Christian

I should have stated Medicare insurance which as you know is shown on the annual Social Security SSA-1099. I deduct this every year myself. This client has multiple other health related policies. Drug, dental, vision and a policy through another carrier. My reading of the law indicates only primary health insurance is deductible but I have known other tax folks who disagree and deduct them in toto on line 16.

No one else carries any insurance on him except Social Security which I understand to be deductible for Schedule C filers like me. He purchases additional drug insurance but my reading is drug policies are non-deductible.

I started out using pen and ink. The first tax program was out of Maine I think. It cost $75 per year and worked quite well. How sweet it was !

Do any of you have a reference for deducting 20% rental income as qualified business income ? I have a few clients having a number of rental properties but in reviewing the rules for them to deduct 20% of their rental income on the Form 1040 it looked to me as if the rules were strictly drawn but feel I ought to review them and see what if any modifications may have been made which might allow them this deduction.

A client has come in with a Form 1099-Misc for over $19,000 reported as Nonemployee compensation. I will fill out the SE to pay self employment tax. My question is whether he qualifies to decuct healthcare premiums on Form 1040 schedule 1 line 16. I would think he would having to pay SE tax but can find no reference to say so.

After checking my invoice I see I did in fact receive the 15% discount they are offering. I suspect WK is becoming aware of the lower priced competition which seems to be now showing up which could better suite a small operation like mine. I expect to reup but will look over the newer software I am seeing being offered as the free file revolution is slowly taking it's toll.

I sent mine in as well. I really enjoy this forum and get great tax info which keeps me from (once in awhile) dropping the ball.

As noted in an earlier post I got my renewal by mail. In checking the price I find it is what it was last year. I renewed in May last year and may have locked the price in. I am usually so pooped by then I likely signed on and do not remember it but not paying more suits me just fine. This area is not flush with upper income folks to say the least and each year presents a problem in replacing old clients who go to the happy hunting ground. I am not too far from hanging it up but I so enjoy the work and interacting with most of those I serve. Although as cb noted I have some "interesting" clients.

I got the same result Gail did hence my forum entry. I'm going with the IRS instructions for Form 1041 wich clearly state no deduction.

A client believes funeral expenses paid by his mother's estate are deductible on her Form 1041. In checking this I got two conflicting reads. They are deductible on Form 706 but she needs no 706. Insofar as I know they have never been deductible on the Form 1041 or final 1040.

I just got my annual renewal notice in the mail. Surprisingly I do not see any discount offered. I have not yet had time to check it against last year's price but if history is any guide they have likely raised it yet again. It would be great if we who are faced with free competition from every direction could do the same.

Very true cb. My instructor in the H & R Block class I took many moons ago made the following statement. As best I can recall it went like this " Now that you have completed our course any of you who would like to work with us this coming tax season please let us know. I can guarantee that if you do you will find the biggest can of worms you have ever been involved with in your life." No words I have EVER heard rang so true.

A now divorced client is doing back flips over not getting her stimulus payment. Her former husband filed his 2019 some months back as a single man the divorce being final in January 2019. She of course has not filed and is trying to get the payment based on her 2018 married filing status. I told her to file her 2019 return as head of household (two dependents) but as usual she hems and haws. I do not know what the rules are but I am wondering if she refuses to file the 2019 to correctly report her changed filing status and since he has long filed his return if they will pay her based on the 2018 return. Do any of have any insight into this as I clearly do not.

I guess he would sign as personal representative. I am always concerned the Service will kick it back with no court document. If he merely adds the dividends to his return how will you square his mother's social. Some sort of additional entry on his Schedule B such as reported under and indicate his mother's name and social security number ? That appears to me a simple solution if it works. Of course, I am his taxman as well. He could get the broker to issue an amended 1099 but they will likely balk since his name was not on the account until late March.

Thanks so much for your info. She does not need to file a final 1040 as her income level is below the requirement. However, after death a brokerage account received some $3,900 in dividends which means I'll need to prepare the 1041. Now comes the real head scratcher. She passed her entire estate to one son by TOD. I am sure his POA lapsed with her death. What do I do if he simply moved the assets over TOD and there is no executor. Who will sign the return ?

A client died on January 13, 2019. I get a bit confused about estate tax years but as I read it her year would be January through December 31, 2019. Is this correct ? Any income received after January 13th would fall into her estate as well ? I really dislike a 1041 and do very few of them.

In looking at a client letter from another firm I noted the federal tax rate schedule was printed at the bottom of the client letter for the tax filing status. Thinking this a good thing I looked to see if I could add it to my own client letter but find nothing in ATX that would allow me. If anyone knows how or if this can be done I would appreciate knowing how to do it.

This is just a sideline he and wife are not giving up anything. Her teenage daughter is interested in going to veternarian school after high school. She is raising registered goats ! Who knew there were such things. Apparently some immigrants who now live in the area eat the darn things !! My grandfather used to sponsor a local baseball team in our tiny community. In one season they lost. He evidently had an annual dinner for them a picnic sort of. He had an ageing billy goat on his farm so he cooked him up. I am told the meat was as tough as shoe leather.

P. S. Well after a barrage of material relating to the risk of having a hobby farm supplied by yours truly and one of Black Bart's "Come to Jesus" talks the client "Saw the Light" and has agreed that he must show a profit with his farm return at least every other year or so. This will surely lay this to rest. Thank goodness.

It would have been nice to have had prior notice of this and not get these " Where is my refund. I mailed my return two months ago." calls from clients.

The Where's My Refund Site has instructions as to what to do. Too bad for him they too are down for now. He will just have to be patient as this is the quickest option and but for the shutdown would have provided a timely solution.

A client's tax refund was returned to the Post Office as it was addressed to his former address. On the annual organizer he received he failed to advise the change. I have not had this to happen in ages and am rusty on the procedure to get it corrected. is there an IRS number or area of notification where this can be taken care of that any of you know ?

I'll give you odds that the check I am sure will be sent with my return will be processed before a year has passed.

In conclusion I'll pass this along. Years ago I had a small farmer who kept perfect records but for 15 or more years never posted a profit. If he got near one he ran out and bought a piece of machinery. Coming in one year he said a lady had come to see him and I asked why he had not called. He explained she sat at his kitchen table and after some two hours prepared to leave saying they would be sending him a check for $54 as he had a gas tank on his property and bought gas for his tractor having it delivered onsite (something he never bothered to advise me or my Uncle his former taxman about) and that he owed no tax liability for the year in question. He never heard anything more.

Well he is advising he is going to sell tomatoes by the bushel in the city's farmer's market. Who knows maybe he will expand and sell them to Kraft Heinz. I am going to outline to him by letter my concerns and keep a copy for myself. He does have some time to get this business up and going and if he posts a couple of thousand dollars in income he could in fact post some yearly profits. After all who am I the geat grandson of a poor German immigrant who did extremely well after coming here to attempt to prejudge and crush a budding entrepreneurial spirit. After all this is America ! Truth be told if he can post some profit even a slim one judging by all these other small time operators I have seen over time he is safe on second heading home.