Grinch was just here

[RitaB]

I reviewed three years of returns for a bat I mean real pleasant lady.  Amended one year to recover $150 for her.  Plus interest.  Charged her $60.

 

"Well, I'm not even coming out ahead," she bleated I mean said.

 

She is either Grinch or does math like Congress.

[jklcpa]

She could have saved the $60 by doing the amendment herself.

[BulldogTom]

I reviewed three years or returns for a bat I mean real pleasant lady.  Amended one year to recover $150 for her.  Plus interest.  Charged her $60.

 

"Well, I'm not even coming out ahead," she bleated I mean said.

 

She is either Grinch or does math like Congress.

How in the heck do you stay in business doing $60 amended returns?   I charge a minimum of $75 and that is if I prepared the original return (oops, I forgot about the brokerage statement that has 28 trades on it).  Otherwise, I charge the fee I would have charged for the return plus $75.

 

This bat, oops, I mean pleasant lady, just is not as afraid of you as she should be.  You need to scare her like you scare me!!!!

 

Merry Christmas Rita.  Wishing you and your family all the best.

 

Tom

Newark, CA

[RitaB]

How in the heck do you stay in business doing $60 amended returns?   I charge a minimum of $75 and that is if I prepared the original return (oops, I forgot about the brokerage statement that has 28 trades on it).  Otherwise, I charge the fee I would have charged for the return plus $75.

 

This bat, oops, I mean pleasant lady, just is not as afraid of you as she should be.  You need to scare her like you scare me!!!!

 

Merry Christmas Rita.  Wishing you and your family all the best.

 

Tom

Newark, CA

 

Well, she's an old bat I mean pleasant elderly lady, and my meds and therapy don't cost as much in Tennessee as they do in California.  Merry everything and happy always to you, too, Tom. 

[samingeorgia]

Nah, I just got back from TN, it's not so cheap!  If I were you, I'd: (1) go up on fees, and (2) tell the pleasant old lady to go be pleasant somewhere else  (there are some real nice bat caves in Kentucky).

[FreedomTaxed]

I reviewed three years of returns for a bat I mean real pleasant lady.  Amended one year to recover $150 for her.  Plus interest.  Charged her $60.

 

Reviewing an entire year of tax returns is charge $A. Then the amendment is $B. I find it troubling that you claim that 60 = 3A + B, since it implied rather frightfully small values of A and B.

 

I can understand applying a discount. We discount filings for retirees and students, and then apply another discount if those are low-income retirees and students. But in your case, Rita, I'd have charged 3x$50 + $50 (low-income retiree without Sch.C, E or F or K-1), hence $200 for all of that.

 

One of our senior tax preparers (a new hire; don't ask) insists that reviewing tax returns for free is one of those things you do to build and maintain your client base. Myself, I take the tack that "nobody works for free" and we have to keep the lights on, the furnace running, etc.

 

Happy holidays.

[Gail in Virginia]

The older I get, the more I am realizing that people will assume my work is worth what I value it at.  If I am inexpensive, they will assume that I am not worth much.  I tell myself that every time that I am tempted to match a competitor's price.  Besides, as someone (might have been the late, great Robert Anson Heinlein) once said, "Free advice is worth what you pay for it."

[kcjenkins]

You are so right, Gail.