Another day at the office and it's only lunch time

[PATAX]

Had an appointment with the client that was scheduled at 11:00 a.m. for them to bring in their 2022 data to file the individual income tax returns. They called and canceled and rescheduled for 12:30 today. They called again and rescheduled for 1:30 today. Hopefully they'll come. Another client sales tax return is due tomorrow and he finally remitted the data to me today along with a check for amounts past due. The check was for over $2,700, but he only owed me a little over $300. So now I have returned the check voided, and typed a billing/payment schedule analysis to show that he only owes me $300. This is the type of stuff that slows us down. And then we have to put up with all the nonsense with the taxing Authority mess since covid, including the mess with the new PA mypath system, which another accountant on another forum refered to as myPinto. I think a lot of us are ready for early retirement.

[IRonMaN · Accepted solution]

Yeah, I’m scheduled for an early retirement.  I was going to work until I was 97 but now I think I will pull the pin at 95.

[dkh]

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@PATAX wrote:

 I think a lot of us are ready for early retirement. 

I must look like I'm ready to retire..... have had lots of inquiries this year from clients wondering if I'm retiring soon.       Time to touch up the grey roots. 

[sjrcpa]

I had a 2:30 PM appt today- rescheduled from last week. They called at 2:27 PM to cancel.

[IRonMaN]

That's understandable.  I heard that their dog just ate all of their tax stuff they were going to bring in for you to look at. 😬

These days so many people just can't seem to show a little common courtesy.

[Jim-from-Ohio]

This one guy calls me.. says he has like seven years he has not filed for.. I asked him to gather up all his information and we set up an appointment.  set aside about two to 2.5 hours for his seven years preparation.. so the guy shows up and tells me he does not have any of the information but thought coming in and telling me that in person was better than giving me a heads up a few days or so before on the phone telling me was not ready. 

[BobKamman]

I would have been tempted to deposit the $2,700 check -- maybe in the trust account I am required to maintain, but seldom use -- and ask him how he wanted the $2,400 credit used.  

There is no forosphobia in the DSM-5, but there should be.  Many of us have clients who suffer from fear of taxes.  Perfectly normal people who walk among us, but resist filing returns even when due refunds.  They deserve our sympathy, but not much of our billable time.  

[sjrcpa]

OK @BobKamman . I looked up forosophobia (that's the spelling that came up). A new word for me. What's DSM-5?

[IRonMaN]

That's the book of mental health disorders.  Bob keeps the book in his desk so he can properly deal with the various disorders that his clients possess.  As a side note, his real name isn't Bob Kamman, it's Bob Freud.

[BobKamman]

@IRonMaN How do you know it's not Jung?  But you're right about the DSM-5.  And I made up forosphobia, from the Greek word for taxes --

φόρους

[sjrcpa]

I Googled it and got https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/machiavellians-gulling-the-rubes/202102/forosophobia-fear-of... 

from Psychology Today

So how do you two know about the book of mental health disorders? Or do I not want to know?

[PATAX]

The 1:30 appointment did come and she apologized for canceling twice. Actually I'm really glad that she came because we got to talk about the local history of the area since she is descended from original settlers. They have a log cabin on their property dated to at least 1854 I believe. She couldn't remember who her original paternal ancestor settler married, who had wealth, but she knew that she came from Germany. I was able to find it online after she left in about 5 minutes. I'm also an amateur historian and genealogy researcher. I'm thinking about incorporating a genealogy research business which I'm sure I would do quite well on. It would be a lot less stress than doing taxes.

[Skylane]

@PATAX   I stopped meeting with clients years ago.... if they want me to prepare their taxes they'll get me their paperwork... if I have questions I call them... works pretty well... as for the PITA clients, I've been telling them that I've retired.... We're all replaceable... so are they

if you deposit the check (and it clears)... you can return the overpayment less the charges you're going to invoice for completing the current work.