Catherine

I have one that I used to call Document Processing but have changed it this year to Staple Removal Fee. It starts at $25. I don't charge for stuff that came to them stapled (you can tell) but I do charge for stuff THEY stapled. Our letter specifically tells people NO STAPLES!

Sounds like more of the same bullcrap from last year, where they want the person to "prove their identity" for some unknown reason. Fraud - nah, that sails through with direct deposits right away! But, the same taxpayer, same ssn, same name, same address, same bank, refund roughly the same amount as prior years - now that is highly suspect and will be held up for months. Had one guy last year where we had to get the Taxpayer Advocate involved - he proved his identity, but the IRS employee he spoke with did not release the refund properly. Tell your client to watch like a hawk for a letter - it will have the phone number they'll need to call to prove themselves.

Me, too. Worse yet, I'm starting to get more than a little snippy with clients. Instead of just hiking their bills. Some are going to be really horrified to see their bills this year, and I'm gonna show them how much TIME I spent chasing their hindquarters to give me information. If they walk for next year, good bleeping riddance.

You should be able to just click on them and still download 'em.

I had a "helpful" client email me about this just yesterday - in case I had not heard. His bill just went UP.

We have people who take pictures with their phone cameras. Usually badly lit, creased, and out of focus. However, I've taken to recommending apps like "CamScanner" that takes that camera and makes it into a scanner. Mine gives a good, clear, IN FOCUS pdf (I tried, on purpose, to see how well it did). The folks who use that - well, we still get individual files of multi-page docs (most don't bother learning how to do a multipage pdf) but at least we can read them!

I agree with Lynn, sometimes it's just way easier and faster to stick a stamp on an envelope and shove the 7004 in. Mail and it's done. If you want fancy, you could include the EIN letter and the e-file rejection. But why bother? By the time they open the envelope it will be in the IRS database.

This might be more of a Drake KB or support question rather than a forum question here. Hard for us to know what, in their minds, the programmers were thinking about when they put "Toljed" in a drop down list. But there may well be a KB article. Or try the F1 key; some times that will bring up a more-detailed listing.

They have NO idea how lucky they were not to become YOUR casualty.

There are a LOT of big businesses out there that I would have thought insufficient in interest to sustain a small club!

More expensive every time I ask you for this.

I think it depends on the software. If memory serves, Abby Normal said he was able to get an e-file without the *&^% thing. But Drake (that I use) insists on that 1310. Which means mis-state (with appropriate attachments and disclosures), or paper-file. Problem these days is that any paper-filed return is going to sit for a half-year before it gets worked on. My client's is a 100% straightforward return that happens to have a sizable refund. As for Abby's other suggestion - to lowball estimates - is a good one *if* you can get the client to cooperate, and *if* you are not missing crucial information in figuring those ES payments. The IRS will take a balance due return regardless of who signs for the decedent, and they'll take payment by check or by debit from any source account that's valid.

Not possible unless you have access to Hermoine Granger's time-turner gadget. A good rule of thumb as clients get older, for sure.

Just posted from Massachusetts: (other info at mass dot gov / dor and then click on the FAQs section) Does Massachusetts allow a deduction for unemployment income? As a result of a recent state law change, taxpayers with household income not more than 200% of the federal poverty level may deduct up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits from their taxable income on their 2020 and 2021 tax returns for each eligible individual. Federal law allows a deduction of up to $10,200 if the taxpayer’s federal adjusted gross income is less than $150,000. Since the Massachusetts income threshold is different from the federal income threshold, some taxpayers may be eligible for a deduction on their federal tax return but not on their Massachusetts tax return. See chart below for income limits based on 200% of the federal poverty level. # Persons in the Family/Household 200% of the Federal Poverty Level 1 $25,520 2 $34,480 3 $43,440 4 $52,400 5 $61,360 6 $70,320 7 $79,280 8 $88,240 For families /households with more than 8 persons, add $8,960 for each additional person.

I certainly don't; nor do I know anyone who does. The American Philatelic Society does have a page listing locations of their clubs, which could be a useful source for your client. https://stamps.org/collect/clubs I did a search on New York and found 23 clubs across the state.

OK; I did some more research on this one. The client I have has a big refund due; waiting a year to get a letter saying "we didn't get the 1310" when they obviously DID get it is not an acceptable option to me. If you have a court-appointed PR, you DO NOT NEED the 1310. What you do need is a pdf of the court appointment appended to the return. The software companies largely insist on the 1310 because the IRS rules are NOT clear as to whether the pdf (that the instructions say to append) is enough, or if they want a paper-filed return even though the 1310 instructions say nothing about that being required. So the work-around I'm going to use is this: Form 1310 with choice C (no court-appointed rep) plus whatever question responses are needed to allow e-file. PDF appended to the return showing the court appointment, and Disclosure statement (8275, yes? it's been a while since I've needed one and you guys all know the form I mean) stating I answered the questions to allow e-file since instructions say to attach pdf; not that paper-filing is required. May add verbiage about not adding to their paper-file backlog for a straightforward final decedent return. Still debating this one - include this or leave it off? Comments, concerns, anything else I should deliberate on including the disclosure? Let sleeping dogs lie?

Local colleague did that some years ago for a non-profit corporation (some association, not a charity). Took her for-EVER and of course they did not appreciate her work or her bill, even though she told them "this must be done" and they agreed. Hope your client appreciated all your hard work!

Ye olde "make the return correct, despite what the program wants to do." Times come when that is needful. This sounds like one of them.

Because some well-commissioned "investment" advisor told her it was perfect for someone in her situation (whatever that situation is).

Massachusetts is still dithering; nothing official. Typically they DO tax unemployment, but have voted on NOTHING as of today.

And the parents will blame YOU for not filing the return now.

Tell them in no uncertain terms that IF you agree to keep them (uncertain at this time) that they are going on extension and you won't touch a thing until June. They are to get the prior returns and/or full information from the prior accountant and NOT contact you until the information is in their hands. Or they go elsewhere now. Pick one. You have thirty seconds. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. I have NO time any more for jackasses who expect me to pull a hat out of a rabbit.

Judy - CONGRATULATIONS on finding out before that return went out with your name as preparer, that the clients were lying scum who do not deserve your time or expertise. They would only taint you by association. Anything you said to them was most likely far more mild than they deserved to hear (after all, they sent you more after, right?). My prayers for a full and speedy recovery for your husband. And strength for you, to stand by and help him. Take a nap, put the phone on silent, and make a vow to fire any/all PITA clients this year. (We're real close with two back-to-back; I think we're going to try the jack-up-the-fees trick and see if we can drive them away, though.) I really liked the way @Lion EA put it - Q6 2020. Wow, is that a perfect term for this craziness, or what?

I use Dissenter browser (based on Brave) and very rarely need to switch to any other. But sometimes I have to choose to allow pop-ups.

A lot of browsers these days automatically block pop-up windows or other types of fill-in forms. She may have to lower her security settings (or you may have to, if you help her) for that one site. The settings are usually per-site so for the most part you don't have to reinstate them afterwards. I have a couple of sites with pop-up login pages where I had to specifically allow the pop-ups to pop-up.