All the time. My Dad is in his 80s and lives in another state. I have two (almost grown) children. I understand emergencies happen. If they happen to you, please do your best to call or e-mail to reschedule your appointment or to let us know what is going on. We will work with you… Read More
No, this one is not about following the law. That goes without saying in the Tax Therapy office! This one is about office procedures, policies, and preferences that help us to process returns efficiently, keep prices reasonable, and keep my head from exploding. If you have never actually been to the office, it is really… Read More
If I had a quarter for every time a client called or e-mailed with a “quick question” or a potential client said “my taxes are really simple” I could probably retire (not that I want to). If you’ve ever asked me a “quick question” you’ll know that most of the time my answer is along the… Read More
The question is not can you, but should you? I often answer calls from potential clients (often referrals from existing clients) who have 1099 (independent contractor/self employed) income. Sometimes they call because they “ran into problems with Turbo Tax.” More often it’s someone’s first time getting a 1099 instead of a W2 and s/he doesn’t… Read More
The Tax Girl (Kelly Phillips Erb) has an excellent post called 12 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Tax Preparer. It’s a great post, especially if you have actually narrowed the list of possibles to a few probably qualified candidates. My list of 5 questions overlaps some with hers, but is geared more toward finding that short… Read More
Many years ago, when my kids were still little, I mentioned to my friend, Julia, that we were having a birthday party at a kid-oriented pizza franchise (to remain nameless). She promptly responded “I have a strict policy of not eating at restaurants that have rodents as a mascot.” I remembered this on the drive… Read More
Remember last year when I said I was taking May off? Yeah, neither do I. Actually I do. Typically I work through April 30th and then take May mostly off to regroup and celebrate several family birthdays and my wedding anniversary. Well, last year I think NM Taxation & Revenue “jumped the shark”. I don’t… Read More
In an earlier post I discussed the various types of paid tax professionals and at the end I mentioned that, at an absolute minimum, your preparer needs to hold a valid preparer tax identification number (or PTIN). Ghost preparers are paid preparers who do not hold PTINs. They are often (but not always) small, independent, tax season… Read More
Well, what are you paying for when you hire me to prepare your tax return? You are paying for my time, my education (at least 30 hours of tax education every year), and my experience. When you hire me, you will get a thorough review of your situation and your return—not simply data entry.… Read More
Can I? Sure. Will I? The main reason we will not e-mail you copies of your tax return (or any other sensitive tax information) is that it is illegal for us to do so unless the e-mail is encrypted. Not password protected…encrypted. I’ll be the first to admit I am not an information security expert,… Read More