"Procrastination,

[Black Bart]

thy name is Black Bart" (according to my wife).

I've been putting off doing extensions again (just like every other year) and receiving flak for "lousing around" as she so eloquently phrases it. While agreeing in principle that October 15th will almost certainly arrive someday, I maintain that:

(1) my loitering is "timely business planning"
(2) I'm "on it" (I did three last week)
(3) My pace is "about average"

To which she replies "Baloney!" Sooooo...I told her I'd ask how many extensions others still have left (I've got 19). Here goes a poll:

[JohnH]

I like your poll

Good idea to take this poll.

I'll try to get my vote recorded in the next day or so, unless something comes up first.

Actually, I'm grateful for extenders. These clients enable me to take on more work during the tax season than I would otherwise be able to handle. Except for a small bunch of them, they are overall very patient while I take my time getting around to them. I also find that the fees for my extended returns tend to be significantly higher, since they are frequently the ones with more complex financial situations.

[Bird Legs]

Extensions?

Great post, Bart. Still have only about 35-40 to do myself. Also about 3 corporations.
More fun than pitching washers and drinking a cool one every once in a while.

[ChEAr$]

Can't answer the poll

because it didn't have a zero choice.

But then I tend not to take on any new client who comes in April saying he wants
an extension, and existing clients know better than to ask.

[oceanlovin'ea]

only vote once

I just realized that you can only vote once in a poll. You get a message that you have already voted. How cool!! No ballot stuffing here.

I just finished 2 last night - 1 s corp and 1 personal. I think I have about a half a dozen or so to finish. But I only have the information on 3 of them. The rest haven't contacted me yet. Oh, I think maybe more like 10 to do yet.

Mine are just people that didn't have all their information together yet.....and still don't.

Linda F

[Corduroy Frog]

Very Few

Bart, don't know why I have so few (one). Guess I scared them off when I told them they had to pay when they extended. Their next question is "How much do I have to pay" and my answer is "I don't know. Let's estimate your taxes." That generally gets them to get their stuff together and beat up on me around Apr 10th.

Back in the "old days" when you didn't have pay with the extension, I had several. And they were the same folks every year. I was amazed at how many excuses they had for not having the stuff ready "this year." a.k.a.

"I was going to file on time this year, but such and such happened..." Translation: They hadn't filed on time for 15 years, why did anyone think it would be different this year. Their excuses really just insulted my intelligence (sic).

Extensions by the same people every year. One of many true-life phenomena that have caused me to create the Frog-ism: "The more things change, the more things stay the same."

"Cain't nobody help a hick but a hick hisself" - Broderick Crawford, 1949 All the Kings' Men

[Lion]

Extensions

I seem to have more this year than in past years. I was busy late in the season and didn't nag some stragglers. When they finally brought in their stuff, I really had to put them on extension. (Our house suffered basement flooding and roof damage during the April storms, so when I wasn't working in the office I was running the wet/dry vac in the basement or moving soggy boxes or..., resulting in three days with no sleep and lots of sore muscles and no brain cells left to take advantage of the "storm extensions.") So, I have the usuals that still have to provide me with their info or, at least, are waiting patiently. And, then I have the ones that are used to me being able to finish them by 15 April that are calling constantly to see why their returns aren't done. (It's because I'm on the telephone!)

I might be on my own next season and hope to move more clients to extensions to spread out my work load and to enable me to prepare more returns than just what I could complete by 15 April. Any suggestions for sweet-talking clients into accepting extensions?

[JohnH]

Talking them into accepting extensions

For anyone who calls me after March 20 (or thereabouts) I tell them before I accept the return that I will need to file an extension as a precaution, whether we need it or not. Except for one or two rare situations each year, I don't deviate from that position. If they can't deal with it, then they need to go somewhere else anyhow. Getting rid of those who insist that I meet their deadlines leaves me free to take on more work from people who are not so demanding, and extends my filing season.

This leaves me free to pick & choose the easiest route between March 20 & April 15 - the one that works best for me based on my workload and my determination of which clients may really need last-minute attention. If anyone compalins, I usually tell them they would rather have me working on their return after Apr 15 than trying to rush it through under deadline pressure and increase the odds of making a mistake. As a result of doing things this way, Apr 15 is never a rush day for me - I usually spend it re-checking all my extensions and going home early.

As for how to handle those who call incessantly, you could always try "I can't seem to get to your return because every time you call I have to pull it out & look at it, and then I put it back on the bottom of the stack."

[thomtax]

Procrastination

I bought a cd a couple of months ago about how to cure my procrastination problem. I have not gotten around to listening to it yet, but hope to within the next month or so.

[Lion]

Great Thoughts

John, your thoughts are very helpful, putting words to my thoughts. Thank you. I especially look forward to using your dialog in the last paragraph! And, Thom, I'll respond to you when...

[JAinNC]

Still waiting for info from client

On all but one. Approximately 10 are in the closet on the extension shelf marked "Need info" - I have sent out the memos to bring me their info. I charge a fee for thses kinds of memos. Another one will go out the end of August.

[joanmcq]

I've got (I think)
Two clients married each other this year (so I guess its just one now); she has a W-2, interest, and the usual itemized deductions. His stuff is done so he says. She can't get her stuff together.
My ex husband (just put (dollar figure pulled from ceiling) for charitable). Wont' do it.
Schedule C client. Just needs to figure out the rest of her mileage. Has spreadsheet with destinations and dates, but needs to mapquest mileage.
My boyfriends. He worked 1.5 months in Germany in 2006. need simple question answered "what did they pay you in november and december?" He's an artist with ADD. at some point I will get a direct answer when he gets back.

And......my own. This is the big procrastination...all I need to do is error check the figures.

Blah, I think I'll play spider solitaire instead.

Wait, that's only 5!!!!! and I did just do 4 years worth for a new client that was having wages garnished on an SFR. That counts for something, doesn't it???