rfassett

Are you in an office by yourself? If so, a couple of things I would suggest. Use the tools at your disposal. If you do not have voice mail on your business line, get it and turn the ringer off. Check for messages a couple of times per day (between returns) and return calls then - on your schedule. Do not be dictated to by the phone. Start early and work late to eliminate the walk-in issue. I am in the office by 5:30 AM and work until 10:00 PM seven days per week during this time of year. My office hours are 8:00 to 6:00 Monday thru Friday and 8:00 to 12:00 on Saturday. Outside of those times the blinds are pulled, the door is locked and the phone is not answered. My most productive times, obviously, are between 5:30 and 8:00 am and 6:00 and 10:00 pm and on the weekends. Finally, commit to having a larger practice, one that will support an admin person to tend to the walk-ins and telephone calls. As to the missing info, I insist the client be reachable. I get home phone numbers, work phone numbers, cell phone numbers, email addresses and the name and number of a person that will be able to tell me where I can reach my client if the first four methods do not work. (Well, that last one is not used all of the time, but I have used it for clients that I know are not going to be found with the other methods). Shoot, just this week I had to have a client paged at WalMart. Client called back within five minutes, the questions were answered and the return completed and the client picked it up on the way home from WalMart. I guess the bottom line is I take a "failure is not an option" mentality with completion of returns. I hate having to start a return several times over. Did I mention that I hate that. Good luck!

Actually, I learned that trick from Jenny Craig (1-800-jennycare) (Jenny and I are very close - the program truly helped me get healthy), but back to the point. I called that number once and the phone started ringing while I was still dialing. So I hung up and dialed again, thinking I had misdialed. And it did the same thing. So then I counted the letters and there were more than necessary. I guess once you have dialed the requisite numbers, any thing extra is just fluff. Thus, 1-800-break-a-knee should work. :)

I am contemplating starting a "for profit" service where the practitioner that has a client like this can pass the info along to me and I will contact the client on the practitioner's behalf. My call will go something like this. "Hello, Mr. Taxpayer? This is the tax practitioner's advocate office calling on behalf of your tax preparer and the IRS. It is my understanding that you are being abusive to one of our members over something that you have absolutely no clue about. I have contacted the IRS and had your account flagged for further review. We do not take lightly the abusive treatment of our members. I am also passing your case along to our sister company called 1-800-break-a-knee. Oh, and Mr. Taxpayer, one more thing. Sleep well." Click I will let you know when I have my service up and running. Of course, I first have to find the energy to work more than 100 hours per week. I am afraid that if I had a client like that right now, it would be a screaming match, and I would probably win. Tired and cranky does not bode well for the other party in a screaming match. Good luck!

Very funny. Thanks!

Even now, most Gracious Heavenly Father, I take pause to pray for this one of Your little children. Father, I do not know Barbara or anything about her but what Denne has said. But You know Father, and that is all that matters. Father God, I pray that You would wrap Your loving arms around Barbara and Denne and let them feel Your presense in this, their hour of need. Father, if we know nothing else, we know that Your ways are not our ways and that You are sovereign in all things. You are the God of hope, the God of mercy, the God of love, the God of healing. You give and You take away - because You are sovereign. I pray right now, O God, that you will give Denne and Barbara and all of those surrounding this situation that peace that defies all logic that can only be found in Christ Jesus, my Lord. Father, help them, I pray. And I do pray these things in the name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus, the Christ. And Lord, we will be careful to give You all of the glory and all of the praise and all of the honor, both now and for ever more. Amen and amen!

Yeah, I do. And I sent ATX a slamming email yesterday when I received the email stating that they were closing early. I told them they should stay at the office and keep working on their product until it is finished - just like we have had to do at times. I still can not efile PA business returns and it is February 13th. This lackadaisical attitude, I fear, is permeating the industry. We are getting squeezed by clients demanding earlier delivery dates and software vendors who don't give a care. They can talk all they want about putting the customer's needs first, but as my Mama said, actions speak louder than words. I put in 97 hours last week and will be right at 95 this week (I lost a couple of hours this week because I had to have a tooth extracted), and the weather was pretty crummy here this week too, but that did not stop my office from working. ATX - are you listening?????

I am out of my element here (defending anything about the IRS) but I do not have a disbility that makes it hard to understand people (at least that I am aware of (or maybe I am just in denial)), but I truly dislike talking to someone on the other end that is on a speaker phone because I have a difficult time understanding them. This may have had more to do with her problem than any disability she may have. Just a thought!

From a theoretical perspective you will run afoul of the rules of HOH because of the "equal" time the child spends with each parent. For HOH the qualifying person, the child in this case, must spend "more than half of the year" with the person claiming HOH. From a practical perspective, count the nights.

Your motives are good, but it seams to me that you are inviting problems. Rolling over returns next year comes to mind. You will need to instruct the 2010 software where to look for the 2009 database. Maybe you are a much higher level geek than I am (and there is no offense intended in that statement), but I like keeping things simple with my tax software. I put in 97 hours last week (and expect the same for the next ten weeks) and the last thing I want is computer and/or software problems. I would, in your situation, attempt to find a way to back up the database where ever ATX puts it. BTW, I am running my software on a Server running Windows Server 2003 operating system and have been for the past four or five years. I have the hard drives mirrored and I do a total backup to tape every night and rotate the backups off site.

In order to claim the foster child, he/she has to meet the dependency criteria. A foster child (if placed by a legitimate agency) passes the relationship test. The residency test says the qualifying child must live with the taxpayer more than half the year. And then you have to pass the age requirement, the support test and the joint return test. If your situation meets these criteria, I know of nothing that would dis-qualify your taxpayer from taking the exemption.

I think something like this happened to me also. I had to go into myatx.com support site and enter my efin.

>From the PA Dept of Labor & Industry website ... Updated 1099-G Information 1-27-10 Due to a processing error, the amount on your Form UC-1099G, you received in the mail may be incorrect. Click here to view the UC- 1099G online. Do not call the UC Service Center about this error, as all information is available online. If you have already filed your federal income tax return for 2009, please review it to determine if filing an amended federal tax return is appropriate in your situation. If you must file an amended tax return, use Form 1040x and the instructions for Form 1040x from the Internal Revenue Service to do so. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. And here's the link to verify online ... https://www.paclaims.state.pa.us/UCEN/Welcome.asp

Eli - I believe you have to set it up under "preferences" for the preparer manager.

In my opinion, and admittedly I have not been following this story, but I think the very first thing you need to do is take control of the situation. You do that by taking the offensive. If he wants to talk to you, do not play hard to get. Since it is clear that you operate on an appoitment basis, call him and say that you have a time available at such and such a time. Tell him to bring his check book and you will tell him how much to make the check for at the time. At the meeting, you get a complete list of what he wants from you and then you determine what the fee will be for that work. Once he gives you the check, then tell him when he can pick up the info. If he balks, you tell him that is your policy - no pay, no work. One thing you mentioned was troubling to me, however. You said something that made me believe you do not give your clients copies of their filings. We give the client a copy of everything that is sent to the government. That way, I am always in a position to tell the client that he already has a copy of it and if he wants another copy, I quote our copying charge and tell the client to bring a check when they pick up the copy. You would be amazed at how many people find the original copy that we gave them. Anyway, I don't care if they use their copy for toilet paper, there is never any doubt that they did receive a copy. Good luck!

I guess my thought would be if you have a beef it would be with TRX not ATX. Did TRX tell you that you would receive the Max software and the Master Tax Guide and the 1040 Express Answers or just the software? If you bought the software from TRX, TRX is your vendor.

Whoa! Hold on there Nellie! I have had nothing but excellent service from Robin (IF this is the same Robin). The fact that you did not receive the disk probably has more to do with the postal service and/or the shipping department of ATX and the influence of the holiday than it does with Robin. She can only request the mailing, she does not do them. I do understand your frustration, but you are dealing with some extraneous influences here. Take a deep breath and try to look at the software, when you can, with a non-jaded attitude. I think you will like it. I have been using Creative Solutions Fixed Asset Manager for the past thirteen years and just this past summer decided to move to ATX's Fixed Asset Manager. I have not been disappointed.

And if Benjamin Franklin had that thought way back then, imagine his consternation today. I also wish a very Merry Christmas to you and yours. And after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas "season" has quieted, remember to wish Jesus a Happy Birthday. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." For God so loved the world...

I fail to see what is so unreal about it. Our tax system is an honor system and the government uses audits to frighten the masses into being honorable - or at least more honorable. She (and Block) left the door wide open to become an example and the IRS bit. There is very little doubt of the abuse of the earned income tax credit and "sale" of dependent deductions. If the IRS could wrap their arms around this area of fraud and others like it, those that abuse the system will start paying their share and the rest of us should be able to pay less tax. What? What? What was that? Oh - I must have been in la la land there for abit.

Nope

I have used it for a couple of years now and can say nothing but good things about it. I never could get the hang of e-services via IRS.gov (because I never took the time), but I absolutely love taxscripts.

That (the complete loss of sanity) is a scary realization at first, but you will get use to it. And actually, it gives you a wonderful latitude for behavior. I arrived at that point several years back and don't know if I could ever go back. :)

KeysBooks - I apologize for my previous erroneous assumption. One would think that by this stage of my life, I would know better. Anyway, I think what KC is saying, and I am not trying to put words in her mouth, she can correct me if I am wrong, your client has nothing to sell. He has nothing to put on the market - at least as far as this house is concerned. If the bank for some reason would give him a 1099C, which is doubtful since most banks understand the bankrutcy rules and your client's ex-home is most likely being handled by the bank's bankrutcy department, he would simply use the bankruptcy reason to exclude the income. Your recommendation to your client should be along the lines of "just let it go". It ain't his problem anymore.

Interesting question, but I don't think it would fly. Client included home in a bankruptcy that was successfully discharged means that the client does not owe anything on the home. A short sale would be used to sell the property for less than what the seller owes on the mortgage. In your case, the "seller" does not owe anything on the mortgage. The bank, on the other hand, still has its full lien on the property even though the client's debt has been discharged. I see only two options for your client. 1.) Send the potential buyer to the bankruptcy division of the bank holding the mortgage and see if they can work something out between themselves. OR 2.) If he wants to reduce his burden of care, simply move out. The bank will be forced to foreclose sooner or later. If they don't, the tax authorities will, or the local municipality may very well start assessing penalties for lack of proper upkeep. And in either event, your client should be grateful for a rent free ride that has lasted at least nine months. Just some thoughts.

I think the real question that they are - or should be - asking is, "is there a conversion program that will take ATX to Ultra Tax?". I would put the onus back on them and tell them they will have to talk to Creative Solutions support for that. I looked into converting from ATX to Ultra Tax at one point, and, but for some botched communication between CS and myself, I would have made the switch. But as is usually the case, things have a way of working themselves out. I am glad now that it did not work out. But CS will have a conversion program available after the new ATX is released in November or December. At least that was the way it was the year that I looked into it.

I don't QUITE understand why your position on whether it is line 21 or line 12 income gets tainted because the IRS sent an inquiry. Take your stand and stick with it. So you have a couple of options. First, if you have not yet done so, get a POA post haste. Then contact the IRS, preferably through the practitioners' hotline, and explain what you just explained here and then ask the rep to tell you how they (the IRS) want you to handle this. If you can not get an immediate "stay of execution" and assistance toward resolution from the IRS, which I highly doubt will be the case, then fax form 911 to your local taxpayer's advocate group to get the stay taken care of. Make sure you tell the IRS that you understand that the taxpayer owes the income tax portion of the assessment and that your client (assuming your client will do this) will pay that portion right away. Or, you could send a letter to the IRS explaining all of this, but you would likely give up the August 31 deadline. I would want to keep that in place until I talked to the IRS - preferably TODAY. Good luck - and have a Great Day!