joelgilb

letter is funny and has floated around the internet for since 03/2003. However this was never actually published and is just another Urban Legend. see http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/takethat.asp

I love the tax preparer sites that say you need to go to them as they are experts in doing Trucking or Marine returns and that you can't trust just any professional tax preparer. Not that hard. Also, love the people in the boating industries. Have a number of clients from Louisiana (as my wife has family here). They have some crazy belief they can deduct their meals (per diem sched), even though the company feeds them while they are offshore. They also want to take lodging when they have sleeping quarters on the boats. Duh, how much are you paying for that?

Agree with Terry. This should not be a work around by us. It would seem a simple matter to add a column or 2 in the return manager that showed the efile status and automatically populated the field. Would be much easier and when you mark the return complete it is possible to still miss sending the efile.

This is true only if the extension amount not unreasonable. If the taxpayer clearly knew they owed a large amount and just want to slow IRS down and IRS could prove (and I have seen this) your extension estimate was not reasonable, they could still hit you with the failure to file penalty. Just doesn't happen too often.

Do you bill them for the work? I would think that is all that is necessary to be a paid preparer

Just checked with the e-File help desk. To efile 941's we need to sign up for the program and get them to issue a PIN and set us up as Reporting Agents. Need to us for 8655 for both us (if we have payroll) and each of our clients. She also indicated we look at Pub 1475 or 1474 (she said both, but I think 1474 is the correct number). For information on how to set this up and then sugested calling rather than using the e-services as they can do it both quicker and with fewer steps Their number is 866-255-0654

Well if it would have just taken the time to read the new instructions I would have seen I need a manual signature. What a pain in the a**! Guess we could efile them though

In 2008 the prepare signature was optional. Of course it was to good to believe this would continue. Now it does not look like we have a choice. Since I email most of mine, I am going to have to import my signature unless they let us sign like on a 1040 by typing our name in the signature line. Does anyone know if we can type the signature or use a secure Adobe Acrobat digital Signature? Would be pretty easy to add this if you have the full adobe acrobat pro, and I do this for other documents with Acrobat (not tax docs).

Just updated and saw the 4868 in the update. According to the update it was changed for: Ver 34: E-File functionality corrected to prevent rejection for FD 010. Ver 33: Error Check functionality for ITIN updated. Not exactly sure what this means. Maybe the form now reads my mind so I will have less work completing my extensions. Oh wait, I completed them yesterday Shoot, I could have saved all that work!

There was a time when the belief was that returns on extension have less chance of being picked up on audit. I actually worked for a firm that would tell their clients this as it was easier to convince them to file the extension this way (and I must admit I did and still sometimes suggest this). If it ever was true, I don't believe it is anymore. Still, I don't think I will tell this to the clients that are willing to extend.

So now are you going to take over the clients job at the restaurant? lol

btw A little know fact about the song I'm Billing Time Song was written and sung by The Bar & Grill Singers, available on their Grilling Me Softly CD (see their website at http://www.barandgrillsingers.com/home.html). The Bar & Grill Singers, all of whom are practicing attorneys in Austin, Texas, have entertained lawyers and non-lawyers since their 1991 debut in a one-performance musical revue (copied directly from their website). They have a number of other songs about lawyers, judges and the law. Much of it acapella. They have 3 CD's that can be purchased from Austin Bar Association at http://www.austinbar.org/pages/merchandise, which also has some other samples of their music Now you all can see that my clients have really pushed me over the edge this tax season! another song of theirs turned into a Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEkuORtuOlY

Follow the paper trail! And charge accordingly. Looks like the first year you may have a corporate return if he actually opened a corporate bank account and used it. As disorganized as he sounds he may not have. After that since the corp dissolved due to failure to file annual reports you can move him back to sched c. If he didn't open a corp bank account you may be able to treat all years as sched c and be able to file one zero initial and final corp return And remember the CPA and Attorney Motto: "I'm Billing Time!" and here is the legal version of this song. Couldn't find the accountants version. (Click "I'm Billing Time " Below) IM BILLING TIME

Out with the old in with the new!

damn, that's twice I have to hang my head in shame. Wait a minute I am not just a CPA I am also an attorney. Attorneys have no shame. Ahhhh I feel better now.

My motto is - If I have time to do my own return, then I don't have enough clients.

You know I didn't really want to know this! Must be true though And well I know that I will start to lose the old base just because of distance Hanging my head in shame....

I remember the Dec Rainbow all too well. Also remember convertng the DOS version of multiplan to run on it. And how about the "Sinclair"

and here I go again. 5 extensions later and ATX IS SLLLOOOWWWW again. That is just not right!

BUT KC I am an old DOS user, from the days of the first Microsoft (actually prior to) operating system and the first IBM PC. Antique of a machine. No graphics. I multitasked with something called Desqview. Software was portable and didn't have this bloated registry crap. you copied onto a floppy (5 1/4") and then just copied it back to your hard disk to reinstall. And the Software FLEW! Everything was written in assembler without all the overhead and crap of today! The software on my first 8088 PC never kept me waiting for it even when I multitasked with 4 or 5 programs open. And if one program became unstable and I admit it did, it was the only one the needed to be shut down. I credit QEMM and Desqview for this. Microsoft in my opinion = CRAP! Try Ubuntu, Red Hat or any of the other LINUX operating systems and see if you have the same problems as MS

damn 50 extensions and counting. I thought for once I would get it into the single digits.

This is sad, rebooting ATX really does speed it up. When did software programmers get so lazy!

Taking a Bow You are all welcome OK OK I am just kidding I too thank each and everyone here for there support ANd a Big Thank You for Eric for starting and maintaining the board for us. BTW, is it time for a donation Eric?

So what, they subscribe to the Bill Gates method of creating software now?

Wondering if anyone else is having this problem Trying to do extension and finding the client files loading extremely slow, some taking as much as 10 minutes. Even simple return files and all with no information. All do not have my preparer info flowing over form last year or this year again, although the preferences are checked correctly Very Frustrating!