JohnH

Notified all my remaining clients I'm not meeting with anyone between now and at least Apr 15 (although probably well beyond that date due to the Wuhan Virus). Some I called, most I sent an email or text. They can either mail their info or put it in the slot in my office door, which is locked when I'm there but I'm not opening it for anyone. Everyone gets an extension unless I can complete the return on a "first pass" with whatever info they give me. Going to the beach Thursday for a long weekend and determined not to let taxes or clients be a source of stress. There are more important things in life.

So noted.

Judy, I find it hard to comprehend that someone would put you on "ignore".

Sorry if I'm being too persistent on this thread. If so, the moderators or somebody tell me and I'll dial it back. I just happen to think we are discussing something of major importance here. I'm attaching a VERY interesting discussion I saw on an investing Forum I participate in. (The only unusual term in the discussion is the term "Black Swan Event". In case you've never heard the term, a Black Swan Event is a sudden event which was impossible to predict but which has both immediate and long-term economic and social consequences. Knowing that definition is the key to understanding the entire conversation.) I thought the reply comparing the lessons learned from Korea and Italy is priceless wisdom. It solidifies the absolute necessity of "flattening the curve" in order to avoid the devastation Italy is experiencing. Anyone who ignores that FACT is whistling past the graveyard - maybe their own. If opening attachments bothers you, I can only say that I personally generated the pdf from a cut & paste I did myself on a Mac. Black Swan Discussion.pdf

Yep, I'm the toilet paper culprit. But to answer the question seriously, I've made a major change in my work plan today. I spent the past week and a half in India, having returned on Friday night. I had initially planned to limit personal contact for most of the coming week, simply because there are a host of viruses it's easy to pick up when traveling internationally. (India itself has an incredibly low incidence of Wuhan Virus cases so far) This afternoon I received a link from a relative who is a family practice physician. Even allowing for the fact that it might be an overreaction, the article got my attention. I also trust the judgment of the person who provided me with the article. She's a very good doctor practicing in Seattle, so she's in the middle of the storm. I'm refusing to meet with anyone this week, and probably next week as well, at least until we see more data on the pattern of expansion of the Wuhan Virus. Clients who won't mail in their info or leave it in my drop box will have to agree to an extension. (We're close to my informal extension cutoff date anyhow, so I'm just accelerating it). I can do this fairly easily because I'm transitioning into retirement so my volume of returns is decreasing by design. Also I really don't care if someone can't live with these changes - they're welcome to go somewhere else since that's a decision they're going to have to make within a couple of years anyhow. I'm also going to follow special procedures in handling the info that does come in. I know everyone can't follow this type of plan because not all of you are transitioning into retirement. But whatever you do, you might want to read the article I'm linking below and then make your decisions on next steps. I'm risking being an alarmist in posting this, but if I don't and then the worst-case scenario begins to unfold, I'd be wishing I had done this. (I've stared at this post for about 20 minutes before hitting the "submit key") https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/03/a-covid-19-coronavirus-update-from-concerned-physicians.html?fbclid=IwAR2T8za3H5PDKOLiNYolFlrEfDf_bNyewJPMAxgTMhKhIvjadMUpqqqLy8M

Let's start a pool on when the notification comes out. I say 8:00 pm on April 14. ======================= Trying to determine whether the notification will say "Yes, we are extending the due date" or "No extension" will be a separate pool.

I’ve instituted one new procedure in my client waiting area

For years I've been doing everything possible to keep my clients out of my office so I could get some work done. I've migrated as many of them as possible over to email, text, and even private messages on social media. Seems like I can now add another reason to the stack - "I don't want to risk getting your Hunan Flu or giving you mine if I contract it. "

`Sorry about all the typos in my previous post. I was a little sleepy after having just returned from a week in India. (Incidentally, that is the country with roughly the same population as China squeezed into 1/3 the land mass, but with only 75 cases of Hunan Flu and 1 death thus far. So essentially the safest place to be at present if one is overly concerned about the virus)

`It appears that quarantine measures are pretty much going to cancel any celebrations in in March and April. So the best big holiday will be May 5 -> Cinco De Mayo, sponsored by.....Corona.

Thanks for posting that. I'm a committed Drake user, not at the office today, and was wondering how it works in Drake. I frequently get logged off when I turn to do something else and then find myself signing back in, but it isn't a problem. And I like the idea of another level of security. I'll probably set it up on Monday.

Glad to see this discussion. My software (Drake), displayed the 1040-SR for the first client it applied to. I just didn't see any reason for using it, so I flipped the global switch to ignore the 1040-SR when applicable. Still don't know why anyone would use it unless perhaps they are filling it out by hand.

Max: If she asks you why you are there, you should respond "You tell me." If she then replies "You're here to ask about IRS reclassification of IC's", please tell us what she said next.

This theft discussion reminds me of the response I give when a client turns "prepper" and asks me whether they should buy gold in preparation for a total economic collapse. My answer is always the same. "In the scenario you're anticipating, the only metal that will make any significant difference is lead."

Bart, this person thinks you person may have a good password idea there (just being extra careful here).

True, data is data. But I've never seen a scratch wipe out 10 years of paper data. On the other hand, the password protection for paper data is seriously deficient.

It hasn't always been this way, but at this stage in my life.... for $12 an hour, I'd just as soon take the time off.

He offers "up to" $12 an hour for an experienced EA and then accuses you of not having a work ethic? I assume that caused you to laugh even louder.

There's some excellent advice on this thread. Situations involving lawyers tend to be very lucrative for the lawyer and very costly for the tax preparer.

How about an audit reconsideration? We've discussed it before but I'm not sure whether or not it applies here - just throwing it into the mix.

Sounds like a rock-solid plan to me.

Thanks Max. Another valid point. If it came to that, I'd seriously rather pay the $72 out of my own pocket than to burn off a lot of time trying to chase down a misapplied $6,000 refund.

Thanks for the additional responses Judy & grandmabee. I'm still pondering how to handle this, given the amount involved. It's now clearly a matter of switching names IF we request that the overpayment be applied to 2018. But if I switch names and they STILL don't apply the $6,000 correctly, the client is going to be asking me every other day if I've corrected it yet. (Good client, but I know how they react when things don't go according to plan.) On the other hand, if we file as usual and claim a refund, it's just a matter of IRS processing the return normally, sending a refund, the client cashing the check, and then making the Jan 15, 2020 payment on time. This more-or-less takes it out of my hands and puts the responsibility back on the client (and IRS). If there's a delay, It isn't due to anything I did or did not do.

Sorry, I wasn't clear on the first post. We did submit current-year estimates (Apr, Jun, & Sep) in her name & under her SS# only. So she is covered there. The only issue is making sure the $6K refund on the 2018 return is credited to her SS#. Thanks for validating the idea to switch the names & SS#s on the 2018 return. That's what we are going to do, although there will still be some lingering uncertainty since it will be a paper-filed return.

Husband died in late 2018. We extended 2018 return to Oct 15, 2019. The 2018 MFJ return shows the husband as the primary taxpayer and the wife second, as has been the case for the last 30+ years. Wife is self-employed and routinely pays quarterly estimated tax in the $K - $6K range per quarter. The 2018 MFJ return shows a $6K refund which she wants to apply to her 2019 estimated tax in lieu of the Jan 2020 payment. However, since the 2019 return will be filed as Single under her SS# only, I'm thinking this may cause a problem. Solution would be to either claim a refund on the 2018 return (risking a partial estimated tax penalty for 2019), or to switch the names around to show the wife as the primary taxpayer on the 2018 return and still apply the refund to 2019 estimated tax. FIrst time I've run into this particular scenario. Has anyone encountered a similar situation or have any suggestions on best practice here?