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I agree, it depends on the client. For example I recently had a very good longtime client who ran in to hard times both personally and in business. I was glad to help her out.

I am going to take the minority approach to the question. My first reaction was - "no way, Jose!". Then I stopped and hung a few of my clients names onto your question. If this has been a continuing client paying pretty much timely and the work was not an over-burden, ie,, over 25 W-2s, I would probably do them gratis. If the client had been continually late pay and a PITA, I would probably not take his calls. For anyone between those two extremes, I would work something out with the client that was mutually agreeable.

Have a great turkey day, everyone.....

I had (key word) several clients that had that same excuse year after year. Yet they lived a lifestyle way above mine. When I drew the line, they chose to leave.

I agree and often help out clients that hit hard times. If they were previously good clients, and easy to work with. Pia's then no. Its these people that appreciate you and often wind up recommending you to good clients

That would depend on why the relationship ended. If the only issue is payment and that can be rectified, then maybe I would. If there were troubles other than nonpayment, then probably not.

Happy Thanksgiving!

OMG, I hope you're right. I love so much of this. You have captured my sentiments so accurately after being on hold with them yesterday for one hour and forty-four minutes. That part I highlighted, though, that sounds even more serious than me telling my client's secretary, who was trying to set up an installment agreement, per his request, that he filed a Form 1040 jointly with his wife. If we go to the crossbar motel, will we still be able to talk to people here? Is there interweb in the slammer? Don't do it, Tom. .

Are you sure you need to do this? This has been on my letters every year and I ignore it and have never had a problem. I think it is a form letter sent out to everyone but really only applies to first time filers thru ATX. We have already established our credentials to efile. Just my thoughts!

Llamas, did you formally tell them you aren't doing any more work for them, regardless? Because those clients somehow find the money they owe about two days before the W2s are due..... just say in'....

Yes. I think I have learned my lesson on this one. I hope this helps some fellow tax pro. Orange you glad you know??

Clearly where you went wrong in instructing these people was using the orange highlighter instead of traditional yellow.

Excerpted from the ATX email I received Note: EFIN verification is only required once. You do not have to update this information every year. Will Campbell800-495-4626 [email protected] ATX 800-638-8291 [email protected] © 2016 Universal Tax Systems Inc. d/b/a/ CCH Small Firm Services. All rights reserved. 225 Chastain Meadows Court NW | Suite 200 Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 USAUpdate Email Preferences

Understanding Your CP136 Notice The CP136 explains your deposit requirements for your Form 941 filings for next year, which may be different from your requirements for last year. We base your deposit requirement on the total tax you reported on your Forms 941 for the four previous consecutive quarterly periods (the lookback period). What you need to do If your total tax liability for the lookback period was $50,000 or less, you will be a monthly depositor next year. Monthly depositors must deposit taxes on wages paid during the month by the 15th of the following month. If your tax liability for the lookback period was over $50,000, you will be a semi-weekly depositor. Semi-weekly depositors must deposit taxes on wages paid on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday by the following Friday. Taxes on wages paid on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday are due the following Wednesday. If the tax amounts we used to determine your deposit requirement differ from your tax records, then you should determine the appropriate deposit schedule. If the tax amount we used is zero for any tax period, then we have no record of receiving Form 941 for that period. Please file any missing Form 941 as soon as possible. You may want to Visit www.irs.gov for tax forms, instructions, and publications. Check your records to verify that they show the same liability amount as the CP136. Answers to Common Questions How do I show my payments when I file Form 941? We have a record of your payments. We don’t need you to show your payments. Show only the tax liabilities. How do I show the tax liabilities? If you are a monthly depositor, enter the taxes due for each month on Part 2 of Form 941. If you are a semi-weekly depositor, use Schedule B (Form 941) to enter the tax due for each date you paid your employees. What do I do if the tax liability on the notice is incorrect? The tax on the notice includes only the tax liability on your original Forms 941 during the lookback period. Don’t include amended returns. Base your deposit requirements on the original tax liability for the lookback period. Do I have to file electronically? You must pay all deposits electronically unless one of the two conditions applies: Your tax liability is less than $2,500 The tax for the prior tax period was less than $2,500 and you did not have a $100,000 liability due the next day If your tax for the quarterly tax period is less than $2,500, you can pay with the payment voucher attached to Form 941. What if my accumulated tax liability reaches $100,000? You must deposit the next business day. Once your accumulated tax liability reaches $100,000 for any month, you immediately become a semi-weekly depositor for the rest of the current year and the next year.

Such hostility! If it is this way now, I shudder to think what it will be like in March. Just sayin'! Anyway, I was just in myatx.com and in the tax season readiness document, it states that ATX must have your current EFIN info on file. It provides a link to an answer in the ATX Knowledge Library which was updated on September 13th, 2016. That document says that your EFIN info must be on file with ATX. Well, shoot, I will just copy and paste what it says. But my take away is that I do not need to do anything further because there is no request for my EFIN on myatx,com. What they have on file is current. Double-check that your current EFIN information is on file. IRS regulations require that we collect and retain proof of your EFIN. Learn how to update this by reviewing ATX Knowledge Library Answer ID 13729. Adding or modifying EFINs on file with CCH SFS Answer ID 13729 | Document ID | Published 10/22/2012 08:13 AM | Updated 09/13/2016 09:59 AM If you want to e-file any tax returns, your IRS-issued EFIN letter must be on file with CCH Small Firm Services. If your office uses multiple EFINs, each one must be on file, for the tax returns to be accepted by your Electronic Filing Center (EFC). To update your EFIN with CCH SFS Log in to the My ATX Solution Center Web site with the Admin user name. Click an item in the My Account list. Click EFIN Request on the left sidebar. The current EFIN on file is then shown. Click Modify to update/change your EFIN. Legal terms must be acknowledged by checking the box I Agree at the bottom of the page. You must also sign with your email address on file in our system for the selected Client ID. Click Continue. Enter the new EFIN and EFIN holder's first and last name as it appears on file with the IRS. You must attach a PDF copy of your IRS EFIN letter or the IRS EFIN Summary page from IRS e-services at this time. For instructions on how to locate your EFIN letter via the IRS website, see Answer ID: 15665. Click Browse. A window will appear to allow you to navigate to the files on your computer. Browse to the folder where you have saved a copy of your EFIN letter, click on the file name and then click Open to attach the file. Click Submit Request. Once you have completed this process, you will receive an online notification confirming that your request has been submitted. Notes: You will receive an e-mail containing your updated activation codes for your software. That email will come from [email protected] with UNLOCK CODE in the subject line. Your Activation Code may also be referred to as REG CODE or RECODE. If you do not receive this e-mail within 24 hours, contact Customer Service. If you have problems uploading your EFIN letter, email the letter to [email protected] or fax it to 800-834-4859 to have your account updated. Though the ability to e-file with your updated EFIN(S) is usually activated within 4 hours, it could take up to 24 hours to complete your request. You can verify that we have your updated EFIN(S) at the My ATX Solution Center by clicking Electronic Filing on the Home menu tab. If your EFIN is not updated at the My ATX Solution Center within 24 hours, contact Customer Service at 800-638-8291.

Bulldog: I am with you. I am tired of being beat up by an organization that does not pay me, but treats me like the enemy. And does so very little to actually try to find the folks who are committing all the fraud. There are 10-15 businesses, maybe 30, that are efiling with the IRS. CCH, Intuit, etc. Instead of placing a mandate that ALL of us preparers go thru a stupid process to provide to these 30 firms the info, why not just let these firms know that these are acceptable EFIN's? Not on the list? You get a letter from the IRS, or CCH blocks you when you file. No, that would make sense. And 14 bureaucrats spend time tracking down pointless letters instead of responding to CP-2000 notices, or stopping fraud. Rich

I think I am going to give up. I have to have a PTIN that I have to pay for every year even though it was free when I got it. I can't efile without it. I have a CAF number, an EA number and an EFIN number all issued by the IRS that I have had for 20 years. I have to give my PTIN and my EA number to ATX and every CE provider that I take classes from. These a-holes at ATX and IRS both know who I am. And now this. Tomorrow morning, I will have to sit on the phone for hours waiting for some jackass in some IRS office to finally answer the phone and tell me how to register for the F#$%^ing service that I don't want because the information I provided doesn't match their F--ed up computer records. I know what my AGI is, and my name, and my address, and my social. It has not changed. But it don't match something. This is just utter bull crap that I have to spend all this time doing this crap. I am sick of this. I think I will throw in the towel. I am tired of clients trying to cheat the tax system and the IRS machine that is too incompetent to find these cheats and the congress who wrote this ridiculously complicated tax code. I think I will go out with a bang and apply all the knowledge I have in order to inflate every tax return refund by 10K and then let the bastards try and catch me. This is the stupidest crap I have ever heard.

New client who is completely helpless, mainly because he wants to be, has an Installment Agreement for 2014. He needs one for 2015. I told him five weeks ago to call IRS, as directed at the top of [this] Form 9465 [at the number I have highlighted in orange, no less]. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f9465.pdf Well, he sent his secretary in two weeks ago, because he is too busy to fool with these things, saying he called, and IRS told him to set it up online. I'm guessing he never got around to telling IRS employee that he already has an agreement for 2014, but more importantly, I'm biting my tongue wanting to say, "Well, have at it, and get out of my office." I know full well they just want me to do it. Not interested, can't charge what it's worth, don't think it's doable anyway. Also not interested in calling IRS for (or with) this person. This is not a tax issue; it's an irresponsible issue. If you can run a business, you can make arrangements to pay your taxes. I tell her, "Go back to your office, tell him to CALL IRS as directed right here on this Form 9465, at the number I have highlighted in orange, no less, and make sure you tell them that it's a SECOND INSTALLMENT AGREEMENT REQUEST." Secretary leaves me a message yesterday saying they just can't get this thing set up online. You don't say. Before I call this client's office on Monday, or go by and hug all of them, I just need to check with you buddies here and make sure you've not had clients who have successfully ignored the instructions and been able to set up second year installment agreements online. I'd hate to be embarrassed.

I will be sure and take your advice under consideration. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.

Here is the notice on this from the ATX site: 1040 MeF Shutdown/Cutover Schedule IRS has announced that they will stop accepting returns and delivering acks at 11:59am EST Wednesday November 30, 2016. Included in this announcement are e-files for Tax Years 2013, 2014 and 2015. Accordingly, state acknowledgements must be uploaded to IRS by those respective agencies prior to that time. To ensure that we comply with these deadlines and allow ample processing time, the following process will be observed for both TaxWise and ATX submissions: Individual returns (both Federal and State) for Processing Year 2016 will not be accepted after 11:59 p.m.EST on Tuesday November 29th. Not all state agencies process returns in “real-time”, so we are allowing sufficient time for the agencies to post their acknowledgements for pick-up. After the cutoff time, the Electronic Filing Center (EFC) will not accept Individual Returns (Federal and State) until IRS comes back online in January 2017 with the exact date to be announced at a later time. Customers may continue picking up acknowledgements from the EFC through mid-December. 1040 efile open date has not been officially announced. At that time, current year 2016 returns plus 2015 and 2014 prior year returns will be efileable. Business MeF Shutdown/Cutover Schedule IRS will release the dates in early December; as a reference, last year's cutover occurred the week of Christmas. ATX EFC stops sending efiles a day or two before the IRS official cutover date. Acks not retrieved by the cutover date will be available when IRS reopens in early January. Business efile open date has not been announced. At that time, current year 2016 returns plus 2015 and 2014 prior year returns will be efileable.

Very little sympathy for that from me. My electric company, natural gas company, grocery store, gas station, water department, doctor, electrician, plumber, pharmacy, Wal-Mart all still want paid when service is rendered.

Rita, Did you already have your written authorization to share the clients information with her????? I ask this for three reasons --- want to keep you around for your knowledge; want to keep you available to "hug" clients (yours or mine) in the future; and also as a genuine question in thinking about who (other than actual client) we can "officially" and safely share information with (even basics) such as this --- without formal authorization to "protect" ourselves. Be well, have a GREAT Thanksgiving and keep on "hugging" and giving ....

ILLMAS....I would talk to them and simply say.... I will do your work upon full payment in advance.

Thanks, Rita. Nov 30 is great. Usually it stops the week before TXgiving. And BTE, Happy Thanksgiving.

I usually tell the client that the IRS is more understanding and helpful if the taxpayer talks to them rather than a paid professional, and that therefore they should call personally to set up an installment agreement.

Don't forget to include a place for the client to sign that allows the seller to provide you with prior year tax information. Tom Newark, CA

The key to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made.

@Elrod - that picture was funny but also more than a little disturbing!! Please, remember some of us read the forum while having lunch...

While I have not posted much since joining in 2007, I look everyday, during tax season, for items of interest and found often viewpoints I haven't thought of. Thanks to all the frequent posters for your thoughts.

April 11 for me as well. Unbelievable, but I know I would have been long gone without this board.

April 11 for me! Remember KC and others on here starting a substitute group on Yahoo right away after the Great Message Board Debacle and then Eric volunteering to start this one. Can't believe that was 10 years ago.

As a relative newbie here I found this board during the 2012 debacle. The first time I was here I saw all the animal pictures (I'm an animal lover), familiar names like Rita, NECPA, jmdaviscpa, easytax, michaelmars,Gail, Margaret, and mcb39 among others from the official board. Then I saw Jack's twin towers 9/11 picture, something I have an unfortunately close relationship to.... that sold me to stay here because I knew this was a special group. After being here I can see Eric, KC, and Judy are special people, unselfishly giving their time for all of us. Congratulations to all and Thank you!

I was furious with ATX, but did find this independent board 4/14 I guess. Been here ever since. Thank you Eric and KC for your initiative and Judy for joining their team and ALL of you for sharing.

It was 4/15 for me, not too hard to remember. I wasn't using the official forum terribly much and remember trying to visit that day after I'd finished up.

It took me a while to find the board - I did not join until June. Or maybe it took me that long to quit cursing ATX for taking the board down right before the end of tax season.

Just looked up mine; 4/12 - so it didn't take me too long, either. THANK YOU Eric for setting up this board; it has been a professional lifesaver and pressure-relief valve all in one for all these years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY... remember William! Salute and all of you - Thank you!!

Hey, I, too, was a 4/11. Long time, great company!

Just looked at my profile and it says I've been here since 4/12. Didn't take me long to find home!

Question: How can I hyperlink HERE the donate button for those of us who have not donated or those who want to donate again?