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Yardley CPA

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Everything posted by Yardley CPA

  1. Did she receive some type of 1099 from eBay reporting the sale of the toys?
  2. Sounds like a tough phone call to make but one I would have no problem with. Shouldn't he have known his actions would result in a somewhat hefty tax bill? I guess it's easy for me to sit back and ask why clients don't consult an advisor before making a transaction like this? With that said, I would simply let him know exactly what you provided in the post, what he owes and it's unfortunate there was no opportunity to plan for the sale beforehand. He should understand exactly what that means...he should have contacted you. Good luck.
  3. Abby Normal is the King of Macros. @Abby Normal
  4. I agree, for the taxpayer who has a less complicated return or for those who are familiar with tax provisions and filing, more power to them for using this new system. With that said, there are so many potential issues and questions, that's why I asked if 1040-X will be available...it more than likely would get used often.
  5. I wonder if the system will also offer a 1040-X option? IRS free tax filing pilot: Taxpayers in 13 states will have access next year to Direct File WashingtonCNN — The Internal Revenue Service is moving ahead with a plan to build its own free tax filing program, known as Direct File, announcing Tuesday that a pilot version will be available to some taxpayers in 13 states next year. Armed with an influx of new money approved by Democrats last year, the IRS is conducting a major overhaul of its operations – despite continued threats from Republicans to cut future funding and even abolish the agency altogether. Eventually, the IRS tax filing system could serve as an alternative to private tax preparation companies like H&R Block and Intuit’s TurboTax. ADVERTISING But for now, the online pilot program will be very limited in scope. Only taxpayers in those 13 states with specific, eligible tax situations will be able to participate. The IRS anticipates that at least several hundred thousand taxpayers will decide to participate in the pilot. IRS cannot find millions of backup tax records, watchdog says Critics of Direct File, including H&R Block and Intuit, argue that a government-run system will likely provide a worse taxpayer experience than what is currently available and that the federal tax collector should not also play the role of tax preparer. “I can’t stress enough that Direct File, if pursued further after the pilot, would be just another choice taxpayers have to help them prepare their tax returns,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said on a call with reporters Tuesday. Taxpayers would still be able to use a tax professional, commercial tax software or the existing Free File program, which is provided by seven different private companies. The Direct File pilot program will help the IRS determine whether it’s feasible to offer a government-run tax filing system to more taxpayers in the future. Who will be eligible for the pilot program? Some taxpayers in Arizona, California, Massachusetts and New York will be eligible for the pilot program during the 2024 tax season that will launch in January. The states have opted to integrate their state taxes with the federal Direct File system. The Direct File pilot will cover only individual federal tax returns. But once a federal return is filed, taxpayers will be guided to a state-supported tool that they can use to file their state tax return. Taxpayers in nine other states that do not levy a state income tax – Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming – may also be eligible to participate in the pilot. Washington has also opted to integrate the state’s application for the Working Families Tax Credit with the federal Direct File system so that taxpayers are connected with the state form after filing their federal return. But not every taxpayer in the 13 participating states will be allowed to use Direct File next year. Eligibility will be limited to taxpayers with certain kinds of income that claim specific kinds of credits and deductions. The IRS has not finalized the exact tax situations that will be compatible with the pilot program next year. But Werfel expects those with wages reported on a Form W-2 and who claim tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit will be covered. Overhaul at the IRS The IRS has seen years of reduced funding, resulting in a decrease in both staffing levels and audit rates. But thanks to the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping federal spending package that passed Congress in 2022, the agency is set to receive a steady stream of long-term funding to help crack down on tax cheats and transform its operations. The IRS says the money has already helped it improve taxpayer services. In the 2023 filing season, it answered 3 million more calls and cut phone wait times to three minutes from 28 minutes compared with the year before. The IRS has also put a plan in motion to digitize all paper-filed tax returns by 2025. The move is expected to cut processing times in half and speed up refunds by four weeks. The Inflation Reduction Act included a provision to deliver $80 billion to the IRS over 10 years, but Republicans have raised questions about whether the investment would lead to increased audits for average Americans. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers were able to reclaim $20 billion of the funding in a bipartisan deal to address the debt ceiling. The White House argued that the cut won’t fundamentally change what the IRS can do over the next few years. Biden administration officials have also repeatedly said that taxpayers earning less than $400,000 a year won’t face an increase in audits due to the new funding.
  6. And I'm sure you're not surprised.
  7. Client owns a beach home which they decided to rent for a total of 5 weeks during the summer of 2023. They occupy the home periodically outside of those five weeks. Personal use and Rental Use will be calculated appropriately. If the client decides to no longer rent the home beyond the 2023 season, they would simply indicate that its entirely being used for personal use moving forward, correct? Would they still be required to complete Schedule E each year, showing no expenses and no income, since it's being used entirely for personal reasons...I wouldn't think they need to but wanted to seek feedback. Also, depreciation would no longer be calculated, correct? Any feedback is appreciated.
  8. In today's world, we are fortunate he received that sentence and not a week of probation.
  9. In my humble opinion, the CPA designation is worth all of the headaches. I'm happy I earned the designation (many years ago) and have absolutely no issue with attaining the required CPE. It's a designation that is still in demand today and offers those who have the initials great professional opportunities.
  10. Assuming both spouses live under the same roof, if one doesn't want to pay they'll "misplace" their spouses letter as well.
  11. I had a Pennsylvania MFJ couple receive letters separately, showing the amounts "each of them owed". Our letter to the IRS rectified the matter and there ultimately was no penalty but did find it strange they received two letters instead of one.
  12. I guess they must have because I am completing returns much more quickly than with ATX. Don't get me wrong, that's not bashing ATX in any way. I enjoyed my time with ATX but their price point made me look elsewhere. I've found the transition from ATX to ProSeries to be relatively smooth. The biggest advantage for me is the way it handle multistate returns compared to ATX.
  13. This is my second year using ProSeries after 25 years using ATX / Saber. I've found that ProSeries allows me to complete returns more quickly and offers a user-friendly interface. The other significant upgrade are the enhanced calculations that ProSeries offers. When dealing with multi-state returns, ProSeries handles the calculations without having to subscribe or pay for any additional "enhanced calculations" programs. In addition, the use of their portal is included in the program price. On ATX, I had to pay an additional fee for the portal.
  14. How long have you been using ProSeries?
  15. That's the nice thing about being on the auto payment plan. It just happens.
  16. They stayed up until 3:00am doing that??? May be time to move on from them. :-)
  17. As Gail stated, were you able to confirm if she had foreign financial accounts exceeding $10,000? If she didn't, I wouldn't bother with filing...but that's just me and I readily admit my experience with FinCEN FBAR is limited at best.
  18. As a CPA and a one man office, who prepares returns on the side, I know my rates are below what is considered customary. I confirmed that after reading through this post. There is no way my starting rate is $500, I'd have no clients. With that said, my rates are based on the complexity of the return and normally my rates are adjusted from year to year, in some instances they may even go down if the return warrants that. However, I know they are generally lower than they should be.
  19. Thank you. That's exactly my understanding as well. Fair rental days are the days actually rented. All other "personal use", falls under "personal". On Schedule E, you would enter those two figures when the rental was not for the entire 365 days.
  20. I don't deal with rental properties everyday but I have my share. I have researched the topic somewhat extensively, reading through IRS guidance and other articles. Hoping you confirm my understanding on how to handle these situations: - Fair Rental Days vs. Personal Use Days Taxpayer owns beach home. They rent it for 30 days throughout the year and they use it personally for 50 days. On Schedule E you would input those exact numbers. Just because the taxpayer owns the property, they do not have to indicate personal use as 365 days less the number of days rented, correct? Personal use is exactly that...the number of days the owner used it personally...correct? - Expenses Using the example above, 30 days rented and 50 days personal use. Are certain expenses restricted to the ratio of days rented / personal use? I have a client who receives a reporting statement from the realtor they use to rent the property. It lists a cleaning expense specifically for the weeks the property was rented. That entire expense can be taken on Schedule E, it does not need to be prorated, correct? Expenses specific to the rental period can be taken in full? I recognize other expenses will be and should be prorated. - Depreciation Depreciation is taken during the time the unit is rented. Once the unit switches totally to personal use, depreciation ceases. When the property is sold, recapture is based on the depreciation actually taken, correct? Thanks very much for reading through my long post. Appreciate your feedback.
  21. Please verify my understanding on the digital assets question on form 1040. Client purchased digital assets through her Robinhood broker account. That was the extent of her digital activity, no trades or sale. It's my understanding that simply purchasing digital currency is a "No" response. Here is what I found on the IRS Website. I don't believe any of these situations refer to purchase alone, unless that is what "mining" means? Thoughts please. When to check "Yes" Normally, a taxpayer must check the "Yes" box if they: Received digital assets as payment for property or services provided; Transferred digital assets for free (without receiving any consideration) as a bona fide gift; Received digital assets resulting from a reward or award; Received new digital assets resulting from mining, staking and similar activities; Received digital assets resulting from a hard fork (a branching of a cryptocurrency's blockchain that splits a single cryptocurrency into two); Disposed of digital assets in exchange for property or services; Disposed of a digital asset in exchange or trade for another digital asset; Sold a digital asset; or Otherwise disposed of any other financial interest in a digital asset.
  22. What about Abby? Isn't he a Maryland preparer? Not sure he is near Beltsville but he may be able to guide you? I guess your friend wants to meet in person and can't transact digitally?
  23. That's how I would do it.
  24. Please confirm (or correct me) my understanding of leasehold improvements. Homeowner has a barn on her property and plans to make improvements to barn to begin a small business. The plan is for the individual to form a Single Member LLC - Schedule C. After improvements are made to the barn she will start to conduct business within it. Am I correct that the improvements made to the barn increase it's basis and are not generally deductible as expense? I recognize this post is very basic in nature and not providing detailed information on the business or the types of improvements. For the time being, that's all the information I have and I will update as I learn more. With that said, generally speaking is my understanding correct? Improvements will add to basis of the barn and are not deductible until the business begins?
  25. I'm sure you're not surprised.
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