JohnH

I usually ask them to hand me the rest of their stack so I can go through it quickly. If there's some boilerplate stuff in there (brokerage statements, etc), I quickly shove it into the paper shredder. Love to see the expression on their faces as that thing grinds away.

Time is money. Are you saving a lot of that?

Maybe this illustrates the difference between "snow" and "snow job."

Sounds like at least a $2,000 deduction, maybe more if those VHS tapes are collectors items (which they almost certainly are). Truckloads of clothes don't come cheap, you know. And I'll bet most of them were hardly worn.

Thanks Kea. This is exactly why I posted. This is a MacBook Pro with retina display, 16GB RAM, 256 GB PCIe-Based Flash storage. I will remember the second backup. As soon as I get comfortable with the MacBook, desktop will be next, hopefully during early March. Im still trying to decide whether to go with the mini-Mac for the initial desktop unit. I will be asking you questions after it arrives next week.

Thanks Judy. I hadn't seen that. Will be following up on that bit of info soon. Maybe another transition is in the cards.

There are windows emulators for Mac, but I'm so new to this arena that I don't know if it would be efficient or reliable to use one for tax prep. The tax software question will definitely be on the agenda for next year. A cloud-based program might be the answer, while still keeping a PC in the office as backup for times if internet is down. I'm really not sure how this is all going to play out. But I do know that all my other stuff (Word, Excel, etc) runs fine or even better on the Mac, so it appears that the tax prep side of the equation is the only major issue with will have to be resolved by next tax season. In any event, I'm looking forward to less vulnerability to viruses and less hassle overall that what is happening with the PC's. A computer is nothing more than a tool, and the same is true for software. They are a means to an end, not the end itself. Sometimes it's easy to forget that trying to be a technology expert is at the end of the day a useless distraction from our main focus as accountants & tax preparers.

No, not back to ATX from Drake. After lots of pressure from friends and acquaintances who are dedicated Mac users, I make the plunge into the Mac world. Guess it was inevitable since I love the iPad and iPhone so much. Ordered a MacBook Pro with retina display and all the trimmings. Any Mac users on this forum who want to give me any advice before I jump in with both feet? I expect my office will be all Mac by the time Win XP phases out in April, unless I have to keep one PC dedicated to tax prep. Still not sure about how all that will work, but the PC tap dance is getting a little tiresome to me.

I always encourage clients to take cell phone calls. They usually have enough sense to know whether it's important or not, and I don't think I'm smart enough to make that decision for them (even with my crystal ball). There is always something for me to double-check while they are on the phone, either some item related to their business or even if it's just to take a quick look at my email & texts. (another benefit of multiple monitors, BTW). So their brief period of inattention doesn't threaten my ego or insult my professionalism. And we are all able keep the business/personal life ball in motion. (My idea of true multi-taksing) But it is also significant that I don't have a schedule full of appointments back-to-back like many of you do, so I can understand why delays during appointments can be problematic if your work flow is organized in that manner.

Here in NC we know how to have a snowstorm. We had 8" of snow over a 24-hr period, accompanied by some sleet and freeing rain before & during. Driving was risky even for those of us who know how to drive in the mess. I hunkered down at the office during the sleet & ice, waiting for the snowfall so I'd have good traction on the way home. Everything ground to a halt for about 36 hours, then by noon yesterday temps were in the 40's and people were back to work. Today's high will be mid-40's and next week it will rise by about 10 deg per day until it hits the 70's on Thursday. Atached images are from the back porch at noon on Thursday and noon on Saturday. One week we're complaining about the snow, the next week the problem is the heat & humidity. I had to go back and add the "Charlotte" photo, in light of the small earthquake near here in the past 24 hours.

I decided to devote some time this morning to updating several macros I had written last year to speed up several data entry steps. I was thinking I'd have to re-write the macros. But when I went to edit, I found that Drake had moved my existing macros into the 2013 program, so all I needed to do was edit a few line entries and I was done. It's really nice to work with a program that anticipates things like this and does them for you.

Trying to remember what a typewriter is. Seems like I used to own one of those things 30 years ago. Setting up the format in an excel spreadsheet has the advantage of re-using the layout for people who have one, two or three forms to be issued. Once the template is done, it can be used over and over again. Enter the payer data one time and let it repeat on the second form on the page, for example.

Good move, Mike. Having a blanket policy avoids having to "ask permission" as Apr 15 approaches. And you don't have to waste valuable time negotiating with them during those golden days after Apr 1. The fact that an extension is filed does not preclude your looping back and completing some returns before Apr 15, but you are able to do that at your convenience. The extension just takes Apr 15 off the table as having any special significance.

And if you don't want to use the site I referenced, you can set up an Excel spreadsheet to drop the info onto a preprinted form. A little trial and error usually produces a layout in a few minutes. You can get a few preprinted blanks from Judy, from me, or from any number of others on this forum. Just ask, or send a pm. You can download the black and white form from the IRS in order to get copy out to the vendor right away. then you have time to get the red IRS copies from one of us before 2/28. Office Depot also sells forms sets, along with custom software.

OK. So my solution is not to prepare EIC returns.

Does this apply to all returns filed, or only to returns claiming EIC?

I like your breakdown. Mine is similar, with one MAJOR change. Period 3 - Everybody goes on extension as the info comes in the door - no exceptions. No stress, and Apr 15 is just another routine day.

I'll have to admit to being one of the culprits in taking this off on a tangent. Probably wouldn't have happened if I'd been at the office workinng rather that hanging round the house today due to the snowstorm.

Don't underrate those old printers. They are generally more robust, and they often use way less ink/toner than the more modern ones. My workhorse printer is an old HP1100. It is a miser on toner, plus with the copier attachment I can make single copies while sitting at my desk.

Not a viable option when it's the firm's money at stake. KC, you're thinking too much like an entrepreneur...

Totally agreed on the dual monitors. I plan a 3-monitor setup on my standing desk.

How far could you have gotten on a tax return in the time it took you to post that reply? :)

The turn this thread has taken reminds me of a friend who would always say "I'll never be too old or too fat to bend over and pick up money."

So if you left a dirty $10 bill in your trousers and it went in the wash, would it be best to dry it and reuse it, or just throw it away? After all, you probably have plenty of other $10 bills lying around somewhere.

I don't think he had a solid legal basis.If he did, then I'd be in the camp that says "no 1099, no deduction".