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I never said that! I said I could make snarky comments about it - but snark is not accusation. In some ways, it's all harder now. Yes, you take the exams one at a time, and not only once a year. But I know a couple of EA-wannabes yet to take all the exams because they can re-schedule. "I'm not ready" becomes either a respite, or an excuse to keep re-delaying in perpetuity. Having that once a year hard deadline lit a fire under your feet. Yes, I agree completely - the Part 3 entities and corporations is not a fun combo. When I took the exams (2003 - the year before the hurricane event that Lion and Sara dealt with) it wasn't held in an IRS office. There was a large conference center in Boston, above the Prudential Center shopping mall, rented out by the IRS - and staffed by IRS and MaSEA proctors. We got lockers for all our stuff, and could only bring in eyeglasses. There were (fortunately!) bathrooms *inside* the cordoned-off zone. No calculators. Pencils were on the tables, and scratch paper. Seating was in zig-zags on long tables, so you could not see what others did. No pencils or paper left the area, even to go potty - they checked. I remember getting a nasty headache after the first day from concentrating so hard; wandered the mall for an hour or more letting that fade before driving home. Bought myself a cute sweater at a store - that I still have and wear! It's held up really well. We got our exams, and scores, back by mail months later. I think I still have them tucked away somewhere. Passed all with good margins but I think it was the S-corps and partnerships section that had the lowest score. AAA and OAA, and inside/outside basis, are tricky enough without adding in the conditional triple negatives! I wish you the best of success! We need more EAs.

You're kidding, right Kev? Transcripts for 2021 aren't available at the start of tax season, so that may crimp your plans.To open an IRS account, you not only have to get through all the security questions but upload a photo ID and send them a selfie taken with a cell phone. Can/will all your clients do that? I can do it, but it would require unfreezing my credit reports, take a lot of time, and I don't want to. Might be better to just say you will assume each client got the $1400 stimulus unless they prove a different amount. As for the CTC, IRS is supposed to send a letter in Jan so require that.

I've been pushing that since a client mailed an IRS check to the state, and the state cashed it, but never told us there was an overpayment on the account (thieves!).

Lion, you and I must have taken the EA exam together! It was in 2004 at a hotel in Bristol, near ESPN and its huge satellite dishes. I was kind of glad we couldn't take our exams home. When I got back I opened a beer and went out on the deck to enjoy the relief and marvel at the hurricane-threatened sky. If I had had the exam questions, I would have been in the house frantically looking up things I wasn't so sure of. And Gail, not only were no calculators allowed, but no phones (lest you call a friend on the West coast where they started the same exam three hours later and divulge some of the questions). The proctors announced they would follow you to the restroom to assure no phone calls were made, but they never did that. With today's phones, you could probably send pics of the entire exam from your watch. Are calculators and/or phones allowed now? Does everyone get the same exam?

@Terry D Best wishes for success on the exam!

The CPA exam was similarly graded on a curved scale, and the grading of the essay questions was totally subjective as well. No contesting the grade, and yes, I do remember that it was further subjected to a "curve" or something at the state level where the state board of accountancy would decide how many applicants would pass. If they wanted to, they could adjust the grade by a point or two depending on how many new CPAs they wanted to let in or keep out! This was in the early to mid 1980s. At one time, my state did have a problem with some regulation that allowed a huge number of foreign students to take the exam under our rules, but that loophole has been closed for a while now.

I thought one of the worst things about it when I took the exam was that you had no access to a calculator. I was used to working on scratch paper so that was only so bad, but it did slow down the process and cause me to stress about finishing in time. On the other hand,, there were a few questions that were identical to previous years' tests that I recognized and could answer without any work at all. My understanding at the time was that the curve existed so they could control the number of EA's admitted to practice in any given year. Basically, they decided how many new EA's they wanted, and then set the passing score accordingly. And I think at that time you had to pass two of the four parts, and get within so many points of passing the other parts to avoid having to take it all over again. And testing centers were at IRS offices, proctored by IRS employees. I don't know which way to take the exam is harder - just that it is different now. Here's to your success, Terry D!

The two day/four part test was offered only once/year. Then you waited to receive your grade. I took it in a year that a hurricane hit FL and the eastern seaboard right before the test date, so we could NOT take anything out of the testing room and had to wait until the hurricane areas could set up testing before all the tests could be scored and the scores curved. When they did finally publish the answers, weeks had gone by so it was hard to remember/guess what MY answers were. If you didn't pass all four parts, you had to wait a year.

I wish you success, not luck! Back in Catherine and my days, the exam was four parts over two days (8 to 4:30). The third part was corps, which has now been rolled into the business/entities part. That change puts all the worst cougars in one cage. Everyone thought individuals would be a breeze, but that was not at all the case. I too passed all four parts on the first try, but my corp score was barely passing. Back in those days, you got to take your exam home with you because everyone got the same one at the same time. You could contest answers graded wrong, and the professional associations dug in and did just that. After the corrections (two answers correct, all answers correct), my corp score went into the high 80%s. Can anyone contest answers anymore? A disadvantage we had is that passing scores were curved, like the CPA exam, so if a bunch of geniuses happened to take the test when you did you might not pass with the same score you earned at a different sitting. Do your best, answer every question even if it's a wild guess, and do NOT go back and change any answers. Time again, that practice has proven to be fatal.

Catherine, I am studying for the EA using Gleim. Yes, it is down to three parts but, Part 2 the business, estates, trusts; etc is the big one that I believe is two of the previous areas combined. I've passed Part 1 and 3 and plan on passing Part 2 before Jan 15th. I know all about the triple negatives. Canidates may seem to have it easier but I don't think so. What bothers me is the folks who are passing the tests and have never prepared a tax return. Wish me luck on the last exam.

Both the excess contribution and the earnings as a result of the excess contribution must be withdrawn to avoid the penalties. Here is an article that will explain things very clear. Hope this helps. Roth IRA Excess Contribution | The Motley Fool

You are right the explanations are limited or non existent. I have also had the same thing happen with a few state notices. So far I have figured out the changes, but a few times I was down to my 3rd possible scenario before it made any sense.

I have also noticed that they make changes and don't attach an explanation like they used to. They are doing a lot of changing and not telling the client or us why they did it.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my stepdaughter's with SIL and 2-year-old grandson Everett who requested I sit next to him and gobbled up his dinner. We then returned to the little inn where we stayed for a few days. We had no refrigerator there, so couldn't take any leftovers. But hubby planned ahead and ordered the Stew Leonard's Thanksgiving dinner for pick-up today, so we can eat turkey and stuffing and all the sides all this week. My son and his wife live at her mother's inn in PA; DIL is the executive chef. She's been on her feet for over a week now. Usually she starts with "Bah Humbug" about the Thursday before Thanksgiving. This year she's been wishing everyone a "Thanksgiving" and if questioned, tells them she did NOT forget the "Happy." We don't visit them until the week between Christmas and New Year's when the inn empties out. We'll try to get the granddaughters on FaceTime.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. We had ribeyes on the grill and saved our bigger meal of a small turkey breast for today b/c my husband had just finished the latest of his most recent medical treatments on Wed, and we wanted to make sure he was feeling well enough to enjoy the turkey.