Donated time?

[mcb39]

This makes four who will do it for free. Never hesitate to ask a question as we are all deeply in your debt....

[joanmcq]

This is five. ERC, I had no idea you weren't a tax geek like the rest of us. This makes your willingness to set up this board even more altruistic and for that I (and the rest of us I'm sure) are truly grateful. Ask away!

[Julie]

Make that six, and I'm sure I'm not the last.

This is five. ERC, I had no idea you weren't a tax geek like the rest of us. This makes your willingness to set up this board even more altruistic and for that I (and the rest of us I'm sure) are truly grateful. Ask away!

[TAXBILLY]

I'm lucky seven!

taxbilly

[Gail in Virginia]

Looks like you have lots of choices, ERC. Include me in!

[Eric]

Haha thanks guys. Tell me, since I've never had someone else do my tax return, what can I do to make it easier on the preparer?

[GeneInAlabama]

Just wad up all your receipts and throw them in a garbage bag. Be sure to spill some coffee on some of them. Don't include anything that shows income because that is only incidental, but we do want to be sure to get all the deductions.

I used to try to actually tackle some of those, but that was in my earlier days.

Add me to the list that would be glad to help, but it would be nice if you would group all your receipts together and put an adding machine tape on them.

Gene

[mcb39]

If you don't like Gene's idea; I believe that any one of us would be happy to send you a Tax Organizer.....

[JohnH]

There are a few things you can do to help your tax preparer:

1) Begin calling him or her in January to let them know you're getting your info together and will be calling back to make an actual appointment as soon as you have it all ready;

2) Make the same call as in #1 around the first of Feb, Mar, and Apr. Be sure to ask a few insignificant questions with each call;

3) Around Apr 10, call to explain that you know he/she might be pretty busy right now, but ask if it's too late to get it done by the due date anyhow. Whine & cry when you're told an extension will be necessary, but go ahead and make an appoinment;

4) Show up for the extension appointment with all your info organized, then proceed to give each piece of paper to the preparer on at a time, explaining that "this is my w-2, this is my home mortgage interest, etc". Do this with lots of fanfare as though you think he/she has never seen documentation of this type before, so naturally they need your help in deciperhing what it is.

5) After leaving the office, call back in about 2 hours & ask "How it coming?". It's also helpful to throw in that you're hoping they might be able to get to your return by the 15th anyhow.

6) Repeat #5 every other day until your return is ready;

7) Once you get the return back, complain about the fee and also go into a rant about how the government is stealing your money.

8) I think that about covers it.

[mcb39]

John, I can't think of a thing that you missed. Do we all have the same clients????? :rolleyes:

[JohnH]

Marilyn:

Yes, we do.

Sometimes I think there are really only 3 or 4 individual clients out there - they just dress up differently and wear various disguises when they visit our offices.

[TAXBILLY]

I've got about twenty that fit JohnH's description.

taxbilly