Double dipping (I guess it's a good thing)

[ILLMAS]

New client wanted for me to run payroll for them, I charged them X amount to set them up and to input all the YTD information and be ready to process payroll.  Now they come back and say they want to run payroll themselves in QB and need to set it up in their QB online, it hasn't even been a month of me setting up their payroll account and now this.  Would you charge again?  They already went ahead and subscribed to QB online after I told them the desktop version would be better to work with.

[Lion EA]

Of course, I'd charge. It's your time. If you're going to work for free, take a vacation instead! Charge them your top hourly rate, plus a PITA fee (I tend to label it The CARES Act or something appropriate on the invoice). And, when they run payroll themselves in QB and call you with questions, charge them your top hourly rate, minimum one hour (or, if you're feeling generous, 15-minute increments) billed monthly. Don't forget to charge them for all the clean-up (bookkeeping on your invoice) you'll be doing for them before you can prepare their tax returns next year. Stop work when an invoice is unpaid. They are going to suck up your time, so start by charging them now. If they don't complain, raise your rates.

[Gail in Virginia]

If you already charged them the set up fee, I don't think you can charge that again.  But I agree with Lion, that all the questions they ask so they can do it themselves and save money have to cost them.  Just my opinion. 

[Lee B]

3 minutes ago, Gail in Virginia said:

If you already charged them the set up fee, I don't think you can charge that again.  But I agree with Lion, that all the questions they ask so they can do it themselves and save money have to cost them.  Just my opinion. 

Why wouldn't you charge them again? You are having to totally redo the setup in different software.

If you don't charge them again, they won't learn the valuable lesson the making changes costs time and money.

 

[ILLMAS]

Just to clear things up a bit, I have my own QB payroll subscription I reconciled everything to match the on going payroll, their payroll subscription is new and they purchased their own online subscription 

[Lion EA]

You set them up on your QBDT, right? And, they now want to run their own payroll on QBO. Unless you can transfer from your QBDT to their QBO in less than a few minutes (I might consider up to 30 minutes FOR AN ONGOING CLIENT) charge them for it. At the very least, I would charge a new client and MAYBE offer them a discount on their 2020 tax preparation in 2021. Or, do what large companies do and give them free setup, but NOT NOW, deducted from their 3rd invoice or 12th invoice or something like that.

You could be spending your time on another new client who's not so needy. Or preparing tax returns for me through 15 October, and I'll pay!

[Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana]

Lion - I'll help you with your tax returns if you wish .

 

[Lion EA]

Thanks for that, Lynn. I'll see where I stand after this weekend. I have a couple missing information; if they delay until 1 October, they are going to be late, and I don't care. I'm most worried about a couple stragglers who are long-time clients who might drop-off 2 October and expect to file on time. I'm not sure I have space in my queue. [And, I really need to train hubby to leave me alone when I'm in my home office. A broadcaster client offered to order me an On Air sign!]

[Gail in Virginia]

Perhaps I misunderstood.  I thought that ILLMAS set everything up on his desktop version of QB, and charged them for that.  Then they decided, against his advice, to go with QB Online and do their own payroll.  I assumed they would be setting that up themselves.  If he has do the work over again on the version they purchased, of course he will charge again. It is new work.  BUT if they are setting it up themselves, I am not sure he can charge them even though he more than likely gave them a break, however slight, for setting it up because he thought it was an ongoing revenue generator. 

And LIon, anyone on here would help you if we really thought that you needed our help. 

[Lion EA]

I know, Gail. This is a great board. Catherine helped me out one year when my son got married 1 October with little warning. And, Jack has helped me with those pesky OH local returns. I thought I was on-track this year. But I'm on the education committee for the NY/CT Association of Tax Professionals that decided in August to have self-study courses from September through January, so I had to learn new testing/grading/certificates software this month. It's always something.

[Catherine]

I may well be able to help as well, @Lion EA, however I use Drake and I know you use a fancy-dancy program.  UltraTax?  But please email me or MD me here if I can help!

[Lion EA]

Thanx, Catherine. Yeah, ProSystem fx.

The October seminar will be FIVE classes; glad we had only a 2 CE class for September, 10 questions, certificate, figure out how the ClassMarker software works for the first time, and deal with all the emails re I can't find my certificate (it's in the email in your junk folder). Course will get posted 19 October, but they want to have a few members test it sooner. I said I will NOT start on the tests until 16 October. I filed only one tax return between 24 August and 15 September while I was learning the ClassMarker software. Really set my schedule back!

Well, that and no internet/phone/TV for eleven days when Isaias' winds ripped all the wires out of our house.

[Catherine]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:52 PM, Lion EA said:

Well, that and no internet/phone/TV for eleven days when Isaias' winds ripped all the wires out of our house.

Wow!  We had a lot of wind and gusts, but nothing like what you had.

As far as helping out.... you know where to find me.  Anything I can do.  I have four or five returns (total) left, a couple of amended returns, and ongoing work.  At least three of my five will go past deadline, because I know these clients and they won't get me data in time (I'm not their mommy, can't make them, and refuse to worry about them).  

[Lion EA]

Thank you, ALL. I pounded out a couple of less-complex returns over the weekend (going against my FIFO policy). It helped me feel motivated and productive! I'm down to five that are complex, at least 3-4 days each, which usually includes running the numbers for and explaining a option or two and discussing while they reach a decision and, maybe, digging up more information (me &/or them). So, that feels much more doable, now. And, a day for a long-time biz client in early October who would usually wait for bookkeeping until after 15 October but has been away on biz and is anxious. And, still going up the learning curve on ClassMarker software to ready tests and corresponding CE certificates before 15 October for NY/CT-ATP's FIVE courses (pre-pandemic it was an all-day seminar). So, it will be tight. If I can keep hubby out of my office, it'll work!

And, two long-time clients who haven't dropped off, who are always late, sometimes November, so they know what happens. One is a retired teacher, so I can squeeze her in if she drops off her information.

Thank you all for being my safety net.