Catherine

MA at least called these payments tax rebates, tying the payment to state taxes. If the client did not itemize, we're ignoring it. If they did, we'll check the property tax amount. For many in eastern MA, the $10K state tax maximum is more than covered by real estate taxes alone.

Have you opened the return on the computer where it's missing? I've noted that if I log in from a different computer, only the returns I've worked on, on that particular machine, show up in the list.

Many thanks to you both, @Margaret CPA in OH and @JimTaxes! Talking with the client tomorrow morning.

And at first I was thinking that cbslee wanted some "warped" emojis added!

First, put in all those ES payments with the correct pmt dates, regardless of the quarter, as 1-2-3-4. Then in the fill-in quick-navigate box type "LATE" and check the 2nd box - "Calculate penalties and interest on this return." The interest will only calculate if you have - outside of the return - gone to Setup --->Options ---> Optional Items on Return screen and checked the box at the bottom "Automatically calculate penalties and interest on returns filed after the due date." It seems that as of 2022, you no longer have to manually enter the interest rates the IRS uses in this section. That's a bonus for us! Hope that helps.

Anything weird in the Ohio rules on LLCs that I should be aware of? Clients who moved to Ohio last year are thinking of starting a small sideline business. Don't even know yet if it's just him, just her, or a joint venture between them. Only expected to generate a couple thousand in income per year - for a while, anyway. I know that in MA the only practical thing an LLC does for a small business is add a $520 annual filing fee to the fun. But I don't know if Ohio is similar, or if there are actual advantages. Any info/advice appreciated. Even just a link to the pertinent spot to read up myself.

Do you have the quarterly interest rates entered in the options? If so, find the "calculate penalties" check box. It likes to hide, though.

I've had no problems with the small tasks I've tried.

@BulldogTom I have a weird situation. Client is a resident of NY (state and city) who spends about a third of his year (all broken up) in CA. We file a CA NR return to allocate his earnings in CA to CA and he pays tax there. Do I then have CA-source income from a NYS resident? And would it only be based on the fee for the CA return, or the entire return including federal and NYS/NYC?

From the IRS' site; guidance for this year.

Thank you, @Terry D EA!

Yes - and as a result, I have rarely had to fire on the spot. As time goes on I am refusing potential problem clients upon their first inquiry. With existing clients, if I start to see signs of trouble creeping in, I recommend that they seek other help because it seems they need more assistance than I have time properly to provide. The last client I fired I finished his return (and got paid, not nearly what it was worth) and then sent a letter stating I would not be able to help him going forward. Thought for sure with him I was going to have to tell him to leave, but knowing I was ready to say it came through enough in our interactions that we were able to finish that one last year. He got a lot more slack than others, since doing his return was a favor to his late mother. Thanks for the reminder, as well as for confirming the impression that people are not telling the truth as much any more. On the tax end, I don't know if they're just incompetent financially, confused by confusing rules, overwhelmed with general busy-ness, or just lying. But I definitely see it more and more.

All I had mailed out were the employee copies. The online service deals with e-filing with the SSA and IRS. My particular problem with login solved for $4 - far less than the cost of the time I'd already wasted.

I thought the determinant was control. Can the client request/demand a full payout, or determine how the funds will be administered? Or do they just get money every year? If it's in an employer program and the client has benefits but no control, there is no reporting required.

Let the online services have the headaches! My W2s are mailed and filed. Done. Next year I won't even bother trying SSA Business Services Online.

We have our clients bring the instruction letter to the fiduciary and/or the check stub and/or the letter from the fiduciary. One of them, somewhere, says something pertinent. When I was a church Treasurer, I always made sure donors got those fiduciary letters for their records. They say something on the order of "here's $2,000 from the IRA of John Smith made out to First Parish Church Temple of the Blessed Heart."

See, it's better! No, don't look under that tablecloth; nothing to see there!

You as well, @Terry D EA!

I tried FOUR different browsers and got the exact same error message on each one. I'll use an online service that files with the SSA for me. I could have done that three times in the time it took me to attempt direct login. Grrrr. Nothing works anymore.

We have an old ScanSnap (~8yrs) still going strong. Office bought a 2nd a couple years ago for throughput ease and it's also going strong. I have, at my home office, a truly ancient (12+ years?) Kodak i1120 ScanMate - still going strong - that has a nearly vertical paper path and the best duplex scanning ever. No longer available or supported but it's been so good I bought a 2nd off eBay a couple years ago.

Yes, that was where I tried to log in. I use Brave browser. Perhaps I'll try whatever else I have on this machine (Edge or Chrome). Thank you!

Our letters say "usually the third week of January" and that's good enough for almost everyone.

Depends on the processing chip in the old computer. Intel 8th generation and newer can upgrade, older than that can't be upgraded.

I've been trying since the last couple days of last week to access SSA's Business Services Online to report wages. I'm getting nothing but an error message "we cannot process your request at this time." It doesn't even go to the login page from the login link, but straight to the error. Anyone here know what's going on?

Thank you all for your responses. The company in question is a client of a contact of mine. I have no idea what the plan docs say but they seem to. I'll underscore they should investigate the plan docs first.