Discussion:7 Things I hate about tax season

2. Easter usually falls near the crescendo of the season, and our house is invaded by family. They insist on coming for the weekend, and one particularly obnoxious cousin will stand by me as I try to work and talk about his Yankees, or the NCAA Final Four, before slinking off to turn on some sports on TV. If I get up early, he pops up and wants to know if we get 'the paper' and 'when will the coffee be ready.' Then my dauther-in-law insists on putting a DVD "The Passion" in the next room.

3. Shaving every day in case someone shows up here, or if I have to go to my other office.

4. My other office in Philadelphia which is so small that "everytime you try to smile, your teeth touch the wall."

5. Telephones that only ring when I sit down to lunch or dinner, or after I turn out the light at night.

6. Faxes of W-2s and 1099s that started as originals, were photocopied, fed into a 10 year old fax and are spat out by my five year old fax.

7. 38 page pdf attachments to emails.

explaining the same tax rules over and over again... to the same people

amended 1099 brokerage statements....

Investment partnership K-1s where the client doesn't give you the entire package & tells you they "threw out the junk" paperwork

13. The *new* 2/15 deadline for 1099s from brokerages. Bring back the 1/31 deadline. I know which clients will get the corrected 1099s, so I will hold their return and wait. They still get the corrected 1099 despite the 2/15 deadline.

14. Clients that bring their Tax Organizer back to me unopened and somehow forgot that I might kinda need to know what happened with their rental last year...not everything can be SALY.

15. Not being able to have a glass (or two) of wine at dinner because I will definitely feel it when I have to wake up in 5 hours.

22. Clients who don't open their W-2 or 1099 envelopes. I charge for paper cuts.

23. Clients who want the information forms put back in the envelopes.

LOL! So funny! I have one of those. I just plain refuse to. Now he labels them so he can put them back together when I am done.

26. Business clients who are constantly complaining about their bill...and then want you to charge them 2000.00 less and have the return done in two weeks.

22. Clients who don't open their W-2 or 1099 envelopes. I charge for paper cuts.

I hand the envelopes back and say "here, make yourself useful".

I also have a statement in my organizer letter about "please open all mail" and I don't hesitate to show that to them when I ask them to open their own mail (however, see # 14, sigh).

Don't you just love rainy weekends during tax season!!!!

Did anyone mention major tax legislation when we're too busy to read it and then forget by Summer/Fall?

• • • • • • • • • • • Try living in AZ!! It never ever ever rains and its 80 come March. I'd much rather be watching spring training.

28. Clients running out to feed the meter when you are nearly done and have to wait for them to return.

29. Clients bringing 2-4 year old children with them. I feel like feeding them a slug of gin to put them to sleep.

30. Clients who practically conduct business while watching me....making cell phone calls, texting etc

31. "Are we done yet?" One client made this his calling card; when his wife would bring the stuff alone, she would say it and laugh. He dropped dead on Locust Street in Philadelphia this past September. His wife's first email afterward said, "I guess J is done."

33."Where's my refund?" 34."Only?! My return was larger last year?"

36. Clients who bring lunch or dinner and eat in front of you.

38. Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, but clients that ask at the appointment how much their refund is going to be.

39. P-whipped husbands with an overbearing wife. Someone just put him out of his misery.....

40. Clients who throw their tax info on the table in your direction. Hate it.

43. Clients who ask me how much they owe me before I'm finished, while I'm assembling their copy.

44. Clients who ask me questions when they come in to pick up their copy and pay me, and then go home and email me the same questions.

45. Clients who continue to not open their mail and bring everything in envelopes, complete with paper-clipping each category of income and expense, and use yellow stickies and highlighters, so I'll know what to look for and where to find everything -- especially after I've included in my December letter for the last two years: Paragraph Title - KEEP TAX PREPARATION FEES LOW "To help speed up your tax preparatiOn, please open your mail and place all documents in one pile and into an envelope or folder. Please don't bring the W-2 and 1099 envelopes or use paper clips, tape, staples, highlighters, or sticky notes."

46. Almost all clients who don't include their direct deposit information each year. I have to ask almost every client if they want to use the same bank account for direct deposit.

48. Clients who ask me to take it off of speaker, whom I know are going to talk for 20 minutes.

49. Clients who ask "do you give a discount for.....". The last one was a "ministry discount". Because they worked in a church, there was the expectation that, I was a good Christian/catholic/LDS/... I would treat them better.

50. Clients who want me to re-staple their stuff, and then complain for the fifth year in a row when I don't.

Now, I think there should be a thread on "I like it when clients...."

Yes, that is bad, but this is worse.

51. Clients who hold onto all of their forms and make you ask for each form individually before they will hand it to you.

53. Engineers - Your spreadsheet of your tax information actually takes me more time to work with than bringing me your forms.

54B. Or the ones who call all the friggin time to see if their taxes are done and then when they are, they say that there wasn't a rush.

Went off on one the other day. I told them I know they are anxious, but with their multi-state work and the multiple state returns to review, that it takes time, that he comes to me because I am good and I always take good care of them, that we will call when finished, if I have to answer every call to tell them that I am working on the return, then I get even more bogged down.

55B. Clients who just show up on a Sunday, without their checkbook, wanting to pickup their return.

57. Them-"What does it look like?" Me-"It looks like a pile of papers." They think we work on a return for a few minutes and come back to it later like it's a work in process.

58. Them-"Is there a problem?" Me-"Yes-the phone's ringing off the the hook with people like you asking stupid questions which means I can't get any work done. If you'll leave me alone, I can get your return finished. Since you called, you go to the bottom of the pile."

59. Them-"Guess you're getting ready to get into your busy season. Ha,Ha." Me (with bored expression)-"I've worked every day except one since Christmas. I've BEEN busy."

60. When a client calls for an appointment, telling me that whatever time is convenient for me is good for them. I make appts every half hour in Feb, so it would take a long time to tell them (on the phone) all the half hours I have open, especially when the majority of clients are now dropping off their paperwork. and I have lots of half hours open, in which I work on the drop-offs.

61. Making appointments for doctors, even with W-2s, a couple of months in advance and then having them call two days before to say 'I'll be on call and have to reschedule,' which blows a 2 hour hole in my schedule, and since I have had no available appointments since early February, makes the second job impossible. "What about next Monday at 7 in the evening." 'Dr. B, do you want to see in John Smith's lap; he is coming in then.' (John Smith is an alias)

63. Anyone else ever notice that in non-Leap Years the dates in March repeat February, and once every other year or so someone will show up in the wrong month, having written the correct date but not the month.

It's even more fun when they are getting divorced and one party shows up drunk!

64. Emancipation Day.

66. Client makes appointment for Feb 17th, and has an hour plus drive to my office. He hears on the weather on the morning of the 16th that a major snowstorm will strike the next day.....so he comes in on the 16th and insists that is his appointment date. When we ask to see the confirmation he sent, he tells us he didn't bring it. I look in my database and see '17;' the mail merge would use that date, but if I say something, he will ask if I am calling him a liar?

I have had this happen two or three times; I tell them to sit and wait and I will fit them in, but they don't get to hear my two free jokes.

69. Having to ignore the midday dog walk if a client is here, or telling dog dinner will be late because this guy is bloviating, handing me papers, and hitting a tiny adding machine so he can give me more information. Yesterday every time the guy moved after 4:15 pm, doggie growled.

70. Missing the Final Four, Opening Day of baseball and The Masters.....I could care less about the Oscars and celebrities....they used to be stars, but now we use the C word.

71. Listening to the "real" reason the country is in the "sh*tter."

72. Having to listen to everyone's plans for Feb Vacation -and listen to my kids grumble - why don't they ever get to go somewhere in Feb.

75. Realizing that your memory took the same vacation your clients are taking. I drove to Motor Vehicles inspection station and had the car inspected, then on to their office to renew my driver's license, and as I exited the car, REALIZED I HAD LEFT THE RENEWAL FORM THEY SEND at home, next to the clip-on sunglasses that make driving in light far easier. Lucky I was able to follow the path of bread crumbs home.

Put in staffs job description that they must rub your feet. Opening Day used to be a tradition, but it really is way too expensive.

I'll egg them on if they start arguing. Gotta have some fun.

And, I've got a masseuse scheduled to come to the office on Friday. Was going to be Tuesday until I realized it was propaganda day and that might not be good.

Are my taxes done yet?

And I meant it.

That sounds a start of a new thread also - reasons for a jacked up fee, at least believable reasons you've given.

77(a) the same brokerages also caution you that REMIC income will not be available until mid-March.

Staff - Are you talking about the star program, reducing your property taxes.

Client - No, a tax credit, my daughter saw it on the internet.

Staff - I'm not aware, are you sure she didn't mean the star program.

Client - it's new this year, she saw it on the internet.

Staff - I haven't heard of anything . . .

Me - Hi, I overhead, could you give us any more specifics, I'm usually up on all new credits each year, but hey, sometimes we miss something and we learn something new.

Client - it's a tax credit, my daughter lives with me and did her taxes online and she said I should ask, she saw it on the internet.

Me - Well, I really don't know of anything new, but when you get home, if you could ask your daughter what she meant, I can look it up.

Client - it's for when you own property....

Me - I really need some more specifics.

Client - Just do it the way you always do. And she Hands me her 1 W-2 and walks out.

Me - have a nice day.

78. Realizing that Friday afternoon is meaningless.

3 days later...a guy walked in...same thing...looking for a massage...we both laughed ( keep in mind that I am 6'0 230lbs )...I said "Sorry, I am NOT giving you a massage dude!"

1) Having to wait until February 18th for the final Michigan City forms to become available and having to stockpile tons of client folders (who are waiting for their city returns) that will need to be printed and mailed to clients, with city envelopes and instruction notes.

2) Having to wait until February 18th for the final MI-1040ES forms to become available and having to stockpile several client folders that will need the MI-1040ES forms printed and mailed to clients.

3) Watching the dates (released by Intuit) the above forms will be available change from January 31st to February 11th to February 16th to February 18th, and anticipating that the date will change once again to February 25th or after, when I check for updates tomorrow on February 18th.

Your corrected 1099 tax form will be mailed in late February

We want to let you know that a  corrected 2011 consolidated 1099 tax form will be mailed to you in late February. In addition, this form will be available to view and download from xxxx.com at that time.

for example "how much is your rate again? you charged me $450 last year right?, is it the same this year?"

Dear client "no, for the 3rd year in a row, you made an honest mistake and forgot that the fee was actually $550, not $450, and coincidentally, out of the last 3 years you have never honestly made the mistake that the fee was $100 higher than it actually was, you never accidentally remember the fee as being $650"

Unreal, LOL ugh............

82. "Nah, I didn't make those estimates you sent me."

83. Me to Client: "Hey! What's this 1099R w/ a Code 1 for $40K?" Client: "I was tired of seeing my account losing money every month so I pulled it out. But that shouldn't be a problem because they already took the taxes out on it." Me: "Well, they withheld $4K, but your taxes on that are going to be close to $22K!" Client: "Geez! Is there anything you can do to help reduce my taxes". Me: "Yes, I recommend not taking an early distribution on your IRA for one." Client doesn't return next year, because I couldn't help reduce his taxes.

"I've already paid the tax on it" is one of the great tax myths of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Right now I have a widow that donated her late husband's hearing aides to a legitimate exempt organization and expects ME to detemine its FMV.

I went on the internet to contact the manufacturer - and they can't give me a value as they are custom made to fit a specifc person's needs and can't be refitted to accommodate anyone else. So it has no market value.

OMG! This just happened at our office, too! (husband was the drunk one)

I just got a shoebox full of receipts that had exactly two smashed cigarette butts and 1 wad of chewing gum inside. Totally love this job.

One of the weirdest I had was this young man, who resembled Urkel grown up, and who worked as a rep for IBM. He gave me his wage form, some 1099s and then pulled a white sheet of paper from the pocket of his starched white shirt which was too big for him. He then read deductions (if I recall he owned a rental property). I would ask for a figure; he would push his glasses up on his nose, and run a finger down the white sheet and then across and give a number. As he did his finger work, he would repeat my question, "Repairs on 54th Street, that be ahhhhhhh $316." As he said the number his finger poked the paper at that spot. Since I read better than I listen, I asked if I could have the paper but he said he knew his organization.

I finally got a peek at the paper and saw that it was blank, so either he was reading invisible ink or was pulling figures out of the sky or from the ether. The figures were very believable; he showed a nice rental profit. Conan-Doyle might have explained it, but I never could.

1. 88 - "You do my taxes, so you can help me with what I need to get a disabled/senior property tax exemption, right? I need it as soon as possible."
2. 89 - Clients that expect you to help with getting their license to operate in a new state but haven't paid you in over a year. This one PROMISED that a check would be sent out soon (this was three weeks ago).

92. Seeing prior year self-prepared returns that are ugly. Obvious overstated & duplicated deductions, amounts in wrong boxes on wrong forms... And wondering how in the heck the IRS audit algorithms never picked this return up. It is clear that the IRS should audit 70% of self-prepared returns that have a Sch C or Sch E or 2106.

READ THE FIRST PARAGRAPH !!!! (Shouting is intentional) "Update: We are aware that some taxpayers who have filed electronically and received an acknowledgement from the IRS are concerned when they visit "Where's My Refund" and are told that we have no information regarding their return. This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days.

If a taxpayer received an acknowledgment message that their e-filed tax return has been received, they can be assured that the IRS has the tax return even though "Where's My Refund" does not reflect that. "

For me, #1 is also the most intolerable. Very few can find it in themselves to tell the truth without exaggeration and/or distortion. I find it quite sad.

Of course, he asks, "how do we know they will catch it?"

"I can/will add more to the HSA if it gets us into the 10% tax bracket (from 15%). If we're already under the 10% bracket for maximum taxable income, I don't know if it makes sense to put more into the HSA. Without it being too much of a pain, can you tell me, at your convenience, where we stand now "

The emphasis is mine. There are times I think my eyes will be permanently bonded to staring up at heaven. I think I have patented the phrase "Get off my back, will ya!" And the phrase is general in nature and not directed at this person only.

I have 3 clients notorious for this. I solve the problem by making house calls. That way I get to determine when our meeting is over. Caveat: this only works because they all live near me!

"Will, I'm sorry I'm opening all the perforated envelopes now, and I'm sorry but can I borrow your calculator to add up my medical expenses? I've just been SO BUSY i didn't get a chance to do it yet"

my silent reply to myself "It's okay, I'm not busy, it's only March 9th, I have 5 full weeks left and I actually needed this break from my hectic routine"

104 - Clients who pull out their sheet of paper with tax/financial/estate/legal/miscellany questions at the "end" of the appointment.

104(b) - As an alternative to #104: After you have fully interviewed the client and discussed every potential deduction or credit that could possibly be applicable to them, they ask "Is there anything you see that can reduce my taxes?" It feels like a slap in the face. I want to say, "Yes. You should write your Congress person."

106 - Intuit's delay in finalizing the Michigan city forms (they were final on Feb 18th). I had 49 client files to print out, assemble, and mail the city forms to the clients. So much for having any free time last Sunday and the next two Sundays.

103 and 104 - I fully agree! I hate when they do that.

A: (from Steve Martin on a Saturday night live skit) No, do you minf if I fart?"

Actually back when office buildings allowed smoking, when clients would pull out a nail, like Red Auerbach, I would pull out a Macanudo. The smoke from the cigarette was long gone while my cigar kept on going!

"Alice, I see you brought in pages 1, 2, 6 & 7 of your 1099 from Schwab. Where is the rest of the 10 page packet?"

"Oh! I didn't think you needed that since it just repeats the same information."

What is going through their mind when they do this? Why would they separate a document into 2 separate pieces? Do they think if they give us duplicated information that we are going to enter it twice?

btw: I see Ameritrade is up to its usual cheapo, cheapo tricks. If the stock was bought before 1/1/11, all we get is the proceeds. My client bought it in May and August of 2010.....how much does it cost to track that and report the cost. Maybe Sam Waterston should put on his Jack McCoy hat and tell them off.

We have instituted an informal policy of NOT scheduling more than 1 per day. I am in the process of giving everyone a "color" similiar to what homeland security does (or did).

That way my wife will not schedule more than one "code red" on the same day. I will do two "code oranges" on the same day if need be.

My alcohol consumption has gone down noticeably since we instituted the policy.

Currently I am at Defcon 2. I hope to remain there for the duration.

A client I've had for a few years - Single mother of 2 dependent children (different fathers) has a W-2, lifetime learning expenses and child care credit (documented). Files HOH with EIC. Calls early February for an appointment. Comes in, I take information. Call her back a few days later for pickup. Breaks 2 appointments for pickup - 2nd time she never even calls. About 10 days later calls to say she was hospitalized - that's why she didn't call back to come. Finally at end of last week she comes, signs engagement letter, e-file authorization forms, pays fee (in cash), I transmit the return.

Yesterday - she calls me to inform me that "she forgot to tell me she got married last year". But I couldn't discuss with her at that moment as I had another client I was working with.

She calls me today and I ask her why she didn't let me know this when she came for her appointment, or when pickup time came, or before I transmitted the return. Reason - "Since he didn't have a job, no income, I didn't think it mattered". Turns out he came to this country in early 2011, they got married in May, he lived in her house remainder of year and she supported him. He still isn't a US citizen, but has an ITIN. Had no job, no taxable income, never previously married, no kids.

She's aware that the return has to be amended - but I don't think she will understand that in amending and doing it right - she'll sacrifice and pay back the EIC.

So I've asked her that when she comes back (IF she comes back) I'll need to meet her husband, get his ID info, as well as see the marriage certificate.

This is going to be a toughie as I had my doubts about her when she first came to me.

Initially she didn't come from a referral - just called me from a listing. I looked at the prior preparer's return and I could tell it was done by someone unlicensed - fraudulent for purpose of getting bigger refund. Once I advised her of the mistakes the guy made, she then took it to the preparer she had before him to see if I knew what I was talking about. The

This week, for one kid: the orthopedic for the sports injury, who said he needs a month of PT The PT, just once this week, The oral surgeon, 5 teeth, and some other really weird stuff, today. Then to the orthodontist, who needed to see him before the pain meds wore off, On Sat, we get the blood test to make sure that the pain meds haven't blown out his liver, because of the impact of the ongoing Lyme disease treatment. (We're skipping the shots for the Lyme this week because of the other pain meds).

So combine all of the time spent at various medical offices with the roughly $6700 cost (this week) along with the unbelievable amount of energy spent just worrying...and trying to focus past the worry.

I am out of my mind.

Jessica: the year before that storm, I conducted a tax season with my wife slowing passing away from CHF in the next room. I had an agency send a helper, but that woman would watch TV in the room on the other side of me, and never hear my wife's call for aid. I had to get up and see what she wanted and then tell this person, interrupting her TV. When I would travel to Philadelphia, there was always uncertainty that they would show up, and one day I did have to cancel appointments because the agency couldn't deliver. My heart goes out to you, having been there and done that. Sometimes I would look at the returns I prepared that year and be amazed that there were not more mistakes than the ones I found.

The part I hate was that he says he is a good Christian man just trying to keep his 6 children and wife fed and that this is bringing him closer to the Lord. We grew up in the same faith and part of our beliefs are to make sure that you comply with all the laws of the land.

Sounds like he has been to Glenn Beck's "school" on the Constitution. I'm sure he still expects the fire department to show up if his house catches on fire, and the police to show up if someone tries to steal his venerated cash. I wonder if the Lord allows him to run a red light too?

Where do our clients get their paper clips? The neon, striped plastic coated ones are annoying to look at. The clips shaped like an animal, or a flower, or a foot or impossible to work with. And what's up with our senior citizen clients? Why do they hold on to and reuse their old, rusted paper clips? I know the Great Depression society does not waste anything, but come on! It's just a paper clip!!!

Others use junk mail envelopes, but not for mailing. One client once brought his papers to me in one from Bank of America or another lending institution. "Everything is in there; been carrying it around with me for months now" (this was July). I opened it and found a credit card teaser offer.....apparently his papers went in the trash.

I agree about the paper clips

I have to admit that since I pay most of my bills online, I save the unused envelopes I get with my bills for my own use as long as they are plain enough.

I toss the rusty paperclips, but save good ones :-)

One technique I use each year for the past three is to mentally go through each week who are clients that are candidates to be "disengaged" for the next filing season. My goal is to lose 2-3, but the process itself gives me great therapeutic results during the season...

I gave that speech to one party, the other side gets hers tomorrow.

That is tax season....you get home worn out, check emails etc, munch a little and hit the bed dead-tired, and then sleep never comes for 30-60 minutes.....finally drift off into oblivion only to feel a wet nose at 5:45 telling you it is time to get up and take a walk.

The stupid thing about this audit is that he is a doctor with an expense allowance. There is one issue, EBE. He is a member of a group practice where, because none of them trust each other, each physician is given a 12K allowance for expenses but since the plan requires no accounting, it is put in the W-2. Naturally this, and his 18K a year real estate taxes, produce a frightening AMT. I ran the math and if they throw out all his EBE, his tax does not change......what a frickin waste of time!

What the heck are they teaching these kids in school these days?

It is a pain filing paper returns for the parents and amending the kid's return, but I will do it to save them the money.

Well someone will say "tell them it is a PA K-1" but as one of our posters always notes, it is my license.

Of course, they also ask you to fax other state copies, as if someone working in NY or Delaware is going to pay less tax on their income than at PA's paltry rate. But the partnership rule is new this year. They could have asked us to fax non-PA K-1 forms.

In a way, I kind of enjoy sending them PA40s with 40-60 pages.....I make sure I split stock sales by husband-wife-joint.

New Jersey has done it the same way for years and every year at seminars, I ask their people when they will get rid of this archaic rule and every year they stand up there and go, "Haminah, haminah, haminah."

I wonder if they will do the same thing with trusts that don't give us a PA K-1, or S Corps. This must have been my first with this situation this year.

The oddity is that my software has a K-1 worksheet that was fine for efile last year. You had to fill in the client's phone number and the city, state and zipcode of the partnership (perhaps 50% of energy partnerships are from Houston). C'mon Harrisburg, how many Targa Energy Partners could there be in Houston!

I am looking at a K-1 from Sunoco Logistics Partners; the package includes no RK-1 though headquartered in Philadelphia. There is a business loss on Line 1, but over 500 in qualifying dividends. This client, with a 7 figure W-2, has two other PTP investments, and for him, manually entering the dividends might not be a bad option so he can efile, but there are perhaps 6 clients with over 10 (one had 38 last year) of these things......so in that case, it is easier to paper file, and serves the Dept of Revenue right to do so.

Just my opinion, but for a state with a comparatively low tax rate, they trust no one.

I have e-filed these in years past and every firm i have worked for prepared a mock up of the K-1 for this purpose. Maybe I should paper file these from now on. PA doesn't have a good track record with paper filed returns. They seem to lose attachments regularly.

I have two Blackstone's and they are being extended.

So much for Pennsylvania's efile mandate!

And, yes, I remember using it on *even older* professionals who were kind enough to entertain *my* "quick questions" many many years ago. They musta really hated it, too, but were kind enough not to give me .. a new one.

But what possesses people to even think this is an option? Do you call a mechanic to come over to your house and "watch" you do your oil change?

Harry, my former office manager would tell clients who would pop in or call to say that they had a 'quick question' that she wouldn't interrupt me, for as she would explain, 'David only has slow answers.'

Experts very wise Answers that are practical Yet sometimes help smarts

5-7-5, no rhyme, and not much meaning either.

Will somebody tell me where this Coast Guard helicopter came from and what it's doing here?

And don't tell me to put it on Line 21 and take it out again.....they never read that crap anyway.

127) There's a button on my toilet that ALWAYS makes the phone ring when I sit down! I wish I could find it!

128) Ring, ring.....Are you done yet? Yes, I didn't call you because I don't want you to have those taxes back. (If I was done wouldn't I have called you?)

129) April 17th, 70 degrees, April 18th, 110 degrees......

130) Every fun event that I hear about is in March or April. Isn't anything fun going on any other time of the year?

131) Can I mail you a check?

132) Tired......

I will try to upload a photo of Watson; he has the sheepdog face but dog people can see that he is part otter hound from his confirmation. Yesterday he snuffed out a mole, and ate it before I could rescue it. I suppose I should post that in the "What I had for lunch" discussion.

"Hope all is well with you.

"I know you're busy but I just want to verify that you received the packet with all of my tax info. Please understand that i am not rushing you, quite the contrary, I just want to verify that you received all the info I sent."

If you are not rushing me, then why are you writing; you sent the envelope with Delivery confirmation. Lying Sack of Excrement.....this one gets pushed to the end of the line.

134. When a client calls after their tax appointment and starts off the conversation with "I feel that you didn't ask me enough questions about our situation like H&R Block does".

Client has her broker send their year end statement encrypted with all sorts of security by Cisco, so that I have to create a profile etc etc and then it turns out I can't get it because I don't have an account with that brokerage.

"I logged on to your website this morning but I didn't see my financial statements or tax return. Am I missing something? Maybe I was logged on to the wrong website. I know you must have it completed as I gave you my information over a week ago. Please help me solve this problem. Thanks for your hard work."

http://munstatspa.dced.state.pa.us/Registers.aspx

This came after a day when 4 of 9 clients seen did not have all their information, and not because of third parties but because of their own sloth. It's March 25th, I told them. When are you going to get ready?

Not even going into the stock stuff, that one needs it's own thread.

I don't mind those who delay, gives me May workload.

What floors me about local taxes are the different rules different private collection companies have in regard to the Philly Wage tax (about 3.5%). Keystone will give a credit up the local rate on the SAME income, but not against other income. H.A. Berkheimer will permit you to use the entire Philly Wage tax to offset other non-Philly income. Perhaps this is one reason I notice Keystone taking business away from Berkheimer....they collect more.

"David -- Just wanted to be sure you received the FedEx package with my tax documents. Did it arrive okay?"

Isn't that why they give tracking numbers? I feel like responding with 'no, the dog attacked the Fedex driver' or 'teens threw a Molotov cocktail in the truck when it pulled up.'

And this woman makes 600K a year writing speeches.

I'll second that.

This couple returned three years ago after a 12 year hiatus while his Dad, a CPA, did the return and filed on paper. Dad retired or died or both. Husband and wife are freelancers in their jobs and received multiple W-2 forms. Dad made a 2106 for each employer (union dues, auto expense etc). Technically, this is what the State of PA wants. Of course, you can't efile with that many 2106s so I converted their expenses for each job to an Excel spreadsheet for backup and efiled them. Last year PA actually asked us to break it out, and we submitted the spreadsheet. The return was accepted.

And I'm sorry that your email isn't working and you can't get my attachments....but exactly how much time do you want to spend on dealing with issue? I bill by the second. I had the returns finished last week, and they are still in my office, and we've spoken half a dozen times, and this is not efficient.

Sort of. I have Timeslips. When I get a call, I open a new slip and turn on the timer as I pick up the phone. I select the client's name in the program as we're saying hello. When the work is done, I turn off the timer, close the slip, open the previous slip that represents the client I was working on before the call, and so on.

When it's time to bill, the program adds up the value of all of the slips. Viola. A bill.

By God I like your style.

Up above SZP and I talked about Pennsylvania refusing to take efiled returns when there was partnerships who did not file in PA. I want to see the bastards in Harrisburg process the one I did tonight: 23 K-1s, and then rather than simply do Sch D without detail, I sent them the 30 pages that will accompany the 8453, plus another 21 pages of the regular return.

By the way, I could paper my walls with that little booklet all the PTPs hand out to explain their K-1s.

Is it OK to reply, "It looks like an unopened envelope." or "It looks like a pile on my floor." ??

Oh, and then there's the 'on hold/missing information but started already' files on the end of my desk. And I wonder why I don't seem to have any desk space.

140. The guy that texts me every couple of days wondering when I'll get to his return, and then when I email him asking for more info (since he's on the end of the desk now), I don't hear back.

"I mailed all our stuff this morning, and I’m attaching my usual summary spreadsheet along with W-2 and 1099 PDFs in case you want to get started. I thought the financial aid deadlines for the colleges and FAFSA, CSS, etc. were April 30th, but it’s actually 4/15 for all of them, so this is rather urgent (like everybody, I’m sure)."

I love 'in case you want to get started.' I picture a scene from an old movie, an editor's office where he is barking into the inter-office phone, "Tear up the front page, PM's taxes have come in....8 columns with a spread sheet in the middle of the front page. 24 point type. BIG HEADLINES. IT'S GETTING LATE."

I am one business that gives credit, always have and always will..... but this same guy takes forever to pay and usually blows through both of the penalty phases I put on my bills. Then again, he has recommended five or six people, and all are good pay.

And don't get me started on the missing info people

After I put his return aside to do the "I NEED IT NOW BEFORE I LIST" computation of the tax impact of short selling his rental unit this year (2012).

The accountant I worked for the first year I was in Hawaii tried using Timeslips and couldn't really get the hang of it. I'm really pathetic at keeping track of my time. I know I shouldn't give away time, but I do it all the time. The other day it was a bank reconciliation that sounded so simple to help out with. Balance was $81 off - transposed number right? I figured my client had looked at it so much she was never going to see it, so asked her to fax over a couple of items. It's a long story as to what made up the $81, but it's the reason she had worked on it for days, and there was no way I was ever going to find it. I'll bill her for some of my time, but ..... I guess I'm just too nice sometimes.

One thing that's really great is when a client questions the bill. As several did when I went out on my own. I think that they thought that they could negotiate me down by putting on some pressure....I just sent the billing detail. It shows every minute spent each day to come to the total. I think that it lets the client know that I'm not just pulling numbers out of thin air. Also, sometimes I add notes about what I'm doing to remind the client & me that there were additional issues.

It also makes me stronger. If someone is trying to pressure me, I know exactly what the hourly realization is. I'm a lot less likely to fold on billing issues. This is the rate for the time that I spend on them, away from my family. And I'm not billing one client (the guy pressuring me) less than I bill the next. If I'm not worth it, move on.

And thanks, Fred, I know I can always count on you when I serve up a nice, fat pitch to hit (can you tell I'm ready for baseball season to start..)

Whatever number we are on:

The business client who is getting a steal, but doesn't think that they are, that keeps on threatening to go somewhere else because their personal returns are always extended...

That boss is the single most contrary cuss I've ever heard spoken about. His sole existence is premised upon irritating his fellow man and woman. I wish I knew some mobsters in your area I'd have them ruff this boss up a little bit for you. I used to think it was a good idea to put the mobsters in jail, but now I see they served a useful social purpose after all.

I suppose I deserved the first client, a widower without a computer, and whose broker, panicked by the summer debt crisis, converted everything to cash, including nine PTPs....she made 60K of gains and then quit the business. By the way, the statements he has from Credit Suisse are so confusing.

What you see above is just one of my comments out of a series of comments I have made over time in response to Laticia's comments, known variously as "The Lament of Laticia" or "Laticia's Lament". The topic is: The Boss (a character who is the modern day equivalent of the malevolent whale, Moby Dick). Fate, in other words, or the fact of the matter, the brick wall we are determined to knock down when we could walk around it. Well, we can't always walk around it, but you get the idea.

Client in NYC goes to a financial adviser and was told he could make an IRA contribution. Last year I told him his IRA contribution was non-deductible because he has a retirement plan at work and he makes too much money and is over the threshold.

This year, another contribution and he is adamant that his adviser says it's deductible. Now, I'm one to admit that there are a few things I still need to learn, but I was pretty sure I was right, so I told him to have his adviser call me.

Got the call this morning and adviser says there seems to be some confusion. I ask the adviser why he thought Client could deduct an IRA contribution. I asked if he knew Client had a plan at work and if he knew single Client made over $100K.

Adviser agrees it's non-deductible. And because I must sometimes think comment or don't comment, I decide not to ask him if he's an idiot who should be looking for another job so I instead calmly state that by not following through and understanding his clients entire situation he is providing a great disservice and that he should probably review his other clients for similar disservices.

He called back to offer a few solutions that my financial expert already suggested, as I run everything through him. I told him I would discuss with client the various solutions and either he or I would get back to him.

The first solution I am suggesting is that he get a new financial adviser who cares more about his clients than they do the commission generated by giving bad advice.

But seriously, and it's not meant to be, although it will sound chauvinistic, but stereotypes are true to an extent. It's not right, but clients treat women differently, even if you are the owner. People are rude to my staff and then nice as pie when I speak. But also, I won't accept gruff from clients and I talk straight and tell my staff never to lie. I don't want to hear that Fred is on the phone when I am not. I am simply unavailable. Lies complicate life.

But, I do have that polite sarcasm knack. When we go out and shoot pool, my buddy Rick always says that I almost get into more fights than anyone else he ever met. I'm not a big guy and I don't fight, but I am mouthy and I always make sure I hang out with people who are big. lol.

Girls at bars probably cause more fights than anything else. If me and another guy get into a beef, it's easy to extricate yourself out of by simply challenging them to shots. But, once the girl gets in the middle, her guy has to fight, because he's a wimp if he doesn't.

Years ago, we were at Tulip Fest in Albany, a huge drinking holiday and we were at the Lark Street Tavern and my gf was kind of celebrating becoming divorced and was quite tipsy, as was I. Well, we're leaving and this idiot gets mad because I put my empty bottle down on his wine glass filled table and he says something to me. Well, in the middle of me using my polite sarcasm, my girl comes and sticks her nose in. I turn to her and told her to shut the F#$% up, because if I am going to fight, it's because of me. I then told my buddy Doc to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out.

I then turned to the smug faced fat rat bastage and explained to him that had he politely asked me to put the bottle at the bar, I would, but since he was a dou@&ebag he could go screw. I believe I used some possibly homophobic slurs about drinking wine and being pansies in the wording as well. Then I left.

Now, had it become a fight, well, there were about 7 extremely large new friends/security people of which some were ex-cons and would have enjoyed a ruckus. But ruckuses are useless. I prefer sharp words.

Now it is time to leave and watch my boy play baseball, to heck with taxes for the evening.

I never say anything about someone that I won't say to their face.

I don't do financial consulting because my belief is buy high, sell low!!!!!

I have this monstrosity with only one PTP, Suburban Propane in Parsippany NJ, and so far the software has not recognized that there is no PA RK1 and says I can efile (I answered the question truthfully).....if it rejects it before I can efile it, I will have no option but to send in that K1, a copy of Hawaii, a copy of Oregon, and 93 pages of stock transactions. Maybe Corbett can put some milk on it and eat it for breakfast. Why send 93 pages? Because obviously our Commonwealth trusts no one and should have all the details.

As it is, the 8453 is going to cost a small fortune to mail!

Then, when you get permission to call both attorneys and the clients attorney starts out with "this is the most vicious and vile divorce case I have been involved with in my entire 30 years of practicing", you get a big oh great feeling.

Then when the lawyer advises not to attempt to talk to the husband due to his deranged and homicidal tendencies and the ongoing criminal investigation against him, well, you begin to think a $4,000 donation to the government isn't all that bad.

Still awaiting a call back from the husbands attorney. Can't wait.

I am pretty sure after a few more years I might be able to write a book. lol

Bless their hearts.

Can you do me a big favor? Next year, when you bring in your USB drive with your YE statements, can you please make sure that you erase the "private photos?" I'm not a big fan of stripper pics, and I CANNOT UNSEE some of the nasty stuff you had that girl doing on your motorcycle.

Your bill just went up another $200.

What he really wants to know is if he owes money and whether he needs to dig up more expenses. Then he makes a comment how he doesn't wish to have to scramble last minute. 2nd year client from HR Block who came because of error there. But he's used to going in and walking out. Don't happen here.

Well I never expected that break down to be my wife/secretary/general dogsbody who processes the returns, and gets them ready for mailing and is my companion. A week ago Sunday night her back began to act creaky and by Wednesday we had to visit the sawbones, who thought 'pinched nerve' since the pain ran down her leg. She gave her painkiller and a steroid treatment where you begin with 5 a day and descend to 1. Thursday she felt much better, insisted she walk about Shoprite with a cane and pick up the ham she wanted for Easter dinner with our family. Then Friday as the pain returned, she wouldn't hear of not making Easter bread, rice pies, a concoction they call 'pizzagaine' and other baked goodies (she has not one drop of Italian blood but married one and learned these from his mother).

If I said anything, I heard 'but it's traditional.' All weekend was stress for her; our daughter-in-law, an Adm. Asst for two CPAs, arrived Saturday afternoon late and really helped, but by Monday she was in agony again, and still is.

6 more days of madness.

Today the Art of Dumb sank to a new level. This client who works for JP Morgan Sachs and makes 300-400K confirmed that he'd been putting money into 529 plans, deductible in PA. I'd asked before but never gotten responses but this year he has put 39K in for the two kids on his return....I asked for details and there is the name, SSN and birthdate of the two twins born on April 15, 2010, plus a sister. At first I thought the sister was from a former marriage but I see her birthdate is January 2008. She has never been listed on a return. How can a man miss this.....before her birth, wife was making some money and then stopped. I never understood why. How do you miss a kid? He nicely said "I don't understand taxes."

[Later: I googled his bio and his kids were born after his divorce. So I guess the story must be about some *other* prize-winning physicist.]

Gotta love it when people bitch about a bill for $80 to get their taxes done.

It only takes 20 minutes. No, it actually takes less than that, but that doesn't matter. $50 surcharge next year to come back.

I would love to say that on occasion.

I have some accuracy and supposedly negligence penalties to fight come Wednesday. Stupid IRS added a zero to the end of a K-1 and they are insisting we were negligent. We did have some minor errors that we had to adjust, but these people always have something.

Anyway, that should be fun.

What I hate: CA dependent returns where the kids owe $12 or $44 or some other such stupid little number because they don't get an exemption and their employers don't withhold any state taxes. But they or their parents can't use web pay because it's the kid's first tax return. Sending out vouchers right & left.

Now since the phone stopped ringing for a few minutes and I got to get some dinner in me, I'm up for the long haul. I'm gonna get these damn extensions done.

Almost over and the we plan the trips.

postage and mail them. Also he refuses to efile the stupid federal extensions so he is going to pay poatage for no reason other than he's scared of technology. I think I need to find a place that does't believe that technology is magic.

And square is a pay-per-swipe too. Works on a phone or iPad. Sweet to watch the deposits just magically appear in my account. And that reminds me; I have checks to deposit!

I'm going to see if Preacher Crow will issue a "Christian Fatwah" to release you of any Christian duty of submission to these horrible men.

Fatwah:

"In virtue of my 35 years in the pulpit, and with the special permission of my Muslim brothers to issue a Christain version of their religious edicts, I hereby issue the following Christian Fatwah, as follows: Laticia is released from any duty of submission to men for a period of 60 days from the date of this order; upon the expiration thereof she goes back under the Godly authority of men. So ordered."

I usually charge $65 for my fatwahs, but considering the special circumstances of the case and the severity of the circumstances, I am waiving my fee.

She and he make extension 64 by count of files in boxes, but there are another 5-6 who file their own. I am up to bill #338 and worn to the bone. Grilled some burgers (whatever happened to the lunch column?) and wife and I had them with last night's cole slaw....dog had a burger too and now I am going to the bedroom....will get up before midnight to check but enough is enough.

to quote the Master, who I think must have been a tax pro:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,"

Well, I added daughter # 3 to the 2011 return, efiled it, and of course, it bounced. "Steve, IRS rejected your return......" "Let me check?"

Of course, he had a typo when he sent the SSN.....first he didn't even know he had the daughter, now he can't get the SSN right!!!!!

The one I have to add:

145. Different sized paper... seriously, can't everything be printed on standard (letter-sized) paper? Do we have to have perforated scraps here and half-page scraps there? No 1099/W-2/receipt/Soc. Security 1099 is ever the same size!!!

Some of the staff here likes to clip just the odd-sized paper in the client folder, and then it doesn't get clipped correctly to the two prongs at the top of the folder so it falls out. I say tape/staple it to a regular sheet of paper or make a copy of it! Please, I don't like stuff falling out all over!! I love reviewing a return that has no changes, but then is given back to the staff to clip things down properly (NOT)! Ahhh!!

Do you have suggestions for going paperless? Advantages, disadvantages... mistakes to avoid?? I looked at some of the other threads but didn't see a good summary.

Going paperless was the best thing I ever did. I got all my old client files and scanned them using a desktop Fujitsu scanner. It's my little workhorse, and scans very fast. It's impossible (at least for me) to avoid all paper, because I have people sign documents with physical pens (not with Docusign, or some other virtual signature), but at the end of each busy season, I scan and shred everything. It's fantastic.

Those are the biggest obstacles. If you scan something in and need it later and you don't have a good filing system, or a naming convention, then, if you need to do a search,it becomes difficult to find.

So the point Fred makes is very good. I haven't really had much chance with the Fujitsu, but everytime I try to find something and click on a client folder, I only see numbered files and not a view.....this can be a pain when there are 101 documents and I need only one W-2. Wife doesn't title each document or organize them further than a client folder, and since she is the only person working here, she does not have the luxury of time to do so. Can I have them open in thumbnail view?

The Fujitsu will auto name and also remembers the last folder saved to, so again, care needs to be taken when saving, or you could save it in wrong folder. ScanSnap comes with 2 full Adobe programs and those allow you search all PDF files, so to find a misfiled form, it becomes easier.

For example, backup documentation for every single client is in one folder, saved by year. Using my name as an example it would be saved in the folder

S:\Documents\Backup Documentation\Stein, Fred - Tax Documentation - 2011.pdf

Now, if I need anything for this particular client I can search by name, or by file type.

Same thing when we print our clients Quarterly payroll returns, or sales tax returns and their actual personal tax returns. Standardized naming convention.

David, you have each one in the client folder. That's the issue I am dealing with. Client folder vs Sales Tax Folder for all clients or Payroll Returns Folder.

For you to get thumbnails showing, should just click on view and then thumbnails and all pdf's will be thumbnails.

I have one sales tax client and they're the only payroll tax client also, so that is not a problem....but Pam will save emails, W-2s, letters, almost anything including huge brokerage statements.

On my portable hardrive I have a file marked "clients", in it is a folder for each client by name. In each client folder I have a folder for the year. For example: H/Clients/Name/2011

If there is a need for sub folders within the client folder, like for a schedule C or research, I add sub folders for these purposes.

In the client folder, each scanned file is names first with the tax year, then client name and then description for example: 2011 Name W-2s (2)

Similarly information from an email is saved in the same pattern with a description, "e-mail" and date in the title.

If there is a QuickBooks file that I restore, I re-name it with the company name and year and store it within the year end file for the client.

Post-season, I spend time cleaning house in many ways - both with computer "junk" and my actual house. so....the next item in the "7 things I hate about tax season" is

1. 146 the post tax season clean up!

I agree with Szptx in that I have a separate sub-directory for each client. I don't like the way QuickBooks and ProSeries like to group all their files together. I makes it too difficult for me to find EVERYTHING to do with a client such as Word and Excel documents. I also have a directory called Old Clients. When a client goes away, they get transfered to Old Clients. That way I still have all their info. It's surprising how often they come back.

I LOVE my two monitors. I didn't think I'd use them until I started using it. Now I realize how time consuming toggling back and forth was.

All on going business clients have their own folder. Individual clients, only if they have additional issues. If research is needed or they have IRS or state issues that are being dealt with.

I'm still back and forth. Group all tax documentation pdf's, which would be 1 for each client, or give each client their own folder.

The own folder approach would then require that after tax season clean up, move them to dead client files, I don't use the word old because if they leave me, they are dead to me, at least until they are reincarnated. lol.

Naming conventions allow me to search my server for the files if they get misfiled.

Under my Client directory, there is a subdirectory for each year which is labeled 2011 QBs files for tax return and all once a year clients have their QB files loaded here each year.

My feeling is that by grouping them in this way, it allows us to check the previous periods folder to check for those that might be missing. For example, by looking in the following folder s:/documents/filings/payroll/03-31-12 I can make sure that all filings for 06-30-12 have been prepared. All payroll client forms are in one place. Same with sales tax and other regular filings.

I thought about using individual client folders but I was worried when I was double checking, I needed to hit each folder and make sure the proper files were there. with only a few clients, not an issue, but with a lot of clients, I was worried.

For those using individual client folders for everything - how many clients are we talking about, and what issues have you encountered?

I also have an old clients folder where those not returning go to fester...

I do this, too. After a few years, (or if I've fired the client) I just transfer the old files to the "Old Clients" folder, and it makes sight searching a lot easier. I know the files are still there if I ever need to go dig one up.

Like SZptax, I have a separate folder/directory for each client. If it's a joint return, I make sure that both names are part of the filename. That makes searching for the folder a snap in Windows Explorer if the couple ever splits up and I need to go searching for the second spouse listed on the return.

This summer I'm going to complete a project I call Client Summaries. It's a Word document that will go in each client's directory. It tells about the client and who's related to who, i.e Jones is Smith's next door neighbor and referred them. Jones owns Acme Auto Repair. This should lessen my explanations when I hire staff.