Suggestions for info carryover from prior year

[Greta]

1) This one annoys a lot, unless I'm missing something: The state COUNTY name. I'm filling these in now, and it takes many hrs. I often need to open 2020 return to see which county client lives in.

2) Twice I've made the mistake of overlooking social security benefits, as did the client. I wish it glowed pink.

[dkh]

Which state?  County info carryovers for Indiana returns.

[Greta]

My state is Virginia. Many addresses I'm not familiar enough to know their county, so I've been opening the prior year's return so I can to enter the county ahead of tax season to save crunch time. W/o face-to-face meetings during Covid; I can't just ask the client. I do not believe in sending out client questionnaires to fill out.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

We have to enter a county for CA returns now too, I just google their zip code for people Im not sure what county they live in....the county carries over from year to year though.

[Greta]

The county carries over from yer to year?! Wow, that's precisely what I was asking for! Not done in Virginia for some reason, or is there a way to ask the software to do it that I've missed?

Zip codes wouldn't help me. My zip code can either be the City or the County. I don't have memorized all the street names to know if they are within city limits or not. The city has only 5,000 residents, so I've got a lot of streets memorized. Still, the software should be able to carry it over and save many many hours of work.

[TaxGuyBill]

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@Greta wrote:

W/o face-to-face meetings during Covid; I can't just ask the client.

I do not believe in sending out client questionnaires to fill out.

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Out of curiosity, how do you get miscellaneous information from the clients?

[Greta]

When they call re dropping off their tax stuff, we ask them to write down the NEW 2021 stuff... stimulus payment #3 which they received, did they sign up for the child credit and  include Letter 6419, copy of driver license if it had expired, how much donated to charities. Any info still missing I telephone and email.

[abctax55]

In California, they want this info for voter registration purposes.   Many of my clients are in a small town that is (irrationally) divvied up/split between two counties - often right down the middle of a street.

As this has NOTHING to do with income taxes - I try to get it correct, but I don't lose a lot of sleep over it (CAGMC).

[BobKamman]

What is so irrational about a town split between two counties?  The county lines were drawn before the town was there.  Now, if you want to talk about Congressional and legislative districts, and gerrymandering, that's often irrational.  

[TaxGuyBill]

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@abctax55 wrote:

 a small town that is (irrationally) divvied up/split between two counties - often right down the middle of a street.

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When I was a kid and teenager, we often went up to my dad's cabin.  On the way there, there was a REALLY TINY town.  A general store, a bar/restaurant, and that is about all (not even a gas station).

The general store and the bar/restaurant were right next to each other, with maybe 10 feet of space between the buildings.  Due to the way the telephone company drew the lines for long-distance telephone calls, it was a long-distance call from that general store to the bar/restaurant.   🤣

[abctax55]

Not in this particular case, Bob.

[joshuabarksatlcs]

During the Thousand Islands (St. Lawrence River) tour (where the namesake salad dressing was invented), we were told the U.S./Canada boarder line cuts through some of the islands.  The tour guide said one would need his/her passport going from the living room to the bathroom....

So I was told....

[Accountant-Man]

If they had SS last year, why are you over looking it this year?

[Greta]

I goofed. Apparently I didn't carefully compare with prior year. It doesn't ever happen with Sch B entries or Form 1095 because they glow red. That would be nice for SS to avoid occasional (hey, twice in 4 decades) errors. Omitting SS benefits is a big error.

[BobKamman · Accepted solution]

I never make mistakes, except that one time when I input the husband's SS but not the wife's.  So we would need a warning on the worksheet, not just on the 1040.  

[joshuabarksatlcs]

"I never make mistakes" is definitely, no doubt, undeniably, the right solution to this matter.

[BobKamman]

And it raises deep philosophical questions about the meaning and purpose of tax software.  Should it be considered a tool that helps knowledgeable people do their job faster?  Or is it more useful as a tool that prevents semi-competent people from making common mistakes?  Let's call the first a bell, and the second a whistle.  Then let's set aside the question and not think about it until we have more time.  

[joshuabarksatlcs]

For deep philosophical questions, I usually waste them on the meaning or life, whether there is inherent order in nature or is it just all chance and chaos, or at the least the real metaphor in life of bourbon.