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Too true. "They're all crooks except for my guy!" is the thought. Nope; my guy is a crook too. So is yours.

Went to log in to e-services for something else, and saw "Renew Your PTIN" as a new option. I've already done mine. Fee is down to $19.75 for 2024.

Tom, For what its worth, it is very honorable for you to be compassionate and concerned about a loyal long-time client. I think everyone of us has faced something like this in our line of work. I know I certainly have. While these folks may not have taken all of the available funds from their retirement accounts, they may need those funds to survive in the foreseeable future. Knowling what you know about these folks, I sure wouldn't want to be the one to take the last dollar and have that on my conscience that I may have caused them to fall further when I could have helped. I'm not saying this applies to every person who is down on their luck. Different circumstances require different actions. I agree to have them file the return and seek the CNC status. The bill will not go away but no collection activity will take place either. The ones I have no sympathy for are the ones that sit and complain about my fees and how hard it is to pay them and find them sitting at the Longhorn steak house for dinner right after they picked their return up from me. As you said, I think we can tell when the story we are given fails the smell test. You apparently know these folks very well so go with your heart on this one.

The client is a couple. He had a stroke 5 years ago. She had to stay at home to care for him. They have been living off savings and government support. The amount they have been living on is very little. She had to take money from her retirement account early to cover living expenses as her last resort. He is recovering but she is struggling to find work after a 5 year layoff from the workforce. These are not people who have made bad decisions, they have hit hard times. I know when I see clients feeding me BS about their spending habits. This couple is not that. I have known them for nearly 2 decades. Poverty sucks, especially when you live in a very high cost state. Tom Longview, TX

I was comparing fraud to those that currently use TT type products rather than preparers. I don't see any reason why it would be more subject to fraud than other software. I know of local preparers that play very loosely with rules. I'm sure we all are aware of preparers like that. IMO tax fraud is part of our declining values in society. I'm always amazed at how acquaintances and people on social platforms openly talk about how they work for cash. It used to be there was shame attached to cheating and people would hide it rather than flaunting.

Healthcare.gov was a disaster the first year. Since then it runs very smoothly. It looks like IRS learned from that and is limiting use to work out the bugs.

No tax pros asking pesky questions. Just keep adding (or taking away) items until you maximize that refund, baby! Just like with Ttx, and answering questions to make that refund number up in the corner keep going up. Many won't realize it's fraud; they will mistakenly think it's set up not to allow fraud. The ones that know it's fraud will just be glad there is no preparer asking those inconvenient pesky questions they need to lie about.

When people are struggling financially, their anxiety distorts their decision making. All you can do is listen to them and encourage them to make better decisions by carefully explaining the situation to them. Best Wishes to your clients

Tell them they really NEED to file. Else the IRS will send them a bill for FAR more than what you calculated for tax due, and they'll be behind the 8-ball playing catch up with those notices. Whereas if they file, they can then apply for CNC status. Far easier.

I hope you are right. That was the website I was thinking of when I posted my comment. Tom Longview, TX

I use excel spread sheet to allocate and summarize. Several years ago I did one for a new client with 1040x because original had been totally blotched by previous preparer. That and other mistakes were in client's favor by $20,000+. 1040x was audited with no change.

This website is being created via contract with one of the large third parties like Accenture. We have had very similar tax preparation software for years called "MilTax" for Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve members and their families. It will be exposed to a lot more scrutiny than the "FreeFile" programs like Turbotax, TaxAct , Taxslayer and H & R Block. Plus it should actually be free, which the FreeFile programs weren't!

because the government is running it...their track record on putting up websites that work is not great. Tom Longview, TX

We "are" the gubmint. It is a reflection on society. We like to send the same person to DC over and over, 'cause they can send back the most pork.

The government giveth and the government taketh away; accursed be the name of the government! (with apologies to the Book of Job)

And don't forget self caused issues, such as shielding income from W2 reporting. Zero SS recipients who could have managed their finances to reach SS max contribution get any sympathy from me. I discuss this daily, "why are you hurting yourself and your family by even considering W2 "games" before your SS wages reach the SS max every year?" Of course, there are those who do not believe in SS (and should not complain at all), but for the majority who will claim, belief or not, no complaints are heard from me unless they are collecting at or near the max. My own grandmother collected for just shy of 50 years... and we have planned for our disabled daughter to do the same (SSDI when I get to FRA) for hopefully 40+, plus if I meet my demise early, I will have left my spouse in good SS shape - by not gaming "reasonable compensation".

Both main CPI calculations (W & U) are "chained" which results in a lower percentage increase. So when consumers switch to cheaper products because they can no longer afford what they used to buy, this becomes part of the calculation by swapping in cheaper goods for what we used to be able to buy. It's a death spiral of poverty, brought to you by the millionaires in congress and their wealthy owners.