Medlin Software, Dennis

Just got a nastygram because I asked someone to follow written directions. Same directions the person has been following every year since the early 90's. Yes, calm is over.

Added: The pay on the spot ability is something every employer should be prepared and able to do.  Cash, check, whatever.  Power outage, banking issues, other disaster. Be prepared to take care of those who take care of you.  When pressed, my advice is to have cash or checks on hand, and the ability to access/sign, at all times. At least be able to pay a few days wages, even if a WAG, to all, in case the accountant/payroll person disappears, computer fails, power is out, etc.

As time marches on, those who are experts in all but the most "micro" of "things" wanes. Employers are no different.  For employers, the most reliable advice is to pay at least twice a month (more often if required), pay on the spot at separation, and make your tax deposits at the same time you make your payroll payments. It is all about preventing errors/omissions, not playing games to the fullest extent of the rules - or as I hear daily - trying to make what amounts to a few cents floating trust fund monies.

Of course, the above goes against all who have FBD or MetaD after their name (Doctor of Facebook or Doctor of Googling).

I guess I am officially a boomer/old timer, since I remember when googol was just a number with a leading 1 followed by 100 zeroes. It was such a cool concept to a grade schooler it helped trigger my fascination with numbers/mathematics.

26 minutes ago, Lee B said:

Perhaps the rules are different in your state?  In my state, if an employee gives advance notice of quitting  or if an employer terminates an employee,

the employer has 24 hours to produce the final paycheck.

I have not verified these, but for OR, on a reputable amalgamation site:

If the above is accurate, for OR, I would suggest all pay on the spot rather than rely on proving an exception. Advance notice of at least 48 hours seems to require spot payment (sans weekend and holiday - with holiday not defined and cause more grey area, state, local, tribal, federal, all, some?), not within 24 hours.

For me, defense is a waste of time (money) so dragging things out, even to make a point, is an unneeded head and wallet ache.

In my case, hourly employees are not performing any services the remainder of the year, and others have already been paid for Dec, so I am at zero risk of needing to add another paycheck in 2023.

17 minutes ago, Lee B said:

Perhaps the rules are different in your state?  In my state, if an employee gives advance notice of quitting  or if an employer terminates an employee,

the employer has 24 hours to produce the final paycheck.

Many of our fifedoms have PTB who create/created unique rules. For instance, TX requires a signature (or allowed equivelant) on pay receipts. Some have no pay receipt rules, or even pay frequency rules.

5 hours ago, JimTaxes said:

most of my clients pay on a friday.. two week cycle.. so the checks dated 12.29.23 were for hours worked for the two weeks ending 12.23.23.  if someone quit say today, 12.28.23 any hours worked from 12.24.23 to the day they quit get paid on the payroll dated in 2024

Depending on the state and circumstances, payment on the spot may be required. In states with this obligation, employers and their payroll process should know this and be prepared (and not prepare EOY until after close of business Dec 31).

Tom, As an estate admin, I have one beneficiary who has yet to cash any of their checks. It has now been three years. Unfortunately, they asked for, and received replacements earlier this year, starting the clock again. This time, they did seem to try to cash the check, but it was refused as stale.

It it were a possibility, I would wait. 

Thank you. I finished mine this afternoon. Except the 1099 iris is not currently available. 

For me, tomorrow starts the procrastinator's rush. Will likely last until the middle of Jan. Coupled with the inevitable questions regarding EOY payroll reporting, my fam knows to leave me be from work start until I have an after work adult beverage.

What do you mean I have to efile my W2 data? What do you mean I have to efile my 1099 data? Why are the employee's getting more net pay with the same gross as 2023? Why is my employee complaining not enough WH tax was withheld (a favorite since TY 2020)? How to I handle 1099 employees? (there still is no such thing!). How do I back date a paycheck, net to zero, to fix/resolve/acquiesce for some situation an owner/employee is demanding be handled after the fact, such as how to I pay an owner/employee, in 2024, their one "paycheck" for 2023?

51 minutes ago, Lee B said:

In years past I have had a few younger client's state refunds suspended pending conformation of their identity.

However I have decided that I will no longer retain any drivers license information.

Good not only for data security, but to make sure when you do have to see it, it is still valid. For instance, while not accepted for driving at present, my state has a digital version. It requires me to login every so often (seems like monthly, but I am not sure) so they can check for suspension/expiration. Same, really, for things like a vendor storing CC info. They expire, get closed, and most often, the user wants to use a different card, so we never store them at all.

On 12/25/2023 at 6:11 AM, BrewOne said:

I can't find it in a search of Circular 230, but I have a clear memory of being told that we (paid preparers? EA's?, can't recall) had to use professional-grade software, i.e. not off the shelf.

I am not beholding to the requirements you all are. What I remember is those who are subject to the IRS rules, have to keep data secure, and have a written plan for the same. Thus, things like outdated software, a consumer grade computer, etc., are going to make you liable, and possibly not be covered by E&O because of willful non-compliance.

So whatever you use for software, self or packaged, needs to be kept current. Computer needs to be able to run a currently supported pro edition of Windows, with the security functions enabled. I do not recall anything saying uou have to use any particular type of calculation/reporting software, a spreadsheet could be compliant.

12 hours ago, Lee B said:

Most of my client contact is via email which works fairly well for me. Some of my younger clients I have to send them a text reminding them to read their email.

For receipts, we send an email and if we can, a text. So many don’t see their email and used to complain it was never sent.

28 minutes ago, Corduroy Frog said:

Dennis, customers are people you have to meet where they are, not where you would prefer them to be.  I have to stick to this axiom with most of my tax clientele.  Some of them, if they have ascended to elite status, really wouldn't need me.  Those who have difficulty of grasp are those who need me the most.

Would never work, and never has, for us.  Why?  Like with using tax software, someone using accounting and payroll software simply must have some sort of experience or training in the subject matter. I get requests, daily, from folks who want to find software which will handle their payroll and/or accounting, not because they know how, but because they want to save money.  I have to refuse if they have no experience or training, as no software will teach them what to do and when.

If the above was not also true for tax prep, then you would be out of business because any TP could use some sort of magic software and never need your experience, training, and insight. Some online tax software tries, with the Q&A entry style, and for all but the most odd things, it can and does work.

I learned long ago customers are not always right, and to stand one's ground morally and professionally. I refuse to license my software to someone who I can be certain has no business preparing anything for anyone.

I think there are more than a few here who agree with me, as we have seen threads about reducing or eliminating customer caused time sucks, like phone calls and drop ins.

When we started:

We managed to stuff 1000 paychecks into about 510k of memory. Could not count on anyone having more, and many had less available.

Found a way to handle the 5 key on the key pad (it was an issue back then).

Kept checks for the current quarter, and balances going back farther.

Printed a list of the line numbers and values to enter on 941.

Had to publish a list of printer codes to get the margins set to fill in tractor fed W2 forms.

Literally had to give instructions such as close the drive door. And yes, at least once, someone got up and closed their room door instead.

Duped 5.25 single and double sided floppies for each customer. Stuck a label on them, wrapped with a folded receipt, stuffed into a mailer.

Could be found on any shareware rack in North America, and better back then, we were in all the shareware catalogs (paper). (A big reason shareware authors are going away, there is no way to get noticed without spending big $.)

The big names back then were just regular ish folks who liked to tinker. 

You are welcome.

I suppose I'm spoiled. I know/knew most of the original shareware developers, and we all seemed to use each other's products, such as AsEasyAs123 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As-Easy-As). We even met at conferences and such. I always chuckle when I read or discuss role playing games, games with add on's, and how games are so immersive. It was all likely started by "id software", the four shareware guys who created DOOM (and other games).  It was a huge jump in game play from anything available at the time, and they were the first to do so many things.

As of the end of this year, Medlin is likely the last of the originals still ongoing.

31 minutes ago, Corduroy Frog said:

Any comments?

Sure, but no one really wants to hear them. If you do, read on, first is my stock reply when someone asks.

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We stopped offering phone support in 2019.  This allows us to be fair, and efficient, with our support.  We stopped allowing voice mail messages in 2021, as many were not leaving their email information, customer ID, etc.  We stopped accepting text/SMS messages as well, for the same reasons, and because they are simply inefficient, as they do not contain any of the previous information.  We were also getting SMS messages such as "help", or "what is wrong", in other words, messages it is impossible to give a solution to.

Since at least 2010, the overwhelming majority support questions have been arriving via email.  When we get a stack of messages awaiting replies (such as overnight, waiting for a reply when we open for the day), it is not fair to bypass the queue and allow a phone caller to jump the line of those already waiting.

We have pondered offering paid support, but we run into the same issue of fairness.  We are not comfortable with someone having to wait longer because another person paid to jump the line.

Even on our most busiest days, Mondays and Fridays in September, December, and January, we are usually able to reply within an hour.  We strive to offer a usable reply/solution in our first reply, saving you from waiting longer to get back to work.  We also OFTEN reply outside of business hours, especially if the message contains complete information explaining the issue.

Thank you for your understanding.

---

The additional information, which I don't normally include, is customers cannot always be counted on to give pertinent information. After 40+ years of development, the software is very stable, and gives messages as needed (such as trying to delete an employee when there are paychecks to said employee).

Types of messages I get:

"help" (literally, that is all the message from the customer contains), "why can't I", how do I", and where is my".

The ones with nothing useful, I have a stock reply asking to elaborate, including sending images of messages or something else showing the issue is welcome. Essentially a "what are you trying, what happens when you try" type of response.

The "how do I" messages are almost always answerable by a screen grab of the documentation.  This used to be considered rude (last century), but actually is a good method, since we have taken the time to create documentation which is complete.

The where is my messages also have a stock reply, stating how email works, that senders can only control sending, etc.

The outliers can sometimes get a stock reply, but most only need a sentence or two as other than random rare things, we have seen or heard it before. This time of year, it is usually explaining how withholding calculations work, to contact the tax agency directly to register for their efile process, why is WH lower for the new year, etc.

All of the above is likely normal customer support.  No real reason to tie up employees on the phone, staff a phone bank, etc.  When working, I reply within minutes, after the overnight messages are handled. (Consider what you pay for employees, ones with actual training and experience!)

The tough ones, and maybe the most important reason not to support over the phone.  Customers who contact you for your expertise, and trust your software, yet question the information you share, or tell you your solution is wrong, inaccurate, or do not follow the instructions and want to lay blame outward.  A trail of the interaction is needed, which written is the only way to go. Just had this a few days ago where someone misunderstood some information, then posted their opinion online. I posted the entire thread, and let readers judge for themselves. The unusual part was this person actually contacted me after, to apologize.  That was a first or maybe second ever.

99.9% of customers are kind, and I sometimes miss chatting on the phone, but given even modest thought, chatting was not really fair to others who were waiting...

2 hours ago, mcb39 said:

I use EaseUS to do Backup; backing up entire system to alternating external harddrives at specific times.  Harddrives are kept in a safe.  Each computer has its own set of backup drives.  At the same time, ATX clients are backed up religiously and on the go to jump drives that we can pass back and forth.

Are any of your backups kept in a separate location?  Meaning if you had to walk away from the computer, safe, and jumps, do you have other options?

2 minutes ago, Margaret CPA in OH said:

have not had to reinstall or retrieve yet

Remedy this ASAP!  Meaning unless you have actually tried and successfully restored all needed data, you have no idea if your backup is worth anything at all. Worse yet, you may have a false sense of security, thinking your backup will be there if you need it. Also make certain you have multiple backups (a series, I use monthly, quarterly, and annual sets).

Restore into a temporary folder, not over your live data, then compare. Better yet, restore onto your spare computer and see if the results are satisfactory. 4 times a year is reasonable to test your backup, I use the quarter changes. Ideally, your test involved starting with nothing at all, meaning install the needed software, see if you have the logins/passwords/etc., see if you can restore, and what is restored. Yes, it takes effort, but if done, you will be absolutely certain you can start over at any time, with no existing machine needed.

Cobian for me.  It handles the file gathering, full and intermediate backups, encryption, and can send the data to local and.or remote storage.

I separated the file gathering and prep from storage many years ago, so I can be in control. I don';t like the canned backup stuff because they lull most into believing they are storing what they need, rather than the truth (no canned offering is perfect, cannot possibly know all information you need to keep).

I also stopped installing things into any default folder (app or OS default), as those can get corrupted during OS resets. I went back (and what I have required for my consumer software from the very start) to installing into something other than "program files" or any "user" folder. REMEMBER< the default OS settings are to protect the OS maker from providing support, not for your actual benefit. So I have a root folder called "Other Apps" I use to install any app not part of the OS.

6 minutes ago, Terry D EA said:

Dennis,

I am assuming you might be referring to MS OneDrive. How do you secure the data before uploading it?

I am referring to any storage, local or remote. There are consumer level things like 7zip which can pwd and encrypt files. For me, I use Cobian for making backups, which included PWD and encryption and can send to multiple places local or remote. My online backups are on servers I control, with a redundant copy on the server(s) of a public service. The key is my files are encrypted before upload, so even if someone found them, and broke the encryption of the storage server, they are not going to get into my file without big $ in mainframe time. For what they can gain from me, it is a money loser.

Cobian does probably 20 backups or so per 24hours for me, and lets me know if there are any issues, real time.

I do not use any sort of mirror or live remote shortage like OneDrive, since I cannot control when or how the data is stored.  Even though our family group is not all using apple photos and sharing the family photos, I have been around enough to know to make my own backups of those as well (my phone uploads to my computer, and I have a routine to backup the actual photos to several places). For photos, I use AMZ Glacier as it is very cheap, and it is not an issue waiting a day or three to download if ever needed. AMZ S3 or similar is good for online storage too, but again, after encrypting myself, and with the understanding AMZ, like all online servers, does fail from time to time. Even for photos, I use two different regions for redundancy reasons.

--

I was just sharing similar with a now former customer who believed program level PWD is a requirement, and is actually secure. Program level PWD has been dead as real security for quite some time, as is anything where you can have a reset ability. (This is why I encrypt first, then I don't have to wonder or inquire as to the security of the location I choose for saving.)

Been there. With a group first incorporated in the 20's (1920's).  No one had bothered to keep up (this was the 80's), so before accepting BOD position, I required corp refresh.  The attorney suggested a new corp, and let the old one lie (which is likely what is best here too). But, if they took in donations or had other financial transactions which depended on NP, some sort of revival, at whatever the cost is, may be best.

2 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

Just because someone is bad with computers is no reason to not use a service. I have shared files and received shared files from Sheets for almost 20 years and never seen the mistake made of sharing the entire Drive or even a folder.

I have not been in a car collision this century, yet I still make sure I belt up properly, and keep my seat as far back as I am comfortable with. I rode a motorcycle for just over a million road miles and never had to lay it down, yet I gave it up when I had kids because I cannot control others, and it did not seem fair to be so risky.  I have raced boats, cars, and karts. Never got hurt, yet I wore all safety gear available at the time. Same for being a baseball ump. Best gear I could get, yet the one time I was hurt (besides a few more bell rings), it was a HS kid who bailed on the first pitch of the game, THEN told me he had never caught before.

When someone tells me they are no good with a computer (yet they want to use my software), either they are being honest, and they likely should be hiring out their accounting/payroll, or they are being less than honest, and want me to do some of their work for them.  Usually the latter these days. Either way, it is a huge red flag not to be ignored.

Unless the data you put in your google drive (or sheets, docs, whatever the current verbiage is) is encrypted before you upload, you may as well consider it public.  Same for any of the "drive" type sharing services.  Any online storage can be hacked. Online storage is great, but you must first secure the data before upload. Look back and see the number of times such services have been compromised already.

Sub vs version licensing is tough. Years/decades ago when computer users were computer experts, versioning worked.

After 40 years, we went away from version based to time based license to remove any excuse for using non current software. No more having to support multiple versions, keeping old versions available for install, etc. No holding off additions to wait for the next new version. A win win in our case.

With all candor, for any software you depend on and/or use for important data - you must keep the software current.

I have used two. As-Easy-As, and now, Open Office.

Are those making the deposits for others comfortable with (insured for) being in the liability chain? Meaning are you confident all is being deposited timely, no employee/contractor/reasonable comp games, etc? While the risk is likely low, it is not zero.

I am almost at the point of turning away folks who ask about “1099 employees” , paid once a year, and other suspect items.