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Although e-record access is common and usually fast, I would try to find an attorney with an office in the same city as the county/parish/district seat where the real property is or where the probate will be filed. They will be familiar with local rules and will be able to get things done without issues, and likely have someone visiting the records counter daily.

I've sent specific notes to a couple of folks, but it may well be there are people not in CA who do a plenty of CA returns. A client of mine who is resident PY in NY and CA would like to talk to other preparers about switching. I'm not sanguine about CA returns any longer, as he's the only client I have left with any CA exposure, so I made the suggestion to him. If you are interested in a new client, let me know and we'll proceed from there.

Unless we change our legal system, it is what it has to be. Defending against even the most frivolous of suit can put a business out of business (with no risk to the plaintiff other than expenses, especially if they find contingency representation, since there is zero penalty for losing). Much worse are those who use "review" sites to try to intimidate or to use as a protection racket. I get nastygrams almost daily from those complaining saying they expect me to keep them from harming themselves (in some manner, such as sending their data online for safety without consent, hacking into their computer to keep them from doing something or fixing what they did, etc.). Maybe the worst is from those who pay the license, then expect me to handhold them through every payroll, teaching them payroll processing along the way. Such is life, being reachable to consumers I suppose, but said life has to be worth living, so one must do what can be done to insulate.

For 2023, the widow can't file as QSS because the TP died during that year. Her choices for 2023 are MFS or MFJ, but joint is only available with permission from executor of his estate. I would suggest she continue as MFS so not to open up the possibility of her becoming liable for his tax debts. QSS is available to a widow that meets the requirements in the two tax years subsequent to TP's year of death: 2024 & 2025. I have never dealt with CNC status and do not know if that would remove the protection from TP's tax debts that MFS has afforded her since he is now deceased. His tax debt would become a debt of his estate, and any assets should be used to satisfy that debt before she gets anything.

Unfortunately our tax software is going to make choices for us.

I'm going to check into some of the things Medlin has posted. There has to be a way to satisfy the regs without doing the absurd.

FL state bar has a referral service. Lawyer Referral Service – The Florida Bar 1-800-342-8011

Yes, I am tired of protecting myself from myself. I am tired of running to get my cellphone because someone is sending me a code to get into a site. I, too, am a sole proprietor with my office in an addition built on to my home. Nobody does or has any reason to go anywhere near my work computer. My husband, who is the only other human living in this house, doesn't even know or want to know how to turn it on. There are two other computers in the original part of the office on which we do data entry, bookkeeping, look things up, etc. My office door to the outside has a double lock and a deadbolt. My filing cabinet has a lock. My main desk has a lock. My computer has a password; my cellphone has a password. My safe has a key. We even shut the watermain off when we leave for the weekend. How safe is safe?? Oh, my outside dropbox also is under lock and key.

The problem with going back to writing checks and putting them in the mail, is that the mail is becoming more and more unreliable, at least where I live. When it sometimes takes 3 WEEKS or more for a check to arrive where you mail it, you cannot rely on that method to pay bills on time. And we have had problems with mail being stolen from not just personal mail boxes but from the blue boxes that belong to the postal service. So what are you going to do?

More and more people are wanting to bail out of this electronic age. As the identity theft becomes more astute, websites/providers are having to put up more hoops to jump through all the time. Many folks are going back to simply writing checks and putting them in the mail, and looking for alternatives to electronic obstacle-dodging.

A fair chance there was insignificant taxable profit, which is the only part which may be taxable. Remember, the contributions are not double taxed, they were taxed when earned, so they can be withdrawn at any time.

Exactly!

All thoughtful ideas. I'll pass them along to my stressed-out friend. Thank you for the suggestions.

What a great father! Mertz's father was an 80% owner of the company and left his son holding the bag.

I used the state bar to get a list of locals who were probate specialists. Also reviewed their discipline records.

Well the FTC and the IRS apparently think that we aren't intelligent enough to do these things.

I still have questions about this. First, if the tax software has a MFA to access the software (currently I think ATX has only the password), what happens to the Program Files and Program Data that the software stores on my c drive. Isn't that still subject to hackers without opening my software? Second, if I get a MFA app, once I'm into my computer, isn't my computer subject to any of the hacking out there in cyberville? And how can I trust a 3rd party app anymore than my own computer? Third, does Microsoft have somthing like this thru their os system? I'm just wondering why I would need to send myself a code by text to my cell phone in order to access my own computer? And once I have access to my own computer, isn't my computer susceptible to any online hacking that might be going on? I'm just a one person office, no staff. I turn my computer off every night. I come in the next day, use a key for the outside door of the building, use a second key for the inside door of my office, then turn on my computer, enter the password. Isn't that MULTI-FACTOR??? That unlocks the computer and my c drive. I have a second password for a second hard drive (where I store my pdf files and scan client documents). But the software (ATX) I let install where it installs (the c drive) and I let the software program files and program data install where their software tells it to (the c drive). I learned long ago not to mess with changing this.

I totally agree, I rarely write a check for either business or personal bills unless there is no other option and then I use my banks bill paying service.