Jack from Ohio

It is not an Illinois problem. It has started since this morning's program update. Every e-file trying to be created give the same message. It IS a bug. Everyone send an e-mail to tech support complaining... I am sure the phone lines are even MORE jammed up today, so send e-mails!

I wish my PIA clients would respond that way! I have offered these 3 clients the same thing every year, and they STILL come back!!

14 inches total in SW Ohio. I VERY WELL remember '78! Today I spent two hours behind my snowblower to clear our 20 foot driveway and about 100 feet of sidewalk! Now just where is all that ice-pack-melting global warming that Al Gore so vehemently defends as being real??

I use pdf factory and save a pdf of the return immediately after I recieve acknowledgement from IRS. It is the copy I keep for my files, and a perfect reference if "anything" gets changed on the return. I put all the worksheets, including the invoice in it. Then I can print any page and it will be exactly as submitted to the IRS.

Is this the "Joke of the day" thread?

What would prevent the SP from claiming her $4,000 REFUNDABLE credit?

He should insist that the broker forward him the credit he promised he would be eligible for, and then when the taxpayer gets the refund, he can return it to the broker.

Client is an individual. Nothing unusual on the return. Client has been a sole proprietor for several years showing some profit each year till 2008 where her business (due to lower sales and commissions) showed a legitimate loss of $4K. (We do her business bookkeeping) My gut feels like this is a new way of starting audit. I will post what I find when I talk to the representative. Any other thoughts?

If the recipient of SS, SSI, SS Disability, VA disability or Railroad pension was receiving benefits as of Jan 2009, the received the check. They also received a letter telling them about it. Only someone that started receiving benefits during or after Feb 2009 did NOT receive the check. IRS system WILL verify and reject mis-matches, but did not seem to think it important to establish a webpage to give us access to the information like they did for the stimulus payments in 2008. Our government at work.

Dear CLIENT NAME: Your federal income tax return for the year shown above has been selected at random for a compliance research examination.We must examine randomly selected tax returns to better understand tax compliance and improve the fairness of the tax system. If we find any errors during the examination, we will give you the opportunity to explain them. The results of this and other compliance research examinations will improve our efforts to help taxpayers understand and follow the tax law, reduce unnecessary and costly examinations, and reduce burden on taxpayers. Please read the enclosed Notice 1332, Why Your Returnis Being Examined What You Need To Do: Please call me on or before February 8, 2010. Ican be contacted from 7:00am - 3:30ptn at the contact telephone numberprovided above. What We Will Discuss During our telephone conversation, we will discuss: • Items on your return that I will be examining • Types of documentation I will ask you to provide • The examination process • Any concerns or questions you may have • Details of our first meeting - the date, time and agenda Someone May Represent You You may have someone represent you during any part of this examination. If you want someone to represent you, please provide me with a completed Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, at our first appointment. This notice was dated Jan. 29, 2010 and they expect response by Feb. 8, 2010. Is this something new? Is it a "Phone Audit?" I would appreciate any input from all you experienced preparers.

Same here. Saving me a LOT of time creating, changing, comparing, etc. It's a computer program for heaven's sake, we have been asking for this kind of functionality for YEARS! If the program would split them, that would be the ultimate, but knowing whether I NEED to split is a BIG timesaver.

Thanks for the heads up!! Did you also notice the MFJ vs MFS Federal worksheet now calculates the state as well? A nice addition, if you ask me.

The other PIA part of this credit is how it applies to people that receive VA disability payments. I had one reject because "the amount on the form did not match IRS records" and I had no idea the taxpayer was receiving VA disability. He is 28. Needless to say, it will be something that we must ask every client. Our congress at work!

I think I will start telling folks 3 weeks from the day your return is e-filed. If they get in in 8 days I am a hero.

"Your Our Congress passed legislation intended to 'stimulate' the economy by giving a tax break to all working citizens. In their haste to pass legislation to be able to say 'We gave you a tax cut' they created a new law that was not clearly explained to the American public, and was not 'proportionally the same' for all working citizens. Therefore, your paychecks have been a bit larger for most of the year (Did you notice that?) and sometimes the credit does not completely replace the paycheck reductions." "Oh, by the way, BE SURE TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER 2010!" I do also like KC's suggestion. Shows reality instead of perception.

Will that work to import modified forms (that don't have calculations) from the 2008 program? I made many modifications to letters etc in the 2008 program and it would be nice just to import them instead of making all the changes again.

See! Ohio has Buckeyes of great skill and value that DON'T play football!! Congrats JB! From a fellow Buckeye who has 3 kids FINALLY pulling their own weight and the youngest one GRADUATING college in MAY!!

.pdf with maximum compression

There is NO transmittal fee when using FeeCollect. Then under "Forms" on the Return Manager screen, click on "Billing Rates" and add your charge to the FeeCollect Form. This has worked for me for the past 4 years. The program will NOT allow you to e-file until 3 different "consent" forms are marked and filled in, and there must be a dollar amount due on the invoice. If you need any more help, contact me directly and I will be able to walk you through it. I have had NO issues with FeeCollect other than one client whose total refund was snagged for back child support. I was NOT charged by FeeCollect, and I had to pursue payment myself. That was not a FeeCollect issue, but a "not so honest" former client issue. Jack

Same here, only I have used FeeCollect since it was made available. Never any transmitter fee. I have not signed up yet, and would like to be sure before I send info to my clients. Does anyone have a clear written statement about the transmitter fee WITH FeeCollect yet? An additional $11 will likely kill my FeeCollect business.

Just use your black and white laser printer. The pdf version fits all on one page, and even though it is black and white, it is very readable. If I were to put one of those in each of my clients't folders, it would only reduce the number of calls asking "when should I expect my refund" by 1. ( I have approx 157 clients.) People would rather call than read.

These answers will all change in the coming years if the IRS has its way. Stay tuned for further developments...

Fee collect has worked for me for the past 3 years. Before that I did 2 RALs a year because customers "demanded" them. When I told them I would only do FeeCollect and it was only $15, they decided that 8-14 days to save a couple hundred bucks was ok. I lost 0 clients by only using FeeCollect. The banks dug their own hole concerning the RALs. And dishonest taxpayers/preparers claiming fraudulent First Time Home Buyers credit just blasted it deeper. I use ATX and do all the signup from the program. It is not too late.

The IRS speaker at our local PTP group answered the question about a look-up page with "I have no clue!" Since the checks were sent from SS, how would the IRS have the information to make available to us? Anyone that thinks the SS & IRS will become real chatty and share information also stored food for Y2K, and believes in man made global warming.

I agree with you 100% I too, am currently unenrolled and but for family issues this past summer, would have taken the EA exam. I too, am not concerned about not passing it. I will take it as soon as tax season is over. Bring on the preparer requirements. I do fear that the IRS will be a toothless tiger in this area. So much fraud is already happening and not being challenged, how are they going to police this? On the other side of the coin, I make a good deal of money fixing things for people who have had "a friend that does it for me" prepare their returns. The big T-T that spends millions advertising on TV is good for my business and my bottom line.