Gail in Virginia

We prepared a final 1040 for a deceased taxpayer that was due a substantial refund. The return was completed June 3, 2020 and mailed June 4, return receipt requested. The receipt shows the return was received June 18. However, the refund tracker on the IRS website shows that the information entered to track a refund is incorrect. I don't know if this means the IRS has not processed the return into their system, or that the refund tracker cannot be used because the taxpayer is deceased. One of the executors called the IRS and was unable to get any additional information about the status of the return. Does anyone know more about how the tracker works? Or a way to find out where in the process a paper filed return is?

I think the break for the military is that they can extend the five year period to up to fifteen years, such that they need to have lived in the house for two of the last fifteen years instead of two of the last five. But I am not positive - not as many military in this end of the state as in your neck of the woods.

I am glad this turned out as well as it did. I have always had my share of mistakes, but it seems like it is getting harder for me to accept that. And I don't want to stay in this business past the time that I can keep up with the changes. As fast as they are coming these days, I don't know how much longer that will be.

Makes me wish I did not do payroll!

I totally agree with what Sara told you. We aren't perfect, we are just doing the best we can in a stressful situation. We try to do enough work between February and the middle of April (most years) to carry our business the whole year. So no matter what procedures we put in place to make sure we get things right, something eventually is going to slip though the cracks. But boy do I hate having finding these errors. And I can tell you do to, which tells me you are trying the best you can to do it right the first time. Hang in there, and remember - it is only money! As much as I stress over these issues, imagine if I were a doctor and my mistakes cost lives!

Ouch. So far I have been lucky enough that the marketplace insurances I have missed were because they did not give me the form and I had no reason to know. I hope someone can offer something to help cause I got nothin'.

I have a client who is having problems with this for her son. He filed a return about three years ago, and not again until this year. He doesn't have a home loan or a credit card. He doesn't have a cell phone in his name. I don't know what she is supposed to use. On top of everything else, he is in jail right now. She has filled out a 2848 so she can talk to the IRS, but they won't take that when she calls - it has to go to the CAF unit first and be set up. So 6 weeks or more for that, and 6 weeks or more for processing the refund after they establish identity.

I don't think so either BUT if you check that box and put the envelope back in the mail, it comes right back to you. At least that was my experience with my mom's stimulus check. Which was addressed in HER NAME, DECD. I know that there is an address we are supposed to mail them back to now, but I am not going to waste my time. I did not cash the check.

I don't look good in jumpsuits, and I worked too hard to get my EA certification. Some clients just are not a good fit. Better to figure it out sooner rather than later.

And I don't think there is a significant difference in the SR return - mainly it just is a little bigger print for the senior set.

Even with professional services, I personally like to have some idea of cost before I hire someone. If price is the only consideration, I am probably not the one who will get hired. But I have sympathy for people who want to be sure they can afford to pay me BEFORE they engage my services. It just is not always easy to give people a price in advance.

I did not see a cite that I would consider authoritative in a quick Google search. But my opinion would be that the entire amount is deductible. If the donation were made directly to the charity, and they paid a fee to process the payment, I would not expect them to reduce the amount of my donation receipt by what it cost them to process the payment. Therefore, the fact that a third party allows the donor to elect to pay that fee rather than charging it to the charitable organization should not mean that the donor can not deduct that amount of the contribution. Interesting question, and I would be curious if someone has a more reliable answer than my opinion.

Even household employers are now required to obtain an EIN for reporting employee wages.

$2 is to pay someone to assign a number or verify that the number is still in use for that person, maybe look to see if they have filed their tax return (although probably not, because IRS probably won't share that info with contractor.) $2 is to process the payment. The rest is to make a profit?

I am glad you have recovered. My cousins family had the virus in April (?) and their experience was very like yours. Three in the family, no one deathly ill, wife tested positive, husband's test messed up and could not be tested and he never re-tested, and daughter never tested.

I am so sorry for your loss, and that your brothers are not being helpful in this time. One of the things that got me through losing both my parents within 10 months was that my brother and sister and I all got along and worked together on everything. I can't imagine if they had been difficult to deal with in addition to the grief. We still get along well and work together well, as long as my sister and I make no mention of politics. Your family is in my prayers, and if we can help or you need someone to listen while you vent, we are here for you. Blessings!

I hope your sister has a happy birthday anyway!

So does DC count college students as physically present/resident for income tax purposes? Even if they have no earned income in the district?

I just saw this, Darlene. I am so sorry that you are going through this. I agree with everyone on here - be with your mom as much as you possibly can. I will pray for you, your family, the doctors and nurses, and especially your mom.

If he took more than the RMD from some other account, he may not have been required to take an RMD from this account, especially it if is small. Worth checking, maybe?

If you look at the Virginia Employment Commission form for determining liability, agricultural employer's don't owe unemployment taxes until they reach $20,000 in wages in one quarter. Is she the only employee? Has he ever had to pay unemployment tax for employees? If the answer to both questions is no, I would say that he does not have to pay unemployment tax on her to VA. If you look at page two of the VEC form T-FC-27, those questions determine who has to file and pay unemployment taxes. https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/docstore/vecportal/employer/pdf/fc_27new.pdf

I too have always been interested in how computers work, and back when I used DOS i HAD to know something to write bat files and execute programs. Now, I am just trying to keep up enough to be able to tell if the IT people I use know what they are doing. Times change, and I don't learn as quickly as I used to nor am I willing to put as much time in to work as I used to be willing to do - now I want more time to play!

i am glad I didn't know - I might have just locked the door and given up!

I no longer use ATX so I can't be sure this is correct, but I believe that you can go to the other income line on the 1040, and follow the links from there to get to the 1099C. This section of the forum is for questions about the use of the forum itself, not the tax software, so you may want to re-post the question under the general chat heading to get more and better responses.

It sounds like she is now. This is her sole means of support, and she quit her job to do this. If she quit her job as a doctor because she became a lawyer, she would still be self-employed. Either it is a gift, or it sounds like employment to me - she is exchanging her labor for their money. Just my opinion though. I don't have a cite offhand for it.