Gail in Virginia

I knew it would be back soon, but it still makes me lonesome when the site is down.

I think that one of the points Terry was making is that if the daughter was a full time student for at least some part of five months of the year, under age 24, and parents provided more than 50% of support, her income does not matter and she could be claimed as a dependent. They may choose not to claim her since she made that much money, or she may have provided over half of her own support in which case they cannot claim her, but the gross income test does not apply in this case.

Catherine beat me to the explanation and even included video. Great book, and the movie was actually just as good. IMHO.

And they can elect to deduct the first $5,000 in startup costs rather than capitalizing them if total start up costs are less than $50,000. If more than $50,000 then the amount that can be deducted is reduced.

I argued with my son's third grade teacher about teaching him to write cursive- the school seemed to feel that they would all be using computers and would not need to know how to write well. I become the meanest mother in school that summer when I made my son write the US Constitution, with all amendments, in cursive over the summer break. His handwriting is still atrocious, but he can write and read cursive.

If the original return was on extension, you have three years from the date the return was filed provided it was filed by October 15, 2013.

I first noticed with ATX 2012, and then with ProSeries since then, that updates can sometimes change the way a return calculates. And if I go back into a return and change something after I print the copies, it lets me change it, even accidentally. Way back in the dark ages I could mark a return complete in ATX and it took quite an effort to change something. I try, before e-filing, to look at the summary and make sure the refund still says what I expect it to. Then immediately e-file before something happens that could change what I have done.

You are welcome in my commonwealth anytime!

I don't mind the non-perforated W2s; sometimes I am guilty of that . When I prepare W2s they get the first one on perforated paper; if I am reprinting them again and again, they sometimes take what they get. And I think that you have earned the $75 getting the 1099s corrected. And then some.

It was not business property so no to 4797. I would report on 8949/Sch D. Basis equal to value at DOD of dad plus expenses not deducted elsewhere.

Elderly client made appointment weeks ago. Two daughters are handling his paperwork. We start the return when they all three get here, and I get the information about his rental property and medical deductions from one daughter. She asks what else I need. I tell her all the 1099s for interest and dividends, the social security statements, his charitable contributions, his wife's IRA withdrawal. Other daughter says, I have all of that, I can drop it off tomorrow. What are they thinking??????????

I know the instructions say to file together. I did that for a client who owed the penalty on a regular IRA. She paid the penalty with her return. I never convinced the IRS that it was filed and paid before she died and they gave up trying to collect the 50% penalty twice. Even though I resubmitted copies over and over. And talked to people on the phone. And wrote letters. That is why if I do it again I will do a separate submission. And not pay the penalty before requesting the waiver. Most frustrating experience I ever had with IRS.

I have not had this particular situation, but I think that I would file the penalty completely separate from the regular tax return and request the waiver with the filing, but not pay the tax until the waiver is denied. I hope that you will keep us advised on what you decide to do and how it turns out for your client.

I haven't used ATX since 2012, but if memory serves, to enter interest paid by an individual, if you click on the very first line of the schedule B and follow the link, you will go to a page where you can enter seller-financed interest income from individuals. Might have changed since I used it, though.

I *think* you attach the POA to an 8453 and send it to IRS. Everything else is done like any other e-file.

I have a student whose return was accepted 2/12/16. He still does not have his refund. I think that it is because he is claiming himself, and getting refundable AOC, the IRS is checking a little harder. I have told him that. But since he is a student and self-supporting, he could really use that money. But as far as I am aware, there is nothing that anyone can do to cause the IRS to release a refund until they are ready.

Maybe next time won't be during tax season and you can take your dog and go to a spa somewhere while they visit with hubby.

A technical termination is deemed to have occurred if there is a sale of exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in the partnership within a 12 month period. But I believe the regs at Section 1.708-1(b)(2) specify three transactions that are NOT deemed to be sales or exchanges triggering a technical termination, and the first one is disposition of an LLC interest by gift, bequest or inheritance. I am not positive, but I think that if he had sold his interest to his daughter in law, it would have triggered a termination but giving it to her did not. You might want to read this article http://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2014/jun/case-study-june2014.html

Nobody has ever given me underwear. I am just not sure how to react to that.

ProSeries has the worksheet. I don't know how you will handle it with OneDesk. Did you post in the separate OLT/OneDesk section of this forum?

I love a happy ending!

My assistant was just saying today that it was a good thing video phones have not become standard for communicating since clients could tell by my face what I was thinking when I answered their calls.

But if the the hotel expenses would have been deductible, then I see no reason why the portion of the use of the mobile home that replaces the deductible hotel expense, should not be a business expenses. But beware of the rules about temporary jobs vs establishing a tax home, and consider the consequences at the end of the temporary job if he converts the RV to personal use or sells it.

Actually, if they took the same information to someone with less knowledge instead of taking the return to be checked, they may have gotten a worse answer. I am glad they actually admitted that you were right - some clients won't do that if they go this far in questioning the preparer.