taxpayer asked me to CHECK her return

[Bees Knees]

My answer is simliar to SuperMom's. I tell them my software does the checking and the skill is in knowing where to enter the info. So to check a return I have to do the same thing I do to prepare it, thus the fee will be the same as preparing it. That usually drives them off to someone else they can mooch off of. (or as Sir Winston would say, "someone off of which they can mooch")

I don’t understand why you can’t just tell the truth. You do not check self prepared returns because you make a living preparing returns for money.

Why is making money such a crime to admit?

The only reason I am here right now in this office is for money. Pay me money and I’ll check whatever you want me to check.

[JohnH]

Bees: What is it about what I'm saying that isn't the truth? I use ATX, and during the preparation I periodically press "Control-E", which does my checking. That's one of the many reasons I send a check to ATX every year.

If someone wants me to check their return, I'm going to enter the info into my software and see if I get the same result they did. That is how I'm going to check it, which is the truth.

I'm certainly not ashamed of the fact that I make money preparing returns, and I'll prepare theirs if that's what they want me to do.

[Peachie]

I had a similar experience

yesterday. I told the lady when she asked if I would "check" the return? Sure, but there would be a charge for the service. Gave her a 5 o'clock appointment and she arrived at 5:15. No problem, I had no returns scheduled for yesterday. Her return had been electronically filed and rejected. Anyway, she has a mess on her hands from prior years, but for 2009, her return is done correctly and I have acquired a self preparer who still tries to do her return by hand.

She got what she wanted and I got paid. She sees the error of her ways.

Peachie