Catherine

Yes, the IRA contribution is on the IRA worksheet. And it flows through properly to Line 32 on the 1040. But the Form 8582 Line 7 worksheet line 27 has created a number out of thin air for self-employed SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified plans. Jump-to bunny for that line takes me to the BLANK Line 28 of the 1040. Jump-to from blank line 28 takes me to the worksheet, which has NO plan type chosen at the top "compute maximum contribution" line and nothing filled in lower down for deferrals or contribution rates or anything. But this 8582 line 7 worksheet _insists_ on putting some weird amount that does NOT match any allowable (but unchosen!) contribution amount for a SEP, SIMPLE, or other plan! It puts in $3354 for a Keough, SEP, 401k, or SARSEP, and $11,000 for a SIMPLE, or SIMPLE IRA. And if I pick "blank", for NO plan -- it puts $3354 on that worksheet line. Now, this work IN my client's favor by lowering the AGI to where they can take more of their rental loss. But it's not right and I don't know where to go to fix it. I have to over-ride that worksheet line. And I really don't like this oddball number popping in out of nowhere. And while all this is going on, the client keeps emailing wanting to know if I've finished. (They _were_ finished but then found more business miles for me to add in, and going back through is when I found this weird problem. So they are still working on the assumption that all I have to fix is a mileage number. Can't even explain this because I didn't know WHAT was going on -- still don't!) Catherine

AND chocolate-chip cookies?

Busted again; I can't get acks right _now_. Their April Fool's Day joke on us?

Please? I'll get Mel's cinnamon roll recipe and bake/ship (post 4/15) for whoever helps me!

They gave out a really spiffy pen when I went to one last fall.

Haven't heard the offer but if I can get MAX for $699, I'm in. There's almost no tech support I can't get from here!

See the other thread next to this one; lots of folks (me included) have been having differing levels of trouble all day.

All day when I try to get ack's, I connect to the EFC but then get stuck at the verify info link. I get "connection to the server is established" and then NOTHING, no matter how long I wait. Is this my issue -- or is it an ATX issue? TIA, Catherine Details: The connection to the server is established. Error: The transmission can't continue due to a server error. Error: Received response 12031: Unknown from the server instead of an XML document.

VERY LOUD raspberry sounds to both of you!!!! Great gag, though.

HELP!!! Client is starting to hound me!

It never occurred to me that Eric could mean THIS group! For one thing -- if he needed money, we'd all open our wallets right away. Next, if it was getting to be too much TIME, he would have said something. I can't think of ANY problem he could run into where he wouldn't ask for help and GET it right away. WHOOSH! That's the sound of this joke passing over my head. (Good thing I'm short! ) I thought it was completely possible for CCH to have not learned a thing from their prior stunt, though. Catherine

My husband and I went to a clinic run by Brian Zins and Andy ??? (I'm SO bad with names) of the USMC; my averages skyrocketed afterwards. He now terms himself my "gun-bearer" and talks about someday being as good as I am in pistol (I think we just need to do that clinic again). I hope to someday be as good as him in rifle; it averages out. Gwen may surpass us both. Fiona's not that interested. She'll have fun if we drag her out with us, but doesn't volunteer to come. But it's great to have a shootin' buddy to go out with. Y'know, 33 feet clear sight lines in the basement and you can have an airgun point. We know some folks who do 5-shot matches after dinner to see who washes the dishes! Catherine

The former (as in retired) rifle team coach from when I was in college retired "more" and went down south; he tried real hard to sell us his place up in NH; 100-yard range out in back, airgun range in the basement, separate building with 440V, 3-phase service for a machine shop..... it was very tempting but too far from where my husband works.

I am shocked and surprised that they would close it down just before the end of tax season! Oh, wait -- reset -- they've done this before. Any good folks over there who should be privately informed of our merry little band here? Catherine

Bet you had a nice bruise, too -- aka "recoil rash". Shotguns can sure kick hard, and those vests don't give much padding. But then, a bird hunter can be out for a whole day and only take two or four shots. WAY different from a trap or skeet set of, what is it, 20 in a row? The rifle I shot in '07 was a Colt clone of an AR-15, a .223 caliber high-power target rifle. For last year, my husband got me as an anniversary gift (our anniversary is today, 4/1; he wanted a day he wouldn't forget) something called a "space gun" -- another .223 high-power target rifle. It's got the most _beautiful_ hard-anodized bright PURPLE barrel and stock. And it's adjustable seventeen ways to Sunday so it fits even short me (5' zero") perfectly. The Colt, even with an aftermarket short stock, was still a little long in the reach for me. But Gwen (all the way to the right on the family picture) is just enough taller than I am that the Colt fits her perfectly. She decided, though, that rather than shoot on the team this year she wants another year of raking in the $$ for pulling/scoring targets. She was so happy last night, though -- in the local pistol team match, her score counted towards team total for the first time! And I think it was only her 5th or 6th match. She's already shooting, after just a few matches, as well as I did my first year in college. We're proud of her. She may make it to the National Championships on of these days. I did my senior year, 1980 -- they were also the Olympic try-outs (the year we boycotted), and my biggest claim to fame. Great thing about shooting -- you can keep it up long after most sports and keep getting better. It's all very Zen -- the competition is ultimately with yourself, to do everything as perfectly as possible every time. The black bulls-eye is about a foot across -- and at 200 yards through the sights looks like a pindot. Concentrate on the sights, breath control, steady trigger squeeze, ignore the mosquitos, or the cold, or the heat, or the ejected brass from the next point hitting you in the back - or the head, or your foot falling asleep. And do it again. And again. Twenty shots plus two sighters, standing in one spot, teams of 6, 2 1/2 hours for all six on each team to shoot in sets of two. Three matches every spring. We usually start in freezing cold (and snow!), and end frying in shorts under the heavy jackets. Lots of fun! Catherine Catherine

Isn't "Sundry' a strange name for a prince??

Bumping this up; still hoping to get some help on this one. C

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/autopilot/index.html Really cute gag from Google. Take a look at the blurb lower right, about both sender and receiver having AutoPilot ON. May all the gags you see today be fun! Catherine

I lost mine YEARS ago. Don't miss it and have never again had to worry about keeping track of it so it doesn't get lost! One less thing to deal with; I recommend it to all and sundry. Especially sundry. Catherine

Thank you! I've been fretting that while this _should_ go on the D, that with a 1099-DIV we'd get fussed at for not reporting the Box 8 amount on a dividend schedule. I'll proceed as you suggest.

Rifle season starts in April -- first match is Saturday the 25th. I'll see if I can dig up a picture of me on the line from last year. Got it -- I'm the one with the green jacket sort of in the right/middle. Don't think anyone would be interested in a picture of dirt from my garden, though! Catherine

Well, that's the thing. Liquidation proceeds are the same as the business sale proceeds. But the _basis_ for that liquidation is greater than the proceeds, so there is a net long-term capital loss. What I don't know is how to show the capital loss without then getting a letter saying "what about those liquidation distributions from the 1099-DIV?". Catherine

I had a momentary flash of brilliance and checked the "Where's My Refund" site for info. My folks' refund got direct deposited last Friday, so they can send payment in full per the letter. Nice to know I'm not the only one whose clients had letters with response dates of 4/8. Catherine

Yay taxbilly!! Catherine

Have a client who got a CP2000 notice for 2007. There was indeed income missed and the notice, as far as we can figure, is correct. So the notice has an amount of extra tax plus some interest. Before I have my folks send money in, how likely is the IRS to take this year's refund and apply it to the CP2000 notice balance? We're trying to get through this with as little financial disruption to these folks as possible. If they pay the whole amount and then their refund gets applied as well, then they have to wait ?? much longer to get money back, and what they get won't be direct deposit, either. OTOH, if the refund won't be touched, they should pay the total and not get any more interest hit. Any guidance would be appreciated. I tried calling and spoke with someone who was talking 120 mph in a nasty tone of voice -- and in the end wouldn't/couldn't tell me what I needed to know even though I have the "permission to talk with preparer" box checked on both returns (the '07 with the notice and the already-e-filed '08). Thanks. Catherine