Lion EA

Different software, but I put interest directly on the summary grid for Schedule B (maybe use detail if items other than just ordinary interest). Fast and easy. Can import a spreadsheet if lots of lines/needed to do any reconciling.

(1) Spouse A federal Single pro forma/not filed to create (2) Spouse A state Single. (3) Spouse B federal Single to create (4) Spouse B state Single. (5) Spouse A&B federal MFJ. Five returns.

Well it's really part of her compensation, for services rendered, wouldn't have receive it it she wasn't an employee, etc., so SE.

Brokers who tell their/my clients that PTPs are just like buying and selling stocks. Then they want to know why my bill went up! (Their broker's commission went up, but that's buried deep in their statements.)

Either mother or grandmother could claim son; they can decide, right? Also, why can't daughter qualify for EIC with her son, if she's claiming her child? (I do almost no EIC returns, so those rules aren't on the top of my head.)

Send the children and animals that arrive with your clients into his office to watch him crack his knuckles/be entertained.

Check your state instructions. (Or, tell us the state.)

Got it. Well, they're coming late Sunday night to sit down with me Monday morning with their laptop, so I'll get the things I need for their 1065 and also get this NY form filed late. (They live in PA and work at an Inn in PA but opened a bakery across the Delaware in NY, so I just haven't been in the NY mindset yet.) And, THANK YOU.

Ok, small loss 2012. Still file? Pay $25? They're going to be late, but they get the prep for free.

Oops. My kids opened a bakery in NY in 2012, so LLC was active all of 2013. They are coming later this month with their laptop to give me tax information. What can I do or direct them to do re LLC fees due today?! Is it a flat fee? Percentage of income? (I won't know that until later this month.) Thanx for any help. (It's always the freebies that trip me up.)

...and the FATCA too.

OMG, where do you live?! I want to be your neighbor. My retired hubby would take a part time job; are they hiring?!

Hugs to all tax preparers! It's March already. I need chocolate...

I always charge a rush fee if I move a return up in my queue. And, I show it on the invoice. Minimum $50, more usual $100, and have gone higher, up to 1/2 the regular fee. I have to take into account the clients that now will be later and how much they'll notice and what that might cost me in lost business or unhappy campers or discounts I might have to give out to calm an anxious client.

DId she make an excess contribution? Or, is she making a FAMILY contribution?

It's not just inputting the numbers, its UNDERSTANDING the importance of the numbers and making suggestions for next year. You undercharged. The CPA firm was about even with city CPA firms. I might be around $1,500 for both returns out of my home office.

Our church (Episcopal) uses a software recommended by the national church that prepares reports needed for the Diocese, etc, by ACSTechnologies.. It's not especially user friendly, but has a monthly support/license fee so lots of good help available. Check with your national or regional church organization for recommendations.

That's true for personal use land. But, his land is a business and was not used as part of his house landscaping.

Scratch & Sniff packaging?!

The IRS matches the SSN with the first four letters of the last name. Truncation doesn't matter. What does matter is which of those three words is actually on her SS card as her last name.

Agree. Here's the CPA Tax & Compliance Advisor explanation of the Tax Court's decision: http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/11314800/think-twice-about-once-a-year-ira-rollover-rule?utm_source=CPA+Tax+%26+Compliance&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CCSN140218002

I try very hard to charge more than HRB, because I'm worth it.

I color code the years. However, I try NOT to have a prior year return that is completed open at the same time as I'm working on current year, just so I don't accidentally change something in the prior year that was already filed. If at all possible, I use the .pdf of that prior year so I don't trash the actual return in my stressed, sleep-deprived state. Sometimes, I really need to see where I entered something last year, so then open the prior year return -- but close it as soon as possible and replace with the .pdf instead. I always display the prior year to the left of the current, chronologically, to help me keep my place. I might need a trust/partnership/s-corp and a 1040 open or the children and parents all for the current year. In that case, they have different names and sometimes different entities, so those types of things are less prone to entering in the wrong return. I tell my clients NOT to bring last year's taxes. But, I really need to scan everything so I can point to a 1099R or 1098 HELOC, for instance from last year. I'm scanning a lot but not everything yet. Hoped to get to that point this season.

My point is not to make it more simplistic than it should be. The higher income is not automatically HOH. It depends on what that income is spent.

If the mother actually spends more than half of the upkeep of a home for her child, she CAN be HOH. But, document, document, document. Maybe mother pays the housing expenses and is HOH while father pays for clothing and college savings and poker with his buddies. Do the worksheet before you deny mother HOH.