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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/29/2024 in all areas

  1. I asked my two new assistants to throw out the paper box cover and this is what happened! IMG_1048.mp4
    7 points
  2. I've paid my son's tax bill with direct pay in the past without problem. I think it's up to the bank if they allow the withdrawal or not. I wouldn't wait until the last day in case it happens to be rejected.
    5 points
  3. My assistants whine if I don’t cover them up with their blankets in the morning. Or if I don’t go upstairs to work on time! The traffic on the stairway can get a little intense, one likes to race by on the left, the other follows on the right. If I forget to leave space on the left, there can be a backup. Or a collision if I carry my water bottle too low on the right Saved from the meat market (really) in China. one has wonky front legs from being hung up for sale.
    4 points
  4. It's sounds like you have decided this is your last year and you aren't looking to sell practice? How about contacting your colleagues asking if they are looking for business and would like to be on a list you give to clients? You could even ask they pay you a percent of revenue for clients that come to them from the list? A number of years ago I had a client come to me because their preparer was in a similar situation as yours. Talking with the client I could tell that we were similar in price and procedures. I contacted her, chatted a little and offered 20% referral fee to her. It worked out well for both of us.
    4 points
  5. Catherine, I am hoping and praying that I can get this last year finished out. If my husband gets more bad news tomorrow, I may have to let some of my businesses go. I am going to slap the technology fee on and then next year, they won't have so much sticker shock when I am gone.
    4 points
  6. ALWAYS go up the food chain to the manager. They are usually far more reasonable. And the auditor is required to give you the manager's name and full contact info.
    4 points
  7. Hi all! Just wanted to let you all know if you are active on Facebook, we have a support group there as well. Come join the fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/827167400659499
    3 points
  8. At least your feline assistants appear to be productive. Mine just hold the papers in place. Well, they purr from time to time providing calming vibes.
    3 points
  9. Thank you Tom. My husband was in the Navy!!
    3 points
  10. I have had many parents pay for their kids amount due and never heard of a problem. Had kids refunds directly deposited into parents accounts when the kids did not have a bank account and never had a problem with that either.
    3 points
  11. Way to go! Keeps the peace a little and gives the son some relief at this most difficult time.
    3 points
  12. @NECPA in NEBRASKA retire now; people have time to find someone else. Just say "personal issues" or "health issues in the family" and anyone who doesn't respect that you would not want to have as a client anyway! If you do not want to retire, hike the price as much as you need and then $50 more. Your family is more important.
    3 points
  13. I Never charge for active duty Military. Never have, never will.
    3 points
  14. My clients are increasingly taking pictures on their phones of their documents to upload in my portal. We discourage as much as we can since the pictures are hard to read. The big issue is with iPhone photos. I have no way to open them (I can open a jpeg). Is there a tool out there that converts HEIC photos to pdf or jpeg that doesn't require me to get an apple ID and join the Apple universe? I encourage my clients to use Genius Scan or another app that will create a pdf, but clients will be clients and I don't get a lot of cooperation. And no....I can't fire them, I need all my clients. Tom Longview, TX
    2 points
  15. Well, I can try but this is state and I do not think WI has supervisors!! (tongue in cheek!) Thank you! D
    2 points
  16. Exactly, that's why I said to make sure there is time to correct it if the payment is rejected. I've had a couple instances where banks would kick back a joint refund where only one of the people was on the account.
    2 points
  17. I'm guessing the way a lot of them are handled, there is not a lot of protection. How many times do people just go to the SOS site and form the LLC without having so much as Articles of Organization? Do they have documented meetings? Do they keep all transactions with members at an arms length transactions? If they need to use the protection, it's likely they are being sued. Plaintiff can subpoena documents to see if they are following the rules and requirements of an LLC, or if they are just using the LLC name. At the very least have them talk with an attorney regarding piercing the veil and then sign off that you have advised them a Sch E is not correct method.
    2 points
  18. Like previously stated, unless in a community property state, there should be a dozen 1065's. I wouldn't put a lot of time in this return until you tell them the fee to prepare the 1065's. I'm guessing they may not want to pay and go to someone who would continue to handle it incorrectly even though it may circumvent the legal protection they tried to achieve by setting up all the different LLC's.
    2 points
  19. I tell my clients to use a phone scanner app like CamScanner (or any of the others) and not to send pictures because they can't be read reliably. However, I have one lady who keeps sending me heic files. Adobe Acrobat reads them just fine (not sure about the Reader). Click the file, right-click and choose "open with" Adobe. One client would send me everything stapled to a fare-thee-well, until the year (after multiple warnings) I charged him a $50 staple removal fee, so named on the bill. I'm tempted to do likewise with photos of documents.
    2 points
  20. The elder generations still eat dog meat. The younger generations do not, but are not inclined to cause their elders to lose face by making a new law. We are part of a rescue group, and we are good at foster failing. (We foster failed twice with human pups too.)
    2 points
  21. If you have Android, google messages for web is wonderful! Texts on computer, full screen, full keyboard, etc.
    2 points
  22. Ahh, the dreaded iphone photos... I had to download an app last year but it still took too much time, in my opinion. This year in my cover letter I stressed that photos cost billable time and were often illegible so encouraged those folks to get a FREE app, like Adobe DC, or even use the scan function that many phones now have then send/upload as pdf files. Although I do bill the time, the aggravation isn't worth it but I appreciate that not all folks have scanning capability outside of a phone. And, in my opinion, do waaaaayyyy too much private stuff, like tax info and documents, on their phones. At least I use Verifyle for client info so if a breach, it's on them.
    2 points
  23. I have one business that files two separate Schedule Cs as a Qualified Joint Venture.;
    2 points
  24. If you have Adobe DC it can convert a jpeg to PDF. Use it all the time.
    2 points
  25. Does this help? https://www.howtogeek.com/345504/how-to-open-heic-files-on-windows-or-convert-them-to-jpeg/
    2 points
  26. If you search heic to jpeg or heic to pdf, a number of options pop up, most of them appear to be apps.
    2 points
  27. Not interested, this forum works just fine.
    2 points
  28. No way, Facebook is a very aggressive data miner.
    2 points
  29. Determining whether or not a husband-wife LLC is a disregarded entity is a matter of state law. If the LLC is formed in a state that is NOT a community property state, the LLC defaults to a partnership unless an election is made to be treated as a corporation. The exception is where the LLC is set up in a community property state and meets the exceptions in Rev Proc 2002-69. If it meets the criteria, it is considered a "qualified entity" and may be treated as a disregarded entity for federal tax purposes. The IRS will accept this position for federal tax purposes. Likewise, LLC may file as a partnership for federal tax purposes and the IRS will accept that position also. Consistency in filing from year to year is key, otherwise a change in filing is considered a conversion of the entity. The requirements under 2002-69 for the LLC to be a "qualified entity" are: The business entity is wholly owned by a husband and wife as community property under the laws of a state, a foreign country, or a possession of the United States; No person other than one or both spouses would be considered an owner for federal tax purposes; and The business entity is not treated as a corporation under the applicable Treasury Regulations. None of the above addresses state reporting. Please check your state's law to verify that filing as a disregarded entity is acceptable.
    2 points
  30. First, this is a trial run to see what works and what doesn't work. Second, Intuit has spent Millions of $ lobbying against this program which tells me that in the long run this is a good goal.
    2 points
  31. The IRS will take $$$ out of a live account. They don't ask for a name, and don't care a dingleberry who is paying, as long as they are getting paid. I've seen parents pay for kids, kids for parents, one couple who paid tax due for a dear friend having a hard year... as long as the account is live, and there are sufficient funds in it, the IRS is happy.
    1 point
  32. Why do people make their estates beneficiaries of their retirement accounts? I will never understand that... Life would be so much easier if people named a person as their beneficiary. Tom Longview, TX
    1 point
  33. Instead of a Partnership return. Maybe this is only allowed in Community Property States.
    1 point
  34. Thank you for saving them!!! I cannot believe that those markets still exist. I don't eat any meat any longer let alone dog. Different cultures, different values...
    1 point
  35. If you choose this route you also have to fax Form 15397 (Application for Extension of Time to Furnish Recipient Statements) to the IRS prior to the 31st.
    1 point
  36. PC but iPhone. The ones I hate the most are the ones that give you one giant corner but not the full page, maybe .jpeg. I tell clients to use one of the scan apps and upload to my portal. Each year I get another convert or two, but still have stragglers. At least with Scannable on my phone, if it's garbage on my screen, I can clean it up at this end. Unless it's one of those corner-only pictures!
    1 point
  37. I remarried, so my last name no longer matches my son's. I certainly have time to mail him a check. But, we just paid a balance due on his legal bill, so he's reluctant to have us do more. I'm waiting to hear if the unhappy couple dissolved their partnership in 2022 or if we have to wait for 2023 K-1s. If not, I think I have all of his info now and can file soon. I'll try direct deposit. If that generates an issue. I'll use DirectPay.
    1 point
  38. I try to get my clients to use Scannable, a free app that cleans up their scans, removes creases, changes that grainy gray background to white, straightens it out, etc. And, I try to get them to then email it to me instead of text, so I can save it in my computer to their file. Of course, first I tell them to upload to my portal, but as you say, if they can't do it quick and easy on their phone...
    1 point
  39. I don't see how. Sec. 642(c) clearly states that the donation must be made pursuant to the terms of the governing instrument. Legal issue. Was there an attorney involved? If son was heir he could have made the donation personally after receiving funds from the estate.
    1 point
  40. I just read a piece on IRS's new Direct File pilot, where taxpayers from certain states can efile their returns for free on the IRS website. I originally thought this was a great development, getting those simple returns off our desks and saving folks money. Now I'm not so sure. The program handles common items like W2s, EITC and CTC, etc. It doesn't handle Sch B, child care expenses, ACA forms, and the saver's credit. I think a lot of filers don't know enough about these things and may overlook them. I've seen a number of self-prepared returns where people pay for child care with flexible spending accounts and forget to reconcile that on their tax returns thinking they aren't claiming any expenses, only to have the IRS add the amount to their income. Many who enroll in the ACA ignore those forms, and most have no idea what the Saver's Credit is and are surprised when I tell them they got some.extra money. The IRS program handles student loan interest, but I've seen many parents claim it when they are not on the loan. Direct File would be a great program if the tax code were simpler, but as it stands I'm not convinced it's a good option for anyone with more than W2 income.
    1 point
  41. You can also use one of the third party services to e-file, like EFileMyForms, for you and your clients. Just pick "efile only" as the option. It's only about $5 per form and gets it DONE for you. Then you fix the ID.me issue at your leisure - or at least, not under a nasty hard and looming deadline.
    1 point
  42. Facts and circumstances. RC is a big issue, yes. However, it's not a huge issue for a small S-corp without big distributions. A corp in its first few years may well be just barely scraping by. In which case I'd look at IRA limits based on spousal earnings rather than S-corp earnings. No one can put all their $ into an IRA unless they have a working spouse with a good job - or are taking distributions instead of wages. For the latter, you have an RC issue for sure.
    1 point
  43. Filing 1065s for the LLCs also removes a great amount of detail from the 1040 and gives the appearance of being separate from the individual return, no comingling of assets, etc.
    1 point
  44. The logic behind having each property as a separate LLC is for legal liability protection. Not treating the LLC as separate entities for tax filing purposes may create legal liability protection problems. A knowledgeable attorney in your state should be consulted before you decide how to file.
    1 point
  45. You are a great American! Tom Longview, TX USCG BM2 1984-1987
    1 point
  46. I think that Intuit and HRB are both feeling the tightening of the screws. I am already receiving random offers to purchase my business. Delete! Delete! In the past week I have had new people call me because they can't file this or that on Turbo Tax unless they step up to the business program. Well, I don't know much about Turbo Tax except, as Sara said, they miss issues that they know nothing about. And, basically, we don't charge that much more for basic returns and prepare them properly; just because WE CAN.
    1 point
  47. For many years we have had a similar but parallel system called "MilTax", that allows active duty, reserve, national guard members and their survivors to file their tax returns for free.
    1 point
  48. I attended a webinar hosted by an ex IRS agent recently. She said ALL S returns with zero or low shareholder wages are flagged by computer for an eyes on review. First agent can accept return as is or send it for further review. It then goes through a couple more people to decide if it gets audited or not. If SH is taking large distributions and essentially no wage, chance of it being audited are increased. IMO basing wage on IRA amount is borderline fraud. Proceed with extreme caution if you are in any way condoning or advising on doing this.
    1 point
  49. Copied from the website of The IRS Mind: "Appealing adjustments to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals: Some audits end up in disagreements with !he IRS auditor. The first step is to request a conference with the auditor’s manager. If agreement cannot be reached with the IRS auditor, then the taxpayer can appeal to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. If an agreement cannot be reached in Appeals, the taxpayer can also timely request a review by the courts." Your auditor is playing hardball to see who blinks first. As long as your client doesn't get nervous, hang in there, but don't over promise to your client.
    1 point
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