TAX SEASON

I'm still alive, I promise. I just have a job now and nothing exciting has happened in my life to blog about so I apologize to all of you.

I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with TAX SEASON. I am a people person, I love to help people out, I like being busy, and I work hard. But then you have CLIENTS that you have to deal with and sometimes it can be overbearing.

I HAVE to give some funny examples of what clients say to me. I absolutely think it is HILARIOUS and LAUGH MY HEAD OFF when things like this happen:

Client: "Can I talk to Roy?" (my boss)
Me: "I'm sorry, he's with a client. Is there something I can do to help you, or would you like to leave a message?"
Client: "I just have a quick question!" OR "I can only talk to Roy!"

-The best part is, 99.9% of the time I can answer the question, or another colleague of mine can but the clients think that just because Roy prepares their income taxes we cannot help.

Then I had an incident last week where a client got upset because I told her she could not claim her two dependents, that she claimed in 2007, on her 2008 tax return if her daughter already prepared a return and took the same dependents. I explained if she provided more than 50% of the dependents support, she could claim them, but would have to paper mail the return because the dependents social security numbers had already been accepted on her daughter's return through the process of electronic filing; therefore she would not be able to electronically file her return.

I hope that made sense.

Her response? "Well, I let my daughter take my dependents because she was going to owe if she didn't, so now she's getting a refund." Okay, so what do you want me to do about it? Ha ha! It seriously cracks me up. I don't laugh at people who don't "get it", I laugh when they think they can beat the system.

We hear a lot of..........

"Well my Mom said I could get this much back."
Response: Then have your Mom do your taxes.

"Another accountant told me different."
Response: Then go there and have them prepare it.

"That's all I'm getting back?!"
Response: When you don't have any withholdings or claim EXEMPT, that's what happens.

Of course I DO NOT say this to any of our clients, but I feel like it. I really have to hold back and force myself not to state the obvious.

Personally, I love my country and am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy. Everyone who earns money has to pay income taxes. It's the law. And if that's what I have to do to enjoy my freedoms and citizenship, then so be it.

Cassie and I are working about 9 to 11 hour days with an hour lunch break. Which isn't that bad compared to the 14-17 hours days I put in before I left for school.

With today's economy I am indeed grateful for my job. Without a doubt. I just hope tax season doesn't last too long :)