JohnH

I've never worked a situation where there was a wholesale reclassification of employees, so maybe this isn't feasible. But what would be the harm in explaining the situation to the employees in detail, and asking them to allow retroactive withholding of the EE portion of SocSec/Med back to the beginning of the year. Possibly proportionally spreading the under-withheld amounts through the remainder of this year. I'm sure some employees would object, but others might be more fair-minded about it. If the business is truly in jeopardy of folding, it might be wise to lay it all out to them and tactfully explaining that the plus side of agreeing is that they get to keep their job.

I'll add one other comment. Anyone who thinks tablets are simply a toy hasn't had a visit from your air conditioner repairman lately, and you haven't been to the doctor lately either. If you have, and if they aren't using a tablet in some manner, your repairman and your doctor are seriously out of touch and you may not be getting the quality of service from either of them to make your life more comfortable (or maybe even save it),

Looking at the various responses to this question, I begin to think of how my life has changed with this tool. A friend who is very high-tech kept telling me it would change how I organize my life, both work and personal. So I gave in and bought my first iPad 4 years ago. At first it was a novelty - I used it occasionally to check email and look stuff up. (The original iPad didn't have a camera). Nevertheless, I began to realize how much freedom it provided, increasing my efficiency and helping me stay in touch. Eventually I came to realize just how useful it was, especially when I bought an iPad II with a camera. It also helped that data plans kept improving and at the same time wifi became more prevalent. Better and more useful apps kept coming along as people began to see the power of this technology. Today, I can get by with just my iPhone for many tasks, but I still want the iPad handy when I'm doing something that requires lots of keyboard work or a bigger screen with more detail. I think some people never get past the gaming and hobby use of their tablet. For them, a tablet is a toy or a status symbol, and that's all it will ever be. For others it's a business tool as well as a way to stay in touch with friends across town or around the world. And when I'm in India, it sure is nice to call my wife on Facebook and speak with her face-to-face on a screen big enough to actually see the other person. So I'll have to say that gaming and hobby use aside, for some of us the tablet has become an integral part of how we function on a daily basis.

My ipad increases my business & personal productivity. I don't prepare tax returns on it, but it serves extra duty as my 3rd monitor,. It is handy for such tasks as checking and replying to email, looking up pubs or other research, checking forums, etc. (Matter of fact, I'm on it now even though I''m at my desk with my computer on) I don't have any games on it (other than the ones my grandkids installed for their use). When I'm shutting down the office at night, I just toss the ipad in my backpack and off we go, so I can pull it out at home or anywhere while watching tv, waiting on appointments, etc. I do have a data plan for it, so I'm not tethered to wifi, but it's quick and easy to sign onto wifi when available. Since it's an Apple product, I don't worry about viruses & malware very much. When I travel, it's convenient for using in-flight wifi in the confined space of the airplane. It works equally well here in the US and overseas (for the most part). It's also my library, Bible, music player, photo & video editor, note pad, Kindle, GPS, online banking resource, check register, and appointment book. It's also synched up to my iPhone, so there's lots of redundancy across both devices. I could do my work without it, but I could also do my work with a pencil & carbon paper. For me, the tablet provides some flexibility and seamlessness between various tasks, and even though I paid about $800 for it, I don't think it cost me a penny because of the increase productivity. Going without it would cost me real dollars. A few suggestions for anyone getting a tablet. Don't pinch pennies - get the maximum memory and don't waste money on a "wifi only" version. (Without a data plan, much of the efficiency evaporates). Buy a good case with an integral bluetooth keyboard. Typing on the screen is usually tedious, but a high-quality Zagg keyboard/case makes that problem go away while protecting the device.

I had two calls from ATX last week. Both callers quickly acknowledged the prior-year fiasco as soon as we began talking. They were very honest about it. The first was a routine call from a sales rep. I told him I'm now with Drake and don't have any plans to switch, except in the unlikely event that Drake drops the ball as badly as ATX did last year. The call lasted about 5 minutes. Next day, a second person called. Judging from his demeanor and the type of discussion we had, I'd place him a little higher up the chain - maybe someone assigned the task for reclaiming lost accounts & doing some research on what they can do in the area of revenue recovery. I decided to give him some extra time. We had a nice 15-20 minute discussion about my reasons for leaving and why I'm now a Drake cheerleader. He did finally ask the obligatory "What can we do to get your business back?", and I was as honest as I could be. I told him I had discovered that Drake's speed and efficiency exceeded ATX to such a degree that there really isn't anything ATX could do. I also explained that although Drake had always been my backup plan, I wasn't aware of how superior Drake is to ATX until the debacle forced me to actually use Drake in an operational setting. So ATX's stumble was a significant benefit to me. It would cost me substantial money (in terms of billing hours lost) to return to ATX's lackluster speed & inefficiency, so the economics just don't work. And that is true for other tax preparers who make this discovery, so ATX should be especially concerned about defections to Drake. Most aren't coming back under almost any scenario. I think I am now probably off ATX's prospect list, unless I pop up as a random cold call in the future. In reflecting on this, maybe I should have strung out the discussion a bit. Although there's no practical path I can envision which involves my returning to ATX, I might have been able to wring some concessions out of them which might be useful to anyone actually thinking of going back to ATX. Sorry I didn't think of that.

Anybody getting this email? It went on to say that the cost is "only" $1,490 per location, and you can own multiple locations. (They also have wholesale plans available) It's hard to think of a more certain way to buy a ton of headaches. 1040TaxBiz, the Master vendor for Family Dollar's Tax Kiosk program, is now accepting requests for the 2014 tax season. This program allows anyone to open a Tax Preparation Office inside of one of their 8,000 plus locations. Contact 1040TaxBiz for details on how to open one or one hundred locations. 1040taxbiz is the exclusive national placement agent with Family Dollar for this coming tax season, giving you access this tax season to 15,000 to 40,000 in foot traffic per month. According to Family Dollars website "Our Core Customer: Female head of household in her mid-40's making less than $40,000/year" This customer will usually claim Head of household, Earned income credit and Child Tax credit resulting in a refund from anywhere in between 5,000 to 8,000. The customers that frequent Family Dollar go 2-3 times a week this is the perfect opportunity for you to touch the customer multiple times before they decide who will do their taxes. That person could be you. Reserve your Family Dollar Kiosk today.

And now for the really important question - how do you list your occupation? I'm thinking of changing mine, but can't decide what is most comprehensive: 1) Marriage Counselor 2) Amateur Psychologist 3) Mind Reader 4) Truth Detective 5) Unpaid Government Data Entry Clerk 6) Uncompensated Auditor

... and unenrolled preparers are not subject to Circular 230, unless they voluntarily agree to be via the new program. IRS cannot arbitrarily make that call. That's part of the Supreme Court decision, I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong.

There, they're, their now, let's not get two excited.

I thought RTRP made everyone subject to Circular 230 and thus their PTIN could be revoked if IRS got after them. If I understand this program correctly, Circular 230 is now voluntary, and disconnected from the PTIN.

True to some extent, but RTRP has enough teeth to have some effect in unscrupulous preparers. This program has none.

I think AICPA has correctly identified the problem. The next-to-the-last paragraph holds the key - this designation will effectively create an "EA-Lite". I'm not suggesting that preparers who go through the AFSP are in any way as qualified as EA's, but the average taxpayer simply won't be able to tell the difference. The program dilutes to some degree the qualifications of CPA's and especially EA's, without accomplishing anything significant.

I also had one I took over who liked to describe themselves as an "Administrative Assistant", but their prior tax preparer's software apparently only allowed a certain number of characters, and it did a very poor job of abbreviating the term.

I usually ask them and then put whatever they say. I also leave it blank on occasion.

By any chance does the client meet the two "under $250k" tests for omitting the balance sheet? If so, then leave it off the return this year but keep your worksheets for your own reference. Then begin reporting next year with proper opening and ending numbers.

It wasn't so much what he said, as how he said it. And he certainly didn't need to add "For all I care".

Practical instructions on how to writhe on the ground in agony when someone touches you with a fingertip. (Subtitle: How to sell it like a world class soccer player) http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/07/09/330133378/flop-life-what-if-we-all-acted-like-we-were-in-the-world-cup?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140709

H-m-m. The family member sent the letter back? He didn't call Joe up and say "Here's something pretty urgent from IRS you may want to see". He didn't even know an address to send it on to his relative. He didn't have any concern at all, just thought "Not my problem, sending it back" Alarm bells are going off left & right. This client is looking more and more like somebody that even his kin don't want to get involved with. Maybe you should follow their lead.

Our church was using Elexio, but the office is now transitioning to Fellowship One. I don't know all the reasons behind the decision, but I trust the judgment of the staff members and administrative pastor who made the decision. We've also been using Planning Center Online for scheduling, music, teaching, and volunteer assignments, which I think is a fantastic resource. PCO also doubles as a membership database apart from its scheduling capabilities.

Great advice from Jack. This guy probably is going to get mad at anyone who gives him the bad news, which is just beginning. It's going to get a lot worse and it will likely be everybody else's fault. Unless he's expecting an inheritance, he doesn't earn enough to pay for the work he needs done. Best approach is to walk away, unless you like charity work.

You're right, Eric. That sort of behavior is more reminiscent of a WWE wrestling match than a sporting event. Not that it doesn't happen from time-to-time in American basketball, baseball, or football, but it isn't ubiquitous. It adds a certain "sissified" aspect to the sport when there isn't a genuine injury.

The thing I like about soccer. If the US is doing well in the World Cup, we can watch the games and get excited about it. If they start doing badly, we can just go back to something important and say "Oh well, it's only soccer."

When I first got into the accounting business over 40 years ago, I was told to look at anything I was tempted to put into "Miscellaneous" and imagine someone asking me to explain what that expenditure was really for. The answer to that question is where the initial entry should go. So I just make that up-front decision and I never use "Miscellaneous" on a financial statement or a tax return.

Administration Fee? Consulting Charges? Oversight Fee? Purchased Services (my personal favorite catch-all)

Maybe they need to have a backup speaker lined up for the keynote address. There's still plenty of time for a resignation between now and July 1. (Think late Friday afternoon, as a general rule)