I just had a husband appear to pick up the returns I prepared for him and his wife. He advised that his WIFE wants them to go to another tax preparer. Before he came in I noticed that their federal tax withholding decreased $1502 due to the reduced withholding charts so their net refund this year decreased by $1397. He said he would come back next year and I told him NO, I do not take clients back after they leave me. This is an example of the problems the reduced federal withholding charts can produce.
-
-
Can't save 'em all, Hasselhoff
I think the problem is your client, not the charts, although I understand what you mean. Making Work Pay has been a PITA to explain, especially last year when withholdings went down, and terror ensued. But it is fairly easy to compare 2008 to 2009 and show them exactly what happened, which I am sure you did. I think you have a good policy about not taking clients back after they leave.
I'm pretty sure I will lose one because the $500 from Social Security messed up their refund. Of course, this is my fault. They will go to someone else next year and everything will be peachy until something else happens to mess with that refund. Who cares about tax liability? It's all about the refund.If you loan someone $20 and never see them again, it was probably worth it. -
I hope you didn't actually give him the returns if he hadn't paid you.Originally posted by dyne View Post
And if he didn't pay you, you simply rip up the 1040 in front of him (or maybe not, depending
on his mood!) but return all original documents only.ChEAr$,
Harlan Lunsford, EA n LAComment
-
I gave him back his W-2 and receipts, notes, etc. and advised him that I would shred
the returns I prepared. He was a pain anyway because he did not prepare my questionnaire
which I give to ALL of my clients and he had to call me back twice to provide me with
information I needed to prepare his return. I believe HE is the one who decided to go to
another tax preparer, NOT his wife. He was the type of client I do NOT want anyway!
I once had a taxpayer who got mad because I would not prepare his return using
code 3 for disability when his 1099-R was coded 7 and his trustee or pension provider
TOLD him he did not qualify for disability treatment. There was only $80 difference in tax.
I tore his returns up in front of him and told him that I would not commit fraud in
the preparation of his return. I like 99.9% of my clients but there ARE some jerks out
there. We do not need them.Comment
-
I tell them that they have to pay for the work that I did. They pay I give them back their docs and shred the return. If they don't pay I let them know that they leave me no choice but to submit the bill to small claims court.
They usually payBelieve nothing you have not personally researched and verified.Comment
-
I've had a few clients that their refund was much lower than last year because of the withholding table miss up. One owed. New client that I suppose decided I wasn't doing it correctly and went somewhere else. Oh well.Comment
-
There's one good aspect to all this. At least the client has a WIFE to hide behind when explaining why he wants to go somewhere else. Since he's apparently too much of a wimp to accept responsibility for his decision, he's fortnate that he has her for a convenient excuse. Wonder how she feels about being the bad guy in all this. Or maybe he's a wimp because she really is the bad guy and she relishes seeing herself in that role.
Either way, you've posted enough info to make me think losing this client is a positive turn of events. I have a couple of PITA's I want to dump this year - wish I could come up with a good excuse they could use so they'd fel like it was their decision. If not, I'll just have to use the old "you don't fit my client profie" line.Last edited by JohnH; 02-17-2010, 05:51 AM."The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth GalbraithComment
-
You never know
Several years ago, when I first started doing tax returns, I made some errors on both the father and son's returns. I thought I had lost them as clients, but they both kept returning and will be back this year.Comment
-
So are you saying they are forgving people, or they just have bad judgement?
Actually, some of my most loyal clients are people with whom I made a mistake. I owned up to the error, made it right, and we forged a more trusting relationship. Not the case every time, but sometimes a mistake is an opportunity to gain trust & build confidence if it's handled correctly."The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth GalbraithComment
-
JohnH
I use the FEE to discourage my PITAs - If the FEE is too high they leave, if they dont leave at least I'm compensated for SOME of the "pain"...Comment
-
Thank you all for your comments.
I remember years ago an older man came to me who was loud and gruff and I did not like
him. But over the years I learned he was hard of hearing so he talked loud. I came to
like him very much eventually. Some clients I come to dislike in time.Comment
-
What? Speak up a little. I'm having trouble hearing you..."The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth GalbraithComment
-
The Clients in Post #2
The clients from post #2 of this thread just left. I patiently showed them that tax withheld in 2008 was $300 more than the tax witheld in 2009, so that is why you owe $197. (They only received $56 on Sch M, low wages and already recieved $300 from SS.)
I went over how the liability was within $30 of 2008, and "it's your money. Last year you paid it weekly, this year you're paying it with the return..."
Blank looks. Yeah, they're outta here. I'm telling ya, it's all about the refund.If you loan someone $20 and never see them again, it was probably worth it.Comment
Comment