Discussion:Client with just one name
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| 10 March 2007 | |
| Hi, folks. Client walked in the other day, and she only has one name. Let's call her, "Mary" though that is not what it really is. No last name. Or, alternately, no first name. Just one name. You know, like Prince. Her prior year return (done by a CPA, I believe) shows just one name also. So I put her one name in the "last name" line in Lacerte. Everything seems sort of okay, except on the diagnostics, where a Critical Error is popping up about the lack of a first name and initial. Does this mean it will NOT go through successfully on an e-file (and therefore must be mailed in), or is it just Lacerte's reaction, but in fact the IRS software will accept it just fine? Thanks in advance for any info. | |
| March 10, 2007 | |
| Have you seen her social security card?? Try to convert for e-file just don't transmit. | |
| 10 March 2007 | |
| Haven't seen her Social Security card, but given her age -- she's well past retirement, with piles of investments -- I don't think this is a new thing, and I don't doubt that last year's return went through without a hitch. Clearly others have been able to file for her with just a single name, but I don't know whether they were ever electronically filed. | |
| 10 March 2007 | |
| Come on, tell us, it was Cher, wasn't it? Does she look as good in person as in print? | |
| 10 March 2007 | |
| JR!, your Cher comment makes it sould like you would have no problem with domestic partners (LOL). But BONO would also be a 1 namer, and I'm sure we could come up with some others. (Bono from U2, not Cher's ex) | |
| 10 March 2007 | |
| Best solution, if you have a power of attorney on her, is to call the IRS and ask them to look up her account and tell you how her first and last names are listed on the entity portion of her account. If you don't have one, have her call the IRS.
That will give you the name info you need to enter into Lacerte to file her return electronically. I wouldn't be surprised that if she legally only has one name, that the IRS records will reflect that name for both her first name and her last name. Second best solution would be to see how her name is listed on her SSN card as Sw suggested, but that won't help if it only has one name (Mary) on it or if she recently changed her name and has not updated her SSA records or even if she has, the IRS has not updated their records with the SSA. | |
| March 10, 2007 | |
| Cher-Discount. Bono-would love to meet, discount. Elvis-still dead. | |
Death&Taxes (talk|edits) said: | 10 March 2007 |
| Don't laff, but I had a one name client too, an artist whose legal name meant 'life'
Also don't laff, but Pam and I did a Sonny & Cher lip synch at a convention in 2002 and brought the house down. | |
| March 11, 2007 | |
| Client came in today with a 2 year old foster child born in the U.S. They say the child has no SSN and his legal first name is "Baby".
I am thinking they must have kidnapped him. I ran the Tax Tools Qualifying Child flowchart and it said he is a qualifying child when I answered Yes to the "Was the child kidnapped?" question. | |
Death&Taxes (talk|edits) said: | 11 March 2007 |
| Nathan Arizona's kid! | |
| 11 March 2007 | |
| Paperfile the weird name. There's no shame in paperfiling non-efilable clients. | |
Bottom Line (talk|edits) said: | 11 March 2007 |
| How did the kid get out of the hospital without a SSN? I thought all hospitals filed that automatically.
If its a foster child, wouldn't the state government be paying them to care for the child? Wouldn't they have made sure there was a SSN? I believe the kidnapped child question is for the rightful parents of the child not to benefit the kidnapper. Lots of weird things here. Did you think about calling the cops or whoever in the state handles foster kids? | |
| March 11, 2007 | |
| BottomLine, I was joking about the kidnapping part of my post. They have been working at this for 2 years. I saw records from the county paying them a stipend. The child just doesn't have a real name yet or an SSN. My wife & I left the hospital w/o a SSN for our child...we couldn't come up with a name (birthday 3/30/xx - not a good tax season that year). We have a name & SSN now. However, I should've choose "Baby". With a name like that, the child is destined to be a pop star.
I thought about letting your comments play out on this thread. But then I could just see somebody here tipping off the authorities. And the next thing you know there is a knock on my door to review my client files, and then my clients are having their foster child ripped from their custody. That wouldn't be very good publicity. | |
Bottom Line (talk|edits) said: | 11 March 2007 |
| Sorry. Was thinking about that baby that was stolen from a hospital in Texas. Thank goodness they found her! | |
| 11 March 2007 | |
| On e-filed returns the IRS matches the SSN and what they call the name control which is the first 4 letters of the last name. I'm thinking that by putting the single name in the last name field on the return e-filing would be successful. I haven't tried it, though. -- Larry Hess, CPA, Albuquerque, NM - Talk to me | |
