GeneInAlabama

>>How much can you afford?<< About double or triple that should be about right.

Floor is pretty well full. Maybe I need to buy a shovel before I buy another monitor.

Next question, how do you find room on your desk to place another monitor?

Just click on your name at the beginning of theis thread and it will take you there.

February would be an excellent time. Goes to show how much the IRS thinks of us. Someone must have stayed awake at night thinking this one up.

I don't understand why they included Turbo Tax with the professional software. Thats like comparing apples and oranges and seems to me that it would throw the whole poll out of kilter.

The IRS will NEVER change this requirement. They are trying to get everyone to file electronically and they will make it as difficult as possible to file manually.

I LIKE being old! I hope to get to be a whole lot older.

When I was a kid, we had a piece of cardboard with 25, 50, 75, 100 written on each edge. We would put the card in the window with the size of block of ice we wanted showing at the top. The ice man would bring the ice in without having to make a trip in to see what size block of ice we wanted. At one place we lived, the ice man delivered with a mule and wagon. Us kids would follow behind and he would give us the slivers of ice that would break off when he broke the chunks of ice down to the proper size. (Trucks and cars were in use at that time - thats just the way HE delivered the ice. I'm not really THAT old.)

The only one I had never heard was "foot feed". We always called it the "gas pedal". Some words may be localized like coke/soda/pop/dope.

Earlier in the year, TRX was offering ATX at a greatly discounted price. It is no longer available and probably never will be again. It was a big savings for those of us who jumped on it.

Received the program this morning via FedEx. Haven't had time to load it yet. I wasn't expecting it this early.

The board has a very nice look to it. Thanks Eric.

>>She told me that if the IRS finds that I made a mistake, that they might audit all of my clients.<< They will NOT audit all your returns if you made a mistake. They will audit all your returns only if you made serious false claims on a LOT of your returns. Don't let these people intimidate you.

>>I don't know why the first contact would be a phone call<< I don't know about now, but it used to be that initial contact was ALWAYS by mail. Years ago when I was a tax auditor, a woman came into my office with a big cardboard box full of records and said she was ready for the audit. I asked her her name and then told her I didn't have any record of her being scheduled for an audit. She said "you called me on the phone and told me to be here with all my records today." When I told her that we never notify anyone of an audit on the phone, that it is always by mail, she said under her breath "that dirty . . ." I wonder if this could be a prank on either you or the tax payer. It seems odd that an auditor would just come out and tell someone that he was inexperienced. Just a tought.

I just received an ACK for a return I transmitted about 2 PM central time yesterday that shows IRS accepted.

AMEN

>>Anything to force people to migrate over to EFTPS<< I'm resisting as long as I can. Alabama now requires any payment over $750 to be paid electronically and the State Department of Industrial Relations (unemployment) now requires that once a report is filed electronically, ALL forms from then on have to be filed and paid electronically regardless of the amount. If the client doesn't give you the form that is mailed to them each quarter to file, then you have no choice but to file electronic. The reason I resist paying electronically is that I filed one report for a client and the bank rejected payment because 2 leading zeros of the account number were omitted. I KNOW that I put the zeros in. I did manage to get the penalty waived.

It could be. I had her spell it to me twice and that's what I understood her to say. I am a little hard of hearing and hearing aids don't work for the phone. That's one reason I hate the computer systems on telephones these days. But, the letter that was returned to me was addressed to the P.O. box that was originally given for the address to request the forms.

I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly, it SEEMS that in 1993 it was 15 years.

I sent a letter the other day to the IRS requesting 25 blank 8109-B forms and it was returned to me as "Not Deliverable as Addressed" and "Unable to Forward". I called and they gave me a new address. It is: Internal Revenue Service National Distribution Center 1201 N. Mitsuvishia Motor Way Bloomington, IL 61705-6613 Might save someone some time. I HATE calling the IRS (or any other number where you have to go through umpteen computer menues).

OK, I see that now. It was staring me right in the face and I didn't see it. Pretty neat!

Joel, I think you are bluffing about knowing how many people are downloading the form, but thanks anyway. I for one did download it and found it helpful. And I do believe quite a few are downloading it. By the way, I missed seeing you and glad to see you back. Gene

Thanks Joel, I have been thinking about billing by the hour but have been hesitant because the same form for one person can be so different for another. I find it impossible to bill by the hour due to interruptions I encounter (I am a one horse business and have to answer my own phone and talk to people who pop in with a question). I have been charging what "seems to be about right" based on approximate time spent on the return. Most of the returns I do are "drop-offs". Maybe I can work something up using your rate chart. I appreciate the willingness of people on this board to help each other. I wish I was capable of being more help to those on the board, but feel rather inadequate compared to most on the board. Gene

A while back my cousin asked if there was any way he could get more deductions. I told him if he could get a social security number for his pet parrot and his dog, I might be able to help him out.