Voter turn-out

[DTS]

Ok, I want a huge voter turn-out for this poll. Bees and OldJack are watching!

Dennis

[Black Bart]

Dennis

There's mine -- it's only one, but it's a start. You probably won't get much tonight, but should do some business tomorrow. Thanks very much for your efforts.

Best regards,

Bart

[veritas]

Nice job Dennis

And Black Bart thanks for canceling out my vote.

[Black Bart]

No problem.

Where ya been?

[sea-tax]

I vote no ! I prepared it and so can they . My only obligation is to provide any original source documents and tax returns which have been paid for

[Jan]

I include a copy of the depreciation schedule with my client’s copy of there return. If they choose to go somewhere else, I gladly will give the new preparer any work schedule that I use to prepared there return (with my former client permission).
However, I don’t think I’m required to give them anything.

[sea-tax]

An old man once told me that you are only required to die in life. Everything else is by choice.

[S T]

Mixed

I know that I have acquired a new client and have had to ask for depreciation schedules to do my job the best I know how.

I guess I could afford the same courtesy.

I do have to say, that I like some of the others, do include a copy of the form 4562 (required), but also the detailed computerized depreciation schedule in both the client copy and the government copies (even tho not required).

My work papers are mine! Client copies of documents that the client provided, the new accountant should be able to acquire from the client (we give all originals back) I don't think I should have to copy those.

I find clients to be lazy to find their copies of their returns with all the original source documents including tax returns. So we started imposing a copy fee, minimumof $35 (to cover copy and mailing expenses) We have offered email PDF files at no charge, but some clients just can not accomodate that feature.

Short story, I had a client that we had not prepared their returns in over 10 years. They called us as they could not locate their copies of their returns along with W-2 forms (they had some union dispute) When we advised them that we destroyed in 7 years, they were very, very, very, upset. How could we do that, we were suppose to keep forever. As a result, referral clients from this particular client (about 3-4) we lost the following year. Interesting!

I vote to turn over the depreciation schedules, tag the client file to be destroyed at the proper time, and move on. Let your conscious be your guide whether or not you charge.

Of course this is all for a client that had paid for the services. I do know from experience, a court of law says you can not withhold the clients original documents that they provided, but I did get my fee when I went to court.

Sandy

[OldJack]

An old man once told me that you are only required to die in life. Everything else is by choice.

True... but its best to keep your license to practice until that time of life.

[Jiggers]

Depends

If the client requests the detail of the depreciation schedule AND he has paid his bill, I will furnish it at no charge.

If the client has not paid his bill, and has filed his return, I will not furnish it.

If the client goes elsewhere, and he has paid his bill, I will furnish it at no charge.

If the client goes elsewhere, and he has not paid his bill, I will not furnish it.

If the client wants an extra copy of his tax return, I charge 75¢ per page. Sorry about that, it does take time and supplies to do this. Most of the time it is because the taxpayer has "misplaced" his copy or is too lazy to look for it.

[OldJack]

My work papers are mine! Client copies of documents that the client provided, the new accountant should be able to acquire from the client (we give all originals back) I don't think I should have to copy those.

I agree with what you say Sandy. I think we all tend to forget that the information in those workpapers that are "mine" can easily be gotten from us, in most cases, by the x-client's attorney obtaining a summons that is a rubber-stamp from the court.

There should be nothing in our workpapers that we need to "hide" from an x-client. In fact, we should never put anything that is truly confidential in our workpapers (other than to do with financial or personal identity numbers). The CPA firm accused of last minute shredding papers in the Enron case made us all look bad.

[Black Bart]

I agree with this quote

If the client requests the detail of the depreciation schedule AND he has paid his bill, I will furnish it at no charge.

If the client has not paid his bill, and has filed his return, I will not furnish it.

If the client goes elsewhere, and he has paid his bill, I will furnish it at no charge.

If the client goes elsewhere, and he has not paid his bill, I will not furnish it.

.

It seems the right thing to do if:

(1) the client's "unethical" enough to not pay me.

(2) the new "professional person" is "unethical" in the sense that he's lazy and wants to avoid working for his fee by "stealing" my depreciation schedule and/or work papers.

[Black Bart]

I also agree with this quote

...its best to keep your license to practice...

Although we wish to be guided by principle (that lazy new tax professional and his deadbeat client really don't deserve to get my stuff for nothing), there's always the question of risk versus reward.

My point is: if the tax professional calls the OPR/state board of accountancy/whoever and complains about our not furnishing the requested info, it won't be investigated by an omniscient Supreme Court justice. It's probably going to be handled by a clerk who's never heard of C230, hasn't the foggiest notion about the rules, and very possibly might just classify it as a "lack of compliance" with C230. I suppose you could get that changed, but at what cost of time, money, and worry?

Anyway, if you receive a letter from an oversight agency which questions your behavior and possibly jeopardizes your credentials/right to practice, then you might wish you'd gone ahead and simply sent that depreciation schedule to the person. You're possibly risking your entire livelihood for a few sheets of paper (although the principle amounts to a lot more than that).

Is it worth it? I don't know.

[Snaggletooth]

Every Return

A copy of "my" depreciation schedule is attached to the clients return. I do not consider it proprietary information.

Like Sandy, I have all too often found myself in a position to NEED such a schedule when working for a new client. There are also benefits to the customer for having his equipment list in front of him if he wishes to see it.

If the customer loses or misplaces the return, he also "loses" the depreciation schedule. At that point it's not my fault and he gets it if he pays a nominal charge for copying the information. If he goes somewhere else and his new accountant wants a copy of the schedule, I furnish it to the client - not the new accountant. And he pays the nominal charge.

The idea of furnishing this to the old client instead of his new accountant is an idea that I haven't seen discussed yet on this thread.

[Brian EA]

Depreciation Schedule

Although I dislike giving it out, I think they should have it since they paid for it.

On quite a few occasions I find it difficult to follow what the guy on the street corner did the previous years

So I will vote yes to make it a tie