Catherine

I've only had to once or twice -- both times when MassDOR mucked up processing an amended return. Each time a letter fixed it BUT we had to request the statutory hearing. The letter that accompanied the hearing request settled the matter... A CPA who worked for MassDOR for many years recommended this years ago in a CPE class and that one tidbit was worth the price of admission that day.

On *every* Mass amended return (CA-6) you should check the box requesting a statutory hearing! Else if THEY make a mistake processing, your client is stuck with whatever results they come up with.

http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/25085-westjet-might-be-the-best-marketing-story-of-the-year This is just delightful!

Apocryphal story from back when there was a "Stop & Shop" grocery store on Memorial Drive about halfway between Harvard and MIT... A kid gets into the Express Lane (12 items or less) with a full cart. Cashier asks him, "Are you a Harvard student who can't count, or an MIT student who can't read?"

Until I switched to the Tenenz folders, for years I used regular two-pocket folders from the office supply stores. One side for client original doc's, the other for completed returns. Used my label printed to print "Smith - 2008 Taxes" label to affix. I keep thinking of going back, as that entire pocket for original docs is nice. OTOH, I like the stapled-in copy....

And for divorced couples where ex-spouse continues to cover (by court order)... only the spouse in whose name the policy exists gets the letter.

I have a PayPal button on my web site. Client does NOT need to have a Pp account themselves. I suppose you could put one of those buttons on your site, click it yourself, and type in the client's charge card info (or have the client do it themselves). Didn't know about the QB ProAdvisor no-monthly-fee for card processing -- I may check into that. Thanks, Lion!

I'm in MA and I agree with SaraEA. Those 1099-HC forms are a Royal PITA. People don't know they're important and forget them/throw them out. They change jobs (or their employer changes insurance vendors, or the person changes plans internally) and there are multiples -- and your client only has one. Or none. Or something is missing. Or you get to chase down the TIN of the company because your client only has their card -- an oh by the way this is the NEW card and they changed the subscriber numbers since last year. Or they don't meet the MCC "minimum creditable coverage" requirements. Then you get to go through the gazillion worksheets to determine if there is a penalty. By family size. By income. By COUNTY. By months without coverage. Then perhaps request a waiver of the (truly nasty) penalty and go through a penalty waiver hearing (at least those are by phone and while I have never *lost* one the pre-hearing prep work is like an audit plus you have to fax all your documentation over days ahead of time). And the other PITA problems I've forgotten. It's only "no problem" IFF have clients with ONE insurance for the year AND they bring the 1099-HC with them. (For you non-scientist-trained folks out there -- "IFF" is scientific notation for the phrase "if and ONLY if." Great term to know.)

Happy Birthday, Eric!!

Adorable!

Thanks, cbslee!

What about business entities? I have a new C-corp on a fiscal year with a return due date of 12/15. CPA last year e-filed and I saw no extension in the paperwork.

Considering that most non-compete agreements are functionally unenforceable.... I'd say no. Unless your company is looking to sell out - in which case he may want to buy it out over a few years.

Fels Naphtha, yes (I have a bar or two downstairs, actually - goes with the washboard!). Elderly aunt and uncle out in Orange, Mass., had their outhouse in the barn with the cows. Couldn't smell a thing over the cow plop aroma... I remember the year they finally got their indoor bathroom; I was about 9 and what a treat that was! They were in their 70's or 80's by then - first indoor bathroom they had. They also had a pump for the kitchen sink that got switched to a faucet at that time. Heated my house in central Mass for a decade with wood; had it delivered cut and split but stacked it ourselves -- after a decade here, I am still sometimes surprised at getting up to a house that is already warm. When I lived in Worcester (97-03) a local store or two still had S&H Green Stamps and somewhere I have a set of scented candles I got through them. We've come somewhat afield from "cheap" but this thread sure is fun!

Just buy three and start in mid-January!

We ironed *everything* -- once it had hung dry in the cellar (which we used as much as possible in the winter, thank goodness; hanging stuff to dry outside in January is nasty - ask me how I know) it was all stiff as planks. I *still* have my grandmother's perforated top for the old, small, glass Coke bottles for sprinkling clothes from before we got a steam iron. When I was about 12, the washing machine broke and they had to order parts. My grandmother and I did laundry for all 6 of us, for over a month (maybe 6 weeks?) on a washboard in the basement sink. I heard *so* many wonderful stories of her growing up in the hills of Italy in those weeks; they are one of my most-cherished memories with her. I still have a small washboard for any hand laundry, drying racks, and little plastic hanging drying racks that are just terrific for wool socks, bras, nylons, and the like. Leaves way more room on the rack for hang-dry clothes, and no little socks end up on the floor. As for mcb39's comment on bread -- binder clips; small, medium, or large. Work for chips, pretzels, bread -- anything you want sealed. Take up less space than clothespins or those plastic "chip clips" they sell (for big money!) in the stores. We (my daughters and I) also hem, sew buttons -- darn socks, too (and I used to darn nylons but gave that up when the girls came along - along with *wearing* nylons, for the most part, for years and years). Gwen was found darning socks by one of her teachers in the classroom (she tutors, but takes small projects to do while waiting for other students) just today and apparently they had a lovely long chat about darning and how few people know how anymore.

http://gothamist.com/2013/12/02/now_that_were_adults_we_get_a_whisk.php An adult-friendly Advent calendar!

My husband's shirts come out stiff as starched jeans without some kind of softener and I am not going to iron them to soften them up (what we did when I was a kid and hung all our laundry out -- sheets, towels, underwear; it all got ironed as wearing boards is not fun). More than half a dryer sheet is too much for towels, I've found -- they have so much surface coating they are no longer absorbent. No, thanks!

Think we could teach them to paint ceilings? It's not like they'd even be that high up...

I have found that a half a dryer sheet is *plenty* for a load. Back when they used to be sliced part-way through, I used 1/4 sheet per load. Now that I have to cut them I've gotten lazy and only cut 'em in half. Have a pair of scissors that lives in the dryer sheet box and every now and then I'll chop a decent handful of them all at once -- one pass. The used ones are great for shining faucets, too.

Windows operating systems are like Start Trek movies -- only every other one is good! W7 good; W8 bad. XP good; Vista bad. The series propagates backwards in time quite a way...

Do you really *want* her back in your life? If so, WHY?

In Russian, there is a verb (which I cannot recall right this second), which translates to "I am over-cuted." This picture qualifies.

http://www.taxnewsandtips.com/ is the web site, Yardley CPA. The guy who wrote it for years is retiring and for a while it looked like they were going to go away. But one of his long-time clients has partnered with him and they will work together for the next 3 years until the new guy is up to speed. It's written first-person and very well done. We'll see how it goes for next year! PM me and I can send you a copy of the fall and year-end current newsletters; I always have a few extras kicking around.

Astounding article! http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/11/vermeer-secret-tool-mirrors-lenses