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From the President
MIDYEAR THOUGHTS - TIME FOR ACTION
By Rodney J. Couts, EA, President
Have you seen it? It’s in plain sight! If you don’t spot it, it could tarnish the reputation of your practice for years to come.
I’m talking about your clients’ withholding, as it may be seriously out of whack. We all remember the announcement in February that employers would be switching to the new withholding tables and most people would be getting more of their paycheck each pay period.
We have historically relied upon exemptions to guide in filling out the W-4. But under the new law, exemptions no longer exist. This means new math is being applied to the calculations, and what I’ve seen so far is that this math is pretty far off.
I found during this past tax season the bulk of my clients are looking at tax savings of between $300 and $500 for 2018. But when I look at their withholding now, I am seeing clients whose withholding has dropped by thousands of dollars. Unless I tackle the issue now, I am going to be looking at some very unhappy clients next year. I am now scheduling midyear meetings to do a checkup and find out where my problems lie.
If you are not doing them, this would be a great year for midyear meetings with your clients. This year it is more important than ever to have a midyear meeting with your clients. It shouldn’t be free, so consider setting a package price and offering it out to your clients. Make this the year you are a hero to your clients.
CTEC
Karen De Vaney has been doing an excellent job of reporting the activities of the CTEC Board to our Society Board. Her reports keep us informed on the latest developments at CTEC and allows us to form a voice in response to key issues.
Karen has informed me that the CTEC Council Board is looking for new members and would like for a CSTC member to consider filling the void. To learn more about serving on the board, the CTEC mission or to apply, start at CTEC.org. Select the Tax Professional tab and the application link on the right-hand side of the screen. You would want to select CTEC012 – Application to serve as a CRTP Director.
Thank you for letting us know, Karen. CSTC members, we should take advantage of this opportunity.
FOLLOWING UP WITH OUR IRS KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
After making his presentation on data security and breaches and the practitioner’s response when compromised, I got a few moments with keynote speaker Forrest Knoor to ask him a couple of follow up questions on remarks he made during his presentation.
The first issue was what is the meaning of “everything” as it relates to supplying client information to the IRS after you’ve been compromised. Forrest clarified that it means the IRS needs the name and Social Security Number of compromised clients. Their information systems already have all the data related to the client. The beginning process is to identify the client and their tax ID.
The second thing Forrest wanted to clarify was to stress the need for cooperation when there has been a data theft. The IRS hopes to work with you as a team to mitigate the damage and failing to cooperate only slows the process of controlling the situation.
Finally, he wanted to make sure everyone knows where to get the information to manage the event when data has been compromised. Know the first call to be made, and how it works from there. Start by visiting the IRS website and searching for “Data Theft Information for Tax Professionals.”
If you were not there, we missed you at the Symposium. The next chance is the CSTC Fall Tax & Accounting Forum. Visit the CSTC website to learn more.
Welcome New CSTC Members!
Please help us in joining our newest CSTC Members!
Rayna Barber
Sacramento Chapter
Karen Bennett
East County San Diego Chapter
Michael Cherrington
Sacramento Chapter
Travis Deane
San Diego Chapter
Suaima Figueroa
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Norma Foerder
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Jeffrey Halbert
North County San Diego Chapter
Danielle Huang
Orange County Chapter
Emily Jones
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Susan Ketterer
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Rochens Lin
San Jose Chapter
Madonna Peterson
Sacramento Chapter
Margarita Rodriguez
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Malcolm Toms
San Diego Chapter
Carol Yee
Sacramento Chapter
July Chapter Events
July 9, 2018
CSTC Board of Directors Meeting
Virtual Meeting
July 10, 2018
East County San Diego Chapter
Topic: Electronic Workpapers
1 Federal Update Hour
East County San Diego Chapter
Topic: Death and Taxes
2 Federal Law Hours
July 11, 2018
San Francisco Bay Chapter
Topic: Reverse Mortgages, Installment Sales, and Other Oddities--The Crazy Real Estate Tax Questions Our Clients Bring Us!
2 Federal Law Hours
Orange County Chapter
Topic: New Tax Law on Corporations and S Corporations
2 Federal Law Hours
Temecula Valley Chapter
Topic: IRS Correspondence
2 Federal Law Hours
July 12, 2018
San Gabriel Valley Chapter
Topic: Foreign Taxes
2 Federal Update Hours
North County San Diego Chapter
Topic: Now That The Client Has Died, What is Your Responsibility?
1 Federal Law Hour, 1 California Hour
July 18, 2018
Inland Empire Chapter
Topic: Shannon's Hall of Tax Curiosities
2 Federal Law Hours
July 19, 2018
San Diego Chapter
Topic: 1031 Exchanges
2 Federal Law Hours
July 24, 2018
Orange County South Chapter
Topic: Business Tax Law Changes Under the TCJA of 2017
2 Federal Update Hours
July 25, 2018
Greater Long Beach Chapter
Topic and Hours TBA
Register Now For The 2018 Fall Tax and Accounting Forum!
Topic: Partnerships and LLC's
Date: Friday & Saturday, Septemebr 21-22, 2018
Location: The Grand, 4101 E. Willow Street, Long Beach, CA 90815
Schedule Coming Soon!
Fees: Early Bird (Until Aug. 1) After Aug. 1
Members $199 $225
Staff $219 $250
Non-Members $249 $285
Join the California Society of Tax Consultants!
Click here to fill out an online application.
CSTC advances professionalism within the tax industry by:
- Providing quality education
- Creating networking opportunities
- Advocating professional standards
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