form 14039. There you can check that you don't know if anyone filed taxes for you but that you are a victim. Then explain the circumstances. I did this for one client who was involved in a big data breach and hadn't yet experienced adverse consequences but was worried. He was given an IP PIN. The same for another client who had his cell phone shut off when someone bought a new one with his account info.

I did recommend for them to call the IRS and to explain what happened (actually happened today) and see if they qualified for a PIN.