Jack from Ohio

There are settings for sleep, hibernate and harddrive powerdown on all PC's. I do not know for sure if APPLE computers have those settings. But, I didn't think ATX made a version for Apple. I have never had to manually restart the server. Check again in control panel, power options for the settings.

If you are subject to a compliance audit and you are not doing it for all clients, the auditor can conclude that you suspected something about those that you made provide ID, and suggest that you know more than you reported. Therefore, if you do it for one, you must do it for all to be in compliance.

Change the settings on all the computers in your system so that the computer never goes to sleep and the harddrive never stops. Control panel, power settings, advanced settings.

I am required to be able to prove the identity and SS# of any taxpayer and/or dependents that are listed on the return. Drivers License and/or SS card are minimum requirements for me now. Only need to do it one time and it stays in their folder. Circular 230 makes me responsible for the identity of anyone on a tax return I prepare.

Ignore the server warning and click retry. It is related to windows system resources and how fast your hard drives turn off or go to sleep. Also, the server message is for the actual system you are working on, not the network server. Just click retry and go on. If you have a router with a hardware firewall, turn off ALL software firewalls and internet security functions except your anti-virus. All those programs interfere with the program talking to the server.

As I have been studying and taking the tests to get my EA, I found the RTRP test to be very rudimentary and easy. Total time from arriving at the testing site to having lunch at McD's, 65 minutes.

Tech support just reported that ATX only supported Legacy returns for CA in 2011. Thus, it must be paperfiled.

You are correct. You did make an error. 1099a is NOT debt forgiveness. It is to be treated as a sale. Use the amount of the forgiven debt as the sales price and use appropriate basis. Depending upon the numbers, the taxpayer may have had a taxable gain in 2012. 1099C IS debt forgiveness and should be handled with form 982 in the year the 1099C was issued.

That was the original intent of the rules. As in most everything else the government does, it ended up FUBAR and now is non-existent.

I also backup all my tax client files on a flash drive that I carry in my pocket at all times. 64GB holds the last 10 years no problem. On sale at Staples for $39 on Black Friday. This is in addition to the daily backup on another drive I drop off at the in-laws every morning and pickup yesterdays. Rotation...

Did you show her the door and give her a business card from H&R Block? I am afraid that is how I would have handled her. Please say you did not give her discounted fees.... I too, started my working career with several "degrading jobs." Dishwasher, Stockyard stall cleaner, farm hand bailing hay etc. I also have no tolerance for those "entitled" people that irresponsible parents have raised.

Repayment of benefits received in an earlier year. If the total amount shown in box 5 of all of your Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 is a negative figure, you can take an itemized deduction for the part of this negative figure that represents benefits you included in gross income in an earlier year. Deduction $3,000 or less. If this deduction is $3,000 or less, it is subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limit that applies to certain miscellaneous itemized deductions. Claim it on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 23. Deduction more than $3,000. If this deduction is more than $3,000, you should figure your tax two ways: Figure your tax for 2013 with the itemized deduction included on Schedule A, line 28. Figure your tax for 2013 in the following steps: Figure the tax without the itemized deduction included on Schedule A, line 28. For each year after 1983 for which part of the negative figure represents a repayment of benefits, refigure your taxable benefits as if your total benefits for the year were reduced by that part of the negative figure. Then refigure the tax for that year. Subtract the total of the refigured tax amounts in ( from the total of your actual tax amounts. Subtract the result in © from the result in (a). Compare the tax figured in methods (1) and (2). Your tax for 2013 is the smaller of the two amounts. If method (1) results in less tax, take the itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28. If method (2) results in less tax, claim a credit for the amount from step 2© above on Form 1040, line 71. Check box d and enter “I.R.C. 1341” in the space next to that box. If both methods produce the same tax, deduct the repayment on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 28. Pub 915.

These examples are why I have a Beta fish.

No worksheet that I am aware of.

Any of you CA professionals want to chime in here... I keep getting an error when trying to create a CA e-file for a 2011 return: “The year of Taxpayer Signature Date must equal current processing year.” I have tried many dates, and nothing seems to work. Does this mean that CA is not accepting 2011 returns by e-file? Been waiting on an e-mail reply from ATX, but still waiting. Just need to know if it must be mailed.

Tell him to consider the tax he paid as the rest of the penalties... Very VERY rarely is the client not aware of what is happening.

I installed a new harddrive in an old machine, reinstalled Windows XP, put it on the network to be used with ATX2004 and older, since they are not compatible with Windows7. We constantly have multi-year non-filers as well.

What is your magic solution to get your clients to follow this often spoken direction to them?

I want licensing requirements and someone watching over preparers. I want to push out the "two weeks a year" tax preparers. The group that started this whole lawsuit thing must be in favor of fraud and incompetence. What I TOTALLY DISDAIN is the paying for having a PTIN. The costs are just a cash cow for the IRS. Maybe this judgment will eliminate the charges for renewing? I am in favor of testing to obtain a PTIN. I am in favor of testing to obtain an EFIN.

Replace it. Not much more than the cost of that can of air you wasted!!

The identity theft PIN is also shown on the account transcript from the IRS.

Lion is correct. Taxpayer will get a new PIN each year.

What she said!!!

Change the setting in preferences and print packets.