JohnH

That's irrelevant. Accuracy and completeness are not operational issues - they are simply a necessary pre-requisite for any acceptable softtware program. Speed is where you make money or lose it by wasting time operationally. You're trying to support an illogical argument - that dog won't hunt.

I have the opposite view. I understand the attraction of forms entry, but it's a vastly overrated Bell & Whistle with no practical advantage. But Bells & Whistles don't earn you money - program speed is the only thing which levels that playing field. It's no harder to use data sheet entry than forms entry, but there is a steep initial learning curve while one learns where the data resides. It's really just a matter of training the mind & hands and breaking ingrained habits. As people wed to routine, that is a difficult barrier for many tax preparers. Once you reach some degree of sotware transparency, switching from data sheet to forms and back is only an extra mouse click - hardly the Herculean task so many pretend it to be. Incidentally, when I speak of program speed, I'm speaking of other things in addition to data entry. There is speed of updates, speed of backups, speed in opening and closing returns, speed of customerr service on those rare occasions when it is needed. Nothing I've seen comes anywhere near Drake in all of those areas and in this price range. I'm not implying there's anything wrong with ATX - it just doesn't measure up to Drake where I think it counts the most. Its only advantage is the large number of forms available - I'm expecting that to change over time as well.

Still at the beach. Returning to the office mid-day on Tuedsay to complete a few that I left in various stages of completion, finish up some extensions, and then wrap everything up by the 14th. There will be a few long days yet to come, but manageable. This "easing into retirement" glide path is looking pretty good. A couple of years or so of of this should work out nicely.

I had one client mention the HRB half-price fee to me this year. I think he was joking - at least that's what I assumed. I told him they know what their work is worth and I know what mine is worth. But he has no way to know either for sure and I can't tell him how to make a decision. In any event, my fee is exactly what I said in my client letter - last year's fee plus 6% assuming everything is roughly the same this year. But tuthfully I didn/t care which way he chose. I don't want tightwards for clients because I know I'll resent their quiblling with me over how I make a living. Giving discounts to people who can afford to pay would also impact my ability to prepare all the returns I do for free for people who are in genuine need.

Glad to see that reply. Hope you will eventually decide to begin participating again in the future.

I giove it my best shot with the info availab;le. I plug in estimates for anything they don't have or any incomplete information. But I tell them that any interest or FTP penalty they incur (about 3/4 of 1% per month) is their responsibility. The main objective is to avoid the 5% FTF penalty. Most clients understand that. The ones who fail to comprehend it are sitting in the office of some stressed-out, cranky, sleep-deprived tax preparer: not my problem.

I do just the opposite. I extend them all as they come in, and I tell them I probably won't get them done until May or June. I tell them the last thing they want is a stressed out, tired, cranky tax preparer handing this important task. Sometimes I finish a few by April 15, but that's only if I have time.

May as well jog. At least you'll get something for your effort. The odds of willing the lottery are roughly the same whether you buy a ticket or not.

Now that I'm in my third year with Drake, I don't think I could tolerate the agonizing slowness of a program such as ATX. My priorities have completely changed thanks to Drake, and (second only to reliabllity) speed is at the absolute top of the list. Speed - more profit. But one doesn't appreciate this fact until they have experienced it first hand.

Great advice. And there is at least one superior alternative in the same price range.

Hope she's not invested on one of those weird self-directed IRA's that someone I know got suckered into. The trustee started talking about "in kind" distributions and a bunch of other nonsense to cover up the fact that his firm had (inadvertently) participated in a theft of her assets. Some people are being indicted over this one.

Leaving Friday for the beach. Will probably be attending a sunrise service Sunday morning on the pier, with the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop. Returning to the office on Tuesday Apr 8. No taxes until I return (other than maybe a few phone calls and responding to some emails & texts). This is mainly because most of my extensions are already filed since I began filing extensions on anything coming in afftyer Mar 10. Anyone showing up between now and Apr 14 automatically gets an extension, even if I think I might get it done by the 14th. The morning of Apr 15 will be spent on a final review of extensions and then hopefully on the way back to the beach by early afternoon for a week of relaxation. I'm not saying there won't be a few aggravations or surprises along the way, but for the most part I'm coasting toward the finish line.

I didn't make myself clear enough. Casey supposedly runs "Speedy Tax Service". Beth is supposed to be the local client who works in HR and has her home-based business on the side. The message I posted is the alleged message from Beth to Casey, where Beth sent her data to Casey via Livewire. Now, for some unknown reason, Casey wants to sign up a tax preparer to handle the work. It's a scam from top to bottom, especially since Beth is living in NC, Idaho, CA, Wyoming, LA (city and state), Hollister and who knows where else all at the same time. If "Casey" were smart enough, he/she would at least change Beth's name every now and again.

Obviously a "Perimeter Patrol Parrot", which would be fully deductible. I know plenty of companies that deduct the salaries, benefits, and travel expenses paid to "Seagull Managers", so there is ample precedent.

Start selling cosmetics, handbags, cooking utensils, etc via one of the MLM plans. Buy lots of inventory & store it in your home office. Along with all the other great writeoffs, you can deduct the pet food & vet bills for your guard dog (or security cat, as the case may be).

I do like their creativity. The parents take turns bringing refreshments to my grandson's church league games. Next time my daugther calls to ask me to pick up soft drinks and crackers when it's their turn, I think I'll save the receipt and log the mileage. :)

Beth Lee really stays on the go. Casey sent me an email saying Beth is living in Pineville, NC and is looking for tax help. I'll bet the moving expense schedule is a real challenge. ============================================================================================= Beth Lee Hi Casey, My name is Beth and I'm from Pineville, NC. I'm looking for someone to help with my 2014 taxes. I work in HR but also run an online business out of my home. I should be due a refund, but need help understanding all the business deductions I can take. I've already uploaded all my tax forms on Livewire, so you should be able to view them. If anything's missing, just let me know and I'll get it to you ASAP. Look forward to working with you! Sincerely, Beth Pineville, NC 28134 =============================================================================================== But my real dilemma is understanding the process. If Casey runs a tax service and already has the info uploaded via Livewire, why can't he/she simply prepare the return and collect the fee rather than farm it out to someone else?

Nah. Don't tell them - that takes a little of the shine off your halo.

Judging? Us? NEVER

He's 45 and taking money out of his 401(k)? Probably an advanced tax planning technique. If he does that on a regular basis, he won't have to pay tax on any of his Social Security benefits when he reaches retirement age.

Done!. I consider it an investment in professional and mental peace of mind, as well as showing appreciation for all Eric does for us.

Thanks for the reminder

If there are two or three major ones, I enter them separately on my supporring sheet and then enter the balance as "Per Client List". I also photocopy their info. That is only for my records, since nothing goes on the Schedule A but the total. One thing I do is to check for the "No Goods or Services" boilerplate on their contributions summary if they have any single contribution of more than $250. If that isn't present, I alert the client and suggest that we not file theri return until they obtain a properly worded statement. If they only provide me a list without the contributions statement, I warn them about the boilerplate requirement.

Response # 1: I can handle your return, but right now we need to file an extension. That relieves both of us of the travel deadline and allows me to get your reteurn into my normal rotation. If you happen to owe any penalties or interest for underpayment of your tax, that will be your responsibilty. Response # 2: (silence)

In most cases the problem resolves itself. If the 2% harcut doesn't wipe out the benefit of the deduction, then there isn't enough income on the return for the deduction to matter very much anyhow at the client's marginal rate. So unless there is a business to divide or some other sizable income-related issue, the calculation is a waste of time. Nice how the lawyer knows enough about tax law to know there may be SOME deduction, but conveniently hasn't bothered to know enough to know the client needs a breakdown of the fees. Typical buck-passing maneuver.