Publication 17

[Black Bart]

IRS is offering this to practitioners for a mere $41. I just got a brochure from the U. S. Government Printing Office addressed to my business office, so I assume they're sending them to all practitioners.

Or -- I can just order it as an ordinary American citizen from the IRS website at no cost whatever. Absolutely free. Hmm -- what to do; what to do...this requires deep thought....

P.S. They also have 1040s at $26 per hundred. And since practitioners no longer use these printed forms, they're selling them to a non-existent market at outrageous prices. Is government efficient or what?

[Jiggers]

IRS Publications

IRS is offering this to practitioners for a mere $41. I just got a brochure from the U. S. Government Printing Office addressed to my business office, so I assume they're sending them to all practitioners.

Or -- I can just order it as an ordinary American citizen from the IRS website at no cost whatever. Absolutely free. Hmm -- what to do; what to do...this requires deep thought....

P.S. They also have 1040s at $26 per hundred. And since practitioners no longer use these printed forms, they're selling them to a non-existent market at outrageous prices. Is government efficient or what?

I agree with your statement. However, being in a small town, away from the big city and an IRS office that stocks the various publications, I also have to order these publications over the internet. Either the post office loses my orders or the IRS does! It is hit and miss in ordering and actually receiving the publications.

One thing that does improve the delivery, I order them in my wife's name and our home address versus my name and my business address. The IRS doesn't want tax practitioners to get them free and I think my name and business address is flagged by the IRS as a practioner. Silly, isn't it?

Before the payroll software that generated the IRS 941 & 940 forms, when I ordered blanks from the IRS, you were limited to 15 copies. I explained that my clients just wouldn't bring in their forms that they received from the IRS. That drew a blank stare from the IRS. They couldn't understand that I did the 941 & 940's for clients and that clients didn't do their own.

[KBTS]

Pub 17

I like to have a paper copy of Pub 17 on hand, not just the pdf version. Good thing my grandmother wanted me to order her one and have it delivered to her address!!

[Black Bart]

KBTS / Jiggers

KB/ My granny's a big fan of that pub too; right along with romance novels.

Jig/ I get quicker delivery service on publications by ordering online than mailed copies (from Bloomington, IL) which usually arrive, but sometimes very late in the season.

It irks me that we're on the bottom of the IRS totem pole with regard to forms, price, service, etc. Looks like they could cut us a little slack for the sake of professional courtesy, seeing as how they're always asking for our cooperation on various things.

[ChEAr$]

You can place online orders now?

For IRS forms and pubs?

Holiday ChEAr$,
Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA

[DonPriebe]

Online orders for pubs by mail

Order at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/page/0,,id=10768,00.html

[Jiggers]

Jig/ I get quicker delivery service on publications by ordering online than mailed copies (from Bloomington, IL) which usually arrive, but sometimes very late in the season.
.

I do order on-line. Still takes time to receive. I ordered some 12/01 and still waiting.

[Black Bart]

That's where I'm getting mine.

Order at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/page/0,,id=10768,00.html

After you hit Don's link, drop down to the middle of the page to the search box, type in a pub number (590 or something) and it'll take you to the selection area. It's kind of like buying at Amazon -- you "add to cart" until you get ready to "checkout." Ten items is the max you can order at once, but you can immediately send off for another ten if you want to. I don't really think anybody is IRS-flagged. I've used my own name and address as well as relatives' and the pubs always arrived -- never had any trouble (I just don't list any company names or professional titles).