Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana

I try to send them about the time they will start receiving their official tax documents. For the late filers whose 'current year' info is received by the time the tax organizer is available it is printed and given to them in a separate envelope along with their current year tax return. Some complete it, others do not. But they all sign the engagement letter - if it is not signed and dated when I receive their materials it is scanned and sent to them. No work is done until the signed and dated engagement letter is received back in my office. I use the tax organizer as a worksheet, no matter what the client uses it for.

To gross up for just the social security and Medicare tax, divide the net by 0.9235, which results in the 'gross'. On OldJack's worksheet set the federal and state w/h % to -0-. Lynn

Nor Louisiana. Income tax calculations start with federal AGI in Louisiana. Lynn

Yes

My system is at the same version, but I do have the 'short' organizer. It has one ACA question, #32 'Was there any month in 2014 where the individual health insurance mandate was not met for you or your dependents?'

Courtesy of the NAEA Forum: thanks to the efforts of NYSSEA and David Silverman, EA, enrolled agents are exempt from all of this.

Right

It depends on the amount of his interest and dividends reported on sch B. my understanding is if the amounts combined are less than $1500 then those questions may be ignored.

Lion, there are no separate rental taxes, no city or parish taxes or school district taxes. LA starts with federal AGI. If your client is a nonresident of LA be sure to use the nonresident form so that only the wages earned in LA are taxed by LA. I expect his resident state will give credit for the taxes paid on the LA earnings. Send a PM if you need more assistance. Lynn PS LA trivia - parish taxes are sales taxes imposed on retail purchases; 63 of the 64 parishes impose a parish sales tax, each requiring a separate parish sales tax return in addition to the state sales tax return. But those are not a issue for your w2 individual income tax filer.

Jack, I was not part of this year's beta testing either, and I received an email last night with the activation codes for 2014. Lynn

An allocation for the personal use needs to be shown on the employee's W2. I allocate $3.00 per day. Lynn

I get that same error message - Win 7 Pro - and I do have Windows Media already installed. I clicked on the link to watch on a different format and chose flash. No problems with the flash choice.

Karen, the CPE requirements depend on the person's credentials. If an EA, then they must have 24 CPE hours per year, of which 2 must be in Ethics. If they are also a member of NAEA then they are required to have 30 CPE hours (total). I do not know what the requirements are for CPA's or attorneys. Anyone without credentials has no CPE requirement, as far as I know.

Yes, if it is an LLC and they meet the requirements for an S Corporation.

Have the client take all missing RMD's now. Then make sure (s)he is set up for automatic payments (either monthly, quarterly or annually) going forward. File the 5329, without paying the penalty due, along with an explanation of the client's age, health/mental status, that once the omission was discovered it was immediately cured, and steps have been to prevent such omission in future years. The IRS will generally not require payment of the penalty in such circumstance.

Bruce A Miller 2955 Ridgelake Drive, Suite 207 Metairie, LA 70002 504.837.5242

Were there any dependent care credits in one of the boxes on either of the W2's?

Catherine - try this (google search - U S citizen receiving foreign gifts). Hope this helps. http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Gifts-from-Foreign-Person Lynn

I have never experienced the renew now, pay later, scenario. ATX has always charged my credit card upon renewal. Lynn

If they are eligible, file the 990 e-postcard. Otherwise, file 990-EZ. I am the treasurer for a 501-c-7, which is eligible to file the 990 e-postcard.

The processing fee is not new.

CCH Small Firm Services Earns Top 25 Call Center Award from BenchmarkPortal CCH Small Firm Services Earns Top 25 Call Center Award from BenchmarkPortal Customer Support Center Ranked Among Best in Its Class, Measured By Global Leader in Contact Center Industry (KENNESAW, GA., May 5, 2014) – CCH Small Firm Services, a part of Wolters Kluwer and developers of the ATX™ and TaxWise® accounting solutions, today announced its customer support call center has been ranked among the Top 25 medium-sized centers in the United States and Canada, according to the latest Top 100 Call Center annual rankings by BenchmarkPortal. The Top 100 competition compares the performance of contact centers throughout North America by evaluating their key metrics against industry peers. Entries are all cross-checked, validated and approved by certified call center experts, and the resulting submissions are scored on the basis of both quality and cost efficiency. “We’re thrilled to be recognized by an industry expert for high-quality customer call support,” said Jason Marx, President of CCH Small Firm Services. “In addition to investments we’ve made in our flagship ATX and TaxWise compliance platforms, our new call center communications systems and emphasis on support staff training underscore our laser-focus on meeting customer needs.” Since the Top 100 process is based entirely on statistical comparison to the world’s largest and most respected database of call center metrics, this competition can objectively identify centers that are achieving superior results both in financial and qualitative terms. The Top 100 contest grouped submissions into three categories according to size for this awards program. Each center was compared from a wide variety of industries and assigned numerical ratings. As a result, CCH Small Firm Services was determined to be among the Top 25 in North America. “Ranking in the Top 100 Call Center Contest attests to the fact that CCH Small Firm Services’ management and employees have successfully balanced efficiency and effectiveness in their operations,” said Bruce Belfiore, CEO, BenchmarkPortal. “This award was granted on the basis of objective, metrics-driven performance. CCH Small Firm Services stood tall against its competitors according to the world’s largest database of call center metrics. This is not easy to do, and we congratulate them on their accomplishment.” About BenchmarkPortal BenchmarkPortal’s activities began in 1995, and it is now a global leader in the contact center industry, provid­ing benchmarking, certification, training, consulting and research. The BenchmarkPortal team of professionals has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to best practices for contact centers. Bench­markPortal hosts the world’s largest database of contact center metrics, which is constantly being refreshed with new data. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to provide contact center managers with the tools and informa­tion that will help them optimize their efficiency and effectiveness in their customer communications. For more information, please call 1-800-214-8929 or visit www.BenchmarkPortal.com.

Gail, the caveat is that employers who employee more than x # of employees are required to reflect the health insurance costs on the W2. None of my clients exceed that x # , so my clients employees W2s will NOT have any information regarding health insurance costs . My clients will not go to the trouble to track it nor are they willing to pay me to do so. Lynn

Comments by ATXMarilyn on the 'official' ATX Community Board state that 'renewals will be sent out soon', whatever 'soon' means.

I have not received even the first email re renewing ATX for 2014. When did you receive yours? Lynn