Paper Filed Return - 3 Week Turnaround

[RitaB]

I appreciate the wink

Mmhhm!

And JohnH- thx for the info on tracking paper filed refunds. I'm in the e-file 'em all camp.

And if I could wink back, I would. Oh wait: ; )

[powerage]

A few years ago my Mom had a 3 week turn around on a paper return also. She mailed in her return early in the season.

[taxmom34]

how do all of you feel about the people who have been collecting unemployment for most or all of the year. i fear they will be coming in to offices in april assuming they have balance due.

[RitaB]

I fear

how do all of you feel about the people who have been collecting unemployment for most or all of the year. i fear they will be coming in to offices in april assuming they have balance due.

I fear they will be coming in August cause they got a bill from IRS because they owe and didn't even file. And, yes, I will charge to do their return.

[spanel]

So.... How will all of you that do lots of paper file returns going to deal with the new IRS regulation that says all returns next year must be E-filed?


Chris

[RitaB]

I will e-file

I'll do what I'm supposed to and tell the clients who don't trust e-file that it's them (IRS) not me.

[JohnH]

So.... How will all of you that do lots of paper file returns going to deal with the new IRS regulation that says all returns next year must be E-filed?
Chris

First of all I'm going to count on the IRS to be typically slow as a bureaucracy and take several years to actually phase in the new requirement. Since I'm celebrating my 62nd birthday 20 days from now, a 3-5 year phase-in period would be about right.

Secondly, I'm going to hope for an opt-out form of some sort. If there is one, then I can guarantee that 100% of my clients will sign it.

Thirdly, I may decide that next tax season will be a good time to change careers. Maybe I'll get a job standing on the side of the road in a green gown and pointy spiked hat waving at people to come in to get their tax return done by somebody else. At least that job doesn't carry with it the prospect of a $1,000 penalty per return.

Finally, if none of the above is practical, I'l probably get my ducks in a row, cave in, and start e-flinging with the rest of you. (although I've got to admit that the green gown gig is starting to look a lot less stressful right about now.)

[Larmil]

First of all I'm going to count on the IRS to be typically slow as a bureaucracy and take several years to actually phase in the new requirement. Since I'm celebrating my 62nd birthday 20 days from now, a 3-5 year phase-in period would be about right.

Secondly, I'm going to hope for an opt-out form of some sort. If there is one, then I can guarantee that 100% of my clients will sign it.

Thirdly, I may decide that next tax season will be a good time to change careers. Maybe I'll get a job standing on the side of the road in a green gown and pointy spiked hat waving at people to come in to get their tax return done by somebody else. At least that job doesn't carry with it the prospect of a $1,000 penalty per return.

Finally, if none of the above is practical, I'l probably get my ducks in a row, cave in, and start e-flinging with the rest of you. (although I've got to admit that the green gown gig is starting to look a lot less stressful right about now.)

The green gown gig may look good in Charlotte, but would you want to be doing that on NY with the current weather conditions there?

[Lion]

E-Filing

The reason I encourage clients to efile is that my software has already checked for lots of potential errors and so does the e-file software. So, why risk some seasonal hourly data entry clerk putting your return in the IRS computer when my computer can put it in the IRS computer to match what we see here and sign? A lot of my clients are high income and owe, so a tiny error can be magnified. I remember one paper return when we struggled for weeks providing the IRS worksheets and correspondence to prove the sale of a rental property had been reported correctly when the IRS was asking for more money. Turns out, the IRS had entered the client as S instead of HoH., but the IRS thought the additional taxes were due to the sale. Had another where they were insisting on seeing the W-2s for a retired couple with no W-2s nor withholding. IRS had put their ES payments on the W/H line! In both cases, the IRS insisted we prepare amended returns so they could correct their records. Well, I fought that, but it was still VERY time consuming.

[oceanlovin'ea]

not a choice

When I finish a return, I just say that I will electronically file the return. Would they like their refund to be directly deposited in their checking or savings account or would they like a paper check?

When you make the first statement and then ask the question, it diverts their attention from debating about electronic filing and moves to how to get refund.

I efile everyone unless impossible to do so. No one ever questions me about it.

Linda

[JohnH]

The green gown gig may look good in Charlotte, but would you want to be doing that on NY with the current weather conditions there?

Now there you go again - somebody's always throwing cold water on my really good ideas.

But there's relief in sight with the cold weather problem.
It's going to stop snowing as soon as Al Gore cries "uncle".

[Black Bart]

Get a horse(less carriage)!

...I don't want the hassle of being responsible for the actual submission of the return. That's the client's responsibility and I don't care to assume it. I also don't want to mess around with the authorization forms and such that you have to get the client to sign and keep on hand for x-number of years. I don't want to concern myself with "drain times", "where's my ack?", "why did I get a reject?" compliance visits, and all the other stuff. They mail or drop off their info to me, I prepare the return and send it back to them, and I'm done. I like it neat & clean like that with everybody handling their share of the responsibility.

Egg-zackly my view -- except

A)...years to actually phase in...
B)...hope for an opt-out...
C)...green gown and pointy spiked hat...
D)...cave in, and start e-filing...

the ABC's don't sound likely/attractive -- it's cold out, IRS is unfeeling, you probably wouldn't look good in a gown, and -- most important -- we need your advice here, so how about goin' for D?

It ain't that bad (or so my wife, who does mine, says) and I'm fixin' to find out all about it PDQ. As the posts show some peculiar people even like it. Worst thing is the picky exception that every dang item on the W-2s and 1099s has to be typed in (but can be rolled over). I'm doin' that now to get used to it.

As smooth as our cherished old nag/paper system ran, we must now yield to that new-fangled horseless carriage and...well...we knew this day was comin' didn't we? Only thing, they could have waited 'til we died.

Anyway I think maybe it's not too late to sign up for 2009 right now (anybody know?) and IRS says app-processing takes only 45 days. You could get your feet wet practicing on a few extensions (pick friendly "no-rush" clients) before Oct.15th to get the hang of it before the 2011 crush.

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/providers/article/0,,id=97657,00.html

Send off that Form 8633 and hang with your friends, my friend!

[veritas]

Eight days E-File

Client called to day. Transmitted on 2-2 deposited 2-10

[Lion]

E-Filing

A couple of random points.

You only need about four characters in many fields to efile a return. Obviously, you want to completely fill in things like EINs on W-2s and $ amounts! But, I've had some unreadable ones done on typewriters with carbon paper (from my own husband's school district, even) and had to write UNKNOWN for street address, town, etc. Had a colleague when I was at Block, he also volunteered at VITA, who typed abcd in most fields. And, if your software has a summary grid that's like a spreadsheet for data entry of multiple forms, like 1099-INTs, you'll see how little you have to type compared to using the data entry screen that looks like the form with all of it's boxes. My software has watermark-looking clues, such as INFO where the info is NOT needed for efiling and EFILE where it IS needed.

And, my application was done in just days back when I started a few years ago, so you could certainly start this season. Pick and choose which ones you want to try. Efile a huge one that you hate to print and assemble. Get your feet wet. The e-Help Desk is actually helpful, if you run into glitches.

[JohnH]

Egg-zackly my view -- except



the ABC's don't sound likely/attractive -- it's cold out, IRS is unfeeling, you probably wouldn't look good in a gown, and -- most important -- we need your advice here, so how about goin' for D?

It ain't that bad (or so my wife, who does mine, says) and I'm fixin' to find out all about it PDQ. As the posts show some peculiar people even like it. Worst thing is the picky exception that every dang item on the W-2s and 1099s has to be typed in (but can be rolled over). I'm doin' that now to get used to it.

As smooth as our cherished old nag/paper system ran, we must now yield to that new-fangled horseless carriage and...well...we knew this day was comin' didn't we? Only thing, they could have waited 'til we died.

Anyway I think maybe it's not too late to sign up for 2009 right now (anybody know?) and IRS says app-processing takes only 45 days. You could get your feet wet practicing on a few extensions (pick friendly "no-rush" clients) before Oct.15th to get the hang of it before the 2011 crush.

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/providers/article/0,,id=97657,00.html

Send off that Form 8633 and hang with your friends, my friend!

Well, you're awfully liberal with the compliments there and I appreciate the vote of confidence. Fact is, even if I quit doing this stuff commercially I still have some family & a few pro bono cases that would keep me doing something in the tax field. Besides, this forum is so much fun I'd probably buy the Tax Book just to get access to it anyhow.

Between your comments and Lion's, I'd almost be a fool (well, maybe a bigger fool that I already am in the eyes of some folks), not to get my feet wet. I'm not opposed to the concept itself and I'm not worried about being able to do it, so maybe I'll do the paperwork and at least be ready. I'm still thinking about getting fitted for the green gown just as a backup, but with the way things are going right now somebody may notice that they just need to bypass the gown and fit me for a staight jacket instead.