Catherine

Judy has the track I would take - get proof of application, show it was the government itself that caused the delay. Much better chance of getting approval.

Welcome back @mcb39 - may your strength return quickly.

Oh, yeah - along with all the nonsense already listed, the #$%^ letter also yaks about tax returns, taxable years, taxable income, etc. This is a 100% foreign entity, not subject to US taxation whatsoever. So it seems these nincompoops are expecting to make a buck off of something not under their jurisdiction, half a world away.

Situation: client is originally from Australia and is now resident in the US. His father lived in Australia all his life; no connection with the US other than his son's family was here. Father died a good ten years ago. Left his estate in trust, with his wife (client's stepmother) having a life interest in the home they shared. She has also now passed, and the trust is being wrapped up with home being sold etc. As part of this wrap-up of an Australian trust for an Australian estate, the client received some money as (a good chunk of) his inheritance from his father's estate. Long convoluted name is "trust for estate of the late john q smith" and listed as such in Line 2a of Form 3520 along with the Australia-only address (of one of the trustees, *not* my client). Monies received (in four tranches) listed as "corpus distribution from trust for deceased father's estate." Form 3520 was mailed in back in February of this year. Client now sends to me a CP 576 A notice dated late March 2024, that finally wended its way to the trustee in Australia - mistakenly listing my client as trustee (he is not). The notice says "we assigned you an EIN" and then demands a filled-out Form SS-4, Application for EIN. Does anyone here have any idea what gives? There is absolutely no connection between this trust/estate and the US, there should be no US EIN assigned to it, and I have no idea whatsoever on how to respond to the client's query on "what do I do with/about this?" Advice, pointers to information, instructions on where and how to hide under my desk, all gladly accepted. Can I retire now?

Please note I said flat-out I had no idea if it was true or not (and frankly the comment about a Commodore 64 tends strongly to the "false" category) but simply that I thought it was amusing. Figured we could all use a smile; that's all.

Don't know if it's true, but got a kick out of this one.

State treasurer bought a ticket for one of those European sweepstakes things? Good for them for wanting to figure out what on God's green earth is going on.

Fix the worksheet, or make a note for next year to correct the carried-forward total, and leave it be.

I don't recognize ATX errors any longer, and most new posters here with Ttx icons visible are not tax professionals. Thanks.

This is a professional-only forum and does not support ANY TurboTax (I see the icon on the screen) problems of any kind. Contact TurboTax for help.

Thank you, @JohnH - I will most certainly read that.

There's the rub. How to tell who qualifies? I'd send it to everyone - by email, with delivery receipt. I had a lady years ago for tax prep; turned out she was a director of a non-US company that her dad had started back before I was born. No pay for it, but every few years she got dividends. That's how I discovered it - one year she turned up with big dividends to report, from some company I'd never heard of. Never would have guessed it. She lived on alimony and the proceeds of a little sell-online business she had making cutesy house stuff.

To all the dads, step-dads, granddads, and more, on the Forum.

Except calm the client down repeatedly until they finally believe you, and subside.

I'm getting close to going back to green ledger paper and blank tax forms on paper. It's just ridiculous.

Thank you to all. I will discuss with the person in question.

I'd question the lawyer why s/he is recommending this complicated structure. What is the intent - asset separation, asset (personal & business) protection, corporate veil, employee separation, what? The concerns leading to the recommendation may point out the best tax/accounting method. But right now, I can see good reasons to do any of the structure types listed above. Eeny meeny miney moe - get some reasons by their toe!

Except, @BrewOne, they can do this and separate ministerial income from non-ministerial income before starting to take socsec. My question was on the timing. I know a minister who did all his ministerial stuff as sideline freebies for years, but now that he is retired wants to spend more time as a minister - which will bring in income.

There is another piece here, that can be made worse by working for the practice buyers. Some may think they can continue to "request" (i.e., thinly veiled demand) you to work on their returns. I've had several of those instances since I sold of 3/4 of my practice about 7 years ago now. Two of those are going to be told (once their returns are filed for this year; both on on extension for reasons related to events outside their control) this year that for next year they either have to work with the guys who bought my practice, or go elsewhere. Not wanting to let go of me I can understand at some level, but I also want to have fewer, not more, clients. I've been letting it slide not wanting to be hard-nosed about it, but it's time. Yet another issue is that a new owner/practitioner - even if you have trained them! - is going to do some things differently. Checklists instead of organizers. Letters sent out later in January, or only by email, or paper copies of returns only to those who ask. They won't take checks, or Amex, or want payment up front instead of upon delivery. That will feel "wrong" to the retiring practitioner. It's not wrong; it's just different. Don't bad-mouth them for it, don't try to change it, just back off and let them deal. It can be surprisingly hard at first!

May a minister claim exemption from socsec/medi tax, for religious reasons, on his ministerial income if he is also receiving soc sec based on wages from prior non-ministerial jobs (from which there is no exemption unless one is Amish or similar)?

I agree completely. I have some clients - US citizens - who were living abroad when their kids were born and did not get SSNs for the kids right away when they returned. Missed some dependent credits and child tax credits; they were not very happy that no one, when they were planning their return, warned them.

When the reporting went from paper forms to fill in and mail, to online only, they also instituted sky-high penalties for preparers who fill out forms, from client documents, in good faith, and completely true so far as they have any knowledge. At that point, I started telling clients - you do it. Not me. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not ever. Someone gives me wrong info and I have to pay? No way, no how, not ever. So yeah, I won't touch them because of possible vicious penalties.

Love it - in a horrified "this is SO true" sort of way.

Take a nap until then! Or work on someone else's stuff.

Nah. Send 'em a link to Direct Pay and tell 'em to make sure they pick EXTENSION payment. Or (securely) send 'em a coupon to mail in with a check.