BulldogTom

Zeke - you are posting too much and erc showed us that he is the only JUDGE, JURY, and EXECUTIONER on the board. Like in Sienfeld, NO POSTS FOR YOU. Tom Lodi, CA

I like being the on atxaholics jury. Since I am the person who ticks most people off, I have it made. But Joel is cheating. He is stringing his posts - 2 or 3 at a time. He really wants to be the judge. I think we should fine him 100 posts just to teach him a lesson. Tom Lodi, CA

It is an omen - you should not early renew. The tax gods will be angry with you for the whole year. They are warning you. No renewals until Dec 15th or pay the price in gremlins. Just kidding - or am I? Tom Lodi, CA

Hey now, as counsel on this board, you are violating privledge by telling mine and JohnH's secrets. We may have to hold a kangaroo court and fine you a contribution to the board if you keep this up. Speaking of which, I think we ought to consider a kangaroo court on the board. If someone ticks you off, take them to court. All fines paid via PayPal to ERC. Don't pay the fine, ERC kicks you off the board? What do you think? Tom Lodi, CA

It is the "shoppers" and the ones trying to get free advice that will sap your time. They will walk in with that "quick question" about the uncle who left the home to them that they sold but it never went through probate and the realtor held the money on the sale and how do they get that back? After educating them, they thank you and walk out. I know it seems unrealistic, because it doesn't happen when you work out of your home. Wait until you get the guy that comes in and you tell him he can't get EIC for his girlfriends kids that he just told you he supports, and then he brings in his girlfriend and wants you to make her HOH based on his wages. Or better yet, wait until he sends his brother in with his W2 and ID telling a different story about how the kids are his and the girlfreind doesn't live in the home. Seriously, this crap happens, and it will take your time up. Just be aware that when you are open to the public, the public will come in. Good luck. Tom Lodi, CA

Julie, I wish you the best of luck. I think you will do fine, but I would like to share the one thing that I believe might be a problem for you - walk in traffic. Being a one person office, you will have to manage who comes in and when. If you don't have a receptionist, you can get overwhelmed by the people just walking in off the street shopping your service. If your husband is going to manage that part for you, you will do great. Good luck. How far from Laguna and I-5 in Elk Grove will your office be located? My day job company is moving there next month. The owner of the company bought a building at that business park. Tom Lodi, CA

Mike, You ought to look at the Tax Update Circuits and offer a Clergy class. I am going to Reno for the Calif Society of Enrolled Agent Super Seminar next week, and I know if there was a class on clergy taxes, I would take it. We all need our 24 hours a year, and there are multiple opportunities to sell what you know to the tax preparation community. Gear Up, Spidell, and CSEA are just a couple out here in CA that provide CPE. You really should look at this as an opportuntiy to supplement your income at your practice in the off season. I think you would be excellent at it. Tom Lodi, CA

I am moving this topic from another one to start a new conversation. I thought I heard that Apple had a new OS that ran any program, even the Microsoft Office suite of products? If any of you techie types have heard this, please post. If it runs my tax software and my MS office suite, I am willing to look when I replace my computers next time. Tom Lodi, CA

Eric needs to make Zeke an honorary member just for the "Frikken Banana" avatar. Anyone who can find that deserves to be the top dog on the board. I still cannot look at a banana without smiling. Tom Lodi, CA

This is a little off topic, but I keep hearing that Apple is going to release an operating system that will run every Microsoft Office application. Is this true? As soon as Apple can run my tax programs and my MS Office Suite, I am willing to switch. I am two years away from upgrading all my computers, and would love to give apple a shot, but not until I can use Excel on it. Is ATX compatable with Apple? Drake? Taxslayer? Thompson Ultra Tax? or has Bill Gates won on the Tax Prep industry? Tom Lodi, CA

My sister makes the greatest Iced Mollases (sp?) cookies in the world. Tom Lodi, CA

I am not THERE yet. Virago is a motorcycle, but for mid-life crisis, I guess it does the same thing? Re-invigorates? That was funny. Tom Lodi, CA

Hey, I resemble that remark!!!!! Tom Lodi, CA

Thanks. Tom Lodi, CA

I am working on returns for my non-filing client and had to go back to 2001 and 2002 to prepare returns. First, I had to go to one of my old computers at my house because I did not load those years on my new computers at the office and the archive disks are kept off-site. Then I open the return and the look and feel of the software seems so clunky. Like a spreadsheet I could make. The W2 entry is on those horrible input screens with verticle columns and the EIN number is at the bottom with all that other e-file information. The tax due does not update until you hit save. If you don't roll over a return, you get to re-enter all your preparer information. There was one feature that I liked and don't know why it is gone, but they used to have in the upper right hand corner two amounts: tax on return and amount due/refund. The difference between ATX 2001 and ATX 2007 is incredible. What a long way we have come together. Too bad CCH is screwing it all up. Tom Lodi, CA

Fantastic Kerry. Hey, maybe you can get a bike at a discount. I just bought a 1100 Virago (older but nice) to commute to work. I am loving riding again. Good luck to you and yours. I am so happy for you. Tom Lodi, CA

Amy, I like your other avatar better. Tom Lodi, CA

I think Jainen is absolutely on the right track. Tom Lodi, CA

I don't think they will correct it. It will be corrected on the 08 return. My understanding is he will calc the credit, compare it to the amount recieved, and get the difference, but not pay out and overpayment (free money!). I don't have a source for you, but that is how I understood it to work. Tom Lodi, CA

The client is my employer on my day job, so I will not be so unconcerned as if it were "just any client". The person that told me this is the tax preparer for the corporation's outside CPA firm that reviews my books and prepares the corp tax returns. In fact, I did all the work on the telephone tax refund (full disclosure - I had my staff pull all the phone bills and tabulate the taxes - but I managed the work). Our CPA thought it would not be worth our time to pay him to do the work. We got a 16K credit. I am sure he would have billed more than that to do the work. You are not up to your usual standards Jainen. Not enough sarcasm in your post. Tom Lodi, CA

Mel, are you saying you have enough information to crack the installation codes? You wouldn't be suggesting that all of us buy the PPR and then have you give us a fully functioning MAX program, are you? That would not be right <<wink>> and would be totally unethical <<wink wink>> and would make all of us feel real bad about taking something from CCH that they earned <<cough>> Don't go reporting me to CCH police, I am just kidding. Tom Lodi, CA

OH boy. I think when they incorporated they told the IRS they would be filing a 1120. The service should be looking for it. Are you saying that the taxpayer reported all the corporation's transactions on his own schedule C? There were no transactions at all recorded on the Corp's books? How about now? Is it still not being recorded on the corp's books? Since there probably is a tax difference between corp and sch c reporting, you have a mess to clean up. I think the IRS is going to be looking for that tax return. Depending on how much business they did, you may get away with all zeros and assert that the corporation never really began (a valid argument if they never treated it like a corporation in the first place). Then make the S election and start business and start acting like a corporation should. I smell a hefty retainer on this one. Tom Lodi, CA

Don't you have a short year when you make the election? They should transfer over at that point. Tom Lodi, CA

I think we need to have a contest. Lets all go log into the ATX board, and start posting like we normally do. Lets see who gets banned first? I think I will be gone in the first 20 minutes or 5 posts. I would consider it a badge of honor if my posts caused them to pull the ATX board again. Remember, only posting like we do here. Polls on if we are staying or leaving, evaluations of other softwares, general chit chat, e-file agony, -- you know, the normal stuff we are posting now. Tom Lodi, CA

Suprise, the company I work for in the day gets to prove the deduction. Luckily I did not go with the conventional wisdom of our outside CPA's and I have all the documentation in place and ready to fight the audit. Just a matter of copying and mailing the documentation in. No need to pay the CPA to tell me to copy all the documentation and let them charge me for it. When this credit came out, I was told that in general the IRS would not be questioning the returns. I wonder what changed? Have any of you had your corporate clients audited on this credit? Tom Lodi, CA