Catherine

I wish you luck, Tom! In my experience, none of our clients wake up one morning and decide, "Gee, I'd like to go broke owing gazillions of dollars to the IRS," but rather some precipitating factor starts them on a spiral they then can't get out of.

I have a great dentist too - bad part is he just retired. The folks that took over - well, I've seen a couple of hygienists so far - who have all been absolutely terrific. So this will be the first "dentist" visit. I hate the numbing; the epinephrine (or whatever) they put in the lidocaine to make it last longer sets of panic attacks - SO not fun. First time that happened, over a decade ago, I just about crushed the assistant's hand. It's not *quite* as bad if you know to expect it and just ride it out. Worst of it right now is my tongue is super-sore from rubbing against the rough edge all night. And trying, in my sleep, to hold my jaw so my tongue didn't hurt set off a vicious tension headache. I just e-filed one return. Am waiting for 8879's on two more, and *one* last bleeping piece of info from the last client who has any hope of being done by the deadline (there are four or five I won't even see until November). Need to email a tax consult client who was scheduled for 4:30PM today - even if I'm back from the dentist by then, I won't want to talk. And I'm canceling tonight's meeting, too, again 'cuz I can't talk. Hang in there, my friends! It seems to me that dentists are a bit like tax accountants - we see people who are unhappy and in pain, help them as best we can, and end up learning more about them than maybe we're comfortable with. But once they like us, they really, really, *really* don't want to switch!

So on the original idea of "hang in there" lucky me. At dinner tonight, I had a back corner come off a tooth. I think it's a ceramic crown that broke. Nothing hurts - thank heavens - but instead of going to the office tomorrow I think I'll be at the dentist....

I sent a form out for e-signatures to a client who has the same name as his dad, who died almost TWENTY years ago. E-signature was cancelled because the "signer was deceased" and I had to re-send with a lower level of authentication. So there's *another* level of problem.

Well, with the IRS using bleeping EQUIFAX to "verify" who we are, they might as well just open all their systems to all and sundry, fer gosh sake. *WHAT* were they thinking? (More to the point, *who* got paid - and what, and how - for that one?)

Neither do I, @Jack from Ohio - BUT. I've seen a lot of cases that are not the employer stealing from his employees. Employers are between the devil and the deep blue sea: they are required, by law, to pay their employees by the end of seven days from the end of the pay period. They are forbidden, by law, to pay their employees unless they have, at that moment in time, enough money to pay net pay and all taxes (withheld and employer portion). They are not allowed to assume the payment from Customers X, Y, and Z - due tomorrow - will actually arrive. They are not allowed to spend any of the tax funds on extraneous items - like the web hosting bill and phone bill that keep them in business, like the rent that keeps their doors open, like the employee health insurance that will be canceled unless paid now. I have seen all of those items cause an employer to get behind on his payments. What about those cases where the customers never pay? Then there is indeed theft - but not on the part of the employer, who paid his people in good faith, but on the part of the customer who took possession of goods or services and then refused to pay for them. I have also seen cases where the bookkeeper showed the payroll tax payments as made: check numbers (back when payments could be mailed in) and entries that matched to the penny. except those checks were made out to the bookkeeper, who later changed the "pay to the order of" information in the books. So yes, no sympathy for "thieves" - but lots for those stolen *from* who somehow have to make up for it.

This part, at least is simple - you come here to the forum, and read what all *our* clients have done to mess up their (tax) lives!

I could be *really* snarky here and say that this way, if the IRS systems are ever really badly breached, they could then blame Equifax, hoping to save their own skins!

To all my dear friends here: hang in there! We are *almost* done with the extensions. Remember to take charge of your clients (not vice-versa): this tax return business was not new this year! They've known about it since January 1st. If they are slug-a-beds about getting you information, then they may go past the 10/15 deadline. Yes, we all want them out of our hair. Better to go an extra week and keep our blood pressure down. If the lolly-gaggers go elsewhere next year, celebrate. If they come back, they now know you won't pull an all-nighter to save *their* bacon and they'll either pay (and not grumble in your hearing) or they'll get their stuff in earlier next year. Do your own returns first! Then go back to the stragglers. I mean really - *where* are they going to go this late in the year? The only ones who might take them are likely not competent (or they'd be busy themselves). Pull the phone plug out of the wall, shut the email program, and do spot checks. And just so y'all know, I'm instructing myself first and foremost here. They do say that the best way to learn is to teach... Hugs (non-RitaB-back-40-style) to you all!

@jklcpa - done!

I have to disagree. I have a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 *and* two Kodak i1120's; in my experience the more-vertical paper path on the Kodak makes it faster and far less likely to jam than the S1500. I find the S1500 also tends to double-feed if you put more than 8 or 10 pages in at once - not the Kodak. Stuff it until it barely fits, and it still won't double-feed. (Unless it's super-slick magazine type paper; those won't feed more than 1 or 2 sheets through anything worth beans.)

@jklcpa that was exactly why I wanted to use the 99G screen. However, after a bit more digging, I found the number! I can put it in the thread that you linked in a bit; that return is not open at the moment because (of course!) there is information missing. Why is it that the really gnarly ones all come in dead last? I have had two 3115's required (one done, one in the works), rental issues (missing information all over) and too many people with forced sales of piddling-to-not-so-piddling amounts of Alcatel-Lucent who of course have NO clue what their basis might be. New one was a grantor trust that sent a K-1 (huh?) and only has a small loss and I had to figure out how to handle that one. Whee! - always *something* new to learn. Thanks!

Thanks, Judy. Client gave me the check stub, but there's no 1099-G. Sigh.

I've been searching and can't find that formerly-pinned thread because I can't recall the title correctly. Need Rhode Island's EIN...

I have an ancient Kodak i1120 that I loved so much I bought a second on ebay. Twain compliant, very vertical paper path so almost no jamming, simplex or duplex scanning... the one downside is that the software is so old it's crotchety - but it works perfectly with Adobe Acrobat and Nuance too. FYI (and fyi for anyone else, too). If your scanner decides to write a novel, please let us know! Or maybe this one will last until the next appearance of Haley's Comet.

Thanks, all. My assistant is out next week (pre-arranged long ago) so we are concentrating on finishing up (and him printing!) all the big gnarly returns by end of day Friday. This one, if the client decides to act, can wait until after 10/15 at least. (Hey, by then my assistant will be back and *he* can do the printing!).

Most of the POS kiosks I've seen in restaurants look and feel like they NEVER get washed when the table does. Greasy fingerprints and ketchup smears. Blech!

I thought the "magic number" was $50. I will ponder a bit longer. There's another week if we decide to try to file a "new original" return.

Filed a return last week. Today we get an updated (note: *not* "corrected") 1041 from a trust. All numbers are the same except for a new entry on Line 5. I checked; it makes a $91 difference in federal tax (did not check the state return yet). Can we still file a new "original" return (which would have to be on paper, I should think), or should we wait six weeks and amend? I have known for a long time that these particular trustees were incompetent bozos; looks like they picked a matching accountant. Sheesh.

Both! Depending on which one is being looked at (fed or state). Which makes it way more confusing especially on a quick read while we're all trying to finish of the last stragglers.

Re-read the second sentence. Past tense "was" and it was excluded from federal tax when earned like 401k contributions. But taxed as income in Mass in the year earned. If they stayed in Mass, there would be no state tax on that pension but there would be federal. Since she moved to NC, she gets to pay federal tax *and* state tax to NC. Ah, well. With the lower cost of living, she's still better off down there.

I found it. NC Bailey Decision info

When it was earned it was funds excluded from federal taxation - just like a 401k contribution. But at that same time, upon earning, it WAS taxed in Massachusetts. So when it is received after retirement, it is taxable for the feds but NOT taxable by Massachusetts. Except now she lives in NC. Which seemingly has the same deal for in-state pensions, but I can find no information on the treatment of pensions from OTHER states.

I have a client who retired to North Carolina. She just started taking her Massachusetts Teacher's Retirement pension - and I can't find if this is taxable in NC or not. It was income excluded from federal taxation but *included* for MA taxation when earned and is therefore tax-exempt in Massachusetts when paid out. There's a bunch of NC info on the "Bailey settlement" that seems to be the same but only refers specifically to NC-earned pensions. I can't find any provision for reciprocity (which only means I can't find it - because neither can I find anything stating yes, this IS subject to tax in NC). Can anyone point to where I can look this up? Or does anyone know off the top of their head? Thanks!

I have gotten account transcripts online since I froze my credit. Perhaps one cannot set up a new account with e-services?