What peeves me most....

[veritas]

Logmein

The free version does not have file transfer capability which is sometimes necessary.


We use it also.

[geekgirldany]

That is what I use also is logmein. I can get on their computer after working hours to put the adjustments in. Also it helps so much to just get on their computer to show them how to do something in QuickBooks than walk them through it on the phone.

I do have some customers that just will not let me do the remote thing. They are afraid it will open their computer to anyone.

[BHoffman]

File sharing?

GoToMeeting does NOT have file sharing and that is a real problem. I need to transfer big Quickbooks backups and portable company files, and have been mailing them a flash drive. To be able to just download would be perfect!

I will check out LogMeIn ASAP

Thanks very much for the advice.

ST: www.gotomeeting.com for info on that, but sounds like LogMeIn might be the hot ticket.

!!!!! THREAD HIJACK ALERT !!!!!!!!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming....

[POCAHONTAS]

Why can't our software deduct our tax prep fees from the t/p's refund.

I just started using Refund Advantage for cases such as this. For as little as $12 you can send the state refund through their bank and have all of your fees deducted (provided the state refund is large enough to cover your fees). Your fees are in turn directly deposited to your own bank account. If state refund does not cover fees, you can do the same with the federal, but the fee to do so is a little more. I sent my first one today so will see how it works.

You can check it out at www.refund-advantage.com

I met their representative at the Tax Slayer seminar in Auguata, GA in Nov. Their office is in Louisville Ky and they use Ohio Valley Bank.[/QUOTE]

[jeff501]

When I used to work out of the house, clients who would "just happen to be in the neighborhood" on a Sunday afternoon and stopped by to get something or to see if I would quit whatever I was doing for "5 minutes", which often would turn into a half hour. With the stop by, it usually came with the comment" I hate to bother you on a Sunday, but..."

After I got out of the house, had a couple of clients still come by only to be informed everything was now at the office and I had no way to get their information until Monday. They didn't like the fact I had nothing at home anymore but nevertheless came to the office during the week for what they needed.

Also hate the famous line "I forgot my checkbook and don't have a credit card with me, can I just pay you tomorrow?" after the return is done. For some clients I think of the song, "Tomorrow is always a day away", and have to send out bills or call them after a few weeks go by.

As someone earlier mentioned, parents who don't make any attempt to control their rug rats. While I was still working at home a guy let his daughter run throughout the house. She even got into the refrigerator, went downstairs and chased the dog. My wife was home that day, heard the commotion and sat her little butt down on the couch while the dad just looked the other way. This actually happened two years in a row. He called again the next year but I just let the phone ring, thank goodness for caller ID.

[JohnH]

Back to what peeves us

1099-G's for gambling income. (Did somebody already mention this?)

Some clients always think you can "just put down that we lost it all". Even when we went round & round about this last year.

I'm tempted to put up a sign that says "I no longer prepare returns reporting gambling winnings with offsetting losses. Report it all as income or go somewhere else."

I did turn down one referral this year primarily becaue he had a high amount of gambling winnings, wanted to claim it all as losses, and had absolutely no records.

[Jiggers]

Gambling Losses

[QUOTE=JohnH;55735]1099-G's for gambling income. (Did somebody already mention this?)

Some clients always think you can "just put down that we lost it all". QUOTE]


When I get a statement like this, or "I didn't make any money in that business", or like I had today, "I only netted $1,200 in my Avon business", I always pull the appropriate schedule out and ask where I should write that "we lost it all", "I didn't make any money..", etc.

It usually stumps them and then I can explain why I need more information.

I did lose a client several years ago who was told by his preacher that he could deduct the $1,000 donation off of his tax return. I told him that he couldn't without itemizing and he couldn't. He said his preacher didn't lie and I told him to take the return to the preacher to do.

[dmj4]

Anybody who sells makeup

It really runs my BP up when someone says, I sold XXXXX make-up this year. What do I need to do? They usually have absolutely no understanding of anything I need from them.

[RitaB]

... anyone that assumes automatically anytime they owe money it's an error. As if nobody can ever owe money on taxes, heh.

Me, too. Recently got a new client who came in cause the preparer before me "screwed up" when the client neglected to tell him that she sold 93,000 in mutual funds. (But it was just a transfer...) Guess his crystal ball was in the shop.

Anyway, guess what? The other preparer really did mess up - he missed the fact that my state taxes capital gains distributions. Left off $52,000 on the state return. I amended the state return for the lady. It was the least I could do.

[AuditorTurnedGood]

my favorite

is when they don't pay attention to me in the 4th quarter of the tax year (well, right about now, as a matter of fact) when we're planning for how the tax return will shape up.Things like "Based on the current income, if nothing else comes in" or the more blunt "this is an estimate for planning purposes only, and the tax return will come out differently". Then when the return is done, I get "but you said I was going to owe X!" Or, in the same vein sitting in the office on December 28th trying to get the numbers together for the last estimated payment of the year, and then having to cram it down some poor payroll administrator's throat as withholding to avoid 5 figures of underpayment penalty.

[geekgirldany]

Yep, I am going through that right now. Lots of times I have to get the spreadsheet back out where I estimated the taxes and show them where the difference was at. Alot of times they don't take my advice and so they owe.

[erchess]

Left Off Something

When I finish and print a return and then the client realizes that he or she forgot to give me or tell me about something I do raise the fee but only to what it would have been had they given me the document or information when they really should have. If the return has been filed when they discover the same lapse on their part, my fee for the Amend is $50 for the Federal X and $45 for each State X plus normal fee for every form or schedule that must be added or re-figured.