Eli Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Client comes in with 2 W2's totalling $2295.00 without any fed w/h. She has 2 kids & qualified for $910 in EIC. She wanted to know why she didn't get more than that. Then she asked if she could include mileage, meals, clothing like some of her other friends. I explained why she couldn't. Took care of the paperwork, she signed paid and left. I transmitted the return. About 3 hours later the phone calls started. Her friends were telling her that her return must be wrong. Their preparer included mileage, clothing, meals and "other stuff" on their returns and they were getting back $4000+. Again I explained that with her income it wouldn't matter. More phone calls because now not just one or two, but several people were telling her the return was definitely done wrong. I finally got tired and told her to be at my office at 0900 with her return and I would take her to HRB to get her return checked. I almost had to go out to the back and yell to let some frustation out Eli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 don't spend anymore time on this. since you have been paid, tell her to go elsewhere and do an amended return. then tell her bring the info back to you and you will refund your fee if you are wrong - you won't be unless the other preparer is a fraud. let her know the other preparer is a fraud, and she could be too - it ought to shut her up. it seems the 'friends' are talking about a sch c manipulation to fabricate income and deductions to max EIC and the child tax credit (or the additional child tax credit). she has w2s and not even SE income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Eli, with income that low, taking more deductions would REDUCE her EIC, not increase it. Of course, if you make that clear to her, she will then remember that "babysitting income" she forgot to tell you about. If I were you, I would just tell her you do not have anything more to tell her, and you are not going to waste any more of your time on her return, which is done, transmitted and in the IRS. If she wants to go elsewhere, that's her business, but don't waste your time on her anymore. You will never make her happy, anyway. Why waste your valuable time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Not to mention that this does not sound like the kind of customer you want to keep anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 You don't want her to return to you next year. And, you definitely don't want her friends to come to you. Spend your time on the clients you do want to keep. And, go out in the back and yell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Eli, "No es la culpa del indio, sino del que lo hace compadre". Some of us when we check returns prepared by other preparers, we want to impress our clients by putting down other tax preparers. This time, maybe the other preparer will put you down, even though you did a good job on the return. When I get a call from people trying to have their tax checked because they didn't get enough money, I tell them... "if you feel that you are not getting enough money, I think your taxes are prepared properly, but you can bring them and I will check them". If they come to my office (and without opening their copies), I ask them. "How many jobs did you have? If you work on your own, you have to pay taxes on the money that you made (notice my phrasing “pay taxes”), if you were a babysitter, you have to pay taxes on the money you made... after they answer these questions, I open their return and I check it. 99% of the returns are accurately prepared and I tell them... "Based on the information you provided to the preparer, your tax return was properly prepared". I add, "There is no legal way that you can get more from the IRS and if you do, you will be committing tax fraud and can be put in jail". When I hand their copies back, I tell them... "Your tax preparer did a good job on your return". As professionals, please do not put down other preparers just to get move clients. Believe me, next year, they will do the same thing to you, they will take your return to other preparer and the cycle goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Thanks for replies. She went to another preparer to get it checked and then called to tell me it was correct. Eli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I've noticed that a number of new clients come in expecting to be ripped off. I think that's what you encountered here. I guess they've just come to expect not to be treated well, or are not sure what to expect of a business like mine. It doesn't mean they're trying to commit fraud; it means they don't understand what we're doing. So they listen to their friends, and then they're sure you did something wrong. Often they have very low incomes. In many cases they're getting off welfare for the first time, or participating in a "welfare to work" program. I point out to them that the government is giving them a "thanks for working" gift of about a third of their earned income. It takes a while to win their trust, and they are generally not in an income bracket that makes a "desirable" client. You can't expect someone like that to be impressed by the certificates on your walls, or your years of experience. All they want to know is whether they can trust you at least as much as they trust their coworkers. There were times when I was nearly brought to tears by their obvious appreciation for simply being treated like a human being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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