Organizer send out dates

[sea-tax]

Just curious when those who do send out organizers send them out? I typically send them out around the 5th through the 10th of January.

Also those of you who have Lacerte to do mail out the Complete organizer or the condensed organizer or do you email the organizer?

I used to send out the complete version but have switched this year to the condensed version. Saved a little on postage.

[zeros]

Mail Organizer

I mail mine around the 15th of January. If you mail too early they lose them.

[Gene V]

Just curious when those who do send out organizers send them out? I typically send them out around the 5th through the 10th of January.

Also those of you who have Lacerte to do mail out the Complete organizer or the condensed organizer or do you email the organizer?

I used to send out the complete version but have switched this year to the condensed version. Saved a little on postage.

I been mailing the Lacerte condensed organizer out, usually mail after Christmas and before January. Try to mail before the postage goes up.

[sea-tax]

Gene have you tried the email version? What do you think? I have used it once or twice but for the most part I have not dealt with it a lot.

[Brad Imsdahl]

Is the postage going up again this year?

[sea-tax]

Is the postage going up again this year?

Not that I am aware of. I know it seems like they raise it every year but I have not heard anything yet.

[KJ Judd]

I'll make my trip to the post office later this week to mail out. That way I get the deduction this year. Also last year the rates went up. I thought I heard they were going to raise them again Jan 2007, but on the USPS website it says Spring 2007. I was going to check when I mail all my tax organizers.

The one year I waited to send them out, I started getting calls the first week in January from clients looking for them. Go figure, they won't have most of their tax documents until later in the month.

[BOB W]

Condense ...........

..... version is always best. My program will do condensed version but will automatically run the full version when it runs across a client with a lot of tax areas.

I tried the E-mail fill in version where the client emails it back to me and his data gets inputed into his tax return. It would of been nice but too many data correction from his input.

I also tried the regular e-mail version but so many ISPs could not handle such a large file, especially with a "passworded" PDFs.

Tech is nice but with many clients it is like having a conversation with a 2 year old. Gave it all up except the mail-out organizer.

By the way, I mail them the business day before New Years.

[sea-tax]

Bob W what software do you use? I know Lacerte has an email version but I am not aware if it is fillible.

[BOB W]

Creative Solutions'...

... Ultra Tax.

The fill-in version is a Web Base Organizer where the client logs into a special web site, disclosed in an email, giving them a password for the fill-in organizer. When they are done I get an email that it is ready and I download it from the web site. Very nice but it is for a VERY limited number of my clients, 2 out of 500. I lost one of my clients because of it. He felt he could now get Turbo and do it himself since he now had experience with data entry.

One of the most common comments I get is "Do you want me to fill this out". I tell them, NO you don't have to, but you should review the organizer for your own benefit to make sure you have everything before we meet. And I remind them that their return will take longer if they need two appointments. They know I charge by time and complexity.

[sea-tax]

Also Bob W I tell them to at least fill out my questionire that is atttached to the organizer . I feel it is a good CYA tool.

[Gene V]

Gene have you tried the email version? What do you think? I have used it once or twice but for the most part I have not dealt with it a lot.

I tried the e-mail version the first year they offer it, not that many clients had computers then, so only got couple response, one client love it, the other didn't care for it, so I'm just sending out the paper organizers.

Is the postage going up again this year?

not sure, it seems like it goes up every year.

[sea-tax]

Gene i sort of had the same response with my emailed versions.

[BOB W]

I also require....

... the questions page to be brought back to my office when they come in for their appointment. If they forget, I have them fill a new questions page while I'm working on their W-2s and other straight forward info.

I haven't in the past kept copies of the "questions page" but I will start scanning them in with the W-2s, just for my records.

[sea-tax]

... the questions page to be brought back to my office when they come in for their appointment. If they forget, I have them fill a new questions page while I'm working on their W-2s and other straight forward info.

I haven't in the past kept copies of the "questions page" but I will start scanning them in with the W-2s, just for my records.

I have always kept them and once they came in handy. One question asks if they took out a distribtuion from a IRA , 401k or other retirement plan. This client asnwered no. so I did not think to ask any further because they were not 59.5. Well like a year and half later they come in with a IRS letter saying they owe taxes for a distribution they took. Client was mad at me for not including it. I promptly showed him the question which he answered and the tone of his voice changed from I am calling my attorney to how can you help me.