Pacun

I have automatically check for updates when I start ATX, can you disable that? it seems that your Internet is not available when you try to open the program and that's why you are having that issue. So, I believe you will be able to open it up without checking with the server. Then you can do a manual update and your program will remain open if you don't connect to the server.

Yes, that's why I said years ago. 2014-2011= years. Well, he is correct, you are innocent when the IRS is about to put you in jail. BUT when they are about to fine with $500 per EIC incident, you are guilty until you prove yourself you are innocent. In May, I will check circular 230 and I will start a new topic.

I do that on April 16th on my computer, then I put it together in December and I install the ATX program. So far, I have not had any issues.

I am with Jack on this one. Have you read circular 230 where it says that the tax preparer will do as instructed by the IRS or the office of compliance? Circular 230 was prepared years ago and they will not update it with every single detail. The IRS has made it clear that you not only need documents but also worksheets and notes on every EIC, schedule C, Schedule A. I believe that you have to document everything for each child tax credit and ANY refund claim. Have you read the other's preparers experiences with office audits? Paranoia is not on our vocabulary but "materiality" and "compliance" are. The $500 penalty per incident is material. My one-block-away competition has been audited and the first time the IRS imposed 8K fine on 16 EIC where he didn't have enough documentation. They fined him in November. How many of us can fork out 8K in November? Jack, you don't want an IRS agent to be breathing on your neck when you interview your clients. That's what they do in some instances. How nervous will you be? What perception will your client have on you if the IRS is in your office? Jack, what will you win if you office is audited? It is like, we will put you in the tiger's cage and if you make it alive, we are going to give you a penny as a prize.

Are you also banned by ATX to answer his question? Share please.

You can get a 1099-misc form and a 1096 form and hand write them, even pencil will do it, and send to the correct place. Your client has to sign and date form 1096, pen recommended.

Yes, you can amend before April 15th. This is a very stupid rule but after April 15th, you cannot amend. This is what I do, I prepare the efile file to make sure everything is in order. Then, I print the returns, then I resave the return and that will make the efile invalid. After they sign, I go back and recreate the efile file. I have made mistakes in the past that require amending, so I have learned my lesson. A mistake like yours should be shared with your clients immediately because one of them will get the check at his/her address.

Why will a file become corrupt? I guess when you don't power down your computer gratefully.

Maybe because I am from El Salvador, a third world country where education used to be hard, I passed the EA on paper on one sitting but didn't register with the IRS. I think the year was 2006, then I took the computer exams about 3 years ago and they are relatively easy. Too easy, I would say. When it comes to preparing some returns, I have to ask questions on this forum and I get good answers here. So, is the EA exams high school and this forum a University? Going back to the question at hand, can the IRS require that only EA and CPAs prepare tax returns? What people who struggle with the EA exams do? Will they prepare the returns and leave it as "self prepared" or will they really study hard and pass the EA exams? If the IRS would force you to become an EA, will you join a lawsuit? As some people have stated on this post, the RTRP was a joke. It is like asking a cook with 5 years of experience, what a fillet mignon is. I don't have my EA diploma hanging on my wall, neither do I have my PTIN number letter on the wall. I visited my friend who doesn't even know what kiddie tax is and she prepares taxes, she has her PTIN letter on a frame and she points that letter to her clients. Some clients question my qualifications because I don't have anything on the wall, but they are happy with her because she has that frame. Perception, perception, perception.

I was helping my friend with a computer issue today and I noticed TaxAct is different from ATX. I like ATX presentation and input screen. It seems Taxact is dirt cheap though.

Either the IRS will have to go to Congress or audit more returns when the returns are prepared by someone with only a PTIN. I heard from an auditor that returns prepared by CPAs are more respected than others.

I will add that a lady was waiting for a 1099-C. Each year we had to ask the IRS for 1098s, W2s. For about 2 years, nothing. On the third year, the IRS had it. This is tricky because you cannot request 1098s and W2s from the IRS until Sept, you have to move quickly to get the return before Oct 15.

The client should check his mail. I think the IRS send them in December. If he cannot find the letter, he can call the IRS and they will provide a new one.

or lost on the mail.

If client is insolvent, they can include primary residence and rentals too.

Rita, What's the message on your XP machine? Is it just rebooting? See if it boots up on safe mode, if not, you won't be able to resurrect it. To boot to safe mode, you have to press F8 right before or when you see the Windows logo.

It seems that the IRS wants to kiss good bye to RALs. I don't offer any RALs so I am happy that people are getting refunds quickly. My clients also reported that they got their money already.

When a hard drive dies, most of the times, your data is there. So if you take out the hard drive from your computer and connect it to another working computer as a "slave", you can get your data. Of course, backing up religiously is better than looking for an adapter and connect your hard drive to another computer. Backing up to the same hard drive helps only if the original location of your files becomes physically damaged and the back up folder resides on a good spot.

Loans needs to be repaid while distributions you only pay the tax and maybe penalty on the first 10k. You cannot take a loan and roll it over. I can take the distribution, within 60 days you can roll it over and then maybe you can take a distribution from the IRA.

I just noticed that it works even better for me. When I create an efile file, my state automatically goes to a "held" position so when I am ready to transmit, I only have the "created" ones on top. I love this feature this year because last year it didn't work properly.

For me, it works like a champ. I get all the created returns on top. Then I click transmit on the 1040, as soon as I transmit, the corresponding state return moves to the middle as "held". I normally transmit twice a day so, the next time I do the same process. When the IRS accepts it, my "held" state returns jump to the top as "created" and I transmit a second time. It is nice a clean for me and I will never forget to transmit the state because I don't sort by last name by rather "status". How many times you have made a mistake and the federal rejects and the states accepts it? That has happened to me a couple of times and then I have to paper amend the state. With my setup, I will make that mistake only on April 15 afternoon when I will send both of them at the same time.

I haven't looked but I think my ATX is not backing up at all. So maybe the program is not backing up by default.

I read somewhere else that you have a date next Sat, so your roots won't be that bad this year.

I had a Sch C guy that always came the last Sunday of the tax season. for 2 years I said, I need you to come on the first Sunday of March to drop your stuff and then pick it up at the end of March. He dind't listen. One year he called on Satuday and wanted an appointment for the next day, which was the last sunday of tax season. I said "I won't be able to prepare your taxes this year because I am busy. Please look somewhere else". The next year, he was in time as instructed and I prepared his taxes. The following year, IRS audited the year he went somewhere else and my following year. He didn't receive any letters (or his wife didn't give them to him) and the letter he broght to me was for tax court. I told him to submit a court petition and at the end he only pay something for the year he went away and my year was unchanged. He was happy because he paid only about $1,500 and the original letter was for 65K since he didn't have a chance to show his receipts/expenses. EVER since he is meeting with me in March.

I have EA next to my name but it is not a doctorate.