Lion EA

Thank you, Terry.

I tell my clients that it's the same firm that transmits their e-filed returns, so it's as safe as I know, but even the IRS has been hacked, so I have no guarantees. I let the client decide if they want to send &/or pick up in person or use the US mail or my portal. For a few pages, I will fax if I know they are standing by their fax machine/computer -- if they request. My husband makes pick ups and deliveries to clients he recognizes. I still have clients who email their tax information. I will answer questions via email, but not send tax information or identifying information via email. I guess postal workers have intercepted snail mail. My computer and telephone are hardwired, not wifi. I'm in the boonies, but someone could break in. They'd still have layers of passwords to get through for my computer to be of any use to them, but I do have some old paper files if they break the locks on my file cabinet. I warn my clients and let them choose what method suits their comfort level.

Mine arrived today also. It has more pages than the old Tax Facts and lots more information than the old HRB desk card. Even hubby thought it looked like a handy tool, and he knows nothing about taxes! Yes, I agree that the color, fonts, chart format, etc., make it easy to find what I need. Glad you're pleased, Catherine.

I've told clients to get a certificate from the Secretary of State! I don't send comfort letters. When a client really gets to me, I send the client a letter that beats around the bush about the bank doing its own due diligence and state which tax form I file for the business and a bunch of nothing. I send to client who can do whatever they want with it.

I mask everything I can. Years ago had a client leave their folder on the roof of their car and drive away and never found his paperwork.

I use CCH's FileShare via my website. But, when I send, FileShare emails my client with a link. Easy on their part. When a client uploads a file to me, I get an email also.

We need a tongue-in-cheek emoji.

I ordered envelopes from the same supplier as the uni-forms, but use so few per year that that was a very long time ago. Maybe Intuit. (I have clients buy the complete package from Staples or wherever that includes 1099s, 1096s, and envelopes. Usually a few envelopes left over as some ICs pick up their 1099s. When client has a stock of envelopes, I buy them uni-forms.)

CCH's e-Sign has a free license and pay-per-signature pricing with two levels, authenticated signature (Form 8979) and non-authenticated (if you want your engagement letter signed remotely, for instance).

How can you do your fiduciary duty to both as well as one at a time? Telling wife how much larger her refund will be if she claims all kids would "damage" hubby. Or, telling hubby how much lower his tax balance would be if he filed MFS and itemized instead of MFJ and sharing the balance due or refund would damage wife. How mad at you will one spouse be when the other spouse never chips in for half/a percentage of the balance due or never shares the refund? And, making decisions to get the best result for the family as a whole will damage one or the other.

Does the basis of the stocks in the trust transfer as basis in the stocks in the hands of the bene?

I upload to FileShare on my website TO MY CLIENT and NOT to a third party for client to do whatever they want. With a partnership, I would direct the upload to the tax matters person and let your requester know he can get everything from his tax matters partner. I would give the tax matters partner a written estimate of the additional services requested and wait for a signed authorization to begin. (Maybe even wait for payment in advance now that it's tax season and I have other things to do.) This could all go away by the time you prepare projections, etc., and you won't get paid for your time!

From what I've been hearing here in CT (with many NY commuters requiring NRPY returns) is that we cannot e-file to NY without the license numbers. A refusing client could paper file their NY return, from what I've heard so far. (I have a couple in the orient with international licenses and NY rental property. I guess I'll see how that works out. The wife may not have a license at this time.) Taking one more update class this Wednesday at a NY/CT-ATP dinner meeting, so I'll get the latest.

But, that gives Connor Cook a chance!

And for those employees who know exactly how much to make, when to quit, to make the highest EIC while sometimes supplementing with unreported cash jobs.

The Pay Day, the day of the week you pay wages, then triggers the Due Day for submitting IF you are a semi-weekly depositor in your example, and that is determined by your look-back tax liability. I read that as if you pay the last Saturday of the month, for instance, you deposit the following Friday. But, if you pay the last Friday of the month, you deposit the following Wednesday instead. If you paid every Friday, you would be depositing each Wednesday for the previous Friday. Do I have that right? (This is why I don't do payroll.)

Ours sounds a bit like a sports car running through all its gears, but not loudly. I don't think any neighbors could hear it, even during the summer, with the two-acre zoning here. And, it doesn't test until noon!

I have one client for whom I prepare the S-corp return, but they have their own bookkeeper and use Paychex. Paychex has a code for >2% shareholder HI. Each December, the bookkeeper runs a QB report for the HI and checks with the owner re any open HI invoices he will pay that month and then gives the amount to their Paychex rep. I don't prepare his personal taxes, but do communicate with his personal CPA, so have heard that all is well using the Paychex procedure.

I got a recommendation from a tax preparer in a neighboring town who also had a home office, as well as a couple other recs. Had them all out to talk to us and bid. We liked one and contracted for him to do everything: permits, purchase, installation, inspection, advice. We're in pricey Fairfield County, CT, so probably paid about the top of the range for the services plus the cost of a mid-range generator (small house but need to run my office), so easily $11,000 total. But, the time I was out of business those 11 days during tax season and another week the beginning of October and all the food spoilage when unexpected outages hit and hubby slowing his recovering after shoulder replacement by hauling water to flush toilets and eating our and draining our pipes and fleeing to hotels when the temperature drops and the stress and sleeplessness during each hurricane season, ice storm, wind, etc., I really think it's worth every penny. I turn 70 next year and want to be visiting my granddaughter and not loading food into coolers or staying in a 42 degree home. Generator tests itself every Saturday. We have a service contract and just went from twice/year to once; friend who recommended has gone to every two years. Propane guy was showing his apprentice our generator (they now install, but did not then) like a proud owner showing under the hood of his new sports car! He said our Kohler is better than whatever make his employer installs. When we had our chosen electrician install, he said it was then at least 90% of his business. During outages, you hear generators humming all over town.

I have three HPs in my office now: black and fast for returns, color and slow and old for most everything else, and the all-in-one for stand-alone fax (also use eFax via my computer) and scan (also use Fujitsu for heavy duty scanning) and print. All are great for envelopes. My oldest HP (maybe before 1994) is still in use by hubby. I've had Brothers and Canons and maybe another brand, but they died long ago. The HPs are workhorses. I never went cheap but did wait for sales. Every HP I've ever owned is still working in this house/home office someplace or at one of my grown kids' homes &/or offices.

My HP Officejet Pro L7780 All-in-One color has been happily chugging away for several years. But, I have a newer HP LaserJet P2055dn just black print that's faster and smaller for printing tax returns now.

I'm out in the country so lose power often and for long periods (11 days during one of the storms during tax season a few years back). No power means no electricity, no water, no toilets, no anything. We're getting too old to haul water to flush toilets. We finally put in a whole house generator, feeling we're also too old to be dragging out a generator in the snow and ice. I no longer worry about losing power when I have deadlines to meet, and we don't get cold. It's worth every penny we spent to have it work seamlessly with no work on our part.

I'm going to take that as a compliment !!

I don't audit, current or past years or prior preparer. But, I have to read the prior returns of a new client to see if they have a capital loss, NOL, how many times they took the AOC, who the partners/shareholders/beneficiaries are on 1065s/1120Ss/1041s, whether the person sitting at my desk has been the tax matters partner/executor, compare year-to-year to give me clues what might be missing, get the EIN of the childcare provider, are paying back that homeowner's credit, did they already use up the lifetime energy credit, get depreciation schedules, what was their state refund/did they itemize/compute how much is taxable so looking at prior year AMT, and on and on. I'm not looking for mistakes. I'm looking for information to prepare the most complete and accurate returns for my client this year.

I'm looking forward to a handy product. I know the creators (all three active tax preparers) and know they will listen to feedback. So, feel free to make suggestions to help them create a product we all can use.