AnnieR

Thank you, Lion, In this area, property isn't selling, unless it is being bought by people speculating in foreclosure sales. She has a son who, IMO, worries about seeing his inheritance going downhill, doesn't want her to sell, then tells her she's going to have to pay a lot in capital gains if she does and she can't afford to do that. He has her worried, but he doesn't offer to help pay for the things to help her stay in her home. I suggested a reverse mortgage, but he doesn't want his children to have to "buy back" the house when she dies. Sometimes, not very often, I am glad I don't have kids. AnnieR

Man and woman have lived together for over 20 years, OH is not a common law state. Male partner bought a home in 2000, female not on deed. Male passed away in late 2007, left house to his girlfriend, and home was deeded over to her in September of 2008. She wants to sell the house because she cannot afford it on her retirement income. It is a very nice large home. Does she have to wait 2 years from the time it was put in her name for the Section 121 to be in effect if she sells it at a profit. I hope I explained this well enough. Unfortunately, or maybe not, this is a friend of mine and I don't want to give her the wrong advice. AnnieR

Re-sent and they went through ok...all within 5 minutes. AnnieR

Just tried to transmit 6 returns...got that blasted red writing! Guess I'll try again later. AnnieR

I usually get a male calling and hear a shrill female voice in the background telling him what to say. More often than not, it's saying "Tell her XXX told us we could do that." My standard reply is" Then please take your information to XXX and have them/her/him do it! AnnieR

In one of my first years as a preparer, I worked in an HFC office. I had a client who came to have his rather simple return prepared...after it was finished, he said wow, you got the same result as HRB, he also had gone to 3 or 4 other preparers to see who could get him the biggest refund. He spent way more than his refund was!! AnnieR

Had a new client (had talked to him on the phone about a month ago for about an hour) send me all his "stuff"...while I'm trying to decipher the "stuff" I find 3 phone #'s to contact him...2 cell and 1 home phone...no area codes. He was from an area near Columbus that has more than one area code...I shipped everything back to him with return receipt. Not touching that with a 10 foot pole! AnnieR

When I tell my clients when to expect their refund, I point out the small print at the bottom of the chart. "The IRS does not guarantee a specific date that a refund will be deposited into a taxpayer's financial institution account or mailed." This year I am really stressing this because 7 business days late is the norm. AnnieR

Thanks everyone, I really like Bulldog Tom's idea, but won't get that involved. It just makes me angry that these kids aren't told that this is taxable and when they get a 1099 from a company they never heard of, and are left to try to figure it out for themselves. Why doesn't the military just issue them a 1099 or add it into their W2, not try to hide where it came from? Ok, I'm done for now and Tom if it was my kid I'd use your idea. AnnieR

Client's son, who is in the military in Egypt, received a 1099MISC from a company called Document and Packaging Brokers, Inc. in Pelham, AL. He could not imagine why he got this, never heard of the company, and there is $3000 in Box 7. His mother and I could only come up with a theory that someone else was using his SS#, so she called the phone # on the 1099. Guess what...it's his BONUS for 3 friends signing up with the military at $1000 each. Now the kid has to pay SE tax on that? Sorry if I sound a little p-off...but I am. What goes through your minds? AnnieR

That's true, but it is reassuring to know we're not going crazy, especially with only a month to go. Thanks everybody. AnnieR

Four sisters inherited their mother's home, which was sold very quickly after the mother's passing. Each of the sisters received a 1099S from the law firm which handled the estate for $18000. Do I treat this as a sale and use the basis as the value of the home at the time of the mother's passing and just split everything 4 ways? None of them seem to know what the home was valued at (I do all 4 returns), they just sold it quickly after her death. They got an offer and took it. Thanks for any help. AnnieR

I had a family, 2 daughters in college, 17 year old son, small job & $16000 in social security, and mother. Son's SS is survivorship benefit from deceased father. I checked the rebate #'s on the IRS site for the mother and according to all the computations, no further amt. to be claimed. Son wasn't on mother's return last year, no job, only the SS and wasn't claimed as a dependent, so I computed the $300 for the son for this year. Well, the mother got an additional $300 (son wasn't claimed on her return for 08, either-she only makes $20k), and the son didn't get his $300. Is there any logic in that? AnnieR

E-filed return with 8379 was accepted on 1/24, Client received his direct deposit today! So, that's about 6 weeks. AnnieR

JB, I had "heard somewhere" (no, not from a client), that OH was not accepting any py or non-resident SD returns this year. I have one client from 2 years ago that had a py OH return, done correctly and now they (OH) are still arguing about it. They want an amended return, how the heck do you amend a correct return? Oh, and they also want a copy of the SC return. All this over 80 bucks. AnnieR

It does go automatically, so if a client doesn't want to do an automatic deduction (if he owes), I delete the SD100 form from the return before I e-file, then put it back in after the OH return has been acked. AnnieR

T/P received unemployment in 2008 that had to be repaid. T/P check was cashed by ODFJS (Ohio Dept of Jobs and Family Services) and paid from T/P's account on 12/31/08. There was $72 w/h from his one and only check from UE, he paid back entire amount of $698, the gross of his payment. How do I recover the w/held amount? Add it into fed tax w/h? If I sound confused, it's just because I am. Oh, and there is nothing on his 1099G showing the repayment. Do I deduct it on Line 36 or just adjust the 1099G in Box2? AnnieR

I think the worst two I have seen this year were new clients who were referred to me by others. One had a 1040 EZ, one w-2, MFJ and by the time he left the office he had paid $280 for a small RAL, and a "promise" that the remainder of his refund would be in his account in 7-10 days!! The other one was a young woman, 1040EZ, $92 HRB fees, 29.95 Bank fees, on a refund of $404, and "The Refund Anticipation Check direct deposit will be available in about 8-15 days for the estimated amount of $282.05." Maybe it is advertising costs, but if these costs were widely known, maybe prospective clients would think before they went there====no, that would be too easy! AnnieR

My friends here in OH think I'm crazy, but I miss WI winters!! My cousin's granddaughter called the other day and told me she had driven to Sheboygan from Green Bay between two storms to pick up her grandma....who is 88 and had shoveled out her driveway!!! AnnieR

Thanks for the answers. I'm holding off filing the return and the woman and her daughter are going to the bank tomorrow to get those accounts changed into her SSN. She said the "bank" told her she didn't have to do anything, it would be ok as it was. The lady is 84 years old and quite capable of caring for things herself, but she believed what they told her. AnnieR

Got it solved. According to his mother (who has the POA), wife downloaded his w-2 from the Army website, took it to HRB, filed as MFS because she didn't have any income. When it came time to prepare the OH return, she didn't do it because HRB wanted to charge her an extra $100 for the state return. Thanks for the help, I will keep it in mind because your sources are great! AnnieR

I e-filed a return for a client & his wife. He is a soldier in Iraq, she is in TX. Return was rejected because "FILERS SSN has already been used as a filer's SSN on another return." Just his SSN, not his wife's. Where do I go from here? AnnieR

Client's husband passed away 03/07. This year she has 1099 DIV's and INT's still in his SS#. Some actually have her name and his SS#. If it were 1 or 2, it would be manageable, but in his SS alone, there are 13 of them. Can I do a nominee, report them on her return, but what can I do to keep from IRS questions a couple of years from now about him not filing a return? AnnieR

No, gotta amend, and the form's not ready. That's experience speaking AnnieR

Have you clicked on the icon to force property tax onto the standard deduction? Just a thought. AnnieR