Hello wonderful tax clients!
I hope you had a great 2023. If you know me, you know 2024 is gonna be a nutty year for me, as all Presidential Election years are, so let's try to get all the tax madness out of the way before the political madness descends! I am changing up a number of things this year so read this carefully!
1. Changes to deadlines: So last year I set what I thought were totally conservative deadlines that would keep me from being overloaded during tax season. But you delightful and responsible people met the deadlines en masse, so I was still overwhelmed! So I am changing things up a bit this year. Instead of a specific hard deadline, I am going to aim to complete the returns of the first 260 people in the queue before April 15. Then the next 50 people will get extensions with a personalized estimate. After that, I will file just a plain extension for you, with you supplying any estimate of what you need to pay using my handy Rule of Thumb. So when spots are full, they are full, and that could happen anytime in March. Just in case, I am setting a backstop deadline of March 24, but I fully expect all slots to be full by then. To help keep the uncertainty at bay, I will keep a running update on my website about how many spots are left. Also, returning clients (meaning I did your 2022 return) which should be most of you don't need to worry about getting muscled out by new clients - this year new clients get dropped lower in the queue to prioritize most of the space for returning folks. So bottom line, get your stuff in as early as you can, both for the Early Bird discount and to ensure you get a pre-April 15th spot!
2. New Clients: I am still taking on new clients, so you can still feel free to refer your friends to me, but when you do it's a good idea to note that I probably won't have space during the regular season for new clients after Feb 15, but I am happy to do extensions for them and work with them later if they are good with that. Thank you all so much for referring your friends (and random internet strangers!) to me, I really appreciate it! (New clients are anyone whose 2022 return I did not do, so people who I did a return for 2021 or earlier, or a totally new person.)
3. Reminder about the queue system: The new system worked great for me last year so I am sticking with it! To refresh everyone's memory on how it works - you upload all of your tax documents etc to TaxDome, fill out the intake form, and then email me when everything is there and you are ready to go in the queue! Emphasis on the importance of emailing me, that is the only way I know you are ready to go so I can put you in the queue and reserve your spot!
4. Free 15-min Pre-Tax Consults! Just like last year, I am offering 15 min appts from now until Feb 15 to cover any questions you have about spreadsheets, deductions, etc! Sign up on the scheduling page on the website! And if it's before Jan 15, we can talk about making a 4th quarter estimated payment! Speaking of which...
5. 4th Quarter Estimated Payments are due Jan 15! If you have a lot of 1099/self-employment income, you have a lot of investment or other income with no withholding, or your are an NYC resident who got a lot of unemployment in 2023, you might need to pay a payment now to avoid underpayment penalties! Set up a consult to discuss if you need!
6. The Health Insurance Marketplace closes Jan 15! If you need any help signing up for health insurance through the marketplace, sign up for a free 30 min consult before Jan 15!
7. You will be getting an Engagement Letter to sign! Just like last year, if I did your 2022 return, expect to get a request to sign your Engagement Letter through TaxDome next week. (I'll be going alphabetically by last name) If you aren't planning on using me this year, let me know and I will remove the signature request.
8. I have changed some prices a bit. I have kept all base prices pretty much the same. I have made some minor updates to how much I charge for various things that add complexity but most things are the same as last year. People who have been with me more than 6 years had a lower legacy price, those will be increasing by $10-$20 as I phase out the legacy prices. You can get an updated Price Quote here. As always, be as early as possible for the early bird discount, that hasn't changed! I also still give $5 off for every year after the first one you are with me, up to $50.
9. Procrastination Charge: As I noted, in 2024 my political activity goes into overdrive in the Fall and I will likely not have a lot of time for taxes after Labor Day in early September. I know none of you will procrastinate that much, but just in case you were wondering, I will be charging more for people doing taxes that late, starting at $10 more after Aug 5 and going up to $50 more after Sept 2. But no one will wait that long this year, I am sure :) Details here.
10. Returning Clients can start uploading whenever you want! If I did your 2021 or 2022 return, you have a TaxDome account, you can upload without needing a link from me. Check out this video for further instructions! Or just email me for a link :)
11. Are you sure you uploaded everything? Check out my Readiness Check or the List of Documents I need!
12. No In person Appts this year: In past years I attended a conference in Hershey, PA to sell my cabaret show in March and it was easy to tack on a couple of days in NYC. However this year I have decided not to go to the conference, so it just didn't make sense to make a special trip to NYC when so few people prefer in person these days. It's fairly unlikely I will be making the trip again, at least during regular tax season. But silver lining, not going to the conference gives me back 4 days I can spend doing tax returns instead! And if you find yourself in the Atlanta area for some reason, you are more than welcome to come to my house for an in person appt!
13. Stick to emailing me! As always, please use email to jentaxprep@gmail.com as the way you communicate with me. Please do not text, call, DM or use the TaxDome messaging system to get in touch unless otherwise specified!
14. That being said, please do not email me documents! Emailing me documents is unsecured and creates more work for me since I then have to take care of uploading your documents to TaxDome myself. It also drastically increases the chances that I will lose something you sent me. Please directly upload everything to TaxDome. If you encounter issues, email me and I can send you a direct link, 9/10 times that works. TaxDome also has an app, so you can take pictures of docs using your phone and then directly upload them.
15. Check the Blog for any mid-season announcements!
16. I am working on making some more videos, more for spreadsheets and forms, and a couple on specific tax topics that come up a lot, like types of deductions and car deductions, so keep an eye out on the website for those if you are interested!
Ok, I think that's enough for now! As always, check the website first if you have any questions, and email me if the answer cannot be found! Or set up a 15 min consult! I look forward to speaking with you all soon!!!
Your friendly neighborhood tax preparer,
Jennifer
I hope you had a great 2023. If you know me, you know 2024 is gonna be a nutty year for me, as all Presidential Election years are, so let's try to get all the tax madness out of the way before the political madness descends! I am changing up a number of things this year so read this carefully!
1. Changes to deadlines: So last year I set what I thought were totally conservative deadlines that would keep me from being overloaded during tax season. But you delightful and responsible people met the deadlines en masse, so I was still overwhelmed! So I am changing things up a bit this year. Instead of a specific hard deadline, I am going to aim to complete the returns of the first 260 people in the queue before April 15. Then the next 50 people will get extensions with a personalized estimate. After that, I will file just a plain extension for you, with you supplying any estimate of what you need to pay using my handy Rule of Thumb. So when spots are full, they are full, and that could happen anytime in March. Just in case, I am setting a backstop deadline of March 24, but I fully expect all slots to be full by then. To help keep the uncertainty at bay, I will keep a running update on my website about how many spots are left. Also, returning clients (meaning I did your 2022 return) which should be most of you don't need to worry about getting muscled out by new clients - this year new clients get dropped lower in the queue to prioritize most of the space for returning folks. So bottom line, get your stuff in as early as you can, both for the Early Bird discount and to ensure you get a pre-April 15th spot!
2. New Clients: I am still taking on new clients, so you can still feel free to refer your friends to me, but when you do it's a good idea to note that I probably won't have space during the regular season for new clients after Feb 15, but I am happy to do extensions for them and work with them later if they are good with that. Thank you all so much for referring your friends (and random internet strangers!) to me, I really appreciate it! (New clients are anyone whose 2022 return I did not do, so people who I did a return for 2021 or earlier, or a totally new person.)
3. Reminder about the queue system: The new system worked great for me last year so I am sticking with it! To refresh everyone's memory on how it works - you upload all of your tax documents etc to TaxDome, fill out the intake form, and then email me when everything is there and you are ready to go in the queue! Emphasis on the importance of emailing me, that is the only way I know you are ready to go so I can put you in the queue and reserve your spot!
4. Free 15-min Pre-Tax Consults! Just like last year, I am offering 15 min appts from now until Feb 15 to cover any questions you have about spreadsheets, deductions, etc! Sign up on the scheduling page on the website! And if it's before Jan 15, we can talk about making a 4th quarter estimated payment! Speaking of which...
5. 4th Quarter Estimated Payments are due Jan 15! If you have a lot of 1099/self-employment income, you have a lot of investment or other income with no withholding, or your are an NYC resident who got a lot of unemployment in 2023, you might need to pay a payment now to avoid underpayment penalties! Set up a consult to discuss if you need!
6. The Health Insurance Marketplace closes Jan 15! If you need any help signing up for health insurance through the marketplace, sign up for a free 30 min consult before Jan 15!
7. You will be getting an Engagement Letter to sign! Just like last year, if I did your 2022 return, expect to get a request to sign your Engagement Letter through TaxDome next week. (I'll be going alphabetically by last name) If you aren't planning on using me this year, let me know and I will remove the signature request.
8. I have changed some prices a bit. I have kept all base prices pretty much the same. I have made some minor updates to how much I charge for various things that add complexity but most things are the same as last year. People who have been with me more than 6 years had a lower legacy price, those will be increasing by $10-$20 as I phase out the legacy prices. You can get an updated Price Quote here. As always, be as early as possible for the early bird discount, that hasn't changed! I also still give $5 off for every year after the first one you are with me, up to $50.
9. Procrastination Charge: As I noted, in 2024 my political activity goes into overdrive in the Fall and I will likely not have a lot of time for taxes after Labor Day in early September. I know none of you will procrastinate that much, but just in case you were wondering, I will be charging more for people doing taxes that late, starting at $10 more after Aug 5 and going up to $50 more after Sept 2. But no one will wait that long this year, I am sure :) Details here.
10. Returning Clients can start uploading whenever you want! If I did your 2021 or 2022 return, you have a TaxDome account, you can upload without needing a link from me. Check out this video for further instructions! Or just email me for a link :)
11. Are you sure you uploaded everything? Check out my Readiness Check or the List of Documents I need!
12. No In person Appts this year: In past years I attended a conference in Hershey, PA to sell my cabaret show in March and it was easy to tack on a couple of days in NYC. However this year I have decided not to go to the conference, so it just didn't make sense to make a special trip to NYC when so few people prefer in person these days. It's fairly unlikely I will be making the trip again, at least during regular tax season. But silver lining, not going to the conference gives me back 4 days I can spend doing tax returns instead! And if you find yourself in the Atlanta area for some reason, you are more than welcome to come to my house for an in person appt!
13. Stick to emailing me! As always, please use email to jentaxprep@gmail.com as the way you communicate with me. Please do not text, call, DM or use the TaxDome messaging system to get in touch unless otherwise specified!
14. That being said, please do not email me documents! Emailing me documents is unsecured and creates more work for me since I then have to take care of uploading your documents to TaxDome myself. It also drastically increases the chances that I will lose something you sent me. Please directly upload everything to TaxDome. If you encounter issues, email me and I can send you a direct link, 9/10 times that works. TaxDome also has an app, so you can take pictures of docs using your phone and then directly upload them.
15. Check the Blog for any mid-season announcements!
16. I am working on making some more videos, more for spreadsheets and forms, and a couple on specific tax topics that come up a lot, like types of deductions and car deductions, so keep an eye out on the website for those if you are interested!
Ok, I think that's enough for now! As always, check the website first if you have any questions, and email me if the answer cannot be found! Or set up a 15 min consult! I look forward to speaking with you all soon!!!
Your friendly neighborhood tax preparer,
Jennifer
