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NYS Now Requires TP Driver License info on NY Tax Returns To those of you who prepare NY tax returns - please be advised that there is a recently passed provision requiring taxpayer (and spouse) driver license ID information - which at present - is required for 2016 tax returns. While NYSSEA does not have anything specifically definitive in had to provide even its own members at present - we were advised by top NYS tax officials that it is law. Some software companies are aware of it - the major ones- some are not. I strongly advise you to consult your software vendor regarding this issue ASAP before you begin processing NYS returns. Since there's so much controversy over this issue on such short notice - a number of issues are unclear at this point. Should I get any further more concrete, definitive, better descriptive information - I'll write back here. NAEA is ALREADY aware of it and researching it.

Good luck to you Nico, everyone deserves a second chance. A friend of mine had a felony, did time and it was a big wake up call for him. He is now such a model citizen it makes me look bad. He's even got me picking up litter on Earth Day. All the best.

Lion, I'm no fan of EITC, but I've always disagreed with the argument that people know how much to make and then quit so they can maximize the credit. Most recipients aren't qualified for big-bucks jobs. Take someone who makes $10 hr X 40 hr work week X 50 weeks = $20k income. If they have a child they are eligible for a big credit. Someone who makes $20k isn't likely to stop working mid-year because they really need the money. Someone who makes $30 an hour isn't likely to quit after four months just to maximize EITC. EITC was expanded to replace welfare during the Clinton years. It was pretty successful in getting people to work because there were lifetime limits on welfare benefits. Now to get the money you had to have EARNED income. The biggest problem with the system is that it's so easy to cheat. The IRS should never have been given responsibility for administering the program. Welfare used to handled by social service agencies, but Congress wanted to make it look like EITC was not welfare so handed it to IRS. It wasn't welfare--people had to work to receive it--but they were ending "welfare as we know it." I think it should be administered by social services, real people who look at actual documents to determine eligibility. Instead of being IRS police, we tax pros will just prepare a normal return, hand it to the client, and let them take it to social services for their EITC. End of fraud (and much refund ID theft).

I remember Woolworth's, and many other things my kids scoff at... Cash payroll has a fixed cost you can easily estimate. X hours to prepare, no unexpected later costs likely. Non-cash payroll can always have a "later" unexpected expense, impossible to control. Just replacing genuine lost checks costs money, let alone HDC issues, issues with a second party getting the funds, and so on. DD is probably the cleanest as you primarily have to worry about a disgruntled co account owner. There can be other issues you pay to "defend", but probably rare enough to not worry about. Enough with non-positive for me today, on to good things! My h e double hockey sticks week is 2.5 hours from being over. Monday won't be fun, but it will be easier. I may sit in the RV and work from there, just to pretend I am on the road somewhere! Business remains good, and most customers are friendly, Happy and healthy wishes to all...

Administrators, thank you for fixing my post !!!

From what I've been hearing here in CT (with many NY commuters requiring NRPY returns) is that we cannot e-file to NY without the license numbers. A refusing client could paper file their NY return, from what I've heard so far. (I have a couple in the orient with international licenses and NY rental property. I guess I'll see how that works out. The wife may not have a license at this time.) Taking one more update class this Wednesday at a NY/CT-ATP dinner meeting, so I'll get the latest.

I may have found a workaround. Print the W2s to a PDF in QuickBooks. Use a conversion tool (I use Nuance PowerPDF Standard) to convert to a Form in Word. Print from Word to your Microsoft XPS Document Writer. Now, I don't have ATX Payroll installed so I can't test the final step of importing into ATX. There are probably other PDF converters out there but you can get a free 30 trial of PowerPDF Advanced version.

We use Crash Plan Pro at the office as well as at home. We are also happy with it.

We're very happy with CrashPlan Pro but idrive looks good too.

I have been pretty happy with iDrive. It will either backup continually *or* on a schedule that you set and control. It will even power down your machine when the backup ends so you can set it to start at your usual leaving time. Reasonably quick. I have retrieved files with no issue. They even now have a full disk image (cold-metal restore backup) option although I use Acronis and an external drive (that then comes home with me) for that purpose.

Absolutely correct. We get hired to solve a problem. If it doesn't matter if the return is accurate, people who don't care about accuracy don't need us. We get back the ones who get audited. That's it.

Well, some won't be missed, but many are just ordinary blue collar people in low-paying jobs who legitimately qualify for EIC and are not a problem. In the last several years I've lost a bunch of those "short forms" (it was quick, easy money) to TurboTax and the other tax-in-a-box outfits. It's not hard to see why: a 2/3 lower price and no "third-degree" 8867 grilling - just enter what you want, audit odds are low, but if overpaid (whether intentional or accidental) and checked, simply say "I did it the best I could - I don't know anything about taxes." And, as we know, IRS doesn't pick on "poor people" -- they prefer to gouge we unscrupulous tax preparers. Oh well, enough crying - I got to see a little payback recently. At the bank I ran into a lady who knows I'm in the business. Said she always files online through TurboTax, but (of course) asked me some questions anyway. "Using them again," I asked? "No," she said. "They're too high now; they still want $30 to $60. I'm switching to Credit Karma - theirs is free!" (So -- TT experiences "karma" through Credit Karma.)