Hey, it's April 16th -----no, it's the 17th today

[IRonMaN]

Today is the day where a large portion of tax preparers come in to check on their last minute submissions and then go back to their regular jobs as brain surgeons, Tesla car sales people, Walmart greeters, and everything in between.  For those of you that are able to read this, congratulations - you survived another tax season.  For those of you that can't read this, hopefully it's because you already abandoned your office for the year rather than the undertaker paid a visit to your office.  Anyways, have a good "rest of tax season" since we know things don't officially end until October.  But then again some folks still find that date comes way too soon to gather their three W-2s and one 1099, so it really doesn't end for the year until the IRS pulls the plug on their computers.  But of course, that means nothing for Bob as he tries to single handedly save the American paper industry. 😉

[Strongsilence-CPA]

same backatcha !😁 

[BobKamman]

My annual letter pointed out to clients that their filing preference is not shared by most Americans, who had otherwise split about 50/50 in November on their preference for a male or female president.  All my clients keep coming back, except for the ones I have managed to outlive.  But you won't make jokes about saving the paper industry when it hurts your bottom line:

"Royal Paper, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a major U.S. manufacturer of bath tissue and paper products. On April 8, the toilet paper giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Although Royal Paper may not be as widely known as names like Charmin, Quilted Northern, and Scott, you’ll likely recognize a few of their products. According to several outlets, Royal Paper is a third-party manufacturer for products sold at Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Aldi."

[Camp1040]

Thank you, thank you, thank you all, for the help I have received from the community, directly or indirectly. A special shout out to Ole, Sven & Lena for the stress relief and laughs provided in the forum.

A special thanks to all, and to my great clients in TN who called and asked if I could "un-file" their return since TN's new due date is Nov 3, 2025.

Thanks to @BobKamman  for keeping everyone on their toes,(grammar, punctuation and of course tax rules)  and to all the community members who have much greater patience than I do.

I am humbled by the knowledgeable folks who save your day, and point you in the correct direction to research and learn.

Thank you!!!

[IRonMaN]

Bob is always here to keep you humble, but who is here to keep Bob humble 😜

[BobKamman]

I dunno, what do you hear from your EA friend in Colorado?

[IRonMaN]

I don't hear anything and I'm hoping to keep it that way since I narrowly avoided time in San Quentin the last time our paths crossed 😬 

[BobKamman]

To be serious for a moment, can we have a moment of silence for the thousands of dedicated, conscientious and honest IRS employees who made a career out of tax administration and now are seeing their efforts flushed into a political sewer?  I don't regret making the decision to leave the agency nearly 50 years ago, but I respect those who stayed, and I know how all functions of government will suffer if there is no one to collect the funds that they require.  Same thing is happening at Social Security, where a close college friend kept watch for 40 years.  

What do you tell clients who ask why they should be honest, when it's obvious cheating will go undetected?  

[IRonMaN]

"What do you tell clients who ask why they should be honest, when it's obvious cheating will go undetected?"

I guess we can start telling our clients to cheat so that they can be like everyone else.  Years ago I had a couple of clients that were basically good people, but if they thought they could get by with a little cheating, they would give it a try.  But I always told them, you can deduct whatever you want right up to the point of the IRS audit --------- that always kept them in line.  If the clients were still alive, how could I now keep them honest? 🤔

[Frustrated-in-IL]

The enhanced standard deduction has kept those tempted to cross the line on charity from impacting the return.   And it has made life so much easier having the number of clients who itemize way less than 10%.  Let’s hope we never return to the standard deduction rules in place in prior law.

[IRonMaN]

Minnesota allows a deduction for donations over $500 so that one is still open for my cheater wannabes.  I had a classic cheater wannabe last week.  Young guy married one of my young lady clients 4 or so years ago.  She is self employed and he lost his job during 2024.  He e-mails me last week with a 1099NEC for a couple grand.  In the e-mail he tells me that he did some work for someone that he knew "under the table" and was a little surprised when the transaction popped up "on the table" with the 1099.  He was just so close to getting some free money 🤑