MAMalody

Hmmm. You wrote the answer the night before the question was asked. If anybody had questions of how good your were, they should now be answered.

Jeez. I ought to reread what I write. I thought I had said that. Sorry, but, thanks for the correction.

Last I heard the IRS went with DOMA which means you can file joint same sex couples.

My e-mail account at aol was hacked a few years ago. What a shock when I couldn't use it because they had sent out some obscene material on it. Good thing I was indirectly working for aol at the time so it was not too difficult to get reset up...just took some time. You can be hacked!

I have come to the same conclusion on the per diem definition as mentioned above. I am having no luck on finding anything on point. I have asked that she go to HR or someone who "knows" for any documentation that can be provided. I indicated that "the controller next to me" was not a good enough source.

I have developed a Tax Organizer that is along the same format as ATX yet it is in an Excel document, suitable for internet distribution. You can save data in it, send as an e-mail attachment, yet not change the form itself. If three or four of you would like to check it out and help me fine tune it, that would be cool. Send me an e-mail at [email protected]

The Tax Book message board suggested this might be similar to how you would handle a fireman. How does that sound?

1040 Clergy Worksheets are on my list to need approval.

Any takers on my question?

I got a call last night from my son on a tax question for his girlfriend. Seems she is an air traffic controller supv. Falls under DOT rules. Can end up working two shifts within 24 hours as long as the required rest period has been met. She is required to be avail during her lunch and cannot leave the site. How does the per diem work. She is in Sacramento, CA and the per diem is $61 a day. Can she take two per diems? (I understand about the 80% factor for DOT). For some reason I can't seem to find anything on this. Must be looking in the wrong place. Anybody else have this issue?

I just read a posting that indicated she is staying with here husband who is in declining health. We need to keep her is our prayers.

Service members domiciled in CA must include their military pay in total income. In addition, they must include their military pay in CA source income when stationed in CA. However, military pay is not California source income when a service member is permanently stationed outside of CA.

I send it to them, password protected, as an e-mail attachment. Have not had a problem in 12 years doing it this way.

I have bot given a paper return in two years. Just give them an electronic file. Works for me and saves all that paper cost.

What is that app called?

If the mother is not the client of a preparer, including you, reasonable cause may work with the health issues. Otherwise, I think they may be stuck.

I didn't read anything about OIH expenses in any postings in this thread, however, I would agree that would probably not be possible.

Here is a learning opportunity for me. I have always interpreted "usual, ordinary and necessary" to be business specific. Wouldn't your definition of "regular" depend on the business conducted. If a board only meets 6 times a year, why wouldn't the expenses for that board be deductible as a business expense even if it is only 6 time a year expense?

Check the dependency tests. You may have a problem with the gross income test. For federal purposes, unemployment benefit income is generally taxable income.

I understood that NY required preparers to register regardless of the number of returns filed. Per GeorgeM I guess I was told wrong.

Most amended tax returns I have seen have taken 8 - 12 weeks to process. You did not mention what the total time would be from the the return was filed. You may have completed it in late summer (within the 12 weeks I mentioned earlier) but when did you client mail it in?

The Pay-per-return from ATX cost $475, which could be kind of steep for one return (I am assuming your son's return was a NC or discounted). You may just want to purchase TT off the rack since you know how the return should turn out. I would be willing to do it with no fee required.

I would agree with Medlin.

It looks like there are two basic issues here. (1) Gifts to the pastor from the churches general fund and gifts made to the church to be given to the pastor. In both these cases, it would be taxable income to the pastor and deductible to the giver. (2) Gifts that are given directly to the pastor and gifts given to the pastor though the church (the checks are collected by the church but made out to the pastor). In this case, the gifts may be nontaxable and nondeductible. These two positions are nominally addressed by a number of court cases which can be provided upon request. This information, as pointed out earlier, is generally contained in Richard Hammer's tax book.

I would like to see those worksheets, also.