Lion EA

A very :bday:

I send my clients to Energy Star. I tell them if they find their make and model qualifies, to print it out for their file; and we'll take the credit. Had clients search for a gas fireplace and lots of kitchen appliances. I send them to CT's rebate program for appliances, but I think CT spent all the funds already. But, at least, I'm not the bad guy delivering the bad news. They hear it from someone/somewhere else.

It's more than most of my clients bring in to me!

Most appliances don't earn federal energy credits but can be eligible for state rebates, strictly a state by state program. The Energy Star web site is a good starting point for federal credit qualifications, as are the form instructions.

I'll second that motion.

BS and Margaret, my prayers are with you both.

A very :bday:

A very :bday:

Yep. Starting writing to your Congresspeople. I use the term "your" very loosely!

Margaret, I'd do exactly what you propose for a client with a stable history of refunds. We make do with the information they provide.

Brilliant couple, big bucks. Hubby's 2008 state w/h $21,000. 2009 $6,000. Never noticed. Wouldn't you ask questions if your paycheck got $1,250 larger each month?!

Go Lady Huskies!

I forget which visa is which, but if she's on a student visa, she has no qualifying days in the US. Maybe for a trainee visa, too. Just treat the 1042-S like a W-2. I had a US citizen who lived overseas for awhile who accidentally received Forms 1043-S (I think) for interest earned. It took him a couple of years to get it changed, so I just reported the interest as usual in the meantime.

Paper file and hope for the best.

The 1042-S is essentially a W-2 from a US company to a non-US individual for compensation. I don't prepare returns for many foreigners, so I'll wait for someone more experience to jump in with other answers for you. In the meantime, read IRS Pubs 678-FS, 4011, and 4704-FS,

Send in application for ITIN (W-7?) with documentation on top of return. Mail to a specific address for ITINs. Or, extend return, apply for ITIN, and file return after you receive ITIN. He cannot file single.

If the agent is selling to the buyer for $1,111.11 so that your client can maker her $1,000, then the agent's commission is $111.11 which is 10% of the $1,111.11 sales price in the eyes of the buyer. As Catherine says, what direction is he looking.

A very :bday:

A very :bday:

Wow! I'm impressed, Maribeth. B)

And, you do have options for data entry as interview, worksheet, and even on the government forms; and it's just a toggle to go back and forth between views. I spent my first year in interview, thinking it was similar to HRB. But, second year I went cold turkey to worksheet as fitting my style much better. Of course, I toggle to a form once in a while to make sure something landed where I expected. But, my first check is usually the two-year comparison (with sub comparisons with detail for things like Schedule C, E, and F). I love that things with multiple entries, Schedule B as an example, can be viewed as a spreadsheet so I can see what might be missing or what differs from last year or even import/export using Excel and also can be viewed in detail per item that looks like Form 1099-INT in this example. When I've had part-time data entry people, they did better using the IRS form such as Form 1099-INT so they could match it more closely to the client's documents. I toggle to detail if I have to enter something less common, such as opting out of bonus depreciation, but otherwise stay in the spreadsheet view to be able to see all the lines in the depreciation schedule, for instance. It has a lot of flexibility in how you work and in how others can work on your same computer.

I really need to set up my new monitors!

Of course, if you've gone to multiple monitors, you may be able to have all the returns open at once in your home office! Just put a post-it on each monitor with the name of the person, especially now that it's April and we're sleep deprived and lose our place more easily. (I bought two new monitors on sale, but they're still in their boxes waiting for me to find spare time.) It was my first or second year with Prosys fx with just about three days to go before Tax Day, and I had about nine returns left: parents, two sons, and trusts for each son, and a husband/wife partnership, personal return, two more sons, and a 90+ page Form 1099-B. With importing the Excel spreadsheet from the broker and just clicking to export/import K-1s from the trusts and the partnerships and just clicking to complete the kiddie tax forms, it took longer to print the client copies than it did to prepare the returns! I actually woke up my husband to tell him how I was really, really glad I spent the money for top-tier software. (Of course, he was on vacation that week or that wouldn't have been a good move.) Eat your heart out, jasdlm! :P

I remember my days at Block with a couple of families with three children each with investment income. I'd wait until everyone else went home and then complete parents on my computer and child one on another computer and so on and then literally go around in circles entering data from each return into the 8615 on every other return until complete; I think three kids meant three circuits until I had final info on each. Or just print out the relevant pages from the parents' return or complete it and print that final copy. I love how easy it now is on Prosys fx!

And, thanks to Eric and KC and everyone who takes the time to respond. :wub: