Tax Prep by Deb

Actually I have to admit that every time I have spoken to someone from ATX either by e-mail or by phone, I have always gotten a sympathetic ear. When they took the board off I e-mailed one of the employees direct and told that person (politely) how I felt and how dissappointed I was, and I could tell by the reply sent back to me that the employee felt the same way! The second e-mail that I sent was through the suggestion box and I was suprised to get a quick reply directing me to this site! Then when I was contacted by sales (I was holding out on early renewal) I was able again to convey to them my dissappointment, and again I felt I had a sympathetic ear. So I have to believe that all the old gang at ATX is saddened by some of these changes that have upset so many of us, but really it's out of their control. I guess there are advantages to being part of a larger company, but I'm trying hard to see it! I liked dealing with ATX much better before it was gobbled up!

In all fairness to ATX I want to add that when I originally found this site it was because some nice person at ATX responded to an e-mail that I sent to them to let them know how upset I was that there was no longer a community. The person who answered my e-mail gave me this site and told me that many of the old posters had moved here. I was very appreciative of their info as I felt so alone until I found all of you again!

I had my first one of those this year. Fortunately we were aware that the contribution was in excess (the plan failed the annual test) and so the company handling the 401K plan informed my client that he would be getting a check and that a 1099 would be issued, however because the contribution was for 2006 and the refund was issued in 2007 they informed us via a nice letter exactly how it was to be handled. Because I had already filed their 2006 return we did have to ammend it and include the refunded contributions and pay normal tax on the amount. The 1099 when we get it will have 2007 on it but the code P indicates that it was a contribution for a prior year. Therefore the answer to your question, as I have seen it, is that you need to ammend the year in question, and the progam is handling it exactly correctly. It is a distribution in 2006, however code P tells IRS that it was for a prior year. I hope this helps, as I too had never had one of these, but was able to follow the info on the letter as well as did some additional research. Like I said the one I did was caught early, as a result we were able to ammend and pay the additional tax by April 15th therefore no penalty, no interest.

I like the idea of an aggravation fee! I think we all have a few of those type. You know the ones that call you during peak season to ask stupid questions? Or worse yet the ones that keep calling (I have a few that can not get through the tax season without calling at least 8 - 10 times asking questions that really do not pertain to my filing their taxes) and then there is the ones that you make repeated calls for additional info and they never respond until they have an immediate need for their refund and then make you feel like your the one holding them up!) I think I too shall had an aggravation charge! Good ideal taxbilly!

I for one am glad that the story turned out the way it did. $200,000.00 is an awful lot to lose, and worst yet have to pay taxes on. As to the exaggerated case, well all I can say is that a person can learn alot by reading these types of posts. I find them very educational and appreciate everyones viewpoint, but the bottom line is that you have to sort it all out and do your own research to reach a logical conclusion. This particular case I definitely would have referred out of my office and hoped that I could help my client by finding someone more experienced than me to handle it. My experience, especially on this board, is that someone out there somewhere has had something similar happen to them, and that's why we ask for opinions. In addition to what I just stated I would also like to add that this board is extremely entertaining! I really would rather read the posts each day than watch T.V.!

You do the best you can and hope that your equipment doesn't let you down. However, I still and always say that you must BACKUP religiously. That is your safest safety net. I couldn't agree with you more. However it seems like it takes a shock or two to get us back in the habit. I spent a good part of yesterday backing up so that I could replace the battery in my PC (just in case something went bad). I actually do back up frequently, especially during the busy tax season and I just upped my frequency for quickbooks for the clients I do bookkeeping for. This was emphasized recently when I picked up a new client who lost all his info going back to 2003. He hasn't filed his corporate taxes since then so I get the joy of reconstructing three and a half years worth of work! (oh well it pays the bills!) :P

Again I just wanted to thank you all so much for your imput. That's why I love this community and am so proud to be a part of it. It's nice to agree and sometimes even to disagree because it gives us, the poster and the reader, a wealth of info. When it comes to computer's I will be the first to admit I know nothing! So I welcome all comments and I am certainly going to follow through by getting the power back up you all recommend. It's not something that happens alot around my town, but there is a lot of construction going on in my neighborhood and I think that is the source of the power failures, but as KC mentioned I know it's not good for my computer, and I certainly don't want to be caught off guard and half to run out and buy a computer just to keep working. I like replacing my computers like I replace my car, I change just before it dies! Again, thanks to all who replied!

Thanks to all who are responding. The problem isn't when I reboot the computer (my date and time stay in tact) it's only when a power failure happens. As to using the device you recommend I will definitely be looking in to it. I have hesitated using one before because an office where I use to work had one and it never worked properly and thus it seemed like a waste of money to me. I guess I just need to do my homework!

I've done it both ways. I originally did it the first time it happened by clicking onto the clock on the taskbar and setting it there. The time before this however we set it through the setup program, but it still reset when the power went off. When it says to run the setup program is there anything more to do other than setting the clock? Could it be I'm not going far enough in the setup program? Thanks for your input!

Thanks OldJack, but I have done that. Each time the power goes off and shuts my computer off I get that same message and have to go through that same process. This problem has just started the last couple of months. In the past the power would go off and my computer would reboot without any problem.

I hope some one can tell me an easy fix for my computer. Recently we have had several little power outages. My computer is protected by a very good surge protector, however the problem I'm having is when the power comes back on, my computer restarts but I get the following message: "Invalid configuration information please run setup program. Performing automatic IDE configuartion: Primary master: Disk Drive Secondary Master: CD-ROM Device Time of day not set - please run setup program." It seems to always reset the date back to May of 2003. I think that is probably when the computer was born because I purchased it in June of 2003. When I click on the time on the taskbar and select internet time there is a note that says I was not able to synchronize and to try again later, but nothing ever sychronizes. My dad thinks that maybe the lithiam battery needs replaced. Does anybody out there know if he's right and if not is there an easy fix to this. I can work around this problem as long as I remember to reset everything, but it can sure mess things up that requires dates. Thanks for any info!

I too am small. I purchased the 1040 package like always and was given a 10% discount on that, then they added unlimited e-file for a flat 200.00 more. I do about 200 returns a year so the increase overall was about $1.00 per return. This is something I felt I could live with as it is still considerably less expensive than MAX which is way more program than I needed.

I too have not felt like I've been attacked, even though you commented on a reply that someone posted to a reply I had posted. (boy this kind of gets confusing) The fact is I appreciated what you stated, and I'm glad to say I wasn't yelling or screaming at the guy on the phone. I was simply explaining why I was hesitant about renewing for another year. The truth is I see a slight turn around in how ATX is treating us. It's like they are listening to our complaints. I was contacted a few days later by another sales person this time with what I felt was a fair offer. After thinking about it for a couple of days I felt it was a price I could live with, and now that I have found this site I don't mind not having the Community on ATX, so I called back and renewed for another year. The sales person was very professional and so was I however even we never open our mouth or communicate our concerns, how can we expect them to listen? In my own defense, (even though I did not take your comments as an attack) the sales person that I vented at called me on my time trying to sale me, after I received sever e-mail offers to renew. So I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I didn't do the calling and complaining, rather I used an opportunity that presented itself to me, and at least in my case I was able to get an offer that I could live with. As far as your comments are concerned I only have one piece of advice: Keep them coming! Some may not like it and may take offense at it, others may be moved by it to think twice about their words and actions, and others may just be amused. Regardless, you have every right to state your opinions. P.S. It takes a humble person to say I'm sorry!

It doesn't bother me at all if they are or are not identified. I personally welcome them as I will be using their software again this year and that was one of the things I appreciated about the old board, the fact that many employees of ATX monitored it and I found this to be the quickest way many times of getting an answer to a problem. Also keep in mind, that under the old ATX Community many of the employee's may have participated because it was a part of their job, but if they want to contribute on this site to me it shows that they are still interested in us. I had actually held off from renewing my subscription with ATX at first because of the way they abruptly halted the community and the increase in price due to charging for e-file. But the last time I was contacted the sales person asked me why I hesitated and when I explained it to him he had a new offer. It still meant an increase over the cost of last year but to me it was fair and also showed good faith on the part of ATX. Only time will tell what any of this turns out to be, but I for one think that anyone, providing they stay within the guidelines set by the administrator of this site, be allowed to join and if they choose to either let us know they are with ATX or not. Just my two cents worth.

I have an update to my earlier post. I received a call from a person at ATX yesterday trying to entice me to renew. When I told him I was exploring all my options he asked me why I was hesitating. I explained the two main reasons, one having to do with what they did with the community (I know he has no say on it, however he asked!) and second had to do with the price adjustment on the 1040 package (adding an additional fee of $5.00 per FED/STATE that I file (which by the way is about 200) and that by adding the additional fee it would cost way to much for me to use that program, and that I felt I was being forced into MAX (cost difference) of which has way to much program for my practice. He told me that they felt the thinking was that so low a fee could be passed on to my client, but the truth is I pass my cost of living increase on to my client, which means that instead of rasing $5.00 per return this year I would have to raise it at least $10.00. I also explained to him that when it was a choice I did add e-file on as an option and charged extra for it, but California now mandates that I e-file so I don't feel right in asking me clients to pay me for a service I have to by law provide. He then asked me if I would consider renewing if they gave me 10% off for renewing and a flat fee of $200.00 for unlimited e-file? I told him I would think about it, but I wasn't prepared to give him an answer right away. He gave me his direct extension if I change my mind. I guess the point is that sometimes you do need to express yourself, even if it is just to a person trying to make a living. Obviously ATX is listening or I don't believe the offer would have been made. It is true that we are now experiencing Corporate America, however we are still the ones that pay their salaries. I explained to the gentlemen that I realize a price increase is needed, obviously if I feel I need to raise my price, but if it is gradual it's much easier to pass on than slamming us all at once. Well, I've said what I wanted to say, hopefully some of you will get similar offers!

I also was contacted on Monday to renew. I told the sales person that I was looking at other options and that I was not pleased with the recent changes and the way they treated us at the end of this tax season. Again, there was silence. Then I was given the promotion code so that if I changed my mind I could get the 10% if I order by June 30th. My thoughts are that if enough of us did that, perhaps they may re-think their current position. With me I am going to have to go up to MAX even though it is way more program than I need. But by the time I add all the extra fees for the e-files that I do it just makes since. The extra money I'm having to pay for MAX over my previous program really isn't the issue, if I felt the customer service would roll back to say a year ago, I would gladly pay and renew in a heart beat. But like most of you I wasn't impressed with all the things they cut out at the end of the year. If they truly are trying to get into our market, the best way they can do that is to offer a good product, reasonable prices, but most importantly EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICED! If people like the service they get, they won't mind the extra prices. That is the same philosphy that I promote my business with and that is why I have grown from just a handful of clients to well over 200 each year. I have about a 95% return business each year, with the other 5% leaving usually because they move out of the area, or it was their first year with me and they owed!

Actually my decesion to file this type of return comes after a very lengthy discussion with one more than one IRS agent who pointed out that the ITIN was set up for this exact situation. The problem in the past as I stated was the name mismatch. The person who posted the reference does relate specifically to my situation. As was stated, I am not the one committing the fraud, it was already done, I am simply submitting the facts as presented to me. I do not make it a practice, not do I go out and soliciate this type of return, but from time to time they do come in. Usually when they do we get into a very big argument about why in the past their tax return preparer was able to e-file, and when I see what was done, it was because they (their preparer) altered the info on the W-2 to get it through. I did not do that. I electronically filed, per IRS instructions using the ITIN number on the front of the 1040 and then making sure that the social security number that was on the W-2 is what was imputed into the W-2 worksheet. I e-filed the return on Sunday and it has been accepted. Again thanks for you who responded.

I have a client whose wife works at a local restaurant and received a W-2 issued in her name with a social security number that doesn't belong to her. She has applied for and received a ITIN number and I have prepared her and her husbands tax return. In the past we were not able to e-file these types of returns because of the social security number issue, not matching ect.... But I understood that starting this year we could. I had a similar situation earlier in the year, and when I attempted to e-file the return it kept rejecting due to social security name mismatch. What I did is on the 1040 I used her ITIN number and on the W-2 field I used the social security number that was on the W-2. Did I do this correctly? Am I missing something? I could not get the other one through at all, even though I had a copy of her ITIN document and spelled her name exactly as on that document. I'm to the point that I need to send this new one through, but if I'm missing something I would like to correct it before I do. Any thoughts anyone! Thanks in advance, (p.s. I'm sooooooo glad that we still have a wonderful board as I really felt lost when ATX dropped us)

Thanks so much for your imput! As to be tired and grouchy, so am I. This has seemed like an extremely long tax season to me and then when the community disappeared off ATX's site I felt lost and all alone. I really do appreciate any thoughts anyone has and I have learned so much from all of your experience. Again, thanks for the response and I will look at the info you suggested! Deb!

I hope someone can help me. I have kind of an interesting situation. I have some clients who referred their father to me to do his taxes. When he came in he brought me his info and that of his daughters who had died in 2006. Everything looked pretty simple, but before I could complete her tax return the father died (daughter died in 2006, father died in 2007) which now means my client, the only living heir, is having to file returns for both of them. His sister dies without a will and basically no estate other than a life insurance policy that was left to the dad, for which he got the distribution and re-invested it into another life insurance policy that was left to my client. I can wrap the sister's tax return up dealing with only one year, so I'm assuming that her brother, my client, can file as her representative and she will have a small refund coming. The problem I see is with the dad's. He has taxable income in 2006 and will also have taxable income in 2007. Can I file a tax return for both of these years indicating date of death and that he is deceased? Or does an estate return need to be opened and file from there? Again he didn't have anything other than pension and life insurance that his son was the benficiary of. I'm not really sure how to proceed with this, can someone guide me which way to go? Thanks in advance, and it's so good to find all of you again! Deb!

Me Too! I'm so glad to have found you all again! Deb!