GeneInAlabama Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 More than two weeks ago, lightening struck a hugh tree behind my office and damaged some of my equipment. It knocked out my internet satelite and modem (I live in an area where DSL and cable are not available). I just now have gotten back on line and have come to realize just how dependent I am on the internet. In Alabama, sales tax reports are REQUIRED to be done electronically now with no exceptions allowed. They say that if you don't have access to a computer, you can come to one of their offices and use theirs or you can go to the library and use theirs. They also say you can do it over the telephone, but that would be a LAST option for me because I am a little hard of hearing and I absolutely hate making phone calls where you have to go through a long string of menues. Now, I have to get my network working so that I can have service in my house (my office is next to my house). It looks like I may have trouble with the insurance company (State Farm). They say that if lightening ran in, they will pay, but if the equipment was damaged by an electrical surge, they won't. Anyway, it sure is good to be back on line again. Gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 "and the best is yet to come". The IRS soon will force all of us (paid preparers) to efile. We will depend even more from the Internet. I am lucky that DC runs its wires underground and never have an internet connectivity or electricity problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJack Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 >>The IRS soon will force all of us (paid preparers) to efile.<< Do you know something the rest of us don't or is that just a prediction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Prediction. Keep in mind that Congress mandated the IRS to have 85% of returns efiled by 2007. I am not sure if that's still the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 >>The IRS soon will force all of us (paid preparers) to efile<< California has required e-file for years. The great majority of practitioners here consider that the advantages outweigh the problems. Postal service breaks down too, you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 What is the number of returns that one must prepare to come under the mandatory e-file rules in CA? I only file one CA return (paper, of course), and I plan to stay with paper unless NC or the IRS forces me to change. If NC goes to mandatory efile and the cutoff number of returns is set high enough, my first step would be to increase my fees sufficiently to drive off enough clients to keep me under the threshhold , and maybe make more $ in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Alabama's mandatory cutoff for 2006 was 50. If I made a difference in pricing between paper and electronic, I would charge more for the paper returns. Electronic is quicker and easier and cheaper. Alabama sales tax reports is a little different story. When I could do it on paper, I had an excel spread sheet set up so that I could just enter the sales figures, and then run the form through the printer. It took a while to set up the spread sheet so that it would print in exactly the right place, but once I did that, it was very quick. Now, to file electonic, I have to do it on the internet, and go through several steps and wait for each screen to come up. Gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 WI is also mandatory over a certain number; but it matters not. Piggyback and without a hitch. I can also E-file CA; and do, as well as MI, MN, IL....We are now required to E-file auto license and title paperwork.; which is my husband's business. He, who doesn't know and will not learn how to turn on a computer. Lucky for him, he has good staff which would be me and two sons. Requirement is sales of 48 or more per year. Even if you fall below that number; you have to pay an additional $15 to paper file. And...if you don't comply, the fee is $65. Up side is that titles and tags arrive in less than a week. Also, once we got the hang of it, we kinda like it. So, the trend is definitely electronic, whether we like it or not..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 <<<What is the number of returns that one must prepare to come under the mandatory e-file rules in CA? >>> Last I checked it was 100 returns. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 JohnH... JohnH... (you are our older brother and we respect you) We would love for you to embrace efiling as everybody else did or will do in the near future. Efiling is a simple as using this forum. I started with my own flawless return just in case there were problems with efiling. After you nail a couple of returns, you will feel confident and you will LOVE it. WHOEVER is not using the 100 efile returns included in the price of ATX is making a mistake. JohnH, if you have 2006 returns that you have not filed yet, please efile them... you have all time of the planet now and you will be able to correct any errors. You have my email address and I can help you if you need me. As you know, I am in debt with you when you spent your money, time and effort by mailing me those needed, previous years 1099s and 1096 forms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 >>Efiling is a simple as using this forum<< The forum has had a lot of comment about how convenient and useful e-filing is for the practitioner. I would like to point out that it is also of tremendous value to the taxpayer, and you are shortchanging your clients if you don't offer it. The biggest advantage is not the speed of processing or availability of bank products. It is not even the extra diagnostic checks or the acknowledgment of acceptance. It is the simple ACCURACY of not letting IRS seasonal employees retype the return you spent hours getting perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I applaud that last response. Not to mention another forum where there was discussion of a large refund check being sent to somewhere in Canada by mistake. IRS thought it was an input error. No problem with direct deposit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 More than two weeks ago, lightening struck a hugh tree behind my office and damaged some of my equipment. It knocked out my internet satelite and modem (I live in an area where DSL and cable are not available). I just now have gotten back on line and have come to realize just how dependent I am on the internet. In Alabama, sales tax reports are REQUIRED to be done electronically now with no exceptions allowed. They say that if you don't have access to a computer, you can come to one of their offices and use theirs or you can go to the library and use theirs. They also say you can do it over the telephone, but that would be a LAST option for me because I am a little hard of hearing and I absolutely hate making phone calls where you have to go through a long string of menues. Now, I have to get my network working so that I can have service in my house (my office is next to my house). It looks like I may have trouble with the insurance company (State Farm). They say that if lightening ran in, they will pay, but if the equipment was damaged by an electrical surge, they won't. Anyway, it sure is good to be back on line again. Gene I am very dependent on the internet. Website development is my job, both 9-5 and freelance. Sorry about derailing the thread, but Im about to move from my apartment to a house in the boonies where moose are my only neighbors. If we can't get wireless internet, our only option will be satellite. (dialup is not an option, I need some form of broadband) How has your experience been with your satellite service? Who is your provider? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Pacun: Thank you for the kind words and the encouragement. It isn't that I don't know how to efile, I just don't care to do it. Just to be clear, I'm not staying away because of the technology or the process. I have several business reasons for staying firmly in the non-e-filing camp until I'm forced to do it. If that happens before I retire, I'll switch over the afternoon of the day it becomes mandatory, not a day sooner. Or I may retire on that day - who knows? Stated another way, I'll begin efiling the day Jerry Mealer begins efiling. And although I respect many of jainen's posts, I completely disagree that refusing to efile is short-changing MY clients. That's probably true for some preparers, but I remain unconvinced. We all don't have the same client base or the same business model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 How has your experience been with your satellite service? Who is your provider? Eric, I use DirecWay which changed its name to Hughes.net. I'm not familiar with other satelite providers. Everything seems to be OK except when I have to call tech service, I usually get someone with an accent which seems to be typical everywhere now. It sure does make it difficult when you are hard of hearing. I can't tell that the surfing speed on satelite is much better than on a phone line, but it sure does make a difference when you are downloading or uploading a large file. I ASSUME that the surfing speed is normal, but it sure would be nice to know that something could be done about that. The only requirement with the satelite is that you have to have a clear view of the sky in the direction of the satelite. I had to place my dish about 40 feet from the office on a pole because of trees. To sum it up, if you can't get anything better, it's great (when the weather isn't bad). Gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 I am very dependent on the INTERNET. Website development is my job, both 9-5 and freelance. Sorry about derailing the thread, but I'm about to move from my apartment to a house in the boonies where moose are my only neighbors. If we can't get wireless internet, our only option will be satellite. (dialup is not an option, I need some form of broadband) How has your experience been with your satellite service? Who is your provider? I'm with Hughes Net, which used to be DWay. It's actually the only option I know of, in this part of the country, at least, when you can't get cable or DSL. It's much better than dial-up. But not as fast as DSL or cable. And weather CAN be an issue, although I have found that even when my TV sat reception is bad, the internet connection has worked, so far at least. [Knocking on wood] If you're moving to the boonies, you really don't have any choice, do you? Just make sure your sat is located well, for max avoidance of things like tree limbs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Trees and tree limbs shouldn't be a problem.. I have a chain saw to take care of those obstacles. I'm really hoping I can get wireless internet, but line-of-sight to a transmitter is required. I can see a few towers from the house, but I'm not sure if they're wireless or cell towers... we shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Yes, I tried that at my house, but it would have taken me putting in a tower 30 ft tall! :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel in Hawaii Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Yes, I tried that at my house, but it would have taken me putting in a tower 30 ft tall! Well if you are going to put up a 30ft tower, put up a 100 footer and put a windmill on the top of it to power your computer. Of course, the vibration might actually knock the alignment out on the antennae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.