Gail in Virginia

If I am ever driving through Tennessee and see your sign, I am going to definitely stop in.

Main reason that sellers pay closing costs rather than cutting the price has always seemed to me to be because the real estate agents convince them that it is a good idea. They like it because their commission is calculated on a higher number. Maybe that isn't it, but that was what always struck me.

Wow! I used DuckDuckGo and you are right - one of my comments on this board was on the first page of results.

I use Square. We used to use QuickBooks, but the fee they charged monthly even when we did not accept any credit cards was unacceptable. They were not supposed to be charging a fee, but after the first twelve months they were and I could not get them to stop the fee so I stopped the service and that was the end of that. With Square, no monthly fees, just the deduction from each card swiped. I had been using my phone with the reader, but that meant getting interrupted any time someone paid by card so I replaced my iPad and brought the old one to the office to use just for taking cards.

Every word that he said is so true! For the past several years, I have seriously wondered about getting into another line of work. I love what I do, some of the time. But the constant change to becoming an auditor for the IRS rather than an advocate for my clients, and the clients who don't understand why I don;'t finish their return the day they drop it off, and then call to check on their return and waste more of my time. Trying to hire people to help, and getting no one who can actually think for themselves, of if they do think for themselves they decide they don't need to do things the way I told them to cause they know a better way. But then along about November, when the classes are going on and I am learning new stuff, and I get to order new office supplies, I start thinking I would not do anything else. (I love office supplies, by the way.) Obviously, I am seasonally bi-polar.

It can be frustrating trying to help clients when they get in this predicament. And we don't always know the whole story. But sometimes it seems that wealthy clients have family in the wings who can't wait to get their hands on the money. I've seen clients that have lost the ability to handle their own affairs get totally ripped off by family. And family that turns on each other as soon as there is an estate to divide. Makes me so sad, and mad. I wish sometimes that I could hug as well as Rita.

I'm glad your mom is some better. I did not realize she was out of state - for me, that would add to the stress of the situation. I hope she is not too far away, and that you are able to communicate with her frequently. Taking care of aging parents is never easy. I will continue to hold your family in my prayers.

My dad passed away last Wednesday. A lot of people are on extensions this year. Anyone that objected was told they were welcome to go elsewhere. Only one person gave my staff any trouble about that, but she left her stuff for me to do. I am going to get what I can do done this week, although payroll reports are going to get priority, and then I am taking next week off. Some things are more important than others. Always.

If she doesn't make estimated payments, is that because she chooses not to, or forgets/loses track of the paper? You might be able to suggest having the estimates automatically deducted from her checking account, which you can set up when you do the return. Of course, as late as you are getting information and preparing the return, I don't think that will work either.....

If the kids choose to let their parents bring in their stuff and pick it up, I am fine with that. But once they are 18, I usually insist on something in writing to let the parents pick up the kids return. They are entitled to confidentiality, and I am required by law to respect that.

Actually, working helps. I can't go see him all the time - he needs to rest and that is hard enough to do in the hospital. But the hospital is close enough that I can duck out a couple of times a day and check in with him. But thanks for all the good wishes - and Catherine, I can't tell you how much your offer means to me! I love this group of people. Now I might just have to go and have a good cry before I go back to work.

You have my sympathy, Terry. My dad is 88, and was admitted to ICU yesterday with pneumonia, and possible CHF. I wish I could close shop but I have several tax returns to kick out before Tuesday is over.

Rita, I am so glad someone is still able to have thoughts....

And super glue does not sting like that liquid bandage stuff does.

A kiss is fine, but better still is wine! That is the specific remedy for paper cuts, I believe. Unless it is the cause....

And even if she has, it sometimes takes IRS a little while to be notified.

That's pretty much it. He already is writing off all the costs - taxes, insurance, etc. He can't write off what he would have charged - unless he includes that amount in income and then writes it off. Waste paper.

My suggestion would be to ignore it, unless it is more than your client reported in total sales. Then my suggestion would be to fire the client.

I think the way it is worded is that it has to have been his principal residence for two of the last five years. If he filed a resident Virginia return for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 it would have only been his primary residence for one of the last five years. I think. If he filed part-year for 2013, then maybe but i am still doubtful. I don't think that 1 1/2 is the same as two.

If your client is filing a farm return (sch F) I would put it on line 4a, Agricultural Program payments. And unless you have information that says otherwise, I would treat it as taxable income.

Publication 926 deals with household employees, and it covers this situation: Not withholding the employee's share. If you prefer to pay your employee's social security and Medicare taxes from your own funds, don't withhold them from your employee's wages. The social security and Medicare taxes you pay to cover your employee's share must be included in the employee's wages for income tax purposes. However, they aren't counted as social security and Medicare wages or as federal unemployment (FUTA) wages. Report the social security and Medicare taxes that you paid in boxes 4 and 6 of your employee’s Form W-2; also add the taxes to your employee’s wages reported in box 1 of Form W-2.

No offense, Rita, but I would rather have a real expert for the tax issues - a hair dresser, or someone from church. You could obviously do the section on Hugging.

Maybe they plan for him to live in the woods and be entirely self-sufficient and completely off the grid.

I am glad I am not the only one that thought first about trust issues between client and preparer! Maybe it is the time of year, but I am trusting my clients less and less.

Is the taxpayer over 70 1/2? Is this RMD? And which would be worse - 50% penalty on RMD or paying back advance premium tax credit?