Late filers and...much later filers

[BLACK BART]

I thought I'd seen some absurd attempts to file at the last minute, but a postal clerk one-upped me yesterday.  Before electronic filing they used to stay open 'til midnight, but now they close the window at 4:30.  He told me that on April 18th at five they were in the back getting ready to leave when someone started beating on the door inside the lobby.  He opened it and a man said "Do you have any blank tax forms?"  

[SaraEA]

Was that our client who dropped off his sales info late this AM (just pages of long columns, mind you, nothing totaled), when the state sales tax report must be efiled by 4PM?

[Max W]

We had one client that always brought in his stuff around 4:30PM on Oct 15th. (of course he was on extension)

He was a Sch C and had a number of additional forms, so it took several hours to prepare.

One year it was given to me and I said I'm out of here at 6 o'clock. But one of the partners pleaded with me and offerred to buy me dinner if I would stay.

At 8 o'clock I told one of the partners, that that was it, he would have to finish it, which he did.  The client then drove to SF about 25 miles to mail the return at the only PO open until midnight.

The client did this year after year and I refused to touch his returns.  Finally, the partners got a little sense and tripled the price of the return.  The guy never came back.  Were it my choice, I would have just fired him, period, end of story.

[FDNY]

I could never understand how it is always the same people.  They know the deadlines, yet they do the same every year, even joking, "you know me, always late (fill in the name)."

[Max W]

7 hours ago, FDNY said:

I could never understand how it is always the same people.  They know the deadlines, yet they do the same every year, even joking, "you know me, always late (fill in the name)."

Yep! Human nature doesn't change from year to year.  Early filers are most always early filers.  Late filers are mostly late filers.

And if the filing dates were changed to allow more time, the last minute filers would sill be last minute filers.

When extensions that were only allowed to Aug 15, were changed to Oct 15, we tried to keep this info from the late filers and it worked for a uear or two, until they found out about it.  So, you all know what happened.  The Aug filers now became Oct filers, even with two additional months allowed.

[BLACK BART]

I don't have many of those guys anymore, but a funny thing about them was that when they showed up on April 15th most wanted it done IMMEDIATELY.  I'd say I couldn't do it that day but could get an extension for them.  Most would reply "Oh, I don't like to get extensions - I want to file ON TIME."

[FDNY]

They think you have nothing else to do, just waiting for them to walk in the door.   Must be part of the breakdown of society I've been hearing about.

[Jack from Ohio]

My favorite laughing moment is when clients come in with three years that need completed.  Without fail, these are the words:  "I just have not had time...."  Then, when I file the extension for 15, do a quick scan to see if they should send in a payment before the due date, and put their whole stack at the back of the queue, they get irate.  "I will not have time to do your old returns until I have completed all 2015 returns" is my response.

"I just do not have the time to fix your extreme procrastination situation." 

I do this, no matter when these kind of clients come in.

[Lloyd Hudson]

I had one client who came in about 15 years ago to interview us a change from current preparer. Never did see him or here from him for a couple of years. called  one day and wanted us to do his return. Developed relationship etc, after a few years of him always being late and on extension, I asked him why he quit the other firm. " they always wanted to put it on extension". He passed away this spring and is on extension. Late to own funeral.