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Do you print books for your clients?


jasdlm

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New client this year.  Has 1 W2 and 1 1099 div (I don't usually get returns that are that easy; he's the son of a client).  I requested the prior year return, of course.  52 pages.  Worksheets, statements, statements for statements, instructions ... I don't even know what all.  When this guy gets his return this year, he's probably going to think I didn't do it correctly ;).

Seriously, what do you print for clients (if they want a hard copy), or what do you .pdf if delivering electronically?

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Obviously the tax forms.  The previous year comparison and the tax summary page. 

Few if any of the thousands of worthless worksheets and statements ATX will print if you let it.  There's no reason to print all those input worksheets and option pages ATX wants to print or idiotic statements like the dependents statement.  The dependents are listed on the front of the 1040, there's no reason to print a statement listing the same info.  Or the capital loss carryover is easily determined looking at the Sch D, thus I'm not going to print out the carryover summary.  I do print worksheets like the student loan interest calculation so that I can look at the return and see that I didn't forget about it but the client is over the income threshold.  Also print anything a future preparer would want to see like a depreciation schedule.  I like to be stingy with the paper and toner but print enough that if I die, the next preparer can look at the printout and have a good idea what took place.

On your new client w/ 1 W2 & 1 1099, I wouldn't print anything other than the tax forms.  I'm guessing it'd be about 10 pages if I included the prior year comparison and the Sch B.

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I go to the EF form for federal and choose the 'Included Efile forms' before printing so I see what forms are being sent to the IRS. It is still visible when you bring up the print dialog. Then I print just those forms plus W2 summary by payer and 1099R summary by payer.

In addition, I'll print some some worksheets, depending on the return, but I keep it to the bare minimum. I used to print a full return to PDF for myself, just in case something went wrong in ATX, I'd have something to compare it to, but I never needed it, so I stopped.

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Was the prior year a Turbo Tax return?  Clients don't know what to print so print the whole dang thing (125 pages from a client recently).  I print what is important or informative, like 2-year comparisons, sometimes worksheets that show how much their qualified divs saved in taxes or how much of a pension wasn't taxed.  When a client has an easy return like the one you describe, sometimes I'll print more so it looks like they got something for their money.  On the other hand, if the return is already 50 pages, I may print only the 2-year so as not to overwhelm.

I'm so buried in returns right now, I feel like just printing it all because it's easier than picking and choosing.  I won't, but it's tempting.

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I try to print everything they'll need when I'm gone, and everything they need to understand their return. Return, 2-year comparison, depreciation schedules, filing instructions including next year ES payments, privacy statement, the sheet with next year carry forwards, my invoice, and select lists/reports/statements/worksheets but not on separate pages, saving paper. I have a lot of investors and small businesses, so lots of 8949 pages and depreciation schedules. My returns tend to be no thicker than the ones they bring me from prior preparers, unless that preparer didn't print depreciation schedules!

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14 hours ago, Sara EA said:

Was the prior year a Turbo Tax return?  Clients don't know what to print so print the whole dang thing (125 pages from a client recently).  I print what is important or informative, like 2-year comparisons, sometimes worksheets that show how much their qualified divs saved in taxes or how much of a pension wasn't taxed.  When a client has an easy return like the one you describe, sometimes I'll print more so it looks like they got something for their money.  On the other hand, if the return is already 50 pages, I may print only the 2-year so as not to overwhelm.

I'm so buried in returns right now, I feel like just printing it all because it's easier than picking and choosing.  I won't, but it's tempting.

I assume not turbotax.  It didn't look like what I usually see from turbotax, and it was done by a local preparer.  I just thought it was excessive and wondered what others do.

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Had an attorney a few years ago for whom I did returns. The tax software he had me using produced what he felt was the largest number of sheets. His opinion was that if you want to charge a large fee, you should deliver a large product. The larger the product in their hand, the more complicated they think the return and the less likely they are to have questions (overwhelmed).

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52 minutes ago, mcbreck said:

Had an attorney a few years ago for whom I did returns. The tax software he had me using produced what he felt was the largest number of sheets. His opinion was that if you want to charge a large fee, you should deliver a large product. The larger the product in their hand, the more complicated they think the return and the less likely they are to have questions (overwhelmed).

That's always been my assumption, when I see huge stacks of useless of forms and worksheets from a previous accountant, that's it a way to justify their fees.
I print what's needed.  As other's have said, it's a pain to go through and uncheck all the stupid things ATX think we should want.  But we kill enough trees with the important stuff.


If it's just the pdf for them to review, I sometimes leave in the junk just to save time.

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Sorry if I gave anyone the impression that I print everything.  Much like Lion, I print the results letter, comparison, the forms, and any worksheets that another preparer would need for carryover or ongoing deductions such as depreciation schedules, etc. in case anything happens to me...like suddenly deciding to retire.  😆, just kidding.    I certainly don't print every worksheet.  I do just click on the box for "all" pages of the preparer's copy that is saved as a pdf.

What I don't do is complain if a new client brings in too much detail in the prior years' returns. I'd rather have too much than to struggle to have enough of the prior year.

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I print everything to pdf first. If the clients only want pdf's, they can have the whole kit and caboodle.  On paper, I print whatever i would like to see if that person was coming to me as a new client next year.  How many times have I moaned about missing carryforward information ?  Too many!  I think it's my duty to make sure no grumpy accountant calls *me* for those details next April.

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