A few things that are irritating me today
I still have work to do. A lot of it. For good clients, who get me the information I need, sign what I tell them to sign and pay their bill promptly.
I've got a few that drive me nuts, not doing the above. One family in particular is a thorn in my side. The wife does a little bit of self-employment. She is completely incapable of keeping track of her expenses. Which is fine, I will file the return without the expenses, but oh god no, that might make them pay an extra dollar in tax. She'll get them to me. She never does. They make appointments and don't show up. Three years ago, they waited until Oct. 15, when I happened to be out of town. They had my partner do their return and then told her that they couldn't pay just then but they would as soon as possible, and Mary always lets them do that (I don't). She told them they needed to pay and they disappeared for another year.
Now there are stimulus checks, and you know they're all over that. They are emailing and emailing today. They got the IRS to do their past returns for free, apparently, but now they need to do the 2019 right now today so they can get that check! (they don't) Of course they won't want to pay anytime soon, and they're disregarding the fact that I am backlogged a week with the above mentioned good clients who pay their bills. I have tried three times to write a response and it comes out so snarky I think I just need to wait awhile.
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When I send out a tax return for review, I specially ask the clients to double check the account for direct deposit. I use the one I had last year, if I have it, but I ask them to make sure. Hardly anybody does, they all just say, oh yes, nothing's changed.
Today, a horrified email from a client who didn't check and just realized she changed her account. So not only is her large refund going to be significantly delayed, she's not going to get her stimulus check on time either. SIGH.
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I am trying to write something up for our business clients, to let them know the benefits that will be available to them if they continue to pay their employees during the quarantine. This stuff is hard and complicated, I've taken three courses on it since Friday and I'm still not sure I'm right. Meanwhile each and every one of them is emailing and calling wanting to know what they can do, how they can get a loan or should they wait. And I totally get it. Their business is closed. They have a family to support. They're desperate. But give me half a day and then I can give you much better information!
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I am working in the living room. Joe is working ten feet away in the dining room. His co-workers are bored and lonely and keep calling to chat. Half the time he puts them on speaker so he can keep working while he talks!!!!!!!!
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Emily's college is online this quarter. Classes start today. She has been barraged with emails from teachers she has, and teachers she doesn't have. Their online access is called Canvas, and one of her classes isn't even showing up. I get that this was a huge undertaking, and these are a lot of stressed people also trying to work from home. But Emily is freaking out. She's working online from her bedroom, but she won't stay there.
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My niece is finishing up her last semester in Boston. She is prone to anxiety, I think. She flew back after winter break only to find that the dorms were closed and the school required her not to come on campus for two weeks since she was coming from Seattle. While she was here, two other students with nowhere else to go moved into her two bedroom apartment, which was already housing four people. And now one of the student's parents have had to close their business so she can't afford rent, and is moving out. She's subletting to another student none of them know.
My niece is freaking out. My brother is going to fly to Boston to help her pack up and move her home. He says he has an extra bag of N95 filters in the house (!!!!) so he'll just use those.
I understand anxiety, I really truly do. But I question whether this is the right thing. Maybe I don't know the whole story, but it seems to me that he's sending the message she can't handle this on her own. He's risking his own health to fly across the country twice. I feel fairly sure that with access to my credit card, any of my kids would have been able to pack up their stuff and get themselves home. Heck, if it was Danny he'd just leave it all behind. I still remember cleaning out that last house at Western, with the remnants of six people who'd lived there before and just left it all. Ugh.
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Finally, the good news is that Danny is feeling better. He felt awful all week. He stayed in his room with the door shut, and Michael took him up food. Michael has been off work for over a week too, in case he'd been exposed, but so far is feeling okay. Danny never could get a test, they don't have enough to test people who aren't showing up in the ER, eventually. So we may never know. But thank goodness he's feeling better. Of course both of them work for companies who've decided they're essential and are staying open, so I get to keep worrying about that.
I've got a few that drive me nuts, not doing the above. One family in particular is a thorn in my side. The wife does a little bit of self-employment. She is completely incapable of keeping track of her expenses. Which is fine, I will file the return without the expenses, but oh god no, that might make them pay an extra dollar in tax. She'll get them to me. She never does. They make appointments and don't show up. Three years ago, they waited until Oct. 15, when I happened to be out of town. They had my partner do their return and then told her that they couldn't pay just then but they would as soon as possible, and Mary always lets them do that (I don't). She told them they needed to pay and they disappeared for another year.
Now there are stimulus checks, and you know they're all over that. They are emailing and emailing today. They got the IRS to do their past returns for free, apparently, but now they need to do the 2019 right now today so they can get that check! (they don't) Of course they won't want to pay anytime soon, and they're disregarding the fact that I am backlogged a week with the above mentioned good clients who pay their bills. I have tried three times to write a response and it comes out so snarky I think I just need to wait awhile.
___________________________________________________________
When I send out a tax return for review, I specially ask the clients to double check the account for direct deposit. I use the one I had last year, if I have it, but I ask them to make sure. Hardly anybody does, they all just say, oh yes, nothing's changed.
Today, a horrified email from a client who didn't check and just realized she changed her account. So not only is her large refund going to be significantly delayed, she's not going to get her stimulus check on time either. SIGH.
___________________________________________________________
I am trying to write something up for our business clients, to let them know the benefits that will be available to them if they continue to pay their employees during the quarantine. This stuff is hard and complicated, I've taken three courses on it since Friday and I'm still not sure I'm right. Meanwhile each and every one of them is emailing and calling wanting to know what they can do, how they can get a loan or should they wait. And I totally get it. Their business is closed. They have a family to support. They're desperate. But give me half a day and then I can give you much better information!
_____________________________________________________________
I am working in the living room. Joe is working ten feet away in the dining room. His co-workers are bored and lonely and keep calling to chat. Half the time he puts them on speaker so he can keep working while he talks!!!!!!!!
_____________________________________________________________
Emily's college is online this quarter. Classes start today. She has been barraged with emails from teachers she has, and teachers she doesn't have. Their online access is called Canvas, and one of her classes isn't even showing up. I get that this was a huge undertaking, and these are a lot of stressed people also trying to work from home. But Emily is freaking out. She's working online from her bedroom, but she won't stay there.
______________________________________________________________
My niece is finishing up her last semester in Boston. She is prone to anxiety, I think. She flew back after winter break only to find that the dorms were closed and the school required her not to come on campus for two weeks since she was coming from Seattle. While she was here, two other students with nowhere else to go moved into her two bedroom apartment, which was already housing four people. And now one of the student's parents have had to close their business so she can't afford rent, and is moving out. She's subletting to another student none of them know.
My niece is freaking out. My brother is going to fly to Boston to help her pack up and move her home. He says he has an extra bag of N95 filters in the house (!!!!) so he'll just use those.
I understand anxiety, I really truly do. But I question whether this is the right thing. Maybe I don't know the whole story, but it seems to me that he's sending the message she can't handle this on her own. He's risking his own health to fly across the country twice. I feel fairly sure that with access to my credit card, any of my kids would have been able to pack up their stuff and get themselves home. Heck, if it was Danny he'd just leave it all behind. I still remember cleaning out that last house at Western, with the remnants of six people who'd lived there before and just left it all. Ugh.
_______________________________________________________________
Finally, the good news is that Danny is feeling better. He felt awful all week. He stayed in his room with the door shut, and Michael took him up food. Michael has been off work for over a week too, in case he'd been exposed, but so far is feeling okay. Danny never could get a test, they don't have enough to test people who aren't showing up in the ER, eventually. So we may never know. But thank goodness he's feeling better. Of course both of them work for companies who've decided they're essential and are staying open, so I get to keep worrying about that.
This makes me dislike people even more intensely. Ones like this anyway who don't do what they're supposed to and then expect to be rescued. I would help my kids with just about anything, but I wouldn't fly anywhere right now. I'm sure NYC isn't very crowded right now, but I wouldn't want to take them anything or get sick myself.
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