Qualifying Myself

[Possi]

With the recent posts about who should and who should not use the board, I am compelled to qualify myself here, or at least put myself out there so you know a little more about me.

I do purchase TTB every year, read it and use it....

I have been doing taxes since 1995, starting with JH, then a private CPA firm preparing tax returns, then Liberty doing large returns, large numbers of them, training and doing small business accounting.

I've been working on my own for 6 seasons. I attend continuing education either at IRS FORUMS or locally through Virginia Tech; and I do that every year.

I am not an EA and I do not do partnership or corporate returns, except my own. (I'm not confident enough to take the test. I know my limitations, but sometimes I'll get a tax return that "morphs" on me and I need help.) If I see a client whose tax situation is clearly beyond my capabilities, I have no problem sending them out to an EA or CPA. I have great respect for both.

This board affords me the luxury of chewing returns up and bantering different angles. I really do feel like "I have People."

Blessings through the crunch......
~donna aka possi

[Edsel]

Old-Timers

Possi, if you stop and think about it, TTB customers are going to be the last group excluded from the board use, as they are the most "entitled" to use it.

However, I did not interpret the discussion launched by Brad as reflective of "exclusion" or "entitlement" mentality. After reading many of the posts, I believe it was strictly a matter of non-professionals (and large numbers of them) scuttling the dialogue on the board and creating controversy by seeking free help instead of supporting our industry.

Thank you for telling us about yourself -- I've been reading your posts for some time, and often wonder about members - where they practice and about their background. You have often given me food for thought.

[Possi]

thanks for the reply

I know that there were no bad intentions with Brad's survey. I, too think it's interesting to see where people come from, as far as the profession goes, and felt like sharing I guess.

This really is a very friendly and professional board, and I appreciate it.

~donna

[oceanlovin'ea]

Possi

Bet you would do better on the EA exam than you think. Although I was sweating it, when I took the test. I am glad that i passed the first time.

We are glad you are on the board. I always enjoy your comments and questions.

Linda F

[BHoffman]

I'm a newbie to the forum this year and to TTB. Love The Tax Book! It's very "readable" and the author comments are extremely helpful.

I'm a CPA in Phoenix, AZ. Happily married to my wonderful hubby of 17 years, 2 dogs and a cat who thinks he's a dog. Turned 50 last year and realized that I have absolutely no hobbies or interests outside of my work, so I'm going to try golf and take some piano lessons. Seems like the last 30 years have been filled with doing things I have to do, now might be a good time to find some fun things to do. Not that work isn't fun, but we don't live on bread alone.

Specialize in large and small contractor tax and accounting. Home office, no employees. Been doing taxes on my own since 1999. As a newbie, I've tried to responsibly answer a few questions first before asking any of my own to show that I hope to be a good contributor as well as a questioner.

[Possi]

Thanks Linda

for the compliment...
My grown daughter also says I should take the exam... ugh....
*smile*

[Possi]

we have a lot in common...

I feel the same way about answering questions. I read Brad's post today regarding replying to the individual questions, and it sounds like I am to be discouraged from answering individuals who are doing their own return. I don't always see or know whether that is the case, and besides that. sometimes, those are the simplest ones that I feel I can answer... *smile*

I do like to "give" and not always "receive" on the board, so if there is one I can hit, I do.

[Koss]

Do-it-yourselfers

I have sometimes made an effort to answer straightforward questions from nonprofessionals. Sometimes the question was clear and simple enough that I just gave an answer. In other cases, I have tried to provide an answer that was limited in scope, in an effort to get the person to recognize that they were in over their head.

For many others, I have in fact simply ignored the posts, which is what we have now been asked to do.

I support the decision of TTB management to limit access next year by using a password. That will eliminate virtually all posts by nonprofessionals.

Posts from do-it-yourself people often, but not always, are written in first person. I am certainly not saying that any post written in first person should automatically be ignored. Some of use play fast and loose with language, particularly once a thread gets rolling. In response to a post that was clearly from a tax pro, I have written things such as "you can't claim head of household unless you have a qualifying person." And this is the generic, universal you.

But most of our original posts are in third person, and we often use the term client or taxpayer.

Other nonprofessionals openly write things like "I'm doing my own taxes with TurboTax, and I don't understand why it won't let me..."

There might be a few posts out there where it's not clear whether the author is a pro. But with most of them, I think most of us can tell pretty quick.

I intend to honor Brad's request to simply ignore posts that are obviously from nonprofessionals.

Since I work for one of the larger, chain-type firms, I sometimes have to deal with the same issue over the phone, or even in person. People call or drop in with questions, and they have no intention of actually paying us to do the return.

The philosophy at my office is that we try to answer the question as best we can. We do not simply refuse, and we do not tell the person that they have to make an appointment and become a client. But in many cases, we cannot answer the question to their satisfaction. Something that seems simple, such as, "can I take a credit for the tuition that I paid for my daughter?" has too many variables. And that's what we try to communicate.

By far, the most common one has become "Can I claim my nephew on my taxes? His mother didn't work all year," or some variant thereof.

My response is:

"Well, what exactly do you mean by claim your nephew? Did you know that there are five different ways to claim a child on your tax return?"

"Uhhh... no, I didn't know that..."

"Well, see, there's a dependent exemption, and then there's the child tax credit, and the Earned Income Credit, and there's also something called the Child Care Credit, and a qualifying person for Head of Household... and each of them has a different set of rules. We can help you figure out what you qualify for, but we would need to ask you a lot of different questions. Would you like to stop by the office?"

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't....