Richcpaman

Pikestar: The biggest and FIRST question is: Do you need/want more clients? If you don't want that many more clients, then these phone calls are a nuisance. But if you do, then its a matter of your conversion rate. Converting from Phone Call to paying client. Ten years ago, I LOVED those phone calls. I was building my practice. If they had a pulse, they were in... And my conversion rate would run 90% percent. But I developed the drill on the phone. I would ask them their name. Then, how they found out about me.. (What marketing was working, or the referral source, who to shoot later..etc...) A little more about them. Then we could get to talking about tax returns and price. I could always point out that TurboTax is $35 if price was their only concern... Five calls in one day? You must be doing something right. Its easier to answer the phone, when you have a plan for what happens next. Rich

David: I have appointments that start at 3 pm in the afternoon, and then I will go to 9pm at night, on Mondays and Wednesdays, and then Saturday from 9 till 3pm or so. That is for 1040 clients. And I preschedule them. I meet my business clients outside of those hours, and then work the rest of time to get things done. Clients are asking you to alter your times. And you are unwilling to do so. At that point, they will bend to your request, or they will leave and go someplace else. Presuming that they make time during the week to go to other places, and they can do the same for me, is illogical. The Dr. states that the office hours are 9 am to 3:30 pm. And if you want to see the Dr., that is when you get your chance. If you don't want to debate your clients, then state simply that those are the times you can meet with them, and leave it at that. They will adjust, or not. Switching as many as possible to drop off or mail in is an option. But it takes time to do that.... We are in the client service business. It means I will work late, and odd hours, and get paid quite well for that. If I wasn't getting paid quite well, I wouldn't work weird hours... Rich

It doesn't matter if the client only read a small part or none of the letter... I would want the letter to make sense. Otherwise, I look like I don't know what I am doing... My letters have been ok. What are you combining? Are you combining the ATX Federal Client Letter and State Letter? Or are you trying to add one of the template letters? Rich

The time frames DOES include extensions for the SEP contribution. It may be a SEP-IRA, but tis and employer plan and the contribution can be made up to the due date of the return, including extensions. Rich

Jack: Simple question about this problem. I downloaded the new patch yesterday. But I only have 20+ clients in ATX2013 right now. If they worked on that backup problem, with the next hidden backup that ATX does delete the "extra" bigger files that used to exist? Or does that data become an "orphan" and is never used? My HD has lots of space, and I am not concerned, but if things were tight, then it could be an issue. Would a DeFrag clean some of it out? Rich

His qualified "Home Office" can consist of the closet he keeps his "reffing" gear in. I would give him mileage from house to fields each time. If his house however, was in the boonies, and bank was in town, and the fields were close by, I may limit somewhat.... Otherwise, I would give him back and forth on each ref outing. Rich

I was very frustrated printing labels in ATX2012. Printing to the 3 across #5161. First, I BOLD the labels, they look much better. I also found out that the labels do not print from the "Return Name" column in the Return Manager, for 1120/1120S/1065/990 but from "Company Name" Column. Found that out after labels printed with no names, but Address, City State. Reposted the company names in the return manager to the Company Name Column. You can also update the 1040 names as well if they are too long. The next problem was that they were no lining up with the top of the labels. Found out there a block on the "print client labels" that pops up, "Margins" at "Top" should be set to .55 in my case, your printer may be .5 or .45 or something else. Yes, I wasted about 5 pages of labels. However, once I learned this, I could print as many as I wanted. I also know how to export to Excel, and create a letter in Word and mail merge and all that.... But I just want 20 fricking labels right now... Rich

Reading some of the posts about fees that some of you charge, a $39 fee for "audit insurance" would seem to add up to a third to your clients fees. And the only thing is does, is line the pocket of CCH. And if something goes wrong, and there is an audit, CCH (or who ever is the ins provider) will not PAY YOU, but will likely ASK you for a lot of INFO and NOT pay you for that. And then have a another firm do the audit that they have under contract. "Audit Insurance" is NOT protection against someone getting Audited, its just a prepayment of the fees that you could charge them if there WAS an audit. In HRB's case, they would "attend" with you when you went to the audit.. So, your best bet, is to replace the verbiage with your name and number, and get the $$ for yourself. If 20 returns bought the insurance from you, that would be $780 (20*$39) My audit fees in the past when I had an in office visit? About a grand to a grand and a half. And Its been five years since I had one? Sweet. Rich

Since less than 2% of all returns are ever audited, and about double that get CP-2000 letters, the "fee" is just more $$ to who ever sells it. I should just change the paragraph and add it to my invoices, and then, if there is ever an actual audit, then I am already paid. Probably thousands more than just the one client's representation fees. Hmmm... Rich

I only upgraded because I use their payroll, and the payment processing folks didn't ask me to move. I have Qbooks versions 2008 to 2014 to work whatever year my clients give me, so that isn't a problem. If you have an earlier version, and you signed up, it would probably work. Maybe NOT with the card reader, but for the keyboard entry. Rich

Actually, I am running it on version 2012. Don't know if you can run it on earlier versions, I was using 2009 before going to 2012 in Dec 2011.

I know its a simple as that... But why do I have to "opt-OUT" instead of "opt-IN"?

I can offer my own audit protection, and I will pocket the $39 with every return... I REALLY dislike that ATX makes these deals with the "other" companies and then makes it REAL difficult to remove them from the client letter... Rich

Seems that you have two different versions of ATX2013 on your computer somehow. One of your icons on the desktop goes to one, and there is a path to a different one via another route. Sounds weird, but it happens. If you have a network, you may need to start over... Rich

I just use QuickBooks and type in the info from the credit card. I have the info for next year's return also. The fees are low and no additional equipment. About 14-16% of my receivable are paid by credit cards. But it is more and more. Might as well get a solution, and if there are no monthly fees, then after April there is really no further costs.. Rich

Terry: Even without the related party rules... If you kept both entities on the cash basis for taxes, then the accrued rent in the S-Corp went nowhere and doesn't matter. I wouldn't worry about any audit, if questioned, it a simple answer: "its never getting paid, and should not have been accrued, and they were cash basis.." Do a AJE at year end or business term date reversing the entry. Nothing changes for the LLC at that point. If the clients business went bankrupt, that sucks, but if he sold the building for a profit, then that lessens the pain... Rich

Terry: Sounds like your client has some tax problems. He deducted rent in the S-corp for payment to the LLC which owned the building. Then carried a rent due on the LLC, but, he deducted it on the S Corp and never picked it up most likely in the LLC. So, he dodged taxes there. Now, in the defunct S-Corp, he wants to write off the Debt with a 1099-C that *doesn't* pass thru (although it *can* create basis for a shareholder...), and then pick up a loss from the rent not paid. Ok. Sweet, lets deduct it again... And then he just sold the building, hopefully to an unrelated party for a nice profit, and owes taxes on the sale... So, how can we create a loss out of thin air? If we were working for one of the "Final Four" I am sure the boys there could have ran the sale, with knowledge before hand, thru three or four entities and hide the profits that way... But, we don't. Technically, I would draw a straight line thru the entire deal, and end up with this: He underreported the rent collected, and over deducted in the S-Corp. Then he sold it for a profit. All the pockets are the same. Therefore, I would ignore all the rent back and forth because it is bogus. And report the sale on the building. I could be wrong. But issuing that 1099-C? Would look like mal-practice to me. Unless, you have more info that you haven't provided, and I am just paranoid. Rich

^^^^ THIS is the ultimate problem. Nothing gets back to those who can do something about it. I would to be able to get INTO MyATX, but for whatever reason, the wish to keep their security so high, that they expire my password.... So, when its time to send a suggestion... "Sorry, your password is expired..." Stupid. Rich

Pacun: I would have been pissed too. It would have closed the ATXCommunity Board also! Rich

The only thing I let the clients see on "their" monitor is either their Qbooks file as I work with them to post changes, or the tax estimate screen from ATX. I don't do tax returns in front of the them, and never will. " Thank you for the info, come back and get the completed return in a week." Rich

ATX for tax prep. Do not use for Payroll. Qbooks for my business and personal accounting and all the folks who bring their accounting work on it for year end reporting. 1099-ETC for all other payroll applications. Rich

Jack: You know and I know, that she can't file as a S-Corp, because she never filed corporate documents with the IL State commission, so no corporation or proper entity exists. You can suggest/and or prepare the required entity document to send to the IL filing commission and get the entity set up. Whether you try to use the 2553/8832 dodge after that is up to you. It isn't right, and no way to make it so. *I* would not, just like you would not. It all "after the fact" stuff. But she can be good for 2014. And get her a new EIN. You state that she made 75k in profit, was that including her W-2? Or after W-2? Or did the W-2 suck up all the profits? Seems that if she took 75k in W2, I would prep the 1040 with a schedule C, put the W2 on page 1, complete the Sch C as needed, and only modify/adjust the SE tax accordingly. Maybe she walks. Maybe her W2 is for 12k, and 63K is left over and she wants to avoid the FICA/MC on that.... Tough spot. Rich

All the more reason for her TO report properly..... By hiding it, it can just be exploited further by the Baby Daddy when or if it gets back into court. Have your client/friend/favor document what she does. Who takes care of the child when she is working, what she does when she is with the child, living circumstances, and other seemingly boring info that can become very important when the lid gets peeled back and opposing counsel wishes to make her look bad. Tell her not to demand and increase/change in child support, because that generates a response to look closer at HER, or a counter-claim. JMHO. And there was a reason that the baby daddy wanted to date her.... Rich

I would give her the makeup, spray Tan and other things to look the "part" as a dancer. She is in business. Treat it as such, she isn't any worse than the construction guy whose CGS is always 5k below his "sales". The problem is, there is no money left over, right? So, if she made $50k, and the tax due is $12k, there is no $$ to pay it... And none of the other girls are paying taxes... That is the real problem. Also, what is the part about "International Business?" and no 1099's, W-2's? Many of them do SOMETHING. Not always everything, but enough to keep the local and state officials out of there bank accounts... Rich