Margaret CPA in OH

I have tried repeatedly to access e-services the past few days without success. Is it just me? I have a client leaving for Germany for several months who has an issue to be resolved. I've faxed the 2848 but cannot access any way to see his 2015 transcript. Suggestions?

Well, I did renew before August so have to do some digging, I suppose. Hmph, I just looked at my invoice from May. There is no mention of Answer anything so guess I am sol. It kinda irks me to have to pay for 1040 Lite which I don't use and 2 additional user licenses when there is only one of me and old books which I don't want or need. Guess that's one way to clear out the old inventory.

Aha! I just have Max. Intelliconnect used to be included with Max so that's probably why my username and password still work. I just don't have access. At nearly 72 and seriously looking at retirement, I won't be spending more on tax software, won't be growing my business and can certainly find ways to access needed information, including this fabulous board. Thanks for helping to solve this problem. I was wondering if it was related to bad breath or something else on my part

I was also redirected there but still get the expired page notice. I'll try another day.

Hmm, I keep getting the message that the page has expired and is no longer available. What am I missing?

This is one reason I keep the most recently replaced computer still active and available. What I am now wondering is what happens with the changing password needed to login in now. Will it still be required to change with the same frequency? My less than secure method of remembering the current password is to change the name on the desktop icon to the current password. How the H**L else am I to remember it? I do have a password on my computer. Things like this are pushing me ever closer to retirement. I work now to pay for my scuba diving trips but am questioning the cost to my sanity.

Thanks for this information and reminder to us all. Every part of the country has the possibility of some disaster, natural or human induced. We here are all grateful for your safety and wish you well in the difficult return to 'normalcy.'

SaraEA, for a moment there I had a glimmer of hope. I have a landline! Alas, NoMoRobo doesn't work on the traditional copper wire lines like mine, only on VoIP, it seems. I deliberately kept my traditional landline despite being inundated by Cincinnati Bell to convert to Fioptics because no power means no phone. So long as I have my business, I keep the landline. I switched briefly a few years ago keeping my fax line as land and the power promptly went out. I switched back. So 833.217.3824 keep on coming. I am well over 30 now with 6 in one day recently. I've taken to occasionally answering then promptly hanging up just to avoid the message left on voice mail. It is really tiring, annoying and all those curse words you can imagine. Do you suppose if I do call back that number they will leave me alone? HAH!

Yes, I have fired clients, well, only two, who were like this. As you noted, it isn't worth it to you or me to care more about their returns than they do. Recently I have been going on dive trips in the fall so have a much earlier deadline which has been honored. And I build in plenty of time for me to complete the work. About a month out I remind those stragglers that I will be out of the country so they should start looking around for someone else. This year, no stragglers! Well, there are the new clients, one now in Berlin never having filed but we are almost caught up from 2011 and another new one who has to wait until Oct. 6 to meet the physical presence test. But her returns are actually finished. Cranky is okay!

Oh, these cell phone calls with my area code and first 3 digits are driving me nuts along with the never ending robot voice and at least 30 calls now on my landline phone - leaving voicemail messages! - from 833.217.3824. I no longer answer my phone at all unless I know who is calling. But with this last one leaving voice mail messages, I can't even escape that now. Arrrgggghhhhh!!!!!

Excellent question! I just watched a pretty good CPA Academy webinar today on US Expat Taxation and realized that self employment was not covered. Have you scoured Pub. 519? It would be tricky with a non tax treaty country, I would think. Let us know; I'll keep poking around, too, as I seem to be getting more and more clients with international issues.

Thanks, B. Jani, for this caution. There are multiple issues, however, with your solutions. The foreign address is not in Ohio so some concern about continued official residency in the state and being a resident alien for several years. She has only a temporary absence akin to a sabbatical for research but her tax home is still in Ohio. How can she have a PO Box now? She is in Berlin. Who would pay for it and who would monitor? We are using direct deposit in every case as she is due only refunds for every year, federal and state. She is concerned about any correspondence from IRS not mailed checks. As I wrote earlier, originally she was reluctant to use direct deposit but is now all for it.

I did try for 2010 documents but e-services has nothing at all reported. I suspect she erred in remembering the first year here as 2010.All of her W-2's and IRS documents on e-services begin in 2011, the same year she bought her house. I misunderstood how she received her mailed refunds from 2013. The property manager forwarded them to Berlin but she is afraid of missing other mail. She was reluctant to have direct deposit for 2013 but now is eager as the time factor is so significant. Now if she would only respond to my emails! Oh, for these refunds a daytime phone number is required. Her number in Berlin won't work so I plan to put in mine. Problematic?

No, I didn't file 2010-2012 - yet. Honestly I didn't think it would matter but, you are correct, it might. There won't be any refund coming and so sad she is losing out on so much money but it wouldn't hurt to just mail them in, I guess. She doesn't have the W-2 from 2010, though, so not sure about filing without it. Thanks for the suggestion!

Thanks for all your replies. As it happens, I was at a function today sitting next to a local CPA who uses c/o her business address for several of her clients with dementia and efiles. As the client uses direct deposit, I have now offered that option to her as she expects to return next spring. She isn't here to set up a PO Box and who would be the designated receiver? I had forgotten that prior years can be efiled! So 2014 and 2015 can both be efiled through ATX? That would simplify so much! Thanks for all these replies.

Resident alien client, new to me, has not filed since here in the US since arriving in 2010. She has lost nearly $10K in refunds as her salary was over-withheld. She is now coming clean but had to leave the US as the university where she teaches forgot to do something about her visa. So she currently is in Berlin (originally from Australia) and will be there until about April establishing temporary residence to apply for her green card here (apparently this is not uncommon). We filed her 2013 returns in April just in time for the SOL and she received the refunds by check. Now we are ready to file 2014, 2015 and 2016. For 2016 we can efile and she can have direct deposit for federal refund but Ohio has to be a check as her driver's license expired Dec. 31, 2016. She owns a home here, paid off, but is looking to lease it while out of the country. What address should be used? She has every intention of returning to Ohio and still is on staff at the university teaching from Berlin and doing research so a temporary absence. She does have really good friends here whose address she probably could use for mailing purposes. She is just worried that things might go missing if her house is leased. She asked if my address could be used - not sure that's a good idea, though. Ideas?

Thanks for all that research, FDNY. I still think more should have been put into program improvements we've been requesting forever. Maybe next year - nah, not likely.

I wondered what type entity was CCH/Wolters Kluwer so looked it up. As it is an international company it does have shareholders so perhaps, to please investors, profits were passed through to shareholders. With the profit increase given the current status, why would they not just make the shareholders happy instead of the customers? Isn't that sort of the capitalist way? I'm thinking the figures cited above support whatever it is they are doing or not doing and our pleas to make our lives better as tax preparers are not as loud as the shareholder's voices. Just guessing.

Clearly we have too much time on our hands, are bored, or tired, or looking for diversions, or ....

Abby Normal, would you please spell out a bit the link you listed above? When I click on it, the login doesn't like me. I logged in directly with no problems but now don't see an obvious place that would list enhancements. Thanks!

Is this a gaggle of nerds or what?

In a previous life, I was a research assistant in genetic engineering in molecular biology. This 'recipe' is not so foreign sounding. To this day I have to measure liquids at the bottom of the meniscus at eye level.

Ain't it the truth about so many, many things: follow the money!

I've taken several courses from them. Some have been quite good with good reference material, others not so much. I try to steer away from the blatant sales oriented ones but the price is right. Among my favorites are KPMG and IRS SBSE Stakeholder Liaison Field webinars.

Thanks, SaraEA, for qualifying what we have 'easy.' The catch in Ohio is that we have to take a specific ethics course, not just any. And what comes prior to the ethics courses throughout our careers is not so easy hence the Can't Pass Again designation, at least for me! When I took the exam, it was 2 1/2 days to cover all parts at once. Now candidates can take one part at a time online. I understand it is more challenging now but to have to know it all (Auditing, Business Law, Accounting Theory and Accounting Practice) and spit it out in 2 1/2 days is something I really never want to do again.