Gail in Virginia

Not to mention that if you begin doing the balance sheet the very first year, then if you have to start doing balance sheets you have good beginning balances to work from.

It would depend on whether the dependency is subject to the Gross Income Test. If they are a dependent child under age 18, or under age 24 and a full time student, then the fact that they drew unemployment might not matter. For other dependent questions, normally if gross income is greater than $3000, you cannot claim the person as a dependent. There are exceptions, such as for your dependent child who is disabled.

I don't recall getting a user's manual last year. Most of the time this forum is more help that any manual anyway, so I could be mistaken.

Considering the "work" history of most politicians, they only know how to throw bricks, not lay them and probably aren't sure which end of a pitchfork to use :lol:

I had never noticed those particular buttons, but right under the last post in the section are the words <<Next Oldest Website Discussion Next Newest >> and if you click on the forum title in that group it brings you back to the list of topics. So apparently there are lots of ways to navigate these pages. Thanks ERC ;)

:bday:

Catherine, you should be sure rchinchilla sees that cartoon - he wanted to know how ideal tax software would work! B)

How many torches and pitchforks can you carry? Maybe the state can sell them to raise enough money to issue refunds! :spaz:

I bet sending them an IOU to pay your taxes would work out well, now wouldn't it? :rolleyes:

:bday: and many more!

I sometimes roll over when they make their appointment if I am trying to look it over before they come in or work on things like depreciation before they actually arrive in the office. I can always delete it if they don't show, and even re-rollover if needed. But usually I roll it over when they are walking down the hall to my office.

I am with Marilyn on the subject of when we get busy. We have been mailing out our newsletter, preparing W-2's, doing bookkeeping, and a few fiscal year-ends that are due now. There really isn't a slow time anymore, but the pressure eases from May 1 to October 1 for our office.

I have no idea which way it will go this year. We will probably leave some clients the same and raise fees on others simply due to the fact that their circumstances changed, requiring us to spend more time on their returns. Of course, that will be seen as a price hike by some of them even though our rates will probably not change. We are prepared for the possibility that we will lose some clients, but so far we have been gaining rather than losing. I am just pessimistic enough to not believe that can last. What I wasn't prepared for was losing one of our part-time, seasonal employees. She had been doing some preparation and a lot of checking returns, but she decided that with the downturn in the stock market, she could no longer afford semi-retirement and she has accepted a position full-time with another firm. But if that is the worst business set-back we face in the current economy, I will count my blessings and go on.

:bday:

I am with KC. I learned to do taxes by filling out the forms in pencil, and I am uncomfortable if I can't see the form and how it is being filled out as I go. Much as I might yell at ATX's bunny, I really love that rabbit!

:bday: and many more!

:bday: to both of you! And many more!

And I have never done RAL's so I am probably the last person that should be responding, but I have been told that it is a good idea to establish a relationship with a local bank for them to cash the RAL checks that you issue. One of the bigger RAL sellers in our area even has an ATM machine in his office for the convenience of his customer's in cashing their checks. I am not sure how that works.

Page 2 of the 1040 does not have an electronic signature in the sign here portion of the return. You would only use an electronic signature if you are electronically filing the return, in which case it would go on the 8879. So the 5 digit pin number is used on the third party designee box on page 2 of the 1040, or on the 8879 as the ERO's electronic signature pin. Entering it as the ERO pin on the E-file tab simply allows the program to automatically complete that portion of the 8879 for you. As far as these being the only places you would use it, they are the only places on the 1040 that I can think of. I also use it on the check the box section of forms 941, etc. Please don't make this so difficult - it is just your electronic signature. Use it when the IRS asks for a pin in place of a signature.

I use the same pin for everything - taxpayer signature on my return, when I complete page two of the federal return under the "check the box" representation line, and as ERO on the 8879. If I am using it in place of my signature, it seems to me it should always be the same.

If the client kept good records, then if you divide business miles by total miles, and multiply that by the total amount spent for gas for the vehicle, you should get a pretty good idea of how much was spent on gas for business. But how is the personal use being treated by the corporation? Are those miles being added to his income on his W2?

Only time will tell B)

I don't know if I would say that I like the synopsis, but I sure cannot argue with it! :scratch_head:

I always think that it is educational to try to read a foreign language! ;)

I totally agree with KC. We have a good thing going, so I am hoping that the official site doesn't get jealous and screw it up! B)