Catherine

details here http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2014/09/10/5m-gmail-accounts-hacked-change-your-password-now/

Don't fault the Dunkin's employees at all. However, I have also made many a pretty penny from fixing their mistakes - once the notices show up and the temporary office is shut.

Finished all my corporations a couple weeks ago; phew! Need to send notes to a bunch of sluggards who will otherwise crawl out of the woodwork 10/12 frantic for me to finish their taxes by the 15th. I've actually been dithering over this - perhaps folks here have advice. Is it better to just keep my blinkin' mouf shut (under the heading that I am NOT their mommy and can't make them behave - plus in theory they are grown-ups for whom taxes are no surprise)? Or to send a reminder email to the 15 or slow slowpokes telling them "everything in MY hands by 9/15 or no guarantee it will be done by 10/15"? (I say 9/15 because of course they will forget something or hand over papers that don't include stock basis etc.) Opinions?

I canned twelve quarts of pears and have at *least* another dozen to go. While getting a new office and investigating new car options. Taxes? Clients? Crap; I *knew* I was forgetting something!!

Good grief. If the IRS needs a place to look for EITC fraud, places like this advertising for "anyone" would be a GREAT place to start. Sheesh. Reminds me of the two women I saw, years ago, heading into their HRB tax prep class still wearing their Dunkin Donuts uniforms. Sign here, please, and pick up your coffee at the next desk.

Whatever "raw numbers" are cited from the IRS in terms of overall queries or audits (and we professionals all know those have been going down for some years due in part to lack of staff) do not matter at all. The audit percentage could be 0.00001% for all I care. For those returns that ARE audited, business mileage is FREQUENTLY the reason/one of the reasons FOR the audit. I stand by my assertion and SCL you are extremely good at trying to poke holes in people's arguments -- and in the end, missing the point. Don't you have better things to do with your time? I do; there will be no more responses from me on this topic because SCL is determined to dig his heels in harder and harder. This is not worth any additional effort on my part.

Yes. A colleague of mine does this. You provide phone support for them and in many instances (via Intuit's VPN) work with them online to get things right. I do not recall what they pay (if I ever heard). They do provide some training (on their program, only, not taxes in general). You are assigned specific hours where you must be online, with a short meal break. My colleague has mentioned it can be hard to get a bathroom break in there outside of the official meal break.

I had been wondering if the post was a test run of an article, pre-submission. Thanks!

Absolutely INCORRECT. Of all the items the IRS looks at carefully, business deductions involving the frequently-misunderstood rules on what are - and are NOT - deductible expenses are VERY high on that list. This is completely and utterly separate from the overall percentage of returns selected (randomly or by flag) for further examination or audit. cbslee was correct in stating that these deductions are a FREQUENT source of IRS challenge. He is referring to items challenged and NOT to overall challenges. Might I recommend that you spend a bit of our seasonal "down" time after October 15 at this excellent site? http://lessons.englishgrammar101.com/ I have used it myself to review portions that were not correctly taught in my school. It starts very simply but increases in complexity quickly.

This is an endemic problem, and one that is highlighted (but not caused; correlation is NOT causation) by the technologies of email and texting. One of the things we worked on really hard when home-schooling Gwen for the last couple of years of high school was getting her to learn how to learn on her own. I discovered that kids are not "merely" not taught how to look things up on their own -- but in our schools, at least (supposedly some of the best in the state if not the country) -- they are actively DIScouraged from doing anything except taking what the teacher said, on faith, and looking nowhere else. We found the Gwen was asking us for help in various areas for problems that were explained IN HER TEXTBOOK. She had NO idea how to use a textbook as a resource, or to learn from. We were appalled. That got fixed. I researched and purchased texts for her that were designed to be learned from (high school, yes - but I chose college-level books in the appropriate subjects). The first thing she learned was how to learn from a book. Second was how to look for information herself. She is in her senior year of college now and top of every class she takes.

My friend Sandy is an instructor at a nursing college. Very fair, very helpful, VERY tough. We were visiting her (and her husband) this weekend and she told us that in the early part of each semester, new students come to her on a regular basis, griping about how "they always got A's on their papers before!" -- by which they mean that SHE is scoring them too harshly. Her response to these kids is, "I see. So what do you think your problem is now?" And she manages to do this with not only a straight face, but also one indicating concern for the student. I just about fell off my chair laughing. She is SUCH a good teacher.

Go see the other 11 pictures here: http://www.realclear.com/living/2014/08/22/12_pictures_only_people_with_ocd_will_understand_8453.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=positivelyrepublican

I was around for the last quarter (roughly) of that year. So here is a giggle for y'all: less than two months before my 56th birthday I got carded! Was buying a bottle of wine at a new-to-me grocery store, in company with Gwen (the younger daughter). Cashier asks for my ID. I asked if she was serious and she said yes. Gwen & I both busted out laughing, I handed my license over, and the response was, "I don't believe that year." But she let me buy the wine...

Well it's more than a political topic - we all deal with the agency on a daily basis. To see it used as a weapon against the citizens it is supposed to serve (as alleged, and as stinks to high heavens) affects all of us, and our clients. Thanks for sharing this. (And anyone who knows software or standard procedure knew these systems were being backed up multiple times, and the excuse was just that - an excuse - and a lame one at that.)

From Pub 590: " You have unreimbursed medical expenses that are more than 10% (or 7.5% if you or your spouse was born before January 2, 1949) of your adjusted gross income (defined earlier) for the year."

Yeah, Lion -- they can only track down $3K in contributions (no conversions). I'm sure most of the rest is - but we can't prove it. Asking these folks to track down paperwork would not end well. They have a new baby (source of her bedrest requirement last year), and he is horrible with keeping paperwork (she does all the bookkeeping for his business). I've already asked and that's when she found info on the $3K. As bad as an additional $250 in penalty is, it's better than the $300 more had she not found the docs from 2005 and 2007. While the medical issues caused the need to withdraw, their expenses didn't go over 10% AGI. She was on bedrest... that "only" costs lost income (and a failed business), not expense.

Taxpayer, age 39, took money out of a Roth IRA as family needed money; about $5500. Partially due to wife's high-risk pregnancy, no way to parse out how much was due to that and how much was due to failing business venture (also related; wife was running the business and could not run a store from bed rest). He can prove contributions of $3,000 (has lost other year-end statements) and meets the 5-year rule; first contribution was no later than 2005. So about $2,500 is subject to taxation for lack of proof BUT I can't find whether or not this is subject to the early withdrawal 10% penalty as well. I'm probably reading it over and again (Tax Book and Pub whatever # it is) and it's just not clicking in my head. Anyone have any other clues for where I can look? Thanks, Catherine

Man oh man oh MAN is that correct, Eric!!!

I agree with Judy -- even if he did not work at A, but was required to *report* there (for who knows what reason) on a daily basis, it *might* work with that accountable plan. But that's not the case here. No deduction. If they pay him for the mileage regardless, then it has to go on his W-2 and be subject to employment taxes (which themselves might be different for clergy, depending on if he has opted out of SocSec). So it's possible it still might be worth it to him - but at the lower income levels that clergy frequently have, check carefully for tax bracket bumping!

The accountant with the letter salad after his name could be correct IF there is an accountable plan. Else I think it's commuting - but could not find a specific cite quickly.

This time on Pythagoras.

LOL!!

Especially numbers 8 and 20. https://www.thedodo.com/24-bunnies-you-wont-believe-ac-652776457.html?utm_source=DodoFBMV

I like the idea - while I love the NT topics, it does make it harder sometimes to find that tax topic you ignored yesterday but is suddenly pertinent after today's phone call. I just got back from a one-week bike trip with Gwen in the NY finger lakes region. Haven't even off-loaded the pics from my camera (just a digital point-n-shoot; no fancy lenses at all) and will share a couple of good photos with people here. That's exactly the sort of thing a non-tax, hidden forum would be perfect for. Also *really* like the private part and post count requirement. And I was glad to hear that folks liked the Fibonacci number videos. There are SO many totally cool things out there to share - that have nothing to do with taxes.

Happy Birthday!!!!