Do Your Clients Check You on Turbo Tax?

[joanmcq]

Yup, I agree with Judy. Do the whole return to get correct numbers, then file one original NY return & prepare amendments for fed & NJ from the ones you prepared.

[MsTabbyKats]

Well, I told him to paper file the NY return (his NY refund is bigger than mine obviously...omitting a $21K short term gain would do that)....and then after the dust settles, I can amend the entire return.

[joanmcq]

Why would you tell him to file it, when you all know it's wrong? Then he'll owe interest and perhaps penalties on the amount that is over-refunded!

[MsTabbyKats]

Why would you tell him to file it, when you all know it's wrong? Then he'll owe interest and perhaps penalties on the amount that is over-refunded!

I told him to paper file NY.because at that point he wasn't planning to show the gain. Turbo tax was rejecting it for e-filing and I didn't really want to get involved with his mess. He wasn't aware that he could paper file....or amend....based on his 90 minute experience with tech support at Turbo Tax.

Long story short..he decided to show all the income (after I explained that an acceptance was only technical and that with 100 per cent certainty the IRS would catch it in due time).

So...I amended the federal & NJ...and e-filed NY...and all income is accounted for. Of course I pointed out his numerous errors on NJ...and gave him a nice bill.

He has a PhD in software engineering and made about $500,000 last year....and truly felt foolish about not being able to file his return...and not believing all the data got reported.

[Lion EA]

Continue to charge him well. And use his story, names changed to protect the guilty (well, probably have to alter the details, too, for privacy purposes) as a lesson to your other clients.