Lion EA

I have one of those, an older semi-retired engineer, who hasn't updated his spreadsheet heading since 2007, so his long-deceased wife's name and his and the year 2007 appear in the heading every year. He does put his name & SSN in the body, but not the year!

My website from CCH's SiteBuilder includes FileShare, a simple portal that works fine for my biz at no additional cost. CCH also offers a more robust portal. Try a demo of CCH's products first, if you use ATX. If neither of those work the way you work/your clients work, then see if your email or phone or accounting software or...has something already included or available in your budget.

Oh, you reminded me of another twist: my IC couples have at least two SE businesses per couple. One couple has hubby with CT and NY sources of income (NY is decoupling from lots of fed items) and wife with her own biz that now operates in Paris, also! And, my other out-of-CT clients that have had few issues in their other states -- well, now I have states other than just NY to research their compliance with &/or decoupling from fed law. I am really raising my fees this year!

Bite me sounds like a good response. I've already been contacted by four clients who aren't usually this early, but are almost ready to deliver me their tax materials. Three have IC income. I was dreading getting started late, so am happy I'll be able to start next week. But, be careful what you hope for -- I'm not happy that my first ones will deal with that dreaded QBID.

If I knew where my old HRB contracts are, I'd share those with you. Maybe someone from one of the large companies will jump in. Also, your E&O insurer might have sample contracts.

Colleagues in firms much, much larger than mine have received visits comparing Form 8879 dates with e-file dates. I did have a treasury agent show up at my front door (home office of my sole proprietorship) at 7 a.m. one year to ask questions about a very part-time employee. He scared hubby who asked to see his badge and made him wait outside in the snow until he woke me up. Totally different issue, though. Just don't want another agent showing up!

What about our prohibition against "stockpiling" signed tax returns, not being allowed to "hold" signed tax returns and e-file days later?

I have two fairly complex returns that I gave the options to the clients. Both ended up wanting to wait to e-file. I agree, because I don't want some part-timer doing the data entry with potential errors after I've already proofread the returns. Even scanning is not error proof. They both owe, but want to pay the extra month's interest to have an accurate return and the acknowledgment (one client works in Singapore, other is very elderly and frail).

The year after NY's last revision, CT also revised -- from two pages to five. Totally unneeded. I think I'll push electronic copies to everyone this year. (I still have two 2017 folders that clients haven't picked up that I'll mail before the end of the year.) I have a few clients who use my portal, so maybe they at least will take electronic copies.

Page 1 does have the check box for Preparer as 3rd Party Designee in the bottom right corner of the Paid Preparer Use Only section at the bottom of page 1, right above the Self-employed check box. Schedule 6 has Third Party Designee info for a non-preparer, such as an adult child for an aging parent. All the schedules are designed to print 8.5 X 11. Of course, the two "postcards" will have to print 8.5 X 11 also!

CCH is requiring cell phone numbers for users of ProSystem fx and SiteBuilder starting this month, today really with the download of the tax software. I'm a sole proprietor, so don't care about setting up employees. I do need to call Monday to see if they mean that all CLIENTS who upload/download using FileShare on my website must provide a cell.

Have you sent this to CCH who is now requiring MFA?

That's what I was remembering. Thank you for confirming. I'll get back to this now-ex-client (keeping the wife). 2/3 of the way through setting up the church's Advent Giving Tree. (Not to mention, need to do my exercises for my new hip.) Thank you again, Jack.

Can someone tell me off the top of their head: during a divorce, if on soon-to-be ex-spouse asks for a copy of their return, is that enough; or do I need permission from both spouses that were on the original returns? (Thanx, working on church function that's Friday, so buried in paper right now.)

Thank you. I love my PTs. But, I do warn them that when they see me make a fist, they better duck. Both have given me exercises that I'm sure are impossible!

This rehab is a full-time job! But, it's going much better than I'd imagined with much less pain than I'd imagined. I'm back to my cane and about as gimpy as I was before the surgery, but this time I'm improving most days instead of getting worse. My brand new left hip looks better than my right in the X-rays. Today I drive to physical therapy; for the last 2.5 weeks, a PT came to my house. Not bad for an old broad.

I have CCH's eSign, but haven't used it yet.

We saw The Green Book. Well done! And went away for Thanksgiving on my new hip (5 November 2018 hip). So far, so good. I'm thankful for my new hip and entire medical team and hubby Steve for taking good care of me.

I send my semi-retired hubby to make the return trip. He knows nothing about taxes, but knows where to get signatures with my flags. Perhaps you can find someone who works inexpensively to deliver the tax folders and get the signatures. You could even use the same person to do your pick-ups, and then you deal via telephone.

CCH Software News - IRS Announces Scheduled Maintenance of Electronic Filing System On the Last Day to File 1040 Returns For the Calendar Year Dear CCH Customer: The IRS issued the following QuickAlert regarding a planned outage of their electronic filing system during the upcoming weekend (November 17 and 18). This outage affects only the electronic filing status system: "The MeF Production system (IRS electronic filing) will be unavailable for scheduled maintenance during the following time periods: Saturday, November 17, 2018, starting at 8:00 a.m. Eastern through 6:00 p.m. Eastern Sunday, November 18, 2018, starting at 1:00 a.m. Eastern through 6:00 p.m. Eastern This Maintenance is being performed to ensure the system is functioning at peak performance. Please refrain from accessing the MeF Production System (IRS electronic filing) during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause." Returns released in Electronic Filing Status after 7:30 AM EST on Saturday, November 17, 2018, will be sent to the IRS after service is restored on Saturday, November 17, 2018, after 6:00 PM EST. Returns released in Electronic Filing Status after 10:30 PM EST on Saturday, November 17, 2018, will be sent to the IRS after service is restored on Sunday, November 18, 2018, after 6:00 PM EST. IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: The timing of this maintenance is significant because on October 17, 2018, the IRS announced that Saturday, November 17, 2018, was to be the last day TY2015 - TY2017 Individual returns could be eFiled before they begin updating for TY2018. Therefore, you will need to be releasing your returns to CCH earlier than originally planned. Here is a revised time frame for your planning: The IRS requires CCH, as a transmitter, to stop sending submissions at 10:00 PM EST. Therefore, you must release your returns so they are in Transmitted status no later than 9:59 PM EST on Saturday, November 17, 2018. However, to ensure all federal, state, and city returns are in transmitted status by the deadline, you should release returns as early in the day as possible. We recommend you release your returns no later than 7:00 AM EST on the morning of Saturday November 17, 2018. This is particularly important for the following scenarios: The IRS begins maintenance on their electronic filing system for Individual returns on November 17, 2018, at 8:00 AM EST until 6:00 PM EST. Do not wait until the window of time after 6:00 PM EST through 9:59 PM EST to release your returns. If something goes wrong and the IRS does not return from their maintenance, no return will be transmitted in this window. States and cities linked to the Federal return. We hold the state/city in status Ready to transmit - Validation Complete until the Federal return is accepted. The acceptance of the Federal return could occur several hours after you release the Federal return. States and cities acknowledgements of returns. States/cities are required to return acknowledgements by 11:30 PM EST, and a higher volume of returns at the 10:00 PM EST transmitter deadline could create a return processing back-log for the state/city jeopardizing the return of acknowledgements to the transmitter. Should a state not acknowledge a return by the deadline, you will not receive the acknowledgement until after the 2018 tax year filing season opens in early 2019, with the exception of 2015 return acknowledgements which will not be posted to eFile Status. We have reached out to the IRS asking if they are truly going to perform this maintenance, and at the time of this Software News email, we have not received a reply. If the situation changes after you have read this email, we will send another to provide you with an update. NOTE: This information only applies to the electronic filing status system and does not impact the use of the tax products. Find answers to your questions in our Knowledge Base, and visit the Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting Community forums to connect with professionals like you. Please feel free to Contact Us online if you have any questions. Sincerely, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, North America

I was listening to the Nutcracker Suite (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies?) on hold with the IRS. The phone clicked and then went back to the music, so I was afraid someone had picked up and then left, leaving me at the end of the line again or even in IRS limbo. So, I picked up my house phone (home office with my own office line, but house phone is at the back of my desk for convenience) and dialed in on the second phone. Now, with a phone in each hand on speaker playing loudly and not together, I danced (I can't dance) through the house to get another cup of tea. I forgot I'd left the storm door open for a client due a bit later, and danced through the entryway to the surprise of the UPS man on the other side of the glass door and my mortification!

At an audit once, the IRS auditor complimented me on using the appropriate historical percentage for land vs. building for the date placed into service as a rental. Yes, your purchase percentage and sales percentage most likely will differ.

Remember that the tax rate will be determined by the federal income. Then your software applies a ratio to include the CA income/federal income X tax rate. Check the Sch S and go through the CA return line by line to see how it flows.

1. Put me on your list. 2. Is this for tax preparers? 3. QBI, but liaise with the S-corp and sole prop presenter. 4. M&E, depreciation, and QBI are needed for all entities. 5. New C-corp tax rates and changes. 6. New info that must be on K-1s, and what to expect on your K-1 from a PTP, etc. 7. Ratio of time to spend depends on 3. 8. Can we get streaming video of your presentation?

It would be great to increase my giving. If it's important when I'm closer to poor, then it will be important if I were to become rich. My church, Appalachia Service Project, cancer research, the educational foundation of ADPi, and a few others. And, a fund for my granddaughter plus some for my sister whose health cut short her working years. And, hubby and son if their needs increase. If I didn't have to work, I'd be volunteering more, so more to that organization(s) whatever it might be. House repairs and enough savings to get us through all the medical issues beginning to arise (hip replacement 5 November, for instance). Probably some to Bridgeport University which gave me a free MBA in finance as the first Benton Fellow. The NY/CT-Association of Tax Professionals works to help accounting students explore tax preparation, attend our seminars, etc., so probably some to help the next generation of EAs. I could fly to Rita's and buy all the provisions for the next gathering (with the current jackpot, I could fly ALL of us to Rita's!) I don't think I would run out of ideas.