FDNY

Yardley was correct.  There's a drop down box for it in the Preparer/ERO tab.

10 minutes ago, michaelmars said:

Initials don't mean anything, there is book smart and real life smart. All it means is that at some point in time someone learned some book knowledge and regurgitated it at test time.  It does show the person has the ability to learn but not to retain or apply the knowledge.

By best preparer never passed the exam nor bothered going for EA but he thinks about every entry and is very smart.

A CPA can prepare financial statements, it has nothing to do with taxes.  I took some tax classes that mostly dealt with theory. Never saw a tax form in school.

-Michael CPA, MA, BS, BA.    [ oh yeah, EMT, CPA, 1st Dan Ju Jitsu, and according to my staff a real PIA]

Don't be so modest, you're a great EMT, worked in a rough area and most likely saved lives.

You two are cracking me up, I can't stop laughing.  And it's not the Malbec, because I haven't started drinking yet.

You're the best Rita, and I could tell you can handle anything that comes your way.  I hope you get that possum so you could tell me how to get rid of the skunk that's been ripping up my lawn every year looking for grubs or whatever.  This city kid needs some help.

That's funny because I was talking about Lion (after she put hubby to bed), but now I see some of us all have a common thread here, we all have dogs so we must be on canine time.  We're always awake and alert, ready for whatever life has to dish out.

Don't think I have too much time on my hands to ponder these things, but I was a detective before I was a fireman.  BTW, did you change the batteries in your smoke detectors when the clocks went ahead?

CPAs are the cream of the crop in our profession, there's no disputing that.    There is so much to know out there that letters after a name are an indication that you have made an extraordinary effort to acquire the knowledge needed to be a professional.  There are also people out there without credentials who are very smart, I've seen that in the engineering field and tax preparers who are self taught and very good at their trade.

But in any profession, and it can't be generalized, there are people with credentials that are just not that good.  Yes, they passed their exams, but they they never kept up.  I don't see that here, because if any of us was one of them, we wouldn't be here.  You're here because you're good and care about what you do.

3 hours ago, Catherine said:

Dead in the water for eight days with computer issues.

My town tried to evict us.

Does that say enough about what kind of season this has been for me?  And for real, the practice is going up for sale after 4/20.  I'll teach and keep a couple of low-rent or family clients.

Two words that have worked very well for me....PO Box.

I also consider my specialty taxes, schooled in accounting and I'm a CFP and literate in other areas of personal financial planning areas, I sell no products.  I pride myself in researching what I don't know and will be available all year to a client.  But nickel and diming me on my fee or saying I'm too expensive (which I am not), I have no time for these people.

Glad you're OK.  I'm an early bird and when I checked in to catch up and saw you posting all thru the early hours I just wanted to be sure you weren't burning the midnight oil.  I've been there and know what that can do to you.  I'm guilty too because sometimes I wake up at 1am if I fell asleep at 7pm and I need to be extremely quiet going up to the top floor home office, but Allie my little Yorkie runs to keep me company (see her on my profile page). 

Now we have to work on Possi to make sure she gets her beauty sleep, because working all night requires time and a half pay, that's union scale for tax preparers.  Norma Ray told me this.

I have a feeling she's getting some well deserved rest as I don't see her here now.  And I hope you get your rest too.  They do sleep deprivation to prisoners, well, I guess in a way we're prisoners too.

I need to get one of those computers that posts, maybe one that could do the returns too.  She wouldn't be lyin' to us would she?

I'm a very early riser (and early to bed), I do get a ton of work done early and like to check in here for breaks.  But this morning I happened to notice that one of our Super Stars has been up all night.  I hope it's not insomnia and she is taking care of herself because they don't pay us enough to lose sleep.

5 hours ago, cbslee said:

Now, I feel really bad. This has the smoothest most trouble free tax season I have ever had.

D@#, I have probably just hexed myself !

You could have waited another week to say that for safety's sake, although I've been thinking same except for a few brief head bangers.   This is my problem week, they already started calling.  Time wasting April fools.

Yeah, fired my first this year too about a week ago. She was trying to talk me into getting fitted for an orange jumpsuit.  Now she's begging to come back.  I guess she couldn't find anyone to play ball with her.  I'll take her back because a longtime client but now she has to play by my rules.  An extension is in order so it's going to be a long game, but at least I have a box seat and I get to enjoy the game.

ATX has a good prior year chart for federal and all states in its knowledge library, answer ID 14930.   Suitable for printing and framing.

While my only contact with the outside world this time of year is taking a break and going to the post office (nearly all my work is mail ins), I'm careful not to touch my face until I return and wash my hands.  Had the flu one year and that cured me to be careful.  I'm also a bit of a health nut with the exercise and fruits and vegetables and drinking grapes, that's right, wine. It's loaded with good stuff, and it kills germs, but wait until you're done punching numbers.  Works well with the telephone skills as it's very easy to listen to the yakking and helps you to be patient, unless you fall asleep. 

I'm putting in for a CPE for this thread, I learned something.   Just need you to sign it for me.

These friendships and displays of appreciation are some of the best parts of this business.  I have a special relationship with one client, a nice older Italian lady from Long Island.  She sends me about 5 lbs. of pignoli cookies every year.  You've got to try one.  I visit her twice a year and drop off a bottle of my homemade wine that she and her now deceased husband loved.  

I had given them a commemorative bottle of wine we labeled for 9/11, and when the husband died some years ago I went to the funeral and in his casket was that bottle of wine with his arm around it.  He was first generation who loved this country.

Those chocolates, cookies, scotch, coffee, and goodies mean a lot more than something to enjoy, it's love, and we can really feel it in every bite and sip.

8 hours ago, Jack from Ohio said:

My e-mail had an exact price with a complete breakdown.  Maybe your sales reps don't understand customers...

How did it compare to last year's?

And then using generally accepted accounting principles they add it back after preping to balance it out, for them.

Yep, I just did it in the program and got the same as you and Debbie.   I'm confused about subtracting his own contribution.

No, only if covered by a  plan.  Why don't they just file jointly so I could go to bed.

I come up with a match of $764.   30,374 x .9235 = 28,050 - 2600 = 25,450 x .03 = $764.

If he did the traditional IRA it would not be allowed because phaseout AGI for MFS is $10,000.

11)  Got a minute?   My answer, yes, one minute.

And the method to their madness in doing this must be...um...madness.    Now that I read this one I could delete all the rest that will be coming.