Well, this year seems to be a continuation of last year. Not only did husband hurt himself again (as I mentioned last week) - although a lot less than he did last year, I am doing things over again.
I still have one client who has an employee - herself. I have to prepare an IRS W2 form for her each January, along with a covering form named (appropriately) W3. Then since I don’t use a business name, I also have to prepare a similar form for people one pays that are not employees called 1099-MISC which also needs a covering form named 1096. Unlike most IRS forms which one can download from their website and fill in, these forms have red markings on the copies which go to IRS and can only be filled in as a preprinted form - available from IRS for free and can also be purchased at stationary stores and online. One can also buy software to fill in the forms, The alternative to filling in the forms is to do it online free at the IRS website (or various companies that charge to do so). Most companies have payroll companies which take care of their payroll for them and deal with this for them.
Knowing I will need to do this and knowing that my typing is terrible, even with the word processing typewriter (lets one type a line, check it, and then print it) I have, I always order more forms than I need to have spares. I do this in December so I will have them in January to fill them in. I did so last month - in December 2018, ordering forms for the 2018 year. The forms arrived within the 10 days they are suppose to arrive. I opened the envelope - remember all the craziness last month - and I checked the form numbers and how many of them had been sent - all okay. I put them under my desk where I keep the forms to wait for this month. I am so organized about this since I do it every year.
Last Thursday I decided to fill in the forms while I had some time. I know what the client’s payroll is and can do so without having gone to her yet this month. These forms used to be that the form to the employee/other person had to be given to them by the end of January and mailed to IRS by the end of February. Due to the increasing number of fraudulent tax forms being filed, as of 2 years ago the IRS copies also have to be filed by the end of January. So I fill in the forms before I go to my client so I can have her sign them and mail them out. (I used to bring them to her in February and they were signed and mailed then.)
It took me all 6 copies of the W2 forms I have, and at least 2-3 of the other forms to get a correctly typed form and over Thursday and Friday. I breathed a sigh of relief and scanning them into my computer to keep a copy of them on same. I scanned in the W3 and W2 forms. I then scanned in the 1096 form and was about to scan in the 1099 form when I noticed something and got extremely upset. I had not received 2018 forms - I was sent 2017 forms and none of the forms I had typed were usable. Not only that, but since one can no longer pick up forms at local IRS offices, I had to order them again - during the Federal government shut down!
We went looking online. I can buy the forms - they will run me around $60 for all 4 forms as they sold in much larger quantities than even I with my terrible typing would need to make one form of each. I also would have to make sure that the forms were attached multiple parts that allow one to type all copies at once (W2 forms are 6 part, the 1099 forms are 4 part and the others are 2 part) as if they are not I would have to type each copy of the form separately. (The forms have extra copies as there are copies for IRS, state, employer, and the W2 has 3 copies for the employee - the 1099 has one copy, and the other two have a copy to file with IRS and copy for the employer to keep.)
I can file them directly online with IRS, but I don’t like the idea of putting the client’s and my Social Security number through the Internet, but if nothing else works, that will be what I have to do.
So, I am waiting to see if I receive the forms from IRS before I go to the client - and then start typing them all over again. If I don’t received them in time, I will have to file them online. If I do receive them in time - I have to type them all over again!!
I am not sure why we are in a “place” where it seems that everything we do - from something as simple to as buying a Barbie doll to tax forms that I prepare every year to ordering checks has to be redone.
On the other hand, I did get the second order of the checks I ordered and this order seems to be correct. I am currently shredding the incorrect ones. (I held on to them in case they wanted them back.) To make sure I did not “muck it up” I stored the second, correct set before starting to shred the first set. I am shredding them a bit at a time to not overwhelm the shredder.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes when we are in a “bad” time it just goes on and on. I know that at some point - hopefully soon - this will end and I will be able to go back to doing things once. One just has to do what needs to be done until there is change in karma.
Showing posts with label print. Show all posts
Showing posts with label print. Show all posts
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Thursday, December 13, 2018
HOW MANY THINGS CAN NEED TO BE REDONE?
I know I complain a lot. Life used to be relatively organized. I would do things and be done with them. Lately everything seems to be awry. I do things and they have to be redone.
One of the things I do in November is reserve the meeting room for the following year for my embroidery group. This was relatively simple at first. I would receive the paperwork in the mail early in November, fill it in, have my signature notarized and mail it back - and we had room - free - to meet in for another year.
We had met in a series of churches over decades - back to before I joined the group in the 1990s. (The group is around 40 years old.) We would pay for our meeting room. The group used to be over 400 members. The group would have workshops and interested members would pay for same which would allow the group to pay for a meeting room. Over the years members aged (with the inevitable result) and moved away. Women were working and could not come to day meetings. (A new group had broken off from ours and meets at night in the next county - some members belong to both groups.) Interest in embroidery waned. We were down to around 20 members. I figured out (as treasurer) that in 3 years we no longer would have anything in the treasury and the group would be gone. As I was about to sign the agreement for the next year, I noticed a mailer from the local township. One of the parks caught my eye. I called and asked about the use of a room for meetings. We had just enough percentage of members who were residents of the township for a room - since we are non-profit - it would be free! We were given space at a park other than the one I saw and we have been there for 5 years now. The women who work in the park office have been very nice. The first woman who ran it, however retired. Since then it has been a bit confused in renewing the room. Last year I did not get the form until late so I had made a note for November 1 to check with them.
October 31 I received a phone call asking for the group’s email address. I called back and left it on voice mail. A week later, nothing had come and I had not heard from anyone. I called back in case my voice mail had gone astray and was given someone else’s voice mail and left the info again. Another week - I called and was told that the forms would be out shortly. The next week was Thanksgiving. I was telephoned the day before same by the woman who used to run the department who again asked for my email - I told her the story and she apologized. She called back later to check which park we meet in. Thank goodness it was all finally going to be done with! On Tuesday the next week I received the paperwork by email. I filled it in. Wednesday I went to the bank and had the paperwork notarized and on Thursday mailed it back. All done, finally, how great.
The following Tuesday I had a telephone message when we got home from errands, basically, sorry. another group meets in that room then. Hmmm, we meet in that room then, maybe the nice former director had filled us in already on some chart or form? I called her back the next morning. No - another group was meeting at an overlapping time to ours - and she had a different location for us to met. I questioned how this had happened. The other group got their paperwork in first. I told her the story of trying to get the paperwork and how unfair that someone else had, apparently gotten their paperwork earlier than us and taken our space. I also explained that we were a group of “old ladies” - which we are, at 65 I am the youngest - and I was afraid that finding the other park would be too hard for them. She hmmmed a bit. Then said that since we only meet once a month and the other group meets more often maybe she could get them to give up the room for the once a month. She did and we have the room back for next year.
Totally unrelated - and dealing with the county instead of the township - husband and I are entitled to a reduction in our real estate taxes due to our age and income. I started collecting information for the paperwork in January - well I actually collected some during 2017. I had to telephone our medical insurance companies for last year (which we had 4 of do to R switching to Medicare partway through the year) and get printouts of the premiums paid to them - listed by month paid. Of course one only gave a total and I to keep after them for the correct info. I also had to get listings of what we paid for prescriptions (Walmart pharmacy was the easiest of all the info needed for me to get) and the dentist and doctors from the providers themselves. I did not bother with the doctors as payments to them were minor. We have to get statements from who we paid - canceled checks are not accepted.
In late August I received the renewal papers from the county (we had gone through all this last year for the first time). I filled them in and continued to chase down missing information. While husband was incapacitated I finished the forms and started making the photocopies I needed to give them - photocopies of income, of the medical expenses, etc. I wrote a summary of what I was giving them. I wrote a cover letter. We mailed it out certified mail (almost $7 postage) on November 27 - and received the information that it had been delivered and signed for on November 29. We sat back to wait to hear from the county in April - maybe earlier if they wanted some other information.
Monday night we got a robocall from the county executive that we have not yet filled the renewal for our exemption! We panicked. Tuesday I was taking my mom to her doctor and I called before I left for her house. I got a voice mail setup and left my information and asked them to PLEASE call back and let me know if they were missing our application - knowing that they would not call back. Oh, well, this was better than last year. Last year when I called for information their telephone number was continually answered by voice mail that said, basically, we are too busy to answer the phone - goodby, although after calling for several weeks the message was changed by adding - that there is not enough parking here, so don’t come either. While mom was in with her doctor I called again. This time there was a message that people were called who should not have been called and - the message only applied to those over 65 and if one had receipt from them for the paperwork given, they were fine. It offered a chance to talk to exemptions (overall I was calling the county tax assessor’s office) and I did so - same message as in the morning and I again asked to PLEASE let me know if they have our paperwork - just leave the message on our answering machine, they did not even have to talk to us.
Local news last night talked about the robocall error - it showed the lines that people were on for 2 hours due to the call - as did the local paper today - 400,000 called instead of something liked 50,000! But again it was said that as long as one had a receipt from them there was no problem.
Well, we only have the proof of delivery from the post office. So being crazy people - we copied all the supporting paperwork, reprinted the forms and resigned everything and reassembled it all. Tomorrow morning we will be going to the county assessor’s office. Hopefully the crowds will no longer be there having heard on the news or read in the newspaper what the situation is and we will get in fairly quickly - perhaps even told that of course they have the application and paperwork. But I anticipate a long wait to get in and who knows what has happened to our original paperwork. Husband will drop me off and try to find a parking space - there are a lot of parking lots (free) but in addition to the county office buildings (at least 3 I know of) there are the courts (at least 2 buildings), general office buildings in the area and the train station which serves 2 train lines, so parking is not easy - which is why we mailed it in the first place.
Does this happen to everyone - or just us?
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Always get a receipt. Always follow up. Always make and keep copies (or give copies if you can and keep the originals). Never assume that all is going well. Do this for smaller things also, but especially for big important things.
UPDATE -
Even with all this going on, I managed to take more of my required tax courses and now have finished 14 of the required 20. I have a left a 6 hour (credits) course that has a 3 hour exam. This exam is timed and has to be completed at one sitting, so I will have to set aside an evening alone in our office to take the exam - I do get 3 chances, but I have not yet (in past years) needed more than one attempt.
One of the things I do in November is reserve the meeting room for the following year for my embroidery group. This was relatively simple at first. I would receive the paperwork in the mail early in November, fill it in, have my signature notarized and mail it back - and we had room - free - to meet in for another year.
We had met in a series of churches over decades - back to before I joined the group in the 1990s. (The group is around 40 years old.) We would pay for our meeting room. The group used to be over 400 members. The group would have workshops and interested members would pay for same which would allow the group to pay for a meeting room. Over the years members aged (with the inevitable result) and moved away. Women were working and could not come to day meetings. (A new group had broken off from ours and meets at night in the next county - some members belong to both groups.) Interest in embroidery waned. We were down to around 20 members. I figured out (as treasurer) that in 3 years we no longer would have anything in the treasury and the group would be gone. As I was about to sign the agreement for the next year, I noticed a mailer from the local township. One of the parks caught my eye. I called and asked about the use of a room for meetings. We had just enough percentage of members who were residents of the township for a room - since we are non-profit - it would be free! We were given space at a park other than the one I saw and we have been there for 5 years now. The women who work in the park office have been very nice. The first woman who ran it, however retired. Since then it has been a bit confused in renewing the room. Last year I did not get the form until late so I had made a note for November 1 to check with them.
October 31 I received a phone call asking for the group’s email address. I called back and left it on voice mail. A week later, nothing had come and I had not heard from anyone. I called back in case my voice mail had gone astray and was given someone else’s voice mail and left the info again. Another week - I called and was told that the forms would be out shortly. The next week was Thanksgiving. I was telephoned the day before same by the woman who used to run the department who again asked for my email - I told her the story and she apologized. She called back later to check which park we meet in. Thank goodness it was all finally going to be done with! On Tuesday the next week I received the paperwork by email. I filled it in. Wednesday I went to the bank and had the paperwork notarized and on Thursday mailed it back. All done, finally, how great.
The following Tuesday I had a telephone message when we got home from errands, basically, sorry. another group meets in that room then. Hmmm, we meet in that room then, maybe the nice former director had filled us in already on some chart or form? I called her back the next morning. No - another group was meeting at an overlapping time to ours - and she had a different location for us to met. I questioned how this had happened. The other group got their paperwork in first. I told her the story of trying to get the paperwork and how unfair that someone else had, apparently gotten their paperwork earlier than us and taken our space. I also explained that we were a group of “old ladies” - which we are, at 65 I am the youngest - and I was afraid that finding the other park would be too hard for them. She hmmmed a bit. Then said that since we only meet once a month and the other group meets more often maybe she could get them to give up the room for the once a month. She did and we have the room back for next year.
Totally unrelated - and dealing with the county instead of the township - husband and I are entitled to a reduction in our real estate taxes due to our age and income. I started collecting information for the paperwork in January - well I actually collected some during 2017. I had to telephone our medical insurance companies for last year (which we had 4 of do to R switching to Medicare partway through the year) and get printouts of the premiums paid to them - listed by month paid. Of course one only gave a total and I to keep after them for the correct info. I also had to get listings of what we paid for prescriptions (Walmart pharmacy was the easiest of all the info needed for me to get) and the dentist and doctors from the providers themselves. I did not bother with the doctors as payments to them were minor. We have to get statements from who we paid - canceled checks are not accepted.
In late August I received the renewal papers from the county (we had gone through all this last year for the first time). I filled them in and continued to chase down missing information. While husband was incapacitated I finished the forms and started making the photocopies I needed to give them - photocopies of income, of the medical expenses, etc. I wrote a summary of what I was giving them. I wrote a cover letter. We mailed it out certified mail (almost $7 postage) on November 27 - and received the information that it had been delivered and signed for on November 29. We sat back to wait to hear from the county in April - maybe earlier if they wanted some other information.
Monday night we got a robocall from the county executive that we have not yet filled the renewal for our exemption! We panicked. Tuesday I was taking my mom to her doctor and I called before I left for her house. I got a voice mail setup and left my information and asked them to PLEASE call back and let me know if they were missing our application - knowing that they would not call back. Oh, well, this was better than last year. Last year when I called for information their telephone number was continually answered by voice mail that said, basically, we are too busy to answer the phone - goodby, although after calling for several weeks the message was changed by adding - that there is not enough parking here, so don’t come either. While mom was in with her doctor I called again. This time there was a message that people were called who should not have been called and - the message only applied to those over 65 and if one had receipt from them for the paperwork given, they were fine. It offered a chance to talk to exemptions (overall I was calling the county tax assessor’s office) and I did so - same message as in the morning and I again asked to PLEASE let me know if they have our paperwork - just leave the message on our answering machine, they did not even have to talk to us.
Local news last night talked about the robocall error - it showed the lines that people were on for 2 hours due to the call - as did the local paper today - 400,000 called instead of something liked 50,000! But again it was said that as long as one had a receipt from them there was no problem.
Well, we only have the proof of delivery from the post office. So being crazy people - we copied all the supporting paperwork, reprinted the forms and resigned everything and reassembled it all. Tomorrow morning we will be going to the county assessor’s office. Hopefully the crowds will no longer be there having heard on the news or read in the newspaper what the situation is and we will get in fairly quickly - perhaps even told that of course they have the application and paperwork. But I anticipate a long wait to get in and who knows what has happened to our original paperwork. Husband will drop me off and try to find a parking space - there are a lot of parking lots (free) but in addition to the county office buildings (at least 3 I know of) there are the courts (at least 2 buildings), general office buildings in the area and the train station which serves 2 train lines, so parking is not easy - which is why we mailed it in the first place.
Does this happen to everyone - or just us?
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Always get a receipt. Always follow up. Always make and keep copies (or give copies if you can and keep the originals). Never assume that all is going well. Do this for smaller things also, but especially for big important things.
UPDATE -
Even with all this going on, I managed to take more of my required tax courses and now have finished 14 of the required 20. I have a left a 6 hour (credits) course that has a 3 hour exam. This exam is timed and has to be completed at one sitting, so I will have to set aside an evening alone in our office to take the exam - I do get 3 chances, but I have not yet (in past years) needed more than one attempt.
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