BulldogTom

Catherine, As an aside, we are still on track for son #2 to attend MIT. He is still a junior in high school, but he has risen to the number one ranking in his class. Potential valedictorian. Also won an award for best physics student at his high school. The physics teacher is offering to teach my son physics C next year, even though the school does not offer the class. It will allow him to take the AP Physics exam which the MIT website says they will accept for credit if successfully completed. MIT is all he dreams about. Next year is going to be a nightmare. He is taking 6 AP classes (if you count the physics C special class). I hope someday we can meet you and your husband in Boston when I drop the kid off at the school. Tom Hollister, CA

Start working on a client OIC that needs to be made by the end of April. Fun...yeah! Tom Hollister, CA

Actually, I think it shows her respect for you that she told you she was leaving. We get so busy during the tax season that we don't always notice who did not come back until late April when reviewing the year. That is when I get bummed. No idea why the left, they are just gone. At least you know she is leaving and she told you where she went. That is more than some of us get. Tom Hollister, CA

Catherine has deleted me - and I am crushed. She called me a "bunch of ancient stuff". Tom Hollister, CA

Is anyone else besides me sick and tired of clicking on that little green arrow only to find that it doesn't really take you to another field or form? Everywhere you go in the Sch. E, Passive activity loss pages and At risk pages, you click on the green arrow and go nowhere. Was working on a return with several out of state rental properties for a CA resident. I thought I had it all tied out. When I e-filed, CA rejected. Took me forever to find the entry that I missed. But I kept clicking on the green arrows to get me to the associated forms and input sheets and they never took me there. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR at ATX. BTW, it was a pretty simple adjustment that did not affect the return, just the CA adjustment that I thought I entered but missed on the CA 3801. Rant over. Tom Hollister, CA

I finally had a chance to look at the instruction on the IRS website. Dental coverage reporting is Optional. Tom Hollister, CA

Should dental insurance be included as part of the calculation for the DD code on the W2? Setting up payroll software to track for a client and don't know what to include. I think Vision is included. Anyone know for sure? Tom Hollister, CA

Like I said, I am glad you are 2 time zones away. Tom Hollister, CA

Am I the only one who would be scared to meet Rita on about April 10th? I really enjoy reading your posts, but man, you seem to be on the fringe of doing some real harm to the next person that ticks you off. Tom Hollister, CA

I just registered for the company I work at during the day and it was pretty simple. The upload from our accounting software package is outstanding. Took only a few seconds. Then two weeks later I got a letter from SSA. Thought I screwed it up. NOPE. Prior CFO did not file the 2011 W2's. Went back and uploaded those in a few seconds and it was taken care of. Pretty Slick. Tom Hollister, CA

A W7 is the form to apply for an ITIN number if I am not mistaken. Did you mean W2? Tom Hollister, CA

I am on 10 and thinking I will stay here until I hear something better. Tom Hollister, CA

I don't think I would join a suit - unless they pulled the plug on the product and left us hanging. Then I might. Otherwise, I am going to stick it out and just keep ranting about it. When it comes down to it, I would be really excited for the new version if the damn thing worked. I see lots of potential for making it better than the old product was. But it needs to work. I will probably re-up next year if they still exist. But it won't be early, I will wait for the last minute. Tom Hollister, CA

I just put it in at 50%. In my case, the clients are always siblings. Mom and Dad leave the home to them and they rent it out. Tom Hollister, CA

Dumb Question, because I have never had to do one of these, so please be gentle with me. Two daughters took care of their father. They paid over half of his support out of what is mostly jointly owned property for the daughters (inherited from mother and left in joint accounts). One Daughter makes more than the other so will claim the exemption credit for the father. My question is: do I put the taxpayer on the form 2120 in the Eligible Person Section. I have the sister in there and it seems like this is all I need, but then I went and read the instructions and it says to list every person who contributed more than 10% of the qualifying relative's support. The taxpayer did that, but the father is on the return, so isn't it self explanitory? Tom Hollister, CA

Entered one taxpayer with 1099Int from the IRS this year. We amended some some of his prior year self prepared returns and they paid him interest on the refunds. The 1099 from the IRS was in his documents for me this year. Tom Hollister, CA

The solution is Lacert. Proseries. Prosystemfx. That was happening alot to me. I do know that when you don't hit the remember selections, it will print weird stuff. Also, when using the .pdf options, you have to use one of the other boxes, and sometimes you forget to check off the other box. But yeah, weird stuff keeps happening in the print manager. Tom Hollister, CA

If I have so many entries on line 21 that I can't rattle them off to them when I review their tax return with them, then I need to include a 2106 and charge for it. Line 21 only has 5-6 things that you could put in there without really getting to the 2106. How many of your clients really have safe deposit boxes, uniforms, publications, licenses, union dues, and job seeking expenses all on the same return, and in multiples. No, I don't print the supporting schedule for that either. I give them back their documents and I tell them that is where I put them. And I am very good at customer service. I never let a client leave with an unanswered question about their return. I go over it line by line until they understand. I explain why they did not get anything for th 38 dollars in professional publications their broker told them they could deduct that I put on line 21, and that their AGI phased them out of. I have no problem with a difference of opinion about what should be included in the client's return package. But you are getting very close to insulting my ability to provide service to my clients, so I will retire from this thread. Regards, Tom Hollister, CA

<<An evanglist may qualify for minister's tax treatment, which would include the housing allowance designation.>> Take a look at McFarland v. Commissioner TC 1992-440. I think it is more on point about the issue of can a self employed minister exclude housing allowance, but it still leaves the sticky question of how to get it designated in advance. The RR 64-326 had the taxpayer negotiatin the housing allowance in advance and they refer to the places he traveled to as employer churches. So I am thinking that a self employed traveling evangelist who has regular support from separate churches, but also recieves "free will offerings" at most of his ministry locations can ask the organizations that support him regularly to designate those funds as housing allowance and will claim as regular income the free will offerings he recieves. Does this sound right? Thanks again Mike. You are a great resource and I very much appreciate your time. Tom Hollister, CA

I disagree. I provide my knowledge, experience, and expertise in the area of tax preparation. I owe my client a professionally prepared return that they can present to the IRS. The paperwork they give me I return to them unless I am required to maintain it. I keep photocopies of certain documents that explain an unusual position or deduction taken on the return. Do you give your software to your clients? Then why would you give your workpapers. This is your intellectual property. It does not belong to the client. The only thing they are entitled to is a properly prepared return that they can give to the taxing authority as well as their original documents that I used in preparing their return. If they want to see or get a copy of a workpaper that was part of their return, I will gladly do so. Not backing down Ken. No detail schedules unless they ask. Tom Hollister, CA

Then I go to heaven and watch you try to figure out the depreciation. I win. Sorry Ken, not buying that I owe you a depreciation schedule. I owe my clients one, if they ask. If they want to leave me, I want to know why, and this is a great way to make sure they come back and I can ask what I did that caused them to leave. I can learn from what I did wrong. Tom Hollister, CA

Gfizer hit exactly what I was reading. I don't see anything that says one way or another. They always seem to mention an "employed minister" in connection with the housing allowance. Thanks Mike. I will look at that ruling and regulation. I will post here if I have more questions. Tom Hollister, CA

Sorry Ken, I am one of those guys. I want to know why I am losing a client. So they have to come to see me to get the depreciation. Of course, I give it right up and at no charge. And if they ask for it in their package, I print it as well. It is a marketing thing for me. Tom Hollister, CA

Mike, if you have a minute could you point me to some guideance on Clergy Taxes? Taxpayer is a traveling evangelist. He goes from church to church working a program for men's ministries. He is ordained and works with a larger ministry which pays him as a contractor. He also takes in offerings at the churches he works with, and gets money from other churches that support his efforts in his ministry (they give him cash on a regular basis like a missionary). Can this taxpayer get the amount that the larger ministry he is associated with designated as housing? Thanks - and I am sure this is not a cut and dry answer. You probably need more facts. Just ask. Tom Hollister, CA

I refused to answer the phone today, and after church I went for a walk with my spouse, tried the new Doritos Locos Tacos for lunch, cooked an amazing asparagus lasagna for dinner, and to cap it all off, watched a Julia Roberts chick flik with my wife. I am heading off to bed and will tackle the 4 tax returns I should have done tomorrow. Tom Hollister, CA