The Question We All Get?

[MsTabbyKats]

"But, I'm only getting $XX back? Why are you charging me so much?"

The answer we should all give:

"So, if someone owes money, should I pay that person if I do the return?"

[Jack from Ohio]

"Why does Joe that I work with get back so much more? We both make the same amount of money?"

[Elrod]

I got more back last year......What happened this year?

[taxxcpa]

The more you owe, the more I charge.

[Guest Taxed]

Just goes to show how many taxpayers are clueless and they show that ignorance by these stupid questions to us.

I take 5-10 minutes per client to explain it with a diagram when I get a new one and i have a feeling that they really don't understand how refunds or balance due works.

Also I give a heads up when child tax credit is about to expire at least a year in advance. That helps a lot because 9/10 times that is what causes an otherwise refund client into balance due!

As far as tax prep fee question goes,I review the paperwork and give a firm quote BEFORE I start any data input. No surprises there and if there is pushback I have given them the nearest JH and HRB phone numbers. In my younger days i use to get the business card from HRB and actually hand them out when I got a pushback. Guess what happens next. They go to HRB and demand a quote before they start the return. When they hear the standard HRB response, I get a call the next week. Works like a charm!

If a new prospect wants me to quote a price over the phone without reviewing their return or docs, I tell them to call their doctor or dentis and say they are in pain and how much it will cost to fix it?? Most get the hint and those that don't I do NOT want them as clients.

[ILLMAS]

"If a new prospect wants me to quote a price over the phone without reviewing their return or docs, I tell them to call their doctor or dentis and say they are in pain and how much it will cost to fix it?? Most get the hint and those that don't I do NOT want them as clients."

I am going to steal this from you and use it for phone quote clients

[Guest Taxed]

I tell you it works 99% of the time. Those who don't get it, you don't want them as a client because each year they will ask you what your charges are before they book the appointment.

The other thing I did was get rid of Walk-In business. If someone rings my bell i will talk to them BUT I will not do the tax return right away. They will be given an appointment.

[MsTabbyKats]

The best one:

This was one of my "foreign guys" (resident alien for tax purposes). Married...with a kid....grad student with a small teaching stipend...wife also had a very small income. I forget the exact figures, but let's say he had $1000 withheld. His "refund" was about $5000 (child tax, eitc etc).

He could not grasp the concept of how a refund could be more than what he paid in.

I has to explain..."Welcome to America!"...and congratulated him on being the first person to notice the discrepancy.

[JohnH]

Sounds similar to a conversation I had with a foreign client a few years ago. He was covered by his country's retirement system and thus his earnings in the US were exempt from Social Security taxes for many years under a totalization agreement. He married a US citizen a few years before he retired. Then after a couple of years, when he brought me his tax info, he had an SSA1099 in his documents. WHen I asked about it, he said the Social Security Administration contacted him and told him he should apply for a "spousal benefit" based on his wife's earnings. Plus, he is covered by Medicare. He said he was very surprised by all this but he was just following the instructions the SSA gave him.

After explaining all this to me, and with a big grin on his face, he said "Dis iss a vonderful country!"

[Guest Taxed]

Yes sir it is a wonderful country but people have figured out how to game the system and very soon it will NOT be wonderfull for all of us. There are more people collecting social security disability. There are more people collecting than people paying in. How long do you think this magic will last?

[ari]

that's interesting about the totalization agreement...i didnt' realize about that.

i have one client with Russian social security; i picked up as income last year; would you know off top of your head if that is wrong.

Now i have another client, who is 75, but she was a teacher in England in her 30's and for like the last 30 years has been

getting some kind of pension from there...anyone familiar with this?

[ari]

i think social secuity is solvent for another 30 years; it be way higher than that if the funds weren't diverted into the

general budget which has been going on i've read for 40 years

for a self employed accountant, the social security tax adds up to quite a bit

[neilbrink]

"You mean we're not getting money back, and we have to pay in?", looking at husband.

[Terry O]

I USED to be able to roll over returns ( not this year - -after numerous attempts with tech etc) and I LOVED the 2 year comparison - -I could visibly SHOW the clients where the differences were from year to year - - "OH - -so I made $10,000 MOre this year - -and they withheld LESS?" - - - one of my FAVORITE bnefits of the old program - - - -sigh :scratch_head:

[Catherine]

I USED to be able to roll over returns ( not this year - -after numerous attempts with tech etc) and I LOVED the 2 year comparison - -I could visibly SHOW the clients where the differences were from year to year - - "OH - -so I made $10,000 MOre this year - -and they withheld LESS?" - - - one of my FAVORITE bnefits of the old program - - - -sigh :scratch_head:

The "comparison" is still there -- go to "add forms" and type "comp" in the box -- it will pop right up. I also like to include the summary pages ("sum" in the search).

[mrichman333]

I just got "I OWE MONEY, HOW" I had X % withheld from my pay.. Well they forget if your making 100K most of your SS is taxable and all that interest and dividend that had no withholding.

[Jack from Ohio]

"My refund is smaller than your fees. Maybe I just won't file?"

[jklcpa]

When they bring in those Goodwill or charity receipts for goods donated with nothing filled in (!) - What's the maximum I can claim? Or they ask how much they can get away with claiming for cash donations!

[Jack from Ohio]

"It is S.A.L.Y."

[ILLMAS]

"Is it true I can deduct the cost of my lottery tickets?'

[Terry O]

The "comparison" is still there -- go to "add forms" and type "comp" in the box -- it will pop right up. I also like to include the summary pages ("sum" in the search).

Catherine - -I can't roll over ANY information from 2011 - - -it's been a VERY long season - - -

[grandmabee]

have you tried to just add the comparison form. sometimes it auto fill's last years infor.

[Richcpaman]

I USED to be able to roll over returns ( not this year - -after numerous attempts with tech etc) and I LOVED the 2 year comparison - -I could visibly SHOW the clients where the differences were from year to year - - "OH - -so I made $10,000 MOre this year - -and they withheld LESS?" - - - one of my FAVORITE bnefits of the old program - - - -sigh :scratch_head:

Terry:

Why can't you rollover from the prior year? Are you not finding last years returns in the rollover manager?

Rich

[WITAXLADY]

DOUBLE CLICK ON THE REFUND IN TOP RIGHT CORNER AND IT GIVES YOU THE SUMMARY.. I ALSO ADD PLANNER AND MFJ - AND US AVERAGE. WHEN YOU TYPE IN COMP - THE LAST 3 ARE RIGHT THERE OOPS sorry about the caps - type without looking at the screen

[Terry O]

Terry:

Why can't you rollover from the prior year? Are you not finding last years returns in the rollover manager?

Rich

Rich,

After REPEATED attempts by Customer Service, Tech, and programmers for 3 weeks back in Feb - -all they can say is "We will put in a defect # - - -" So, to be clear - -they DO roll over - -however any attempt to open up the rolled over returns results in crashing - -and then freezes up the computer, needing rebooting. One return that I COULD open up - -was then sent into heaven only knows where, and it took a programmer 30 minutes to get it to open back up. That return was a mess - -

So, here I sit - -inputting EVERY number from the 2011 return - -and hoping I catch any errors.

Terry O