Lion EA

Awesome Rose Bowl, huh?!

Go Green!

I have a lot of NY commuters so see a lot of W-2s that have the exact same federal number listed again as the NYS number.

CURRENT + 2 PRIOR YEARS: Electronic Filing Information for Tax Preparers & Updates The Modernized e-File Federal/State Filing Program (MeF) enables you to file your clients' federal and Connecticut Personal Income Tax, Partnership or Corporation returns in one single transmission. MeF is open to those tax preparers and transmitters who have been accepted by the (IRS) into the federal electronic filing program. All participants must use software approved for Connecticut electronic filing and follow the guidelines outlined in the Federal/State Electronic Filing Handbook. Connecticut will allow three years of tax returns (Current Year plus the 2 immediate prior year returns) on a rolling calendar basis to be processed through MeF. This applies to Individual Income Tax, and Corporation Business Tax and Partnership Returns). MANDATE - Tax return preparers who prepared 50 or more Connecticut personal income tax returns are now required to file all Connecticut personal Income Tax returns electronically. For more information, see Updated e-file Requirements for Personal Income Tax Returns. 2013 Updates for MeF Connecticut is now accepting: Form CT-1065/1120SI Connecticut Composite Income Tax Return, Form CT-1120 Corporation Business Tax Return, Form CT-1041 (Available late 2014) NOTE: Contact your software provider for details and support.

OP doesn't say if son was in school at 17 or 18 but did say he's not a student now that he's 19. (My son was a bad student, but graduated at 17 as did my stepdaughter and I and most kids with birthdays after June. My mother skipped a grade and graduated at 16.) Are you asking if the son was a full-time student for any part of five months during 2013?

The support test refers to how much support was provided by who and, as you say, is not a factor for EIC. However, being a qualifying child IS a factor and QC has an age limit. Are you confusing this with qualifying relative where an older child could still be a QR if they don't earn too much?

I had a kid with two middle names, four words in all. Rejected using his last name, so tried other combinations and hit upon the last two word being his "last name" as far as the IRS computer was concerned. Try some other combinations, such as the fourth word as last name or the second word. If you have the client conferenced in when you call the help desk, they may tell you which word will match their database.

The short answer is you'll report a sale. Then you get into business, personal, recourse, primary residence, etc.?

No kidding. I haven't upgraded for a long time. Guess I better upgrade before completing returns!

I really don't know. I've gotten most of my clients to use direct trustee to trustee transfers when they chose to change banks/brokers. You really want to look this up yourself if you're going to sign your name to it.

Can't lay my hands on an agreement quickly, but from memory, it's something like 25 cents per transaction plus 1.6 % on the dollar amount without a swipe. Lower with a swipe to my computer. Higher with no swipe using a mobile device. And -- maybe -- a swipe on a mobile device comes in cheaper than NO swipe on my computer. But, the mobile device doesn't fit well on my iPhone unless I remove the case or use an extension (not to mention that my phone's usually zipped in my purse in another room), so it's faster to type it into my computer. I don't have very many people that charge. I do few but often expensive returns, so some clients want to charge to get airline miles or cash back or whatever. So, I end up paying very little in fees for the convenience of getting my money fast and not having to drive to the bank (I'm out in the boonies, so everything is a twenty-minute drive) or invoice people. I have some clients who give me their charge info over the telephone so I can mail their returns or their kid/employee can pick up or my husband can deliver. I also have a PayPal link on my website, and maybe one person a year uses that to pay me.

Obviously this isn't law and I would do my own research if the situation arises in my practice, but an IRS liaison speaking at a tax professionals' meeting said that the current IRS interpretation is that an individual may have one and only one traditional IRA but can invest it in as many accounts/banks/brokerages/investments as they choose.

Each state can set limits on how long lenders have to discharge a debt. I think in CT and NY it's three years, but I've heard as long as six in a few states.

I have the Intuit reader for my iPhone. But, I just type directly into QB on my computer or laptop anyplace I have internet service to get an even cheaper %. As a ProAdvisor, I have no monthly fees anyway. My kids that own a bakery use PayAnywhere on their tablet for the cheapest fees they found. By the way, depending on your service, the signature feature is optional and is used to comfort your client and not required. And, if required, any squibble will do.

Congratulations to our new Supreme Master!

It's cheaper than not getting paid. It's cheaper than getting paid late. It's cheaper than driving to the bank for me. It's to my advantage to make it as easy as possible for clients to pay me. In my state, you can't charge more for charging. You can raise your rates across the board and offer a discount for cash payment.

Jack is having remote-into-your-computer Saturday....

I think it showed the mental patients as more aware than the outsider peeking in!

IE10 stopped working for me, not remembering user names and passwords, closing, not working with one of my client's mail programs and not with one of my message boards, etc., so I upgraded to IE11 which did NOT solve the problems. I now use Chrome. Every time MS updated their programs, IE got worse.

I was researching what to get last fall. Wanted something lighter for travel. Not for tax returns or heavy business. Liked the Surface as it has Office, so I could work on an Excel spreadsheet or edit a Word document. If you get it -- and make sure you have the desktop(s) and laptop(s) you need for business first -- get the bigger keyboard. I almost bought one before the end of the year, again for travel as I have a huge Dell laptop and gigantic Dell desktop with three monitors, but the larger memory ones were unavailable in December. I did buy a iPad instead with a keyboard for travel and to have something with a larger screen than my iPhone for surfing the web with my aging eyes, easy to carry around. But, I take my laptop when I go to a business client's site.

My clients forget to add up their oil, electricity, propane, insurance, etc., and tell me SALY. At least I can offer them an alternative to going home and finding all their bills from a dozen different suppliers. I can tell them what it was last year vs. what they would have this year using the simplified method and if future years are impacted, so they can decide if it's worth it to them to dig deeper.

See page 12 of Pub 15: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf

Bummer!

Your client received something in return for his money. Unless he also received a receipt from the charity (if it is on the IRS list) with the value of his animal, and contemporaneously at that, he doesn't have the documentation for a partial deduction. I hope he's treating that puppy well !!

Or, you can develop a relationship with an ERO who would be willing to e-file your clients' returns. When I worked at Block, taxpayers brought in returns prepared elsewhere for us to e-file. We charged them, of course, and could NOT e-file if there was an error as we had to match exactly the paper return signed by the preparer and client. Follow all IRS procedures if you do this. Or, you can give your clients paper returns to mail. (I still have a couple of clients who refuse to e-file. But I do NOT mail the returns; I only prepare the returns for those clients to file.) Follow all IRS procedures if you do this. Or, you could wait for your efin. "yeah because I would want to pay them for allowing me." No! No reputable ERO will ALLOW you to use his efin. Their relationship has to be with the taxPAYER, as the IRS agent explained to you quite correctly. Your clients are free to take their paper returns prepared by you to an ERO to e-file for them or to the USPS to mail.