Poll: Are you open Saturdays and/or Sundays?

[thomtax]

For those clients that wait until the last minute, and they are the same each year, I have a premium fee for waiting:
Mon 3/17 15.00 is added to the return.
Tue 3/15 20.00 is added to the return.
Wed 3/16 25.00 is added to the return.
Thu 3/17 35.00 is added to the return.

.

OK Jiggers - You've got me now. Monday 3/17, Tuesday 3/15 and then another 3/17 on Thursday. I understand daylight savings time is bad, but gaining 3 days is bad.

LT

[Burke]

I look forward to Saturday and Sunday to get work complete with out any interruptions. My door is locked and my ringer is OFF!

Same here.

[bgiez]

I've always been a little puzzled about various postings that talk about extending clients who wait past your drop dead deadline. How do you figure out how much they need to send in with their extension without preparing most, if not all, of the return? Or do you just look at previous year's liability and the current year's withholding and estimated payments? Who pays penalty and interest if you haven't had them send in enough? I can't see being liable for it, but I can't see clients accepting that it is their responsibility either.

Barbara

[erchess]

My Two Cents

I talk about a home office but it does not qualify for tax purposes because it is the family computer room. The one time a client twisted my arm into letting him come to my home we met at the kitchen table with my laptop because there was no room for him in the computer room. I do less complicated returns in the homes and offices of clients. If a return is too complicated to get done in a couple hours or if the client so requests I take their stuff and do the return at home. I then deliver the finished product with my printer and laptop available just in case I have made a mistake. All of this is to explain why there is no time of day except Sunday 9 am to 2 pm and Wednesday 5 pm to 10 pm when barring an emergency I am not available for an appointment on the client's turf. Someone may well ask what kind of emergency I have. I have on one occasion had a client who is also a personal friend really really really be anxious for his refund to the point he considered taking my work to one of the boxes and applying for a RAL. When he learned the fee for that he asked me if he could reach a special deal with me. He added a hundred bucks to what I was going to charge him and he agreed with me that if he had not been accepted by the IRS by time for me to go to my Wednesday activity I would not go so that if a rejection came in I would promptly deal with it and, he fondly hoped, still be accepted by Thursday am so that he would get his refund a week earlier than if it had been accepted later. In the event I was going to miss chess he was going to pay me another $300. I told him that kind of spending is why despite a good family income they are always broke but I took the deal. I'd never suggest anything like that but when it was offered at least on this occasion when I was completing him on the first Friday after Sch A could be filed I took the deal. He was accepted by Tuesday evening and my Wed suited me almost as well as the extra hundred bucks.

I have not gotten busy enough to have more returns in the end rush than I can handle but some day I do hope to have a drop dead date of 3/20. The time will first come when I tell someone inquiring that I may be too busy to do them by the deadline this year so they can either call someone else or risk letting me extend them.

I agree that I tend to undercharge and I am working on that issue.

I am also thinking of going to a time charge with also a minimum fee for each type of return. My prep program lets me have a different hourly charge for each major type of return (1040, 1120, 1120S, etc) and it will track the time I spend with each return open on my computer. And yes I can override a charge if I want to which I might if for example I had two returns open at the same time because they impacted each other.

[oceanlovin'ea]

I will take appointments on Saturday afternoon if there is no other time for client to come or for a quick pick up.
Absolutely NO appointments on Sunday.

Since my office is in my home, I don't have 8 to 5 hours. I have more people wanting to come after work now so I have had more late afternoon appointments this year.

I come to my desk and work during the evening, on the weekend.... but I have found as I get older (I can't believe I said that) I need a little more time to recover from some days or clients. So I take it. I worked a little today, went to services and out to eat with friends. Came home took a little nap and watched a movie I recorded a month ago. Then I watched Celebrity Apprentice with my husband. Now I am out here dong this and probably working for an hour or so. Crazy schedule!!!!!!

But at least most of us can set our own schedules. I really appreciate being able to do that.
I'm taking a couple of days off to spend with my aunt who is down here week after this one. I just tell people I am booked up on a day I don't want to take appointments. I am booked...just not with tax business....monkey business.

Linda, EA

[RitaB]

Lock the door, Rip out the phone

I work Saturday, but don't answer the phone or door. Church and family time on Sunday. I will not mention April 18 to anybody either. Somebody will hear and expect me to work on their return. They will be sadly mistaken.

[Lion]

Saturday

I do take appointments on Saturdays and evenings and have done so on Sunday afternoon. But, most of my clients drop off, email, mail, upload to FileShare on my website, etc. On Sunday or any day I need to work, I ignore calls. I have caller ID. I have a home office in a residential area (two-acre zoning) so nobody walks in. I have a mail slot in my front door, so don't answer the door if I'm not expecting someone unless I want to speak with them. I can and do avoid having people through my office when I don't want them. I usually pick up the telephone for clients, though. And, I try to get back to emails fast to encourage continued use of email.

[Jesse]

Not open on Saturday or Sunday.

I do work at the office on those days.

But the door is locked and I don't answer the telephone.

I look forward to Saturday and Sunday to get work complete with out any interruptions. My door is locked and my ringer is OFF!

[Jiggers]

Fees.........

I do more complicated returns and do absolutely none while the client waits.

I have a cut-off date (drop dead date) that my clients are alerted to by my year-end checklist and letter.

This year it is Thursday, 3/17.

Those received after that date are on extension and I will not see any client after that date. They can just drop off their information.

For those clients that wait until the last minute, and they are the same each year, I have a premium fee for waiting:
Mon 3/14 15.00 is added to the return.
Tue 3/15 20.00 is added to the return.
Wed 3/16 25.00 is added to the return.
Thu 3/17 35.00 is added to the return.

I expect to see about 25 clients Monday - Thursday. A nice little extra amount that pays for my R & R after 4/15.

And yes, my clients DO NOT know that the actual due date is 4/18. And neither does my secretary! My office is closed 4/18 and 4/19.

[Jiggers]

No...no...no.....no..............

Not open on Saturday or Sunday.

I do work at the office on those days.

But the door is locked and I don't answer the telephone.

I also do my honey-do's on those days, plus attend church.

I found that clients that want to make appointments on Saturday or Sunday usually are off on another day during the week and don't won't to waste their day off at my office..........

I also found that retired people like to take care of this on Saturday or Sunday also.

[luke]

open 1/2 day

on Sat - NO on Sunday - decided a few years ago that I needed a day to "recharge" MY batteries - BUT here I am reading FORUM ( just finished remotely downloaded tax program updates) Now who do I complain to.......

[MLINDER42]

Open Sundays

My store front office is closed on Sundays I usually work all day at home on Sundays with 3 to 4 appointments and doing mailed in returns.

[dkss]

Yes

I am open six days a week - no sundays. I have to have a day of rest - NOT! The " day off" is used for cleaning, laundry, etc!

[zeros]

Call Sunday Morning

I usually get a couple of calls per year on Sunday morning. I usually call them back on Monday. Closed on Sunday. I thought they would at least wait until afternoon. I think my business is about the same as last year.

[geekgirldany]

Open on Saturdays but not Sundays. Although I am getting ready to go out there for a few hours of work.

Afraid that I am going to have alot of late people this year. So far I have only completed 55 returns out of 150 I usually do. I've only finished a couple of business returns. I still have about 20 of those left and 80 more people to come by.... I hope. I got two new clients yesterday. Things have been awful slow so far though.