Lion EA

I fill it out so when it sells, it'll be in my program. And, so I don't get nagged by a future preparer.

I've heard of taxpayers telling the marketplace their take-home pay instead of gross. Or, failing to contact the marketplace with raises, changes in family size, moving, etc. Yeah, we get to be the bearer of bad news, not to mention the time-consuming calculations to reconcile on the tax return and to reconcile to the client.

Yep. Divorced is when you can actually split the child benefits that usually stay with the child. The physical custody (using IRS rules) parent retains things such as HOH and EIC and childcare credit that require custody but she/he can sign away the dependency exemption with 8832 to the noncustodial parent who could then take the exemption and child tax credit. Each can take the medical expenses they actually paid, I think. This summary was off the top of my head, so jump in to edit. OP had a child who paid more than half her own support. Are you sure? Did you have them fill out a support worksheet? In my area, I've yet to have a college student who paid more than half her own support, even last year of college when getting a full-time job. Between housing and insurance and food and car/insurance/gasoline/maintenance and clothing and sports equipment and trips and...I've yet to see one of my Fairfield County clients have a kid who paid more than half her own support, even if she used student loans to pay tuition.

I do have the run-into-my-home-office-to-just-check-on-something moments when I would love to stand at a desk, even though those moments turn into hours and days when you move on to something else or another client calls. As it is now, I lean over to make that quick check and stay leaning much longer than I intended to. And my usual sitting position, no matter how hard I try to concentrate on my posture, degenerates quickly into hunching over my computer. I love that chair and would probably even pay the $1,400 for it -- if I could find time to clean up my office so I could use such a chair, or even a standing desk, and have a credenza system to hold my piles or other office clean-up to handle storage and active files and reference materials and.... (I have a desk I bought on Craigslist that ends in a mini-conference table that's still in my basement years later. It has no drawers, so I have to rearrange, move things around, etc., to fit the desk in and still retain enough storage drawers/shelves. I just haven't made the time to measure, move, reshelve, clean out, straighten up, etc., to put it to use. Luckily, I didn't pay much for it. But, I do want to work it in someday.)

Me too. I've sent hubby to get the door, even though he's in his pjs too!

If you send me some dark chocolate, I'll put in a good word for you!

Yeah, that's what I like about CCH's eSign: free license, pay a small fee per signature, pay a not as small fee per verified signature (8879s), no minimums. I think it all happens automatically if I choose to check a box when I complete the return, return for review and signature pages to client. Figured if I need it a couple of times, it's worth the few dollars/signature.

Does your website or tax prep software have a "portal"? CCH has eSign. If your client is mailing his returns, he can sign it and mail it himself; you don't need a signed copy when your client mails paper returns.

CT's moving it's deadlines up to 31 January!

Is it a partnership? Guaranteed Payment. Corporation? I guess he could explore licensing his business name and family recipes to the corporation with a good attorney. Or, franchising.

I'm hearing from the businesses earlier as well as questions, FAFSA, some ES recalculations earlier this month, and more questions.

I don't have time, expertise, or the inclination to help clients with insurance issues, not to mention that CT has some tough laws as many insurance companies are headquartered here. I suggest they find an insurance agent they are comfortable with who will search both private policies and the marketplace for them. I also tell them there are trained Navigators to help them search the marketplace.

Yes, and without verification, you could use for your engagement letters, mileage logs, due diligence for ACA, etc. I have the free license and hope to try it out this season. My clients are slow to try new things, though!

Anybody have any luck at Staples this year? One client bought a pack of Forms 1099-MISC and they included software and 50 forms when we need only a few. He's very frugal, and that's the best he saw in stores in two different towns. I went online and was able to find the same pack that says it's compatible with Adams (?) software but without the disk but still the smallest was 50 and they were NOT compatible with a different client's QB for Mac. Her QB was about three years old, so I convinced her to upgrade to the latest QB, and it still was not compatible with the Staples forms. I used to buy the Staples forms/have my clients buy the Staples forms as cheaper than the QB forms, but this year Staples is not working for everyone and when it does it's very pricey with the software included which we don't need and the larger packs. I guess I have to start earlier next year and order from QB.

Any recommendations for my client with two household employees and a Mac? (He'd been doing it all by hand until the red forms for his ICs became harder to get free from the IRS, as well as the blank W-2s.)

Have a client that asked if Medlin works on a Mac...

I use ProSystem fx and pay a fraction of your $18K price. Each year my salesperson works with me on the best option for the returns I do, what to buy unlimited and what pay-per-return. Very easy to use.

Except in CT where they now want everything to them by Monday 1 February!

QuickBooks or whatever bookkeeping software you have your records in anyway.

The parent is not required to claim a dependent. If the parent does not but was qualified to claim the dependent, then the dependent can not claim himself. Dependent also can not claim any refundable AOC. But, he can claim education credits.

Thank you. I have given out your web site to clients.

We tax preparers have trouble with the current year. I'm still prepping 2014 returns, not to mention other prior years. 2015s are being dropped off, and I have to click on 2015 for tax prep program and research questions and.... The Tax Book says 2015, but J.K. Lasser says 2016. And, I have to write 2016 for today's date on checks/correspondence/etc. I'm more concerned that I did NOT get one of those letters. The IRS rejected my return for my SSN being used; I filled out out the forms and mailed proof. Aren't they supposed to send me a new number each year? Do I go online to get my own. What do I do now?

Groan!

And yet the IRS makes it harder to get free paper forms. No longer available in libraries, POs, and other places. Have to wait for your order to be mailed to you. Does your software deal with all states? CT?