Lion EA

Hey, SFA, where are you located? I'd hire from your students if you teach. Heck, I might take your courses myself. Especially QuickBooks. I had an assistant when I started. High hopes. Single mom with first of three in college, so thought I'd have her for a long time. Day job in outside sales, but not very well paid. Took HRB Basic Course, but decided she could make more money as a Block receptionist (or whatever title they used then). She was in my HRB office then, and I admired her intelligence and practicality. She was good the first tax season at data entry, figuring things out, calling customers for information, even going out to my elderly to make sure they had all their documents to bring in. (She was very sloppy at assembling and filing; so I took back anything to do with delivering the product to my clients.) I gave her a huge bonus. Hubby often cooked breakfast on Saturdays. Treated her royally. By her second next tax season, she had a boyfriend who wanted to stay in NY; she lived in CT. Constant last-minute calls to miss work, mugged, car vandalized, kid sick in out-of-state college, mysterious surgery, more outlandish excuses each week; very sporadic attendance (she was only one night and Saturdays per her choice, anyway, even though I tried to start her with the three nights plus Saturday that she had worked at HRB). She did very little besides her own, boyfriend's, all her kids', and her best friend's returns, and a little data entry. I did get her back for an intense time before 15 October. Third tax season I did NOT contact her. She needed to retrieve info to help with the older daughters' financial aid, even used my fax machine to send. She moved to NY. A couple of years later, I heard from her again wanting info when her oldest was teaching English in Japan, or some international issue. I gave her IRS Pub. #s and suggested a US Council office. In the meantime, I had another potential assistant who couldn't start as soon my first year. When she finally was available, I started her with going to two different elderly clients to help them pay bills once/week or at least twice/month. She reconciled their bank statements, gathered their tax documents, caught a theft from a bank account by a former home healthcare worker and trafficked it through until the bank returned the funds to our client, organized a couple of my "shopping bag" clients, did some pick-ups and deliveries, and was good with clients. She was a bit messy, and I don't read her writing well, but she could organize a bag of papers with green ledger paper, pencil, and adding machine tapes. Even though HRB trained and an office manager, she wasn't really up to data entry and is never going to progress to complete tax returns. I lost my elderly gentlemen (one to an out-of-state home near his son, and one passed) but I still have my gal in a few times/year to organize the bags from clients and also to sort through our own documents (the shoemaker's children syndrome). A gal from church came to me wanting work. She did a lot in QuickBooks. Bright, managed a family business, and had been expanding her QB work on both PCs and Macs. I had a new client using QB Mac as well as several on PCs. Self-employed husband and two small kids and lived really close in my town. We talked about her doing QB for me and learning tax from me and taking over my business. I thought it was a great fit. Well, after a QB project or two, she got a job in a town with a very long commute with very thick traffic (something she was trying to avoid with two small kids) but it had benefits, especially medical that I told her I could offer in the future as our income increased but not at the beginning. Then I gave up on people! Trying to scan more and need to do the "flow" part more. Do have most of my investors' brokers giving me Excel spreadsheets to import. And, getting more clients to accept extensions (those that came from HRB were not used to extensions) to spread out the work load. Hubby does some deliveries and schmoozes my clients. I have a mail slot in my front door for drop-offs. Maybe hubby can learn the scan & flow.... I'm drowning. Every envelope I open up includes new things. College daughter now works in three states, spouse started a biz out of state, parents died and need returns done, between jobs for a few months so got really active in investment accounts, marital problems so having to go over everything twice, forgot to tell me they have a trust, grown son on a ship so here's his info too, didn't notice they withheld for a wrong state, etc. No one's financial life gets simpler!

You don't have to audit your client, so if he says he doesn't think spouse filed, then go with that and let him itemize. If the spouse did not file/had no income, can't he claim her as a dependent on his MFS return? One of the very few exceptions to not claiming spouse as dependent? And, if the major mess is depreciation, I agree to use 3115 instead of amending all those prior years. Unless you have other major reasons to amend anyway. Innocent spouse? Or, is it injured spouse? For back returns and current. Don't feel guilty if you don't have time to research the multiple problems for multiple years for a new client. Do what you can and let the rest go until after tax season.

By the way, YOU do not have to prepare amendments if they do not request it of you. You DO have to tell them what they did wrong and how they SHOULD fix it. I probably would put that in writing and ask them to sign it to CYA.

But, the Rev. Rul. that was cited uses the word "must": Marital status: effect of annulment or divorce.– Taxpayers, who were married during a taxable year and filed a joint return for that year, and whose marriage was annulled in the year following their marriage were single individuals at the close of their taxable year and must file amended returns. Other taxpayers, who had been married for 10 years, who determined that for income tax purposes it would be advantageous for them to be unmarried at the close of their taxable year, obtained a divorce in a foreign jurisdiction at the end of that year, and intended to and did remarry each other in the first month of the following year were married at the close of their taxable year for purposes of sections 143 and 6013 of the Code.

If married, you cannot amend from MFJ to MFS after 15 April. (You can amend to go from MFS to MFJ at any time.) If you filed with an incorrect status, you HAVE to amend. They have to amend to Single, or HOH if one of them qualifies. From CCH Tax Prep Partner (not sure if "may file" gives you an out or not: 1085Changing Filing Status After a Return Has Been Filed An election to file a joint return is generally irrevocable. Once a couple files a return, they cannot choose to file separate returns for that year after the due date of the return. However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. When a couple files a joint return but subsequently determines that they were not entitled to file a joint return, they may file an amended return to change their filing status to single or head of household, whichever is appropriate. This may happen, for example, if the person who presided over the "marriage" ceremony was not authorized under state law to conduct weddings or if the marriage was subsequently annulled ( Rev. Rul. 76-255).

I've seen e-newsletters from NAEA and NATP and probably more, so keep your eyes open for news.

When I get those questions, they are mostly re my ex-husband (1987 divorce) and his second wife (early 1988), so I can NOT answer them for myself, either. For some UPS thing I was filling out, I ended up using my current husband's name, because I know HIS information. But that will never work for IRS. And, we had Anthem so are really worried about not being able to e-file. Time will tell.

Employees Self-Employed International Taxpayers Military Parents Seniors & Retirees Students Like - Click this link to Add this page to your bookmarks Share - Click this link to Share this page through email or social media Print - Click this link to Print this page Understanding Your 5071C Letter This letter tells you that the IRS received a tax return with your name and/or social security number and needs to verify your identity. You can verify your identity using our secure Identity Verification Service site at idverify.irs.gov. The contact information below is only for taxpayers who received Letter 5071C. Why are we contacting you? We received a federal income tax return with your name and/or social security number. We want to protect you from potential identity theft so we are asking you to verify your identity and tell us if you submitted the return. The letter you received provides two options for responding. Both options enable you to verify your identity with us so we can continue processing your tax return. This contact information is only for taxpayers who received Letter 5071C. The toll-free number and website are for identity verification only. No other tax-related information, including refund status, is available. What is involved in this process? We will continue processing your tax return once we verify your identity and confirm that you submitted the return. If you did file the return, please know it will take approximately six weeks to process it once you verify your identity. Follow the identity verification described under "What should you do?" below to provide us with the necessary information. What should you do? Use our secure Identity Verification Service website idverify.irs.gov. It's quick and secure. You should have available a copy of your prior year tax return and your current year tax return, if you filed one, including supporting documents. If you cannot use the Idverify website, you can call us using the toll-free Identity Verification telephone number provided in your letter. Again, you should have available a copy of your prior year tax return and your current year tax return, if you filed one, including supporting documents. If you did not file the return in question, you can use either option to notify us. How can I learn more about the IRS's identity protection efforts? The IRS is continually looking at ways to increase data security and protect taxpayers' identities. To learn more, view these topics on IRS.gov. Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance Publication 4535, Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Assistance Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 17-Mar-2015

People didn't report life events during 2014 under the existing system. At least with your suggestion, the initial income estimate has some basis in fact. Then it's up to everyone to report their own life events when they happen.

Yeah, when I do a good job of applying, they do look as if printed on the cover sheet. Avery 15695 clear easy peel pop-up edge for fast peeling. That was what Marilyn told me to get, and they're perfect. I think she found them on Amazon; I was having Staples deliver some other supplies anyway, so used Staples.

Thank you, Jack. It's also really annoying on my laptop when I arrive at a client's site and have to wait while the updates run, or trying to close and leave a client's site while updates are happening. I'm going to make those changes. (Seems like it used to tell me what it was going to do, which ones were critical and which recommended, and ask me politely if it could update now.)

I know. My computer overheats, so I don't reboot in case the error lights start flashing. Hate it when I come in in the morning and find it rebooted and is waiting for my password. Now, I'm watching the white light to make sure it doesn't go to amber while wasting time for everything to load.

Get Marilyn's template. It's all set up to print on Avery labels (she'll tell you the number, but they're easy peel, so easier to use than the IRS ones). Marilyn: If I'm causing you extra work, I'm sorry. I can email the template to anyone who messages me with their email address. (But I'm at a biz client's site on Wednesdays, so it won't happen until tonight or Thursday.)

I buy my folders at Staple's back-to-school sales (two-pockets and a different color each year) and have gone to cheap paper. I get "year" oval stickers in silver or gold (alternating years) from M&C. But, I like and my clients (those that actually look at their returns) like the e-file stickers, so I was glad to have Marilyn's template just in time. I also get more expensive vinyl folders from Staples for my more expensive returns. I match the color of paper clips, "signature" flags, etc., to the folder color for that year. This year is navy with gold oval 2014. And, I have a few brighter blue folders for when I have multiple returns per family. I do get compliments on my packaging.

You will love them. My remaining IRS stickers and my new printout from Marilyn's template:

I prescribe naps for both of you.

A very long time ago I had a client who just returned from overseas and received one of those for interest from his broker. He got it straightened out for future years, but that year I just entered the info on Schedule B and had a place in my program where I could add to or over-ride withholding. (Since the broker thought he was foreign and didn't realized he did have the SSN, the broker withheld.)

This is my virtual water cooler.

Done!

Get well soon, Ladies. Take good care of yourselves.

Lost in divorce, but son (now a lot older than in the picture) owns the Mustang.

TTB: Co-ownership. Co-ownership of property maintained and rented or leased is not a partnership unless the co-owners provide services to the tenants. Sharing expenses. A joint undertaking merely to share expenses is not a partnership. The above comes from two separate paragraphs. Co-ownership may not be what your clients have. A joint undertaking may be what your clients have. I think intent is important, especially if no partnership nor operating agreement exists. Ask lots of questions!

I don't even have a file cabinet room, but I also meet myself coming and going!

I have used the partnership abatement citing Rev Proc 84-35 for S corporations and had it work. Worth a try.