NECPA in NEBRASKA

Last night when I shut down my computer, it took forever and then I got a blue screen. I did what it said and shut it of. I turned it back on and it started just fine. This morning I turned it on and it stuck at the splash screen. I called my IT guys and it's on its way to the computer hospital. I hope that it's an easy fix, because I really don't want to tell everyone that is left that they have to go on extension. I'm so upset. I was booking right along and was way ahead of last year.

I am also glad to see that my thoughts on this exact situation were actually correct. I warned my client that using a HELOC on his current home to purchase a rental house would not have deductible interest because of the new law in 2018. He did not like my interpretation and went ahead and did it. He will not be happy when he has his 2018 taxes prepared, unless he goes to someone else.

I was talking to my sister the other night and Siri on her Ipad said something. My sister said "Siri shut up you (insert very innapropriate word)" and Siri replied, "There's no need for that". We died laughing. I swear these things really are getting their own thoughts.

I am way ahead of last year for returns finished, but I am really slowed down right now on some large ones for elderly clients, several with dementia. One switched brokers and sold all of their investments when they went to the new one. I am slowly using tax tools to figure the basis back to 2001. Apparently the old broker said that they would not or could not provide the basis. I wish that I could just push the easier ones to the front, but that's not fair to the more difficult ones. I love my elderly clients, many have been with me since I was a college intern. I wish some of the younger ones had their patience.

You are not CRAP. You are human and we are not perfect. That was something large enough that the client should have noticed. I work on my own and I have made a few mistakes over 39 years. I always try to learn from them, so that I make a different mistake the next time. I really hope that none of my self employed health insurance ACA returns come back to bite me. I have definitely tried to slow down and not rush through the return and I never prepare them in front of the client. When I screw up, I admit it, give the client a break and pay penalty and maybe interest. You are doing good and among friends.

We had to prepare a short form in high school personal finance. I still remember so much from that class. My son did not have anything that taught him common sense in high school or college. He learned a lot, but I am still trying to teach him to shop sales, use coupons and have a budget. I have so many "kids" in their 30s that have their parents bring in their taxes to be prepared.

I ran scans with Malwarebytes and AVG.

I was in Firefox. What they had me do, was do Alt Control Delete - then hold the shift button and the red power button on the lower right of the screen and shut it off. I don't know if it really clears the cache or not, but it has stayed away.

Congrats to everyone that can coast. I had some popup terrify me with a Red screen and someone yelling through my speakers about that my computer may be infected.when I wasn't even touching my computer. I was using my old fashioned calculator. I dont know how it got through Malwarebytes and AVG. I got out of it quickly and called my IT guys who just told me to shut down and clear the cache. It seems to have worked so far. My mind just does not need any more stress. I don't have the land that Rita does, but I am seriously considering a wood chipper and going all Fargo on some people .

My husband is my rock! He does most of the housework and all of the cooking. I learned that I needed to do my own laundry, because every tax season I would lose something that I loved to his love of bleach or shrinkage. He acts as my receptionist by greeting my customers and they love to talk to him. They look at his garden and flowers. He has even washed a client's car, because she joked about it while he was washing ours. He takes wonderful care of my mother. and is more patient than my sister or I . He handles most of the people when they come to sign after I've talked to them on the phone. Last week, a couple had an appointment with him and showed up 45 minutes early while he was out. I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard the driveway alarm, threw on sweats as fast as I could and ran outside barefoot and with soaking hair to get their signatures. That is one of the things that I hate the most about working at home. When I had the office, they would just cool their heels in the lobby. I am very lucky that he can do pretty much anything. His heart is getting weaker, but we just take one day at a time. For something funny, my mom told my sister today that her back was hurting because she has a bone sticking out of it. Heather checked and it was her shoulder blade. We laughed for a long time this afternoon about that one. This has been a terrible tax season, but I'm learning that there are more important things in life to worry about and my family comes first. I could not do this without all of you. All of the tax people that I have worked with have either gotten out of this rat race, retired or have passed away so I am so grateful to Eric for establishing this board. Thanks, Bonnie

I have used this thread many times and am so grateful that you guys can understand the instructions. I just can't remember from year to year how to do this stuff. Why is it that so many of our self-employed clients are getting SS and making the calculations even more difficult. I really love when they come in and tell me that I have to make sure that the income is this amount. I tell them, no you had better have made sure that you reported your income to the marketplace. An IRA contribution saved my last one's rear. I just wish that it would all go away.

This has been an ATX problem in the past. It has to be on their end again. I am afraid that I have one hanging in limbo, because I was transmitting two and it the little circle spun for awhile, then said that the first had been transmitted to EFC, but the second got the error message.

Just a heads up! I should not have jinxed it when I said that I had not had any issues with ATX. I am now getting a system error when transmitting and there are a bunch of others reporting on the ATX board.

I renewed in May, but had the option to pay an amount down and for $25 pay the remainder in March. I guess it kept me from looking around, but after this long it would take a lot to get me to jump ship. I am lucky because I have not had software problems like others. I just really wish that they would finally prepare Nebraska corporations. They have done Iowa all along and they are way more complicated.

Thanks! Judy, I was only thinking about the fact that the daughter already received an exemption from the marketplace. Since the information given to the marketplace for 2017 and 2018 was totally incorrect, I could not reconcile in my head which way the mother should file. When I asked her why she applied for it that way, she said that she didn't think her income was any of their business. I hate this ACA crap. This was never an issue when the daughter had SSI and Medicaid. She is back in court again trying to get it back. I will claim the daugher on Mom's return and she will have to deal with the marketplace if they come back and ask why she applied with 0 income. I know that they were relying on her court case being over in 2017, but it has been dragging on for months. Pacun, She didn't receive any insurance from the marketplace or anywhere else. Thanks!

I'm pretty sure that the mother did not fill out the marketplace application for her 49 year old daughter correctly. She used the daughter's income of $549 and did not include hers. The daughter is disabled, but lost her SSI in 2016. She received a marketplace exemption for low income and because she does not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. The mother works and her income is 734%. She also has employee health insurance for herself. I think that she needs to not claim her daughter for 2017 and 2018, since she did the same thing for 2018. Apparently she is unable to get health insurance for her through the private market due to whatever issues her daughter has. I just don't think that putting the exemption code will fly on the Mom's return. Please correct me if I am overthinking this, but I don't think that she can claim her on her return, but not show her as a dependent on the marketplace. Thanks to anyone that feels like confirming or denying my thoughts. I don't know why people don't ask before they do this stuff.

Catherine, she finally passed all of her tests today so we are very blessed. It made a great Easter even better. She went home this afternoon. I probably won't be able to see her again until after 4/17, because even though they are only an hour away, that's more time than I can spare right now. We can video chat though!

Happy Easter everyone! We will go out to eat with my Mom and a few cousins and then I will be back working. I have slacked off some, because our son came home yesterday afternoon and I wanted to spend some time with him. I'm also stressed because our new granddaughter is still in the NICU after 8 days and she is still having trouble feeding and her oxygen levels are too low, especially when she is sleeping. They are doing a sleep study tomorrow night to see if they can pinpoint a problem. We just keep praying that she will make a speedy recovery.

I'll try to help. I only have non-resident Iowa partnership k-1s, so I've never actually used this form. The allocations work well for the Iowa return. Are the K-1s coming from the same partnership? I think that based on the K-1 input, the K-1 information should only be flowing through to the state on that K-1. Are you getting the errors when you try to create the E-file? I would make sure that they are getting allocated to the correct state. You can send the NE K-1 copy as a PDF attached to the return if you can ever get the e-file created. I would not be surprised if you had to paper file, just because NE is a little antiquated and ATX is not really up to speed on Nebraska returns. I have been begging to have partnership and corporation returns added to ATX's efile program ever since Nebraska finally figured it out and allowed e-filing a couple of years ago. I hope this helped a little, but I don't see any other way to get the correct state except for in the address.

First, I would check on ATX for the e-file acknowledgement. I had this happen once and had to shut down ATX and reopen. The missing returns showed up. If that does not work for you, then check the backup folder.

I just had this same issue turn up in the mail from an executor for a client that I thought I was done working on. Taxpayer passed away in 12/16. I filed the final 1040 and some attorney was supposed to be handling the estate according to the out of state executor. Today I get a bunch of 2017 1099s all in the taxpayers name and SS#. YEA!!! I have to track down the executor and find out what the heck happened to the "estate" and explain that there is no 1040 for 2017 and see if there is a federal ID # for the estate. You would have thought that the executor would have called me before just dumping the stuff in the envelope with no note or phone number.

According to the wording, they can earn or buy-in to take a guest. She did not pay anything additional, so I guess she earned the trip. She did tell me that I'm not the only tax preparer to question writing off the entire trip. I will ask her about the amount being the same, but the company had to pay for two plane tickets. If she didn't take a guest, they would have put another rep in her room with her. I am going to have her check and see if the total price would have been the same if it was just her. Thanks for trying to help me. I've been doing a lot of reading and it says it has to be 75% business for international travel. So I will keep asking questions.

I want to make sure that I'm not being a jerk or overly cautious. A client received an incentive trip that included her guest. The cost of the entire trip to Jamaica to an all-inclusive resort was included on her 1099 MISC along with her sales income. I didn't know anything about it, until she emailed me and said that other reps were writing off the trip. I argued that it was a vacation and then she sent me the guidelines from her company that since it was a business and training event, that it could be deducted. They had meetings that they were required to go to. Her guest attended the meetings, but is not an employee or a rep. I said that only her portion of the trip would be deductible and not her guest. She is balking, but I don't see anyplace that a spouse/whatever on a trip is deductible. I may be nuts, but I think that part of the amount should come out as 50% deductible for meals. The only thing that I can see is using Per Diem for those days. The company did not charge her for her guest, it was part of her reward. Does anyone have any ideas on another way to handle it? I don't want to rob anyone of a legit deduction, but everything that I can find says that the spouse portion is not deductible. Thanks!

I used 3/9 in my engagement letter. Even if I have a chance to get them done, it lights a fire under some of the stragglers. I have a lot still to prepare and way too many prior years.

I got mine this year from CNA with my liability insurance. I'm not sure about the coverage, but I know that it's not huge. I'm too lazy to open the fire safe and look.