Lion EA

Here's a webinar that has a strong commercial element, but it's free (I think). You should be able to get some good ideas. https://practiceignition.zoom.us/webinar/register/1316007117987/WN_Z_2atlMCSymM2pcUpCJGIw

I hear Oregon is a beautiful state. Lots of green. Except during wildfires! With a temperate climate that I would probably prefer. I do love CT, but it's expensive. And, Fairfield County is snobby. Now that 10,000 New Yorkers fled to our area during Covid, the attitude is even worse. And, hurricanes! I miss the friendliness of the Midwest. And, my sister and cousins in IL. The Art Institute. But, not the rioting. I remember Chicago during the Democratic Convention in the 1960s, I think. But, the mob mentality is so much worse now, everywhere. I also lived in CA for a decade. I found that all the friendly people I met there had come from the Midwest.

eSign is a standalone. (It works well from within ProSystem fx as I can send for eSign on the same screen as exporting/holding a return to e-file.) It can be managed completely from the eSign/AssureSign website for CCH users. FileShare is part of CCH's SiteBuilder website; it might be available as a standalone. CCH also has a more robust portal available as a standalone; more features if you have employees &/or your biz clients have employees. Talk to your sales rep. CCH's small business unit now includes Pro fx and all the CCH products, except perhaps Axcess, so check it out. I would expect the small biz unit would work with your on pricing a bundle that meets your needs. I have found that most of what I use along with Pro fx is also available to ATX users, and often at a much lower cost. I love IntelliConnect (now AnswerConnect) but it was pricey. Some years back, it was available to ATX users at a much, much lower price. I calculated that I could purchase the cheapest ATX version plus buy IntelliConnect as an ATX user and pay less than I was paying for IntelliConnect., while still preparing returns on Pro fx. I talked to my rep, and he worked out an IntelliConnect discount for me.

Thank you for the updates. My sister still lives in the house where we grew up in Bellwood. I attended Proviso East/Maywood and Proviso West/Hillside (they moved the boundary line) High Schools and worked at Marshall Field's in Oak Park. Growing up, I liked nothing better than to take a bus and the L into the Loop on Saturdays to use the Chicago Public Library and go to a museum and window shop and eat lunch at Marshall Field's. My sister -- pre-pandemic and when she could walk better -- enjoyed the Chicago scene for cultural events followed by good restaurants with her friends (they called themselves the Marching & Eating Society). I need to call her this weekend. I own farmland (corn & beans) in Montgomery County that my grandfather purchased in the 1880s or earlier, only a few acres as I have five cousins who received part of the farm also. I root for the Cubs and the Bears and belong to a Facebook group called I Grew Up In Bellwood, Illinois. You can't take IL out of the girl. I graduated from Michigan State way back in the 1960s. I miss the Midwest.

There might be a limit on how many likes you can make in a time period.

Me, too!

If any of you use CCH's AnswerConnect or any of the research iterations of IntelliConnect, it can be "connected" to your browser (I use Chrome and IE and dabble in Edge). When you search, you'll get a line that says "Display CCH AnswerConnect search results." Click on that to get AnswerConnect results. It doesn't take up screen space when you don't want your AnswerConnect results (or when there aren't any, such as searching for your dentist's phone number). It's always at work in the background. No need to first open AnswerConnect or be within a tax return.

I use FileShare that's included in my CCH SiteBuilder web site along with CCH's eSign that handles signatures as well as delivering a digital return copy. I had NO one come into my home office this year. Everyone, except for young kids with no digital footprint yet, was able to sign via eSign (now that NY finally accepts electronic signatures). For the kids who "failed" eSign, I uploaded signature pages to FileShare. Talk to your Drake rep about what they might offer &/or what they've found that works best with Drake. NAEA offers Verifyle free as a member benefit. Maybe NATP does also. Most of my clients still want their physical "tax folders," so I mail them (actually, Hubby mails them for me) when I have time. Some of my elderly clients don't have access to a scanner, so they mail me their tax documents/information, or UPS/FedEx/etc. The best thing I did when I created my home office was install a large mail slot in my front door for local clients to drop off. Contactless; I let their envelopes set for three days in my entryway.

Margaret and I were posting at the same time!

I think you have to do that with Verifyle, also. And, I have clients without printers, and not just the elderly. The young do everything on their smart phones and don't print anything!

If using eSign for MFJ, each spouse need an separate email. Each spouse gets an email on my behalf via eSign and follows the instructions. eSign combines the signatures and sends me an 8879 with both signatures and dates on it. I had a couple this year where the husband doesn't have email. Wife had email and could have one also at her work, so she had me use one for her and one for hubby, and all worked fine.

That makes me so sad, I have no words. I hope you're staying safe and well.

Lawry's is closing?!

If no touch screen, but a mouse, a client can use their mouse to sign.

Your tax prep software or internet provider or...might have a simple website that includes a simple portal. I use CCH's SiteBuilder website that includes FileShare. If you're an NAEA member (or NATP?) you can use Verifyle as a free member benefit to communicate securely with your clients, including exchanging documents. No clients came to my home office this year! They uploaded to FileShare, mailed, faxed (I use eFax right into my computer), FedEx/UPSed, and even dropped through the large mail slot in my front door (I let those papers sit in my entryway for three days). I have clients from CA to CT, FL to MA, TN to CO, 13 states in all.

They can use their finger on their smart phone or touch screen, but there's an option to just type in their name -- or so clients tell me. I myself cannot pass the verification (ex used this address for a long time, so no matter how many times I work with the credit bureaus, I still have things from his second marriage creep back in, get questions like what street did you live on in Syracuse or who was your mortgage holder on your current house or which number is your Brooks Bros account? that have nothing to do with me!!) so haven't been able to get all the way to the signing to test it myself. I'd hoped to have a client eSign in my office so I could watch the process from a client's perspective, but I had NO clients in my home office this year. I haven't had anyone "fail" eSign due to not being able to sign. I've had young kids without much of an electronic footprint out there who couldn't pass. (All my college-kid clients pass.) Because NY wouldn't accept any type of electronic signature until they tested it a bit this year (and finally voted it in) and I have NY residents and a lot of NY commuters, I haven't used eSign a lot until this year and not for all of this season. This is my third year with it. But now that NY allows electronic signatures, I try it first with all personal returns. (I don't think biz returns are eligible.) I think it's three out of four questions to "pass," but I've had clients who "fail" (usually a question way in their past) a couple times over my three years, and I just resend and they "pass" the second time. The resulting signature box is really teeny, tiny, but there's also a box that verifies it was eSigned with date/time. I'm going to ask around about the touch screen issue.

I use CCH's eSign. The license is free; you pay per signature. (And, if you want to use it for un-verified signatures, such as an engagement letter, there's a smaller fee. I haven't done that, though.) I've been happy with it. Even my older clients and those with few electronics have been able to use it. It's based on the AssureSign platform that a lot of my clients used for mortgages and other financial services.

Thank you, ALL. I pounded out a couple of less-complex returns over the weekend (going against my FIFO policy). It helped me feel motivated and productive! I'm down to five that are complex, at least 3-4 days each, which usually includes running the numbers for and explaining a option or two and discussing while they reach a decision and, maybe, digging up more information (me &/or them). So, that feels much more doable, now. And, a day for a long-time biz client in early October who would usually wait for bookkeeping until after 15 October but has been away on biz and is anxious. And, still going up the learning curve on ClassMarker software to ready tests and corresponding CE certificates before 15 October for NY/CT-ATP's FIVE courses (pre-pandemic it was an all-day seminar). So, it will be tight. If I can keep hubby out of my office, it'll work! And, two long-time clients who haven't dropped off, who are always late, sometimes November, so they know what happens. One is a retired teacher, so I can squeeze her in if she drops off her information. Thank you all for being my safety net.

There are a lot of Drake users here, so I'm sure you'll get some help. Also, check out the Drake forum hosted here.

Thanx, Catherine. Yeah, ProSystem fx. The October seminar will be FIVE classes; glad we had only a 2 CE class for September, 10 questions, certificate, figure out how the ClassMarker software works for the first time, and deal with all the emails re I can't find my certificate (it's in the email in your junk folder). Course will get posted 19 October, but they want to have a few members test it sooner. I said I will NOT start on the tests until 16 October. I filed only one tax return between 24 August and 15 September while I was learning the ClassMarker software. Really set my schedule back! Well, that and no internet/phone/TV for eleven days when Isaias' winds ripped all the wires out of our house.

I know, Gail. This is a great board. Catherine helped me out one year when my son got married 1 October with little warning. And, Jack has helped me with those pesky OH local returns. I thought I was on-track this year. But I'm on the education committee for the NY/CT Association of Tax Professionals that decided in August to have self-study courses from September through January, so I had to learn new testing/grading/certificates software this month. It's always something.

Thanks for that, Lynn. I'll see where I stand after this weekend. I have a couple missing information; if they delay until 1 October, they are going to be late, and I don't care. I'm most worried about a couple stragglers who are long-time clients who might drop-off 2 October and expect to file on time. I'm not sure I have space in my queue. [And, I really need to train hubby to leave me alone when I'm in my home office. A broadcaster client offered to order me an On Air sign!]

Contact your E&O insurance carrier for legal advice, OPR for advice, etc.

You set them up on your QBDT, right? And, they now want to run their own payroll on QBO. Unless you can transfer from your QBDT to their QBO in less than a few minutes (I might consider up to 30 minutes FOR AN ONGOING CLIENT) charge them for it. At the very least, I would charge a new client and MAYBE offer them a discount on their 2020 tax preparation in 2021. Or, do what large companies do and give them free setup, but NOT NOW, deducted from their 3rd invoice or 12th invoice or something like that. You could be spending your time on another new client who's not so needy. Or preparing tax returns for me through 15 October, and I'll pay!

Is it possible that your new client and his girlfriend have their 2019 returns duplicated on the flip sides of random strangers' returns, also? I realize you can't deal with the previous preparer who passed away, but should you warn your clients? Report to your IRS liaison?