Late Filer Rant

[Lion]

And, the sticky note that says Income but that stack includes mortgage interest paid or health insurance. The Goodwill-type in-kind donations scattered throughout their nice typed list of donations. The totally missing 1099-B. Love the sticky notes. Not.

[Burke]

Oh ya, I have a few clients that do that too. They put a sticky note on every single document... W-2, interest, property taxes, mortgage interest, you get the picture... as if I have never seen these documents before. That is my rant too.... Some times I take them all off and lay them on my desk and take a picture with my phone and send it to my friend who also has a tax business in another nearby town just for giggles cuz it really annoys me! The clients think they are helping you, but actually not!

I have those too. I have come to the conclusion that they do this more for themselves when the documents come in, so that they know what to bring you. Another pet peeve is MFJ clients who do their individual income and expenses on separate sheets of paper!

[kathyc2]

I have those too. I have come to the conclusion that they do this more for themselves when the documents come in, so that they know what to bring you. Another pet peeve is MFJ clients who do their individual income and expenses on separate sheets of paper!

Even worse when they just start writing things as it comes to them, mixing medical, charitable, business expenses and whatever else pops into their mind in no order on the same sheet. Time to break out the multicolored highlighters!

[Burke]

They should sooooo appreciate us.....

[S T]

Oh by the way - we are going on Spring Vacation so will not be available!

[RitaB]

This

Oh by the way - we are going on Spring Vacation so will not be available!

Haha yes! Yesterday a client asked if he could drop off tomorrow (that would be today, and I've still not seen him). And to say that he was leaving town next week.

Me: Well, of course. I'll get you an extension. And when will you be back?

Client: September.

[FEDUKE404]

For the newbies

From us old fossils (OK, I speak for myself):

You cannot imagine what April 15th evenings once were like. . .a three-ring circus on steroids comes to mind.

I lived in a large city in NC, and on April 15th the main post office had drive-thru lanes (manned by police, with flashing blue lights, traffic cones, etc) where you could drive through and drop your tax returns into a large cart (one for IRS, one for NCDOR, one for all else) before Cinderalla's coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight. A valid/timely postmark was assured. The 11 pm local news was especially entertaining, and ALWAYS featured an interview with a person who was standing at a table in the post office lobby (that's where you got the tax forms!) feverishly trying to fill out a Form 1040 or similar.

At that time I was working for the "green box guys" so that was my last day of seasonal employment. It was kinda nice to be "unemployed" the next morning.

FWIW: So far as I recall, there were no sticky notes at that time. . .

FE

[JohnH]

Such memories! Exactly as you describe it, too. The evening news stories would always have the obligatory guy standing at the table filling out his tax return at 11:00 pm. People would be coming by my office on tax filing day to get extension forms or even tax forms themselves, then try to fill them out and get them to the post office before midnight. If I had been in charge of the IRS at that time, I'd have selected a disproportionate number of returns for audit based on the filing date. It would probably still be a good strategy.

Eventually I discovered how easy it was to file extensions as a means of taking Apr 15 off the table. I began setting March 20-25 as my cutoff date, coming in to the office the morning of the filing deadline only for the purpose of reviewing my extension list, and leaving early in the afternoon to take my wife to dinner. We've followed that tradition for many years. As I left the office, I'd put an envelope on my door with a dozen or so extension forms for anyone who came by looking for one. Most of them were filled out incorrectly, but that was never my problem.

[Roland Slugg]

Hmmmm ... sounds like some of you hate all your clients. If you're all so busy, why do you spend so much time here? I guess it must feel good to rant.

I like every one of my clients and don't mind at all when they do the things everyone is complaining about above. I'm always glad to hear from them and happy to see them. Once in a while, when one of them starts to hand me his documents one at a time, I simply say, with a smile, as I reach over and gently start to slide the stack-o-stuff over towards me, "I charge for my time, so let me zip through this real fast, okay?" Hasn't failed yet.

[TAXNJ]

.......Once in a while, when one of them starts to hand me his documents one at a time, I simply say, with a smile, as I reach over and gently start to slide the stack-o-stuff over towards me, "I charge for my time, so let me zip through this real fast, okay?" Hasn't failed yet.

True. As long as clients don't mind paying for the time by handing documents one at a time. Clients are smarter than some people think.

[mbigelow]

Hmmmm ... sounds like some of you hate all your clients. If you're all so busy, why do you spend so much time here? I guess it must feel good to rant.

I like every one of my clients and don't mind at all when they do the things everyone is complaining about above. I'm always glad to hear from them and happy to see them. Once in a while, when one of them starts to hand me his documents one at a time, I simply say, with a smile, as I reach over and gently start to slide the stack-o-stuff over towards me, "I charge for my time, so let me zip through this real fast, okay?" Hasn't failed yet.

Good strategy. I don't think the posters on this thread hate their clients, it's just that some of their habits can be annoying. I'm sure I have my own habits that annoy people greatly, and I bet they sound off to others about it. Because, yes, it does feel good to rant, especially to people in a position to understand what it's like.

[JohnH]

Hmmmm ... sounds like some of you hate all your clients. If you're all so busy, why do you spend so much time here? I guess it must feel good to rant.

I like every one of my clients and don't mind at all when they do the things everyone is complaining about above. I'm always glad to hear from them and happy to see them. Once in a while, when one of them starts to hand me his documents one at a time, I simply say, with a smile, as I reach over and gently start to slide the stack-o-stuff over towards me, "I charge for my time, so let me zip through this real fast, okay?" Hasn't failed yet.

I like to take all their info, start pulling out the boiler plate, and rapidly stuff it in the paper shredder while talking to them loudly. The expression on their faces is classic as that thing starts grinding away.

[TAXNJ]

Good strategy. I don't think the posters on this thread hate their clients, it's just that some of their habits can be annoying. I'm sure I have my own habits that annoy people greatly, and I bet they sound off to others about it. Because, yes, it does feel good to rant, especially to people in a position to understand what it's like.

Think R. Slugg was using humor.

If get annoyed with work going to gym helps and healthier.

One does not paid to rant but for results. So why spend time ranting. Control the job not job control the worker!

[Burke]

From us old fossils (OK, I speak for myself):
You cannot imagine what April 15th evenings once were like. . .a three-ring circus on steroids comes to mind.
I lived in a large city in NC, and on April 15th the main post office had drive-thru lanes (manned by police, with flashing blue lights, traffic cones, etc) where you could drive through and drop your tax returns into a large cart (one for IRS, one for NCDOR, one for all else) before Cinderalla's coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight. A valid/timely postmark was assured. The 11 pm local news was especially entertaining, and ALWAYS featured an interview with a person who was standing at a table in the post office lobby (that's where you got the tax forms!) feverishly trying to fill out a Form 1040 or similar.
At that time I was working for the "green box guys" so that was my last day of seasonal employment. It was kinda nice to be "unemployed" the next morning.

FWIW: So far as I recall, there were no sticky notes at that time. . .
FE

Ah, yes those were the days. Our city had the same thing, all the local TV channels had mobile units there, there were clowns, organizations giving out PayDay candy bars, open air grills serving free hot dogs, BBQ, etc.. free stamps. My daughter used to love it. And they stayed open 'til midnight. A real party. And one time I wound up on the evening news....
then came the IRS budget cuts.