Tax Organizers

[Dana]

I noticed that ATX finally allowed a little customization on the organizers, only in the questions section, so since I rely heavily on them I was looking for ways to optimize the questions.  So far I have come up with a Crypto currency question but was wondering if anyone has some good ideas?

I will also be adding an information/tax update page in addition to the usual preparer authorization and instruction pages which I normally create independent of ATX.  I am still ticked off at ATX on the organizers, they couldn't just leave well enough alone and allow it to be fully customize-able, it really gets my goat when someone "improves" something that worked fine.

I was wondering if anyone else has created an information/tax update page to send out with their organizers or have some thoughts on it.  It is my belief that we are selling peace of mind in large part so I like to include things which will let the client know that I know my business and I am currently getting up to speed on the new changes so I can provide them with updates and guidance as needed when things get sorted out.  I think it creates client loyalty as well, which helps with referrals.

I expect this to be a banner year for tax professionals and have been gearing up to handle the growth, does anyone else agree?

Thank you.

BTW - this is my first post here in many years.  I think I joined back in 2007? when ATX shut down their forum (idiots) but now that they are blocking posts I will be making this my mainstay resource.

 

[Abby Normal]

I highly customize my questions. I haven't gotten to 2017 yet but here are my questions for 2016 organizers:

Questions
Yes No Basic Information
1 Did you get married, divorced or separated?
2 Did you add any new dependents or lose any existing dependents?
3 Are you or any of your dependents blind or permanenty disabled? Which ones?
4 Did any children under 19 (or 24 if a full time student) receive more than $1,050 in investment income?
5 If you have any dependents, are all your dependents either US residents or citizens?
6 Did you provide over half of the support for someone you are not claiming as a dependent?
7 Can you be claimed as a dependent on anyone else's return? (They provided over half of your support.)
8 Did you and all your dependents have health insurance coverage for all 12 months? Please provide any
1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C forms you received, or provide a list of the individuals in your family who were enrolled
in minimum essential health insurance coverage that shows which months they were covered.
9 Were you granted a health insurance coverage exemption or are you claiming an exemption? (short gap, affordability)
10 Are any health insurance premiums withheld from your paycheck pretax? If unsure, check with your employer.
11 Are you covered under a group health insurance plan with your employer?
12 Did you buy or sell a home or any other real estate? Please provide HUD1 settlement sheets, 1099S & other documents.
13 Was your morgage transferred to another mortgage processor?
14 Did you refinance a mortgage or take out a new mortgage or home equity loan this year?
15 Was there a disposition or change in use of a home for which you claimed the 2008 First-time Homebuyer Credit?
16 Do you wish to have $3 of your taxes (or $6 on a joint return) applied to the Presidential Campaign Fund?
17 Did the IRS or any state send you a notice of changes to a prior year, or any other tax correspondence?
18 Are you aware of any changes to a prior year that would require you to amend that year's tax return?
19 If you are due a refund, how do you want to receive it?
Check in the mail Apply to 1st & 2nd quarter of next year's estimates
Apply to 1st quarter of next year's estimates Apply to all 4 quarters of next year's estimates
Direct deposit (please provide voided blank check)
Type of account: Checking Savings
If you owe taxes, how do you want to pay them?
Paper check Credit card Installment Agreement
Direct debit from my bank account (please provide a voided blank check)
Type of account: Checking Savings
20 Do you want to allow your tax preparer to discuss this year’s return with the IRS?
If no, enter another person (if desired) to be allowed to discuss this return with the IRS:
Designee's Phone Personal identification
name Number Number (5 digit PIN)
21 Did you make gifts of more than $14,000 to any one person?
22 Did you make any loans to anyone or any entity?
23 If you made loans, was the interest rate below market rate?
24 Were either you or your spouse ever in the military or National Guard?
25 Would you like a paper copy of your return? We always provide a CD with a PDF copy of your return.
Yes No Income
1 Did you have an interest in or signature authority over a financial account in a foreign country?
2 Did you receive income from a foreign source or pay taxes to a foreign government?
3 Did you cash in any U.S. savings bonds? What type? Were proceeds used for higher educartion expenses?
4 Did you receive tip income that was NOT reported to your employer?
5 Did you earn income in more than one state?
6 Did you receive disability income?
7 Did you receive alimony?
8 Did you receive, or expect to receive, a Schedule K-1 (or substitute K-1) from a trust, estate, partnership, or S corp?
9 Were any of your debts cancelled or did they become uncollectible? (1099A, 1099C)
10 Did you receive stock, restricted stock or stock options from your employer?
11 Did you receive a state or local income tax refund? (attach 1099-G)
12 Did you receive a refund of any deduction you took on a prior year return (e.g., real estate tax refund)?
13 Do you have gambling winnings? (If yes, be sure to include in gambling losses)
14 Did you receive any unemployment benefits?
15 Did you receive payments from a Long-Term Care insurance contract?
16 Did you receive employer-provided adoption benefits for a previous year?
17 (Blank)
18 (Blank)
19 (Blank)
2
20 Did you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, or make any other conversion or recharacterization of any type of IRA?
21 Did you rollover a retirement plan distribution into another plan?
22 Did you receive any distributions from a retirement plan (IRA, 401k, pension, etc.)? If Yes, attach all 1099-Rs.
23 Did you or your spouse receive Social Security benefits?
24 Did you sell any other personal assets (cars, boats, artwork, tools, furniture, etc.) at a gain?
25 Did you sell any assets using an installment sale?
26 Did you receive proceeds from a prior year installment sale?
27 Have you provided ALL your income from ALL sources, not just those listed in this Organizer?
Yes No Business and Rental Income
1 Did you have any business or self-employment (1099) income?
2 Did you start or acquire a new business?
3 Did you sell any part of an existing business, or sell business assets?
4 Did you cease operating any business?
5 Did you remove any of your business assets for personal use?
6 Did you have any rental income?
7 If you own rental property, did you spend more than 750 hours working on your rentals?
Yes No Business and Rental Deductions
1 Did you use part of your home for business purposes?
2 Did you purchase any furniture, equipment or vehicles for your business?
3 Did you purchase any furniture or appliances, or make any renovations or additions to your rental property?
4 Did you or will you make any contributions to a self-employed retirement plan (SEP, SIMPLE, Solo 401k?
5 Do you have a business mileage log to support any business miles driven? (They have mileage apps for your phone.)
Yes No Deductions
1 Did you/will you make IRA contributions (not 401k)? List by type (Roth, traditional, etc) for you & spouse (if married).
2 Did you make any contributions to HSA (Health Savings Account)? Please provide documentation.
3 Did you have moving expenses due to a changing jobs? Need miles from old home to old work & old home to new work.
4 Did you pay alimony?
5 Did you pay any student loan interest?
6 Did you pay any college/trade school tuition? Please provide 1098T, proof of payment & account transcript from school.
7 Did you lose property or have damage to a property due to a casualty, theft, or condemnation?
8 Did any investments become worthless during 2016?
9 Did any loans you made become uncollectible?
10 Did you purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle?
11 Did you make energy efficient improvements to your home or purchase any energy-saving property?
12 Did you pay substantial medical expenses, including health insurance and long-term care insurance?
13 Did you pay any real estate taxes or personal property taxes?
14 Did you pay sales tax on purchases of vehicles (cars, boats, etc.) or home improvement materials? Provide receipts.
15 Did you make any charitable donations?
16 Did you donate any items to charity? Please provide list WITH VALUES and method used to determine values.
17 Did you pay expenses for the care of your child or other dependent so you could work?
18 Did you use your car for work (other than commuting to and from work)?
19 Did you incur any business travel, meal or entertainment expenses for which you were not reimbursed?
20 Did you work out of town for part of the year?
21 Did you incur adoption expenses or file Form 8839, Adoption Credit, in a previous year?
22 Have you provided ALL your deductions from ALL sources, not just those listed in this Organizer?
Yes No Other
1 Did you make any federal estimated payments? List date and amount of each payment.
2 Did you make any state estimated payments? List date and amount of each payment.
3 Did you pay wages to a household employee of $1,900 or more, or more than $1,000 in one calendar quarter?
4 Do you expect a significant fluctuation in your income, deductions or withholdings in 2017?

[Dana]

Thanks for the info!  I got to thinking when I was reading them about the regional high level IRS representative who once spoke at our tax group.  She said she hates that preparers use organizers and thinks that we are being unprofessional, even breaking rules.  She was intimating that she wished there was a fine she could impose on preparers for using them. 

Obviously she has never sat across the desk from a tax client during tax season.  How the heck could you get though all of those questions, yes she thought it was our job to ask every one of them, and still somehow get any returns done. 

Just watching clients slowly handing over one document at a time, docs they often times have no idea what there even are, makes me usually reach over and grab the whole stack so I can rip through them in 30 seconds.  There are only so many hours in the day and the organizers are so helpful to get 80+ percent knocked out.