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Real hugs to you, jasdlm. I'm sorry this is so hard, and seems harder each year since 2020, plus having gone back to the original deadline isn't helping. Do what you can do, feel good about what you have accomplished each day, and don't worry about what will be unfinished. Much of that isn't our fault, and that's what extensions are for. Come and vent here if it helps where we all understand. I'm tired, and tired of feeling like I care more about the tax returns than the clients do, and I'm not going to do that any more.

Marilyn, the world would be darker place without people like you

It appears that we all feel pretty much the same. I told my husband that I just cannot get motivated today and I am also so far behind with the bookkeeping for his business too. My entire family will be on extension, as well as several others. I still don't think we will make it. I will have help tomorrow and one more helper on Tuesday; but there is only so much that they can do. More new clients coming in this week. I actually had a lady crying on the phone because nobody would take her. I will. I am all about service, before money.

I overslept this morning and consequently my son was late for a 7:00 am call for a school activity (albeit only 2 minutes late, but isn't everything magnified right now?); he's at the school with no breakfast and a pocketful of granola bars and a latte (mother of the year right here). I yelled at my husband this morning for making a coffee mess all over the counter and not cleaning it up or throwing away his trash. I used a few 4-letter words (which I truly NEVER do), so I think I scared him half to death. Then I came to the office and thought I was going to break down crying. This is ridiculous. I think we don't realize the depths/effects this pace/pressure have on us. One of my staff members gave me a pep talk which really helped. 'I've worked for you since 2008. You've never not made it to the finish line. You've got this.' I pass this pep talk on to all of you. We've got this. 10 more days. Palm Sunday and Easter. Renewal and rebirth and and incredible amount of Grace.

I emailed a client 10 days ago: "I don't have your blah blah blah brokerage statement". HIs response TODAY: "I know. I intentionally didn't send that to you because it is long". Woe is me. And tired is me. Woe and tired.

Thank you, Judy. I really appreciate it. I had a definite meltdown moment yesterday morning. Trying to buck up today. It's so nice to have friends here who understand. I can't believe I've been haunting this board for almost 20 years! My gratitude to all of you. I hope we continue to help each other make it through the season for many years to come. Doni

You should always look at every page of a lengthy 1099. Sometimes the amounts in the detail are higher than the 1099 amounts for things like bond premium amortization, and sometimes there's a missing basis for a stock sold. Or they might provide a US Gov % for each fund and if that amount is material, you need to know the dividends for just that fund.

Or all the tax exempts in there that they do not make clear to which state it belongs to.

Most of the time we just need a few pages of those lengthy consolidated 1099s, BUT sometimes we do. Today I worked on a client who moved back to the states after working abroad for a couple of years. I had to go through all 65 pages of that tome to pull out the income/gains paid while he was a resident of the state he moved to. I think the only times we really need the pages of dividends, etc. is for part-year residents of the states. Of course, there are those call and put options that appear near the end, and the "other info" sheet alerting us to the fact that a PPT K-1 should be in the mix.

I wish I had clients who cared about me as much as yours care about you.... Tom Longview, TX

I agree! Exhausted. I have never had so many new clients in one year. More tax preparers and CPA's are retiring in my area and no new people coming in and replacing them. New client brought me huge tax return with 27 K1s and 4 Charles Schwab statements totaling 264 pages, marketplace and the list goes on. I did do a little crying over that then called him and said EXTENSION!!! And I am so tired of every other TP telling me they didn't get any stimulus!!! It took ALL my will power to get out of bed this morning and come to my office. 10 more days, 10 more days, 10 more days!!! Thanks for the encouragement!

I once missed some US govt interest on a nonconforming 1099-INT because it was list in the bottom half of the page and I just glanced right over it, after entering in the box 1 interest.

Simple online search in about 1 minute

There's no earnings test for qualifying child, and a student who attends one semester of school, is still a qualifying child, but then it comes down to the 'half of support' test. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501#en_US_2021_publink1000220887 And, yes, if AOTC has only been claimed for 3 years, it can be claimed one more time.

I only feel guilty about the returns that are my fault they are not done. Got out of order on returns coming in. Now I am scrambling.

I hate when a client sends me just page 1 of a 17 or 50 page brokerage 1099, because they think that's all I need. I tell them that their tax return is like a puzzle and if they don't give me all of the pieces I won't be able to complete the puzzle.

Call the MD efiling unit at 410-260-7753 or email them at [email protected] And no, that's not a typo. There is no 'e'. They had already used [email protected] for something else, and this was the poor decision someone made, instead of doing efilehelp@...

Or, like the one I got yesterday ... a 1099 Misc on page 9 with $9k in oil royalties! Why don't they put that close to the front!!! I do look at every page, but when something like that happens, I get a little anxiety attack thinking about how I could have missed it. For some reason, the same thing happens to me every time there's a number in Box 10 (dependent care) of the W2. I missed one in my early days of practicing and Client got a notice of tax due, of course. I paid the interest/penalty, client paid the tax, I apologized, and I still do that client's return (kids are long grown), but I've been anxious about that box every since ;). Sometimes it slides over to the far left of the W2 and is easy for tired eyes to miss. For a few years, I made myself initial every box 10 on every W2 (even for people with no or grown kids) just so I could sleep ;).

Personal 1099's. We have three regular accounts with Fidelity. The interesting fact about the 1099's we receive is the difference. The downloaded 1099 is different from what is sent in the mail. The downloaded 1099 shows a breakdown of the dividends, but the mailed version just shows totals!

Thanx, all. Yes, Box 7 + Box 3 = Box 1. And, I get no diagnostics. Haven't had a Box 7 before (I do have a hairdresser with unreported tips, but I know what form to use.) Medicare tax is perfect for Box 5. But SS tax is too much for Box 3 alone, but too little for Box 3 + Box 7. Again, I'm not getting any diagnostics. And, it's a kid who's under the standard deduction and getting all his w/h back.

If yes, just enter the numbers per the W 2, no overrides

Should be included in box 1. On the W2 input, you need to enter the amount in box 7. I think you need to override box 3, but I don't recall. Box 4 will calculate based on the total of box 3 & 7.

Does Box 7 + Box 3 = Box 1 ?

You just follow the dollars and allocate the interest accordingly, some may go to other rental properties. Some may go to "investment Interest." You don't need to tell your client "not to spend on personal stuff." Anything spent on personal ends up being allocated to "nondeductible interest."

I haven't had one this year, but... I think the taxable part is $8,000 X the ratio of 15000/40000 with 10% penalty on that same amount. And, can you use Room & Board against his 529 Plan distributions? Books? Etc. TTB give Qualifying Expenses: Books, supplies, equipment, room & board if at least 1/2 time, computer equipment, software, internet access, related services. TTB says Tax-free earnings = Earnings X Adjusted qualified education expenses/Total distribution Taxable earnings = Earnings - Tax-free earnings So, what TTB says.

Thanks for all the sympathy, empathy, and commiseration. My letter clearly states that if I don't have all materials in my hands by March 15th, all bets are off, *and* that every return not ready to file *will* (not may) be put on extension the first week of April. So it wasn't even deadline pressure that day. It was just all of a sudden the floodgates gave way and I was inundated with other people panicking, being stupid, or both, and I needed to rant. Thanks, friends, you're in the same boat so you get it.

I've always liked, "Couldn't pour sand out of a boot with direction written on the heel."

Extension. Tell minister to ask for a corrected W-2.

"1231 gain is characterized as long-term capital gain and is excluded from QBI; Net Sec. 1231 loss is characterized as ordinary loss and is included in QBI; and. The character then tracks back to the trade or business that disposed of the assets (T.D. 9847).Dec 1, 2020"

I too have uttered, "What the hell was I thinking?" when reviewing a prior year return I did in the heat of battle. It's always a wake up call.

Right there with you all. One of the things that also happens to me is when I'm working and see a blunder made on the prior year's return, like completely missing the kiddie tax or some such thing.

The ATX community board is still there, but they pretty much hid it. https://support.atxinc.com/communities/index The alternative to the standard processing fee is that you pay for the software but you never get it. LOL