Lion EA

Notice how Jainen has disappeared since I asked him for a cookie? Thank goodness he's generous with information.

But, will you give me a cookie?

Why don't you contribute to your 401(k) plan on a final 2008 payroll? If you have very little profit, an IRA allows $5,000 without being limited to profit. If you have more profit or are limited in IRA contributions due to being an active participant in an employer's plan, then a SEP has higher limits than an IRA but IS limited by your net SE income. You can contribute to your IRA up to 15 April and to a SEP through your return due date including extensions. You don't even mention Roth contributions. You need to sit down with your tax advisor to go over your individual situation in detail.

Happy Birthday :bday:

Amen!

Happy Birthday and Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

We all have our specialties. Someone who gets up early can be the first to offer birthday greetings.

Someone asked about HRB's TPS. As an ex-Blockhead who's still in touch with former colleagues, my take is that Block is using the TaxWorks software it purchased for entity tax preparation but TPS for personal returns. Don't know if that's their long-term plan, though. By good diagnostics I also mean over and above catching missing or inconsistent entries, the ones that would stop e-filing anyway. I mean reminding me during sleep-deprived March of alternate ways to handle something. I'm on my own and want the diagnostics to be my second set of eyes and that virtual colleague who bounces ideas around. ProSystem fx does a good job of that.

Thank you Eric & KC. Happy Holidays!

A very Merry Christmas to all my virtual colleagues and Happy Holidays of every kind no matter what you might celebrate or not celebrate this winter. Thank you all for talking taxes and providing stress relief and humor throughout the tax season.

I was with HRB. I've used ATX at Block and on my own. Last season I used ProSystem fx and absolutely love it. It's worth every penny. Although, to be honest, I received huge discounts as a small, start-up business. I renewed immediately but have mostly pay-per-return options for next season to get the entities and the states I need at the best price. I do love the support, even though you asked us not to mention that. I bought too late to get any training, so they had to talk me through a lot of tasks. They were extraordinarily helpful. I like the K-1s importing into the individual returns. And, I really love how simple it is to do kiddie tax. I like the choices about how to do things (even though the choices overwhelmed me my first year). I like how fast it prints. I like the diagnostics. I'm very happy with items carrying to other returns without me entering them twice. And, that includes multiple-state returns picking up the credit where needed (I have a lot of NY commuters living in CT). I thought Block's TPS was idiot proof, but ProSystem fx catches me when I'm going astray. :wub:

Just received an e-mail tonight that it left Minneapolis yesterday and will get to my door in CT 2 January 2009. Well, it won't get all the way to my door unless I shovel my walkway. Today the UPS man left a package out by the mailbox post at the street. I'm not giving him a Christmas tip!

It does work like a word processor. You highlight the text to which you want to apply codes, and then click the buttons you want. I typed Just testing... and then highlighted the text and clicked the buttons for bold, italics, and underline. I guess if I'm going to do one for real, I should enlarge the font.

Just testing...

In general, if you turn a code on with a word/phrase/formula, you then turn the code off at the end with a similar word and the / symbol in front of it as KC shows in her example.

Another use for an old Christmas tree! I think I'll save mine until 15 April and use it on the most deserving client of the day.

Does Mozilla Firefox catch spelling on this board, too? Well, I guess it does, since it's marking both "Mozilla" and "Firefox."

Do you have a Chase branch nearby? If not, I agree with Gail that you should talk to your own friendly, local banker to see if he will cash Chase checks from your clients with photo ID.

B of A is fixing their on-line backing service to coordinate with QB, sometime in December. Remember another large bank fixing their system already this month. Check with your bank. They will know if all runs smoothly with QB 2009 or if any patches are expected soon by either the bank or QB.

I hope Janitor Bob will post pictures.

And, has been mentioned, if you fill out the Preparer Information, then many "signature" blocks will be filled in automatically using whichever info is appropriate for each line.

Choose your own pin. My software defaults to the last five digits of the taxpayers' SSN. When you're the taxpayer, accept what your software suggests or choose your own pin.

Sure. Been inhaling paint fumes today. Gotta clear my head before the tax season. Form 8879 it is.

Form 8829 you keep on file for 3 years with their W-2s and any other w/h. Is that what you're talking about? Your software should generate the form for you.