Kea

Agree that I don't want to be a PI. I just don't want it to come back to bite me if I check the box saying I got the Dr receipts when Mom's name isn't on there. In the old days I wouldn't have had an issue with this. Just checking for CYA!

Client has several stock sales through Vanguard broker. Most were covered transactions but one was a wash sale. So I have to enter that transaction separately (I left rest combined and reported that sub-total). The strange part - It shows 2 sales as Long Term covered (and to use Box D), but when I entered the dates, I saw that these are actually Short Term! I would really think that a company as large as Vanguard would realize 4 days was not LT! (10/10/13 - 10/14/13). Since this is a wash sale, there is no gain / loss change. But my question is if I should still report it as Long Term to keep from getting an IRS nastygram? (I would change the acquisition date to "various".) Not sure it's worth waiting for Vanguard to fix for something that had ZERO impact on tax or taxable income. Sound reasonable? And just a head's up to double check the 1099Bs!

Divorced Mom claims to have custody of her 3 kids and appears to qualify for EITC. When I asked for the documents to "prove" custody (to be able to mark the appropriate checkbox!), the only thing she had was doctor receipts. The receipts show the kids' names and Mom's address but Dad's name. She said the bill's show Dad's name because he is the one who carries their insurance. (And the divorce decree gives her custody - not that it matters.) School records show Dad's name & address (different address) so that the kids can continue at their old school (less disruption). For 2012 she had a rental agreement for her apartment and all 3 kids were listed on lease. She bought a house (late 2012) and so there is no lease for 2013. Have I met MY due diligence requirements if I accept the doctors' receipts with Dad's name & Mom's address?

I did take a weekend trip last yeat - but I took the computer with me. Not sure about this year. Did go to Wicked tonight with friends who will be moving soon.

I think that comment is integral to the conversation.

If you're not running a program that is PC only (ie tax software and perhaps a few others), there is no need for an emulator. The only other programs I've run into that are not Mac friendly are the Savings Bond Wizard and Quicken. Quicken now only make a "basic" version for Mac, but their old one (2007?) still works fine. I don't use Quickbooks so I can't speak to any compatibility issues.

I switched to a credit union years ago and never looked back. They ask me for ID for deposits only if I want to see my balance on the deposit slip. I don't have a problem with that. I almost had to change a few years ago when they held a vote to change the insurance from (federal) NCUA to a private insurance company. The vote passed but then they changed their mind when reviewing costs.

Well I finally let my 2 computers be in the same room at the same time (and both on). This time I used real data on my PC's Firefox -- just to make sure it would work. It did. I then tried it on my Mac in Safari and in FIrefox. Both worked and both gave me the same result as the PC. (I guess I could let that client know they are getting their refund on the 20th!) So I really don't know what to tell your client. It does not appear to be a Safari or Mac issue. Perhaps they are on a differnt version than I am, but the problem is not "global."

Humm. I guess I'll try it again with real data.

I tried using Where's My Refund on Safari on my Mac. I used dummy data (my SSN but bogus refund since I haven't filed yet) and got message that the info wasn't in their system (true). I didn't try it with "real data." At what point are they getting the gobbledy gook?

I've had a few, but never any "arguments." I have one couple that usually does a draft of their return as they get their documents to get their own estimate. I've usually found deductions they miss. One year they had a much lower tax than I did. It was the first year of the American Opportunity Credit & I missed it. i learned my lesson & didn't make that mistake again. Yes I still prepared that return for them. Personally, I like it when my clients understand what's going on with their return. I've only had a couple of instances where the level of questions went from "understanding the return" to being "annoying." Like Catherine, perhaps that's just the engineer (by degrees) in me.

FWIW my Macs have tended to cost more than my PCs, but they also tend to last longer. Granted they are for different purposes. I tend to replace my Macs when there have been enough technological advances that my old one becomes obsolete. I tend replace my PCs when they stop working (or my new tax software requires an upgrade). It is true that there is more software available for the PC than the Mac. But I've had very few cases where I couldn't get what I needed / wanted for the Mac. OK, I do have one gripe about Mac laptops - no numeric keypad. Yes, I have a USB one to plug in but it's kinda awkward when typing on my lap.

Happy to help. I'm running a 2.26 MacBook that I purchased in 2010. Currently 8 Gig ram, 1TB hard drive, OS 10.6.8. Nowhere near as fancy as yours, but does everything I need. The Mac Mini is a good unit. I have my dad's old Mini that he bought a few years before he passed away (2009). It still runs, but I really haven't used it much since I prefer laptops. There was a time when I kept up on all the models but not anymore. (And I have an iPod Touch, iPhone & iPad, too. So I might be able to help with iTunes backups, but might have more questions for you as you become the better expert.)

I've been using Mac since 1987. I bought my first PC when I started doing taxes - the year AFTER ATX stopped making a Mac version. I use my Mac for all my personal / home uses & the PC for work. (Makes it easy to track business use on PC = 100%.) However when traveling it is sometimes easier to just take one computer. So I have VMWare Fusion to run the tax stuff. When I used it last year, I was running TaxWise and it worked fine - actually better than on my real PC. When running the emulation make sure you have enough RAM. The first time I tried it (in 2010?) I was using a different emulator and had 3 or 4 Gigs of ram. The software ran but VERY slowly. It took 30 minutes to start the emulator, open the tax program, print one 1040 to .pdf, and shut down the emulator. I then upgraded to 8 Gig of ram and now it runs without any noticible slowdown. You may want to look into doing a separate backup of the PC files. The Mac sees your PC emulation as one giant file. So making one minor change on a PC file would require the whole emulation file (psuedo hard disk) to be backed up. I've just backed up my changes to a thumb drive so I can move them back to my PC later. The only tax software I am aware of for Mac is TaxExact. 2013 is the first year for the Mac version. If you have other Mac questions, I'll be happy to try to help.

Client was self-employed appliance repairman. His truck was broken into and many tools and supplies were stolen. All items had been expensed when purchased (lots of small items). He then purchased replacement tools. No insurance claim since amount stolen was less than the $1000 deductible. Just want to make sure I'm reporting this correctly: Since items had $0 basis, there is no need to file Form 4684? Replacement items are expensed just as if they were any other replacement tool. The fact that they replace stolen items is irrelevent?

Macs do have options for browsers. I use Firefox & Chrome (both free). I haven't tried either on Where's My Refund, but a free browser is cheaper, easier & more practical than getting Windows emulation. At one time Mac also had an IE browser, not sure if it still does. Don't use it on Mac or PC. Too many security issues.

In the line of the PM that HVKen received - Client asked me if they could continue to use a contractor that did not have an SSN. I asked about an ITIN, but have not yet gotten a response. (I know ITIN does not necessarily mean they can work in the US legally.) I know there are rules about EMPLOYERS not hiring folks with SSN / ITIN / not eligible to work in US. But do those same rules apply to sole proprieters who use contract labor? (Not looking to start the debate on whether it's a good idea or not. Just what the laws are.)

Thanks. Some state it, some don't. Just good to have certainty. (Oh well, guess that means I'm in the wrong business.)

The receipt is not required to disclose that the organization is a 501 c 3, right? I checked Pub 1771 and didn't see that listed. (just making sure.)

@Crank I've only seen this once or twice. I just changed the option from "Let ATX decide" to "return will be e-filed" worked. Perhaps I've just been lucky. Thanks - I'll keep this in mind if my simple solution doesn't work on a future return.

I'm a night person, so my office / phone hours are 1:00 PM - 9:00PM. (But, of course, I'm working later than that.) As someone who used to work a typical office job, I was very frustrated by doctors, banks, etc. that were also only open typical business hours. That meant a lot of things just didn't get done. (Working 50-60 hours per week was also a factor.) I like that I can be available for times that meet my clients' schedules. My problem is more with the clients who want morning appointments. I try to push them to afternoon, but in some rare cases I'll take the morning appointment, if that is the only time that works for them. This issue is getting to be less common as more clients mail, e-mail or fax their documents to me.

As I understand it, IRS will now allow us to report total sales on Schedule D directly (without the detail on Form 8949) for covered transactions if no adjustments are necessary. Are there any other restrictions to this rule? For example: Separate 1099Bs for husband and wife multiple 1099Bs from multiple brokers What if sales on one 1099B are covered and ones on another 1099B are not (or require adjustments)? Basically, for the last question - if we need the 8949 for some transactions do we then need to report the detail of ALL transactions?

I agree that conversions are always a problem .... I've done that several times in the last few years. (I'm glad I have a small practice.) I had too many problems last year, so I knew I'd be converting this year.

Thanks Pacun - I'll try that tomorrow. I think I'm glad to be back. But we'll see how this year goes before I make a final decision.

I couldn't find a USB version on their website. Here is the page that shows the compatible devices: https://squareup.com/help/en-us/article/3887-features-and-device-compatibility I also found Square Cash that involves emailing money to anyone's debit card. I did not explore it further, but here is the link: https://square.com/cash