Check list is leaving out many important items to bring in.

[peterhawaii]

The check list is omitting to tell customers to bring in many items.  I have numerous plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, working people etc. who have lots of business expenses.  This last customers check list did not include ID verification, union dues, Dues, Initiation, safety boots, uniform cleaning,  gifts limited to $25, small tools, educational expenses, magazines and subscriptions, auto deductions.

The area most missed were the W-2 work expenses.  These are not deducted on the Federal but they are deducted on the state.  If not listed on the check list, the customer now thinks he can not deduct these items and there is no need for me to prepare his return.  More important he does not bring in this info.

In the past I would change one customers check list and I was so stupid this changed all check lists.  This year I filled in he clients check list add ons and then the form asked if I wanted to change all check list.  I said no, so I am no going to have the problem of any additions I make going to all customers.

If you think Pro Series programmers should include work related items on the check list, please contact Pro Series.

At the beginning of the year I sent all customers the check list (without looking at what was in the check list), and now if they came in it was very difficult to get accurate work deductions

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

Being that the checklist is part of the federal return, and those unreimbursed employee business expenses were taken away for federal purposes, that may be why they're no longer included.

[peterhawaii]

I can not believe the programmers are limiting the checklist to only the Federal tax return.   I think they should look at the purpose of the check list and one of these purposes should be to help the tax preparer work with the customer and save the customer dollars.

Obviously not putting in items which would save the client is making my job very difficult. And I think ProSeries /  Intuit should help me keep customers and save customers dollars, and putting these work related expenses on the check list would help me to help my customers.

I firmly believe many tax preparers are omitting to take these business deductions which almost always save dollars because they find it easier to not take the deductions.  The state standard deduction is small and my experience is these deductions always saves dollars on the state return.

Perhaps the programmers think it is a waste of effort to deduct job expenses on the state return, and they do not want paid preparers to do the work to save their customers dollars.

Please look at the purpose of the check list, and if it is to help tax preparers like myself the checklist needs to include work related deductions to save dollars on the state tax return

[TaxGuyBill]

But if they included State deductions, where would they stop?  Would they include every type of deduction and credit for every state?  

And then for the majority of tax preparers and clients that live in States that DON'T allow those deductions, we would be complaining that unnecessary things are on the checklist.

Personally, I use a self-created list and questionnaire for my clients, so I can include whatever I want.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I also send out my own checklist, the one that prints from ProSeries doesnt even have the clients full name or address on it, trying to print these enmass to send out appears to be quite cumbersome.