WTF?!? What is wrong with people????

20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
I just fired someone today.

Yes!

I fired someone just a few days before the end of the tax season.....

Why?

32 emails questioning everything from their own name to the amount they owe, I still got it done
They were rather upset at what they owed. Which annoyed me as I didn't make the numbers, but simply processed them.
Then they said they would get back to me.

6 weeks later, I decided ( just a few days before it is due to be filed ) to send them an email telling them I closed their account.

They came back with a question as to why my prices were so HIGH.

note: for what they had, the average price is $300-$500.

My price?

$220, but I gave them a $10 reduction for returning... so a total price of $ 210

"Let them eat cake!"

My fault after taking them back after their silliness last year of 30+ emails and phone calls explaining everything......

I am dumb some days...... totally my fault...


Well one less person to deal with....

Total firings this year?

2
 
Old Greek

Old Greek

Veteran Member
20Gauge said:
I just fired someone today.

Yes!

I fired someone just a few days before the end of the tax season.....

Why?

32 emails questioning everything from their own name to the amount they owe, I still got it done
They were rather upset at what they owed. Which annoyed me as I didn't make the numbers, but simply processed them.
Then they said they would get back to me.

6 weeks later, I decided ( just a few days before it is due to be filed ) to send them an email telling them I closed their account.

They came back with a question as to why my prices were so HIGH.

note: for what they had, the average price is $300-$500.

My price?

$220, but I gave them a $10 reduction for returning... so a total price of $ 210

"Let them eat cake!"

My fault after taking them back after their silliness last year of 30+ emails and phone calls explaining everything......

I am dumb some days...... totally my fault...


Well one less person to deal with....

Total firings this year?

2
Click to expand...
My accountant charges $500 for personal filing. And when I had the two businesses $800.00 for each.
Never had a problem ( Western Pa. ) Great guy. Just for info!
 
20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
As as note... there has been a trend by all agencies who do taxes, to push up the average return cost to $1000 on average.

Many CPAs in our town ( as well as others ) won't even talk to you for less than $500.

Business returns are now $1000+ on average here in town.

Think about this, the average preparer can do 600+ in a 4 month season.

That is a minimum of $ 300k to a upper level of $ 600k in that short period of time........

They are shooting for top tier professional levels with their rates.
 
Wildweasel

Wildweasel

F-4 Phantoms Phorever
20Gauge said:
I just fired someone today.

Yes!

I fired someone just a few days before the end of the tax season.....

Why?

32 emails questioning everything from their own name to the amount they owe, I still got it done
They were rather upset at what they owed. Which annoyed me as I didn't make the numbers, but simply processed them.
Then they said they would get back to me.

6 weeks later, I decided ( just a few days before it is due to be filed ) to send them an email telling them I closed their account.

They came back with a question as to why my prices were so HIGH.

note: for what they had, the average price is $300-$500.

My price?

$220, but I gave them a $10 reduction for returning... so a total price of $ 210

"Let them eat cake!"

My fault after taking them back after their silliness last year of 30+ emails and phone calls explaining everything......

I am dumb some days...... totally my fault...


Well one less person to deal with....

Total firings this year?

2
Click to expand...
And only one week left until Tax Day! Where are you heading to April 16 for your two-week drunken vacation to blow all the tax season stress out of your system?
 
Southside

Southside

Has No Timebombs, Lives on Life
20Gauge said:
I just fired someone today.

Yes!

I fired someone just a few days before the end of the tax season.....

Why?

32 emails questioning everything from their own name to the amount they owe, I still got it done
They were rather upset at what they owed. Which annoyed me as I didn't make the numbers, but simply processed them.
Then they said they would get back to me.

6 weeks later, I decided ( just a few days before it is due to be filed ) to send them an email telling them I closed their account.

They came back with a question as to why my prices were so HIGH.

note: for what they had, the average price is $300-$500.

My price?

$220, but I gave them a $10 reduction for returning... so a total price of $ 210

"Let them eat cake!"

My fault after taking them back after their silliness last year of 30+ emails and phone calls explaining everything......

I am dumb some days...... totally my fault...


Well one less person to deal with....

Total firings this year?

2
Click to expand...
PLEASE invoke the 80/20 rule for your clients going forward.
Raise prices 20%
you KNOW EXACTLY what 20% to send down the road. Your life will be better. You will make the same.
Countrymouse said:
I need to hire you to do our taxes--even if we can only do them long-distance over the internet! That's an incredible rate!
Click to expand...
It is. He is very reasonable.

Actually, most commercial CPA's will charge no more, and usually less than H & R Crock.
Fact.
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
RELIC and I have an H&R person, with whom RELIC holds a couple-minute discussion in tax-greek, while I sit and look interested and provide a signature. RELIC is satisfied that she knows her stuff (I'm thinking she and RELIC slid Pub 17 secret passwords back and forth).
Basic stuff cost us 250ish.
 
Tristan

Tristan

TB Fanatic
20Gauge said:
As as note... there has been a trend by all agencies who do taxes, to push up the average return cost to $1000 on average.

Many CPAs in our town ( as well as others ) won't even talk to you for less than $500.

Business returns are now $1000+ on average here in town.

Think about this, the average preparer can do 600+ in a 4 month season.

That is a minimum of $ 300k to a upper level of $ 600k in that short period of time........

They are shooting for top tier professional levels with their rates.
Click to expand...


The $100 bill is the new $20.

Sad, but basically true.
 
Countrymouse

Countrymouse

Country exile in the city
20Gauge said:
As as note... there has been a trend by all agencies who do taxes, to push up the average return cost to $1000 on average.

Many CPAs in our town ( as well as others ) won't even talk to you for less than $500.

Business returns are now $1000+ on average here in town.

Think about this, the average preparer can do 600+ in a 4 month season.

That is a minimum of $ 300k to a upper level of $ 600k in that short period of time........

They are shooting for top tier professional levels with their rates.
Click to expand...
If they go that high--I guess I'll have to start figuring out how to do it myself ( nooooooooooooo!)

We're on SS now (both hubby and me) since I got laid off, and we're trying to save for the future and for our sons' needs (we do want to leave them an inheritance).
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Just an opinion but, in the interests of reducing your stress, you should have left them spinning & twisting in the wind.

Trying to help some people is just a waste of that unrenewable and irreplaceable resource, your time.

If I want to be generous or help someone out, I just look on the web or certain bulletin boards. THere's always a vet or a widow we can give a hand.

Get some rest and look after you and yours.
 
Last edited:
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
20Gauge said:
As as note... there has been a trend by all agencies who do taxes, to push up the average return cost to $1000 on average.

Many CPAs in our town ( as well as others ) won't even talk to you for less than $500.

Business returns are now $1000+ on average here in town.

Think about this, the average preparer can do 600+ in a 4 month season.

That is a minimum of $ 300k to a upper level of $ 600k in that short period of time........

They are shooting for top tier professional levels with their rates.
Click to expand...

Yep, a couple of grand for our returns. The business taxes have multiple LLCs, a partnership that is a holding company, two trusts one of them being a bridge trust, various flavors of 1099s both outgoing and incoming, business financial accounts with their own reporting forms, and the K-1 mess of course. All of that then passes through to our personal taxes that are way too interesting in their own right due to 1099-INTs, 1099-blah blah blahs, and various other income forms as well as outgoing payments to a SEP IRA and more yada yada.

We pay it and make sure the office receives homemade cookies at Christmas and a nice thank you thank you thank you for keeping our hair follicles amongst the land o' the living. We do the bookkeeping and reconciliation, they take it and work some magic and wham bam the forms get filled out and all we have to do is sign ... and give a gallon of blood to the vampires that work for the IRS to be paid quarterly in advance. Ain't life grand?

The other thing they do is get on the line with our financial/estate/tax planning people when needed to help figure out how to run the numbers so the IRS doesn't birth purple buffalos to run us over with. Priceless.

Oh yeah, I left out Tax Loss Harvesting, REITs, and DSTs? Every year the CPA just says, "Tell me ahead of time. I don't want to have to figure this out during tax season."
 
M

Milkweed Host

Veteran Member
I use FreeTaxUSA, with the Federal program free and less than $20.00 for state.
It's simple and fast as we are both retired with little income or expense.
I have four sources of retirement income, my wife has one, all simple to enter.
I take the standard deduction, but on top of that, rec $12,000.00 deduction for ret LE.
Another $12,000.00 deduction for senior and $3,000.00 deduction on medical ins payments
as ret LE. I don't believe I pay much if any income tax.

One son's employer hires a firm that charges $2,000.00. His employer pays for the total return expense.
His returns envolve two countries and other investments.

Another son uses a program to figure his, but his & hers is difficult as it involves $1.5M+ in property with some rental
homes. Many sources of income and expense.

Daughter and Husband use a program as theirs is simple also. He is full time, she is PT with two children.
One home to deal with, for now?

The yearly income season sucks....

and yes, I also remember the days of picking up tax return forms at the local Post Office.
 
Big Sarge

Big Sarge

Old School
I don’t qualify for the “free” filing online so I pay $30 Fed and $20 State to file my own online. Mine is pretty much standard filing with no crazy extras. I noticed at the local Walmart HR booth they’re charging around $150 for the basic tax filing.
 
BornFree

BornFree

Came This Far
20Gauge said:
Yeah, HR Block charges 3 times more.....lol
Click to expand...
I had a rental once. After the return at HR block was done and submitted I noticed that they put a used refrigerator I had purchased on a 27.5 year depreciation schedule(Should have been 5). That is when I figured out the scam. They charge yearly for every deduction. Then I understood some other things they had done to maximize their profits. I never went back.
 
West

West

Senior
KFhunter said:
AI will be doing our taxes soon
Click to expand...
Or when it all goes digital, the government can do our taxes for free! LOL..

For independent individuals like my self, I can see it now.... every 3 months, ding ding...there goes a good percentage of my profit to the United States Treasury.

Automatic quarterlies.


It's going to be great!
 
20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
KFhunter said:
AI will be doing our taxes soon
Click to expand...
Yes and no....

It most likely will do 50% or a bit more, but about half the nations has things that AI is unaware of.

Example, here in GA you can write of Ad Valorum, which is a fancy way of saying the sales tax on your car.

That is different for each of the 50 states.

Then there is side jobs that people have that just don't show in the system.

Give it a decade with more reporting of income and I would agree.
 
20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
West said:
Or when it all goes digital, the government can do our taxes for free! LOL..

For independent individuals like my self, I can see it now.... every 3 months, ding ding...there goes a good percentage of my profit to the United States Treasury.

Automatic quarterlies.


It's going to be great!
Click to expand...
I believe once they get good enough it will be weekly or monthly
 
annieosage

annieosage

Veteran Member
Not to steal your thread but WTH is it the last few years anyway? I claim single 0 and still owe!! So last year I started adding an additional $50 per check one job, and $30 per check my second job. That works out to about $2080 extra for the year. I didn't owe again thank God but got a measly $256. I was really hoping it would be enough I would not have to take quite so much out of each check. if you claim single 0, that should be it!!
 
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