42 days left

[MGC94]

How many returns have you done so far?

How many returns do you have left to do? 

[Jim-from-Ohio]

- 1040s, about 550, about 850 more to go

- 1065s, 1120s, 1120S, about 40 done so far, maybe 45 more about to do

- still doing payroll and company books also 

[rcooley25]

It looks to me like there is going to be a lot of extensions filed this year.

[dascpa]

1040's complete - 28.57%

1065/1120/1120S/1041 complete - 29.63%

Current backlog of stuff that's in - 6 years

[dkh]

- as many as possible

- too many      I try not to think about what's not done until it's closer to October    

[dkh]

---

@dascpa wrote:

Current backlog of stuff that's in - 6 years

---

--- isn't that the truth          

[PATAX]

You can have more than 42 days. Extensions can be your friend.

[IRonMaN]

I haven’t started any returns yet.  I have extended all of my clients and plan on starting preparing returns after April 18th.  That should allow enough time for Intuit to have most of the forms finalized, the brokerages enough time to have their amended 1099s finalized, and allow my clients to find that last W-2 they forgot about for the other job they worked for half of the year.

[rbynaker]

I've decided to just have all of my clients move to one of the CA disaster zip codes before 10/16 this year.  The disaster relief will be automatically granted based on the zip code on the return when filed, right?

[rcooley25]

Follow the file extension program on your tax program and you are good until Oct, 15th. One more day is not that important is it?

[abctax55]

Rick.... what a great idea.  I can sell my PO Box that has a "disaster area" county zip code and retire 😁

[BobKamman]

I count 46 through April 18, which as I tell my clients is just another fine spring day during baseball season. Those who are trying to avoid being "woke" from efforts of the "weaponized" IRS to convince them that there is something wrong with automatic extensions to October can go back to protesting the results of the 1960 election, with its stolen votes in Illinois and Texas.  I'm way behind because I'm reading @IRonMaN  stories about lawyers who died in 1993.  

[Frustrated-in-IL]

You have done 550 returns so far by yourself and will do 850 more by April 18th by yourself?  How is that possible?

[Jim-from-Ohio]

550 is historical.. now up to 562 after working so far today.. I can do about 21 returns a day.. working 7 days a week.. I may not get the remaining 850 in by april 18 but that is my goal. 

[IRonMaN]

@Frustrated-in-IL  - We all have our own client base.  Some preparers do nothing but complex returns, some preparers deal with real basic returns, and some have a mix.  You can prepare a lot of returns in a day if it only takes you a half hour or less.  That isn't the case when each return takes you 8 hours.🤔

[dascpa]

You must have really easy clients who have everything.

98% of my clients are missing documents.

50% of my clients have other issues (foreign reporting, multiple K-1's from multiple states, etc.).  

And then if you meet with a client for 30-45 minutes and do some of the input and complete later on, it's still impossible to finish 21 a day.  and then scan, process, etc.

I am totally impressed, envious, baffled and befuddled.

[IRonMaN]

Personally I would be paranoid doing that many returns by myself.  I'm pretty good at data entry but there is always going to be an occasional mistake.  Cranking them out like hotcakes increases the chances of making errors and not catching them.  I have always worked in an environment where someone else reviews returns once they are done.  I sleep much better under those conditions.😴

[Frustrated-in-IL]

I consider it a GREAT day if I can get 7 returns done in a day.  I haven’t had a great day yet this tax season.

[PATAX]

@Frustrated-in-IL 👍You hit the nail on the head.

[PATAX]

@Jim-from-Ohio and everyone else. Just for what it is worth: Years ago a local tax preparer, a real nice elderly lady who had no employees, got a visit from I believe two IRS agents. This was in the early days of efiling. They came to her office. She said they came and checked things and said that they mentioned the large number of returns that she was preparing, which may or may not have been why they stopped in. Her health was not too good and she retired about a year later. 

[BobKamman]

I used to aim for 8 a day.  Now that I try to call myself semi-retired, it's more like 3 a day, including some easy 1041's.  Back in the late 70s the neighborhood competition was an EA who did one every half hour, helped by two clerical assistants.  But those were paper returns that took less time, before IRS turned over the data entry to professionals.  

[rcooley25]

Drink more fireball. Then they will all be good days.

[Frustrated-in-IL]

Only problem with drinking more fireball is I’m in Illinois.  Seems someone who had a birthday recently cleared the shelves of all fireball in the state!

[IRonMaN]

I consider it a great day any day that I can still remember where the office is.  Remember, tax preparer years are like dog years ---------------------- I still feel good for a 455 year old 👴

[PATAX]

Brother Cooley cleared the shelves in every state east of the Mississippi. But he is still ☝

[IRonMaN]

I saw a pickup that was really riding low because of the load in back.  It had IL plates so I assume he did hit Minnesota already.

[PATAX]

@IRonMaN 😆lol

[rcooley25]

I don't  think I have ever seen as many reactions to as post as I have seen with this one.

[taxiowa]

Must be a Jim thing.  I am working on #649 now.  But I have a secretary who can enter all basic data so all I need to do is check W-2's, 1099's etc and concentrate on the hard stuff such as business and farms and rentals. And we probably have about 25-30 kids in there already who just have 1 or 2 W-2's.  Don't ask how many we have ready to start yet; that is already took most info and just lying in filing cabinet.  Looks like maybe 40 are back there.

[BobKamman]

I have data entry started by my office assistant also.  That allows me to take breaks to answer questions from a beneficiary in Iowa of a trust K-1 I prepared.  She wanted to know why no tax was withheld from the distribution.  I told her IRS neither requires nor allows it.  She says her tax preparer disagrees.  What can I say, find someone in Iowa who knows how trusts are taxed?  That's like Diogenes looking for an honest man.