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We also have this requirement for the few who "forget" to pay us. Once, in over twenty years, I had a client pay for the prior year and current year, and then not return. Whatever. Her information was always a bit sloppy so it didn't hurt to see her walk away.

But are usually embarrassed enough to add a generous tip! The biggest problem I have with my clients is trying to answer due diligence questions about "documents" when most of the answers I know through long, personal relationships. But they do get a kick out of it when I ask if little Bobby is still their kid.

I have them mail me a check with 8879. Some will send check separately when they get their refund, and some drag it out like I forgot them. After a friendly call I usually get paid. The very few, I can't even remember who, if they don't pay by next filing season I don't do return until paid for last and current year first. It's a system that works well for me.

I'm with Lion; I've had a couple of local clients pay me with cash, but most pay with their credit cards through my website. A few send checks, which I don't mind since PayPal takes out quite a bit in fees. I've got to admit, taking the fees for 3 years of back tax returns in cash was kinda nice...

No worries, just make sure you entered the states number under the tab.

I didn't check 1099R's, just Social Security withholding. Is it a red error? If not I'd ignore it. I was working in my test client return yesterday and was getting a ton of blue errors for overrides on banking products that I don't even use. I just unchecked the Overrides filter so I didn't have to look at them.

One thing to note, when you turn off 'Services' for ATX, if you don't complete the whole process in one sitting, 'Services' will be turned back on automatically when you restart your computer and another 'Server' folder will be added.

You two luckily must not be insomniacs. Not knowing a wholesale way to clean up Payer Manager I indeed have gone in there time and again, usually late at night, and deleted duplicates. At least you can delete a whole row/entry with a single click. Having begun computing with a Commodore Vic-20 with a whopping TWO KILOBYTES of RAM, I've always felt it vital to keep programs and data ultra lean in every way possible. Maybe that doesn't matter at all anymore with Gigabytes of RAM and Terabytes of storage, but doing it's very mind-pacifying.

I know it is hard to believe, but I actually know people who do not have a cell phone or who have a cell phone with no data plan. Do companies that require tokens on a phone or a certain software installed pay anything towards the monthly cost of the data plan or the cell phone? Can you require someone to own a cell phone as a condition of employment?

Just make sure the distribution is Covid-related. They or a family member essentially had to have had the virus or been quarantined, or had suffered financially due to reduced hours, job loss, lack of child care so they could work, etc. I have had several calls from clients who heard they could take the money out (penalty and tax-free!) and were just checking. Of course they were not told it had to be Covid-related. I had one who works for a huge area employer and said HR told him he could take out $100k and only pay 10% tax. He did it, even though he had not been impacted by the virus. After I told him what his tax liability would really be (and scolded him about setting back his future retirement income), he paid it back except for the withholding. That amount will be taxed and subject to the 10%. Another wanted to drain his IRA to pay off credit cards and thought he would be exempt from penalty. At the end of our lengthy back and forth about it, his employer furloughed everyone for one day a week because of reduced business, so finally my client had a reason that qualified. There's a lot of misinformation out there, so do ask questions about these retirement plan distributions.

You're welcome to stick around, working or not.

My clients are all long-term clients, often referrals from other clients, their family members. I trust them to mail me a check or pay via my website after their next payday or give me their CC info to charge on a certain date, that type of thing. During 2020 a few asked to pay me on installments, which I took. Two paid their last installments in December, which is not as late as it sounds because I was preparing returns through 15 October.

A good seminar instructor (Chris Bird from Champagne IL) this fall stated that the IRS does not have the manpower to chase down the "rush-and-take-the-kids first" abusers. They not only would have to catch them, but they would also be drug into the facts and circumstances to determine whether someone is righteous or not. This is true even if the second filer follows up with a paper return. Not right.

I will take a post dated check from my clients with the stern warning that if it bounces I will never do their taxes again. Tom Modesto, CA

I take all major credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, checks/e-checks, and cash. Clients can pay me in person (not since March!!), via a link on my website, or give me their CC or bank information (for e-checks) over the telephone that I then process via QuickBooks. My clients seldom get much of a refund, but I do NOT take my payment out of their refunds.

Agree, Pacun, but is there anyway to time it so your return goes in that .0000006 seconds earlier? Do certain software providers have the inside track? It seems to me like some of the ones that do testing for the IRS might be able to get the return in earlier than smaller firms that have to wait until the actual opening (or at least it used to seem that way.) Does a big firm like HRB get their returns processed before a small firm using ATX? I just don't know - and mostly don't really care because I don't want to get in these kind of contests for who can file first.