Venting

[BP.]

So nice to have access to all you smart and funny friends!

Thanks for the shout-out! (j/k ha-ha lol!!!) Yes, some people just don't get the humor in our job.

[superman]

My Fault

Why is it my fault that people owe at the end of the year? In Feb. when the refunds are coming I am the hero but, now that people owe it is my fault. How does that work some of these people are new and now they say I did not do the return right just because they owe . Most of them have always paid if I look at past TAX returns. Well next year they will pay more for being a PITA!!!

This board is great.

Superman

[luke]

I appreciate

this board and ALL the contributors! I have a couple of tax prep friends and if I called them every time I had a silly question, they would probably NOT be friends!? I know I GET more from this board than I contribute so THANKS to all of you and dont forget that we will all still have tax "situations" AFTER April 15th so keep on posting!

[RitaB]

It's my fault, too, apparently

Why is it my fault that people owe at the end of the year?
Superman

My clients in this predicament (new clients, of course, what else would I expect?!) have the same liability in 2009 as 2008. In 2008, they had $10,000 withheld. In 2009, they had $4,000 withheld. They didn't even notice. Yeah, nothing gets by these two... I have explained, drawn circles around "tax withheld" etc.

They will increase their withholdings, go to a new preparer, and get a refund for 2010. New preparer will be a hero. Life will be good again.

Maybe one of you forum friends will get them. They will come on the Friday before the 15th, triplicates of everything. They are retired, but somehow too busy to get to your office earlier. Or remove their electric bill from their crap. Oh yeah, they are also your long lost "old school chums". Small world, huh?

Can I just insert what I wanted to say to OSC? If you cannot afford to retire at age 55, then don't. For sure, do not whine to your tax preparer (who has worn out a highlighter trying to explain to you how 4,000 is less than 10,000); about how tough things are when you are headed to the golf course in your new HHR. And no, when you wrote "St taxes on HHR", I had NO idea it was a car. Brand new. AND, thanks for dragging me out to my parking lot to see it. Nice break for me.

[Ross]

Doing a 2006 return

I have a client who has not filed her 2006-2009 returns. I did her 2004 & 2005 returns last may. She had an Federal refund of over $800 on her 2005 return and didn't get it because it was over three years past due. I have e-mailed her reminders a few times, including last fall and again in December and January. I told her to get her 2006 stuff to me so she would not miss out on her 2006 refund. I wanted to do it before tax season.

She dropped it off yesterday! Her Federal refund will be over $2,500. Hopefully I'll get her 2007-2009 stuff before the end of the year.

[RitaB]

You are awesome, Ross

Hopefully I'll get her 2007-2009 stuff before the end of the year.

I would be hoping to never see her again. (That's a sarcastic font to the left. No, wait, tongue in cheek.)

[Ross]

Funny thing RitaB.....

I e-mailed her back to let her know I would be starting them Monday evening. She responded saying "You are awesome!"

[RitaB]

Totally

I e-mailed her back to let her know I would be starting them Monday evening. She responded saying "You are awesome!"

For sure, for sure.

[geekgirldany]

I've got one that thinks the extension each is an extension for 3 years. New client this year and done 06 taxes this summer. She wanted to bring in 07,08,09 this week. I told her to wait until May please it would really help me out. She said no problem.... she had 3 years anyways I again explained about extensions to her.

I really do appreciate this board also. Rita is right you can't just talk to anyone about the problems that come about while preparing taxes. I was telling my parents about a problem I was running into with a return. Both of them said "I have no idea what you are talking about but I am sure you will get it figured out".

Also tax humor, seems to be confined to this board also. What is so funny here doesn't always translate well to other people as funny.

[JohnH]

Reminds me of a conversation I had several years ago at a church dinner. Someone at the table was talking about translating the Bible, and I commented that I'd always wanted to learn a foreign language but just didn't think I had aptitude in that area.

Later in the evening, the conversation turned to taxes & depreciation and I began trying to explain MACRS, DDB, Sec 179, etc. as simply as I could to a couple of people at the table. A church member sitting across from me commented, "I thought you said you don't have foreign language abilities - sounds to me like you're doing a pretty good job there."

[Dusty2004]

I also appreciate all the information here

Here is my rant.

I have a client that I thought was a good friend. His son was going to be a policeman and I helped him create his resume and print on the good resume paper - good envelope to match - did an update for him 6 months later when he had a job but was going for a better job - all for free.

Did his own taxes and his son's taxes on Turbo Tax. Wonder who will do the next resume for him?

Dusty

[JohnH]

Brush it off and keep doing those favors when you can. It will all come back to you either directly or indirectly in some way. Who knows, the son may stop you for speeding some day and then sudddenly remember you helped him get that job. That could be worth more than the profit on several years' tax returns...

[Black Bart]

Do I owe you anything?

"Do I owe you anything?"

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard that after doing some 5-10-15 minute mini-chore that nobody else can/will do for a client. I could take a fair vacation somewhere on the proceeds.

It's tempting to say "Do you ask that question to the cashier at Wal-Mart?"

[joanmcq]

Just burst into tears in the bathroom at work. And I have to call a client & tell them I forgot to take their son off their return, so his rejected and I have to amend their return.

this has been a crappy season. And I know which nerve is pinched....just no time to fix it.

[BHoffman]

Joan - feel the love, OK? You are a wonderful accountant and have helped me out so many times without knowing it. I've researched here and on Tax Almanac by putting your name in the "yellow box" and found great answers from you.

You are just tired and sore and need some R & R. Please just brush those little crappy mistakes off. We all make them.

Someday I'll fully explain the doozy I did last year