Discussion:Another Good Rule

Pam, my wife, has learned enough about data-entering to do simple returns, with me providing back up.....the simple returns are her son's, her brother who is fighting cancer, and her ditzy niece and husband. They live in a two family house where they rent their side from her mom but own the other side, for which they collect rent. This year, they lost their tenant, so had a decent loss since they lacked rent for 3-4 months. Big refund!!!!!! Like 6K!!!! But since they live in NJ, no benefit from loss and they owe the state $550.

Wife gives them the return, and now all she hears about is New Jersey. She did the return in late February, and charged nothing too, then attends a family function in early March where niece spent the entire dinner at a restaurant bitching about why nothing could be done about NJ....would not even pay for wife's dinner. Last week niece and her mother [Pam's sister] call and ask Pam to send them the notes niece sent her to do the return.....Mom's accountant is going to re-do NJ!!!!!!

What is he going to do? Make up medical expenses? Put down alimony? She is getting 18% of the rent paid as a deduction anyway, and she pays a high rent to Mom, so inserting a real estate tax will do little good.

I told Pam to explain to niece's husband that it is her W-2 that is grossly underwithheld for New Jersey.....that ought to set some sparks flying.

I do this one friends <older gentleman> return, very high income, he basically does all the work and I input and he'll come in and we'll spend 3 or 4 hours together doing the returns for him and his family/friends and catching up. He usually throws me about $400 for this and I've never given him a bill. He asked me this year what I would normally charge. Told him $1,500 to $2,000 for the pile in his hand. He was a little, but not much, shocked.