Blueridge Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 We worked like dogs last year, taking donation after donation to Goodwill every single month. We took TONS of nice things. Then I spent 2 entire days imputing all of the specifics into the *It's Deductible* program to obtain values for it all. I took our handwritten inventory sheets, the printed It's Deductible pages, and the Goodwill receipts...each donation paper clipped individually, and placed them along with all our tax documents. We do this every year and only donate to Goodwill because it's handy. These are our only itemized deductions besides our mortgage interest, so they are important. We took them to the man who has done our taxes for the past 4 years, and have waited for 2 weeks. Dh called them today to check on the status, and they said they had to totally recalculate all our donations because Goodwill uses it's own values for donated items. (That is not what the Goodwill site says.) So, all our things...thousands of donated items...are now worth a lot less that we had thought. I think he is wrong, and just not believing that any human being could possibly give away that much plunder, and is just avoiding being called with us for an audit or something. :001_huh: I am just so disappointed. Is this some new stupid law or what? I wish I had done the taxes myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 :grouphug: Taxes are so frustrating! Goodwill has a page online with the value of items: http://www.goodwillwct.org/images/pages/donation.guide.pdf?-session=thisSession:4A61FF2404fbb238CDrLxg153830 Oh, and here is a direct quote about this issue: Can Goodwill place a value on my noncashcharitable contribution for me? No. The IRS requires the donor to assign values.Some acceptable methods are estimated resale value, replacement cost, or qualified appraisal.Regardless of the method used, consideration should be given to the age, condition, quality, style, and use of the donated articles. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm sorry - that sounds frustrating. Unless you have really tricky taxes, you should have done your taxes yourself using TurboTax and It's Deductible, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Me? I'd tell him to use my original estimates not his recalculations. Unless I had really tricky taxes (like corporate business taxes) I would never pay someone to do my taxes. If all you have are W-2's, 1099's or just plain ole self-employed it is *REALLY* easy to do your taxes through turbo tax. As I said though, call him and tell him to use your amounts. It is *your* tax forms not his. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I agree with the other posters - you should call him back and tell him to use the values you submitted. I think some places do have an online chart with estimated values, but they vary depending on which program or site you use, and we used ItsDeductible for several years until I started using TaxActOnline and they have a built-in deduction calculator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Your tax preparer works for you. If you believe those values you assigned are accurate and lawful and you have appropriate documentation, tell him to use them. If he strongly believes that you are lying, he may advise you not to use them, or he may refuse to sign the return, but you are the one filing the return in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendylee Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 This is exactly why we ended firing our accountants and doing our taxes ourselves. They refused to take even minimal deductions, like medical expenses, because there was that big "possible audit" flag they always kept bringing up. Unless you are really, really complicated, tax-wise, there's nothing that you need an accountant for as far as taxes are concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The cynic in me thinks that the tax guy just wanted to find a way to bill more hours.....I wouldn't accept that and go with your own estimates as others have articulated. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The cynic in me thinks that the tax guy just wanted to find a way to bill more hours.....I wouldn't accept that and go with your own estimates as others have articulated. :iagree:That was my first thought too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) Thank you all. I used to always do our taxes, no problem. But the first year we moved here, they were much too complicated for me to do, so we found this man. He has always been so nice, and very reasonable, too. But this time, even though our taxes are very straight-forward, nothing at all complicated (no investments, no medical expenses, etc) we just have 1 job, our mortgage, and the donations. That's why we make all those donations! I was so careful with the It's Deductible program, even assigning a *good* instead of *excellent* condition to so many things so it would all look respectable and not inflated! I am TOO honest LOL. And to top it off, when dh called them, they are charging us more this year since they spent 3 hours re-figuring it all. :tongue_smilie: Anyway, dh said we will start doing our own again next year...but I won't have much left to donate. Edited February 4, 2011 by Blueridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thank you all. I used to always do our taxes, no problem. But the first year we moved here, they were much too complicated for me to do, so we found this man. He has always been so nice, and very reasonable, too. But this time, even though our taxes are very straight-forward, nothing at all complicated (no investments, no medical expenses, etc) we just have 1 job, our mortgage, and the donations. That's why we make all those donations! I was so careful with the It's Deductible program, even assigning a *good* instead of *excellent* condition to so many things so it would all look respectable and not inflated! I am TOO honest LOL. And to top it off, when dh called them, they are charging us more this year since they spent 3 hours re-figuring it all. :tongue_smilie: Anyway, dh said we will start doing our own again next year...but I won't have much left to donate. Um no. That's not acceptable. They chose to re-evaluate everything when you'd done the work for them. Make them use the info you gave them and tell them you're not paying for the extra hours. They took it upon themselves to do all that extra work. You didn't ask them to do it. Their loss.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Um no. That's not acceptable. They chose to re-evaluate everything when you'd done the work for them. Make them use the info you gave them and tell them you're not paying for the extra hours. They took it upon themselves to do all that extra work. You didn't ask them to do it. Their loss.:glare: :iagree::iagree: Oooo I an burning for you! Bill me for recalculation when you didn't even call to get it approved? I don't think so. I'd say thanks but no thanks and do it myself. Shoot I live close enough to you (At least I think so!), I'll do it for you for free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcelmer Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Um no. That's not acceptable. They chose to re-evaluate everything when you'd done the work for them. Make them use the info you gave them and tell them you're not paying for the extra hours. They took it upon themselves to do all that extra work. You didn't ask them to do it. Their loss.:glare: :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: fire them.... I worked for a CPA group ages ago and this is totally unacceptable.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm sorry - that sounds frustrating. Unless you have really tricky taxes, you should have done your taxes yourself using TurboTax and It's Deductible, imo. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 A CPA here as well - and agree that you should not be billed for the additional hours! They are completely wrong about needing to use the Goodwill valuations - and the fact that they don't know this means that they are being dishonest with you or they are just clueless and you shouldn't be trusting them to do your taxes. I'm sorry that you face to this conflict with a "nice" man - but If you don't want to pay you may need to appear the bad guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Another CPA chiming in. Tell him to use your calculations and that you're not paying for the extra 3 hours of work that was not necessary. If that's not acceptable, you will come get your paperwork and pay nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Um no. That's not acceptable. They chose to re-evaluate everything when you'd done the work for them. Make them use the info you gave them and tell them you're not paying for the extra hours. They took it upon themselves to do all that extra work. You didn't ask them to do it. Their loss.:glare: ITA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Um no. That's not acceptable. They chose to re-evaluate everything when you'd done the work for them. Make them use the info you gave them and tell them you're not paying for the extra hours. They took it upon themselves to do all that extra work. You didn't ask them to do it. Their loss.:glare: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairie rose Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Unless they have already been filed, I would go pick up your paperwork and tell them they should not expect your business next year. As others have said that is not acceptable at all. Pick up your paperwork and file them yourself, this year. Audits are a pain but if you have all the receipts to back up your claims, you shouldn't have any problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Another CPA chiming in. Tell him to use your calculations and that you're not paying for the extra 3 hours of work that was not necessary. If that's not acceptable, you will come get your paperwork and pay nothing. :iagree: Just mentioned this to Dh, and he agrees with this. This man needed your approval before deciding to recalculate work that did not need to be recalculated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) Dh picked up our paperwork on Friday so we could talk it over, after speaking to the man for quite a while, and I couldn't believe how much of a mess he had made it. Really, he took each printed inventory sheet (there were 12, most 2 pages long) and wrote all over them, changing each and every valuation that It's Deductible had given each item, and inserting his own. He had printed out some outdated sheet from a Goodwill store across the country that told the prices they charge customers to buy their goods. He used that, instead of the fair market value. So...I spent some time finding another Goodwill site that had a chart with suggested value scales, ranging from $2 - $12 for a ladies shirt, for example. Then I used another online donation calculator that Goodwill recommended, and re-entered one of my donations into that one to show the old goat that the final total was about the same as the one we had given him. His re-calculated total on that one donation sheet went from our $400 down to his $105, so it was a drastic change. That should prove to him that we hadn't inflated the values of our donated items. But the bottom line is that WE are allowed to place our own value on our goods! I feel discouraged that he was cheating us out of over many thousands in deductions for the sake of being conservative. I am still so mad that I am sick about it. So, wish me luck...I go tomorrow to have a talk with him. I feel quite sure he will be uncomfortable with changing it, so I will take it home and do it myself. Sigh. We lost our checkbook yesterday and when I called for help, the bank froze it despite my begging them not to...so now I have to go through all that disaster of the changes with a new account. What a mess. Edited February 7, 2011 by Blueridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Dh picked up our paperwork on Friday so we could talk it over, after speaking to the man for quite a while, and I couldn't believe how much of a mess he had made it. Really, he took each printed inventory sheet (there were 12, most 2 pages long) and wrote all over them, changing each and every valuation that It's Deductible had given each item, and inserting his own. He had printed out some outdated sheet from a Goodwill store across the country that told the prices they charge customers to buy their goods. He used that, instead of the fair market value. So...I spent some time finding another Goodwill site that had a chart with suggested value scales, ranging from $2 - $12 for a ladies shirt, for example. Then I used another online donation calculator that Goodwill recommended, and re-entered one of my donations into that one to show the old goat that the final total was about the same as the one we had given him. His re-calculated total on that one donation sheet went from our $400 down to his $105, so it was a drastic change. That should prove to him that we hadn't inflated the values of our donated items. But the bottom line is that WE are allowed to place our own value on our goods! I feel discouraged that he was cheating us out of over $1,000 in deductions for the sake of being conservative. I am still so mad that I am sick about it. So, wish me luck...I go tomorrow to have a talk with him. I feel quite sure he will be uncomfortable with changing it, so I will take it home and do it myself. Sigh. We lost our checkbook yesterday and when I called for help, the bank froze it despite my begging them not to...so now I have to go through all that disaster of the changes with a new account. What a mess. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Dh picked up our paperwork on Friday so we could talk it over, after speaking to the man for quite a while, and I couldn't believe how much of a mess he had made it. Really, he took each printed inventory sheet (there were 12, most 2 pages long) and wrote all over them, changing each and every valuation that It's Deductible had given each item, and inserting his own. He had printed out some outdated sheet from a Goodwill store across the country that told the prices they charge customers to buy their goods. He used that, instead of the fair market value. So...I spent some time finding another Goodwill site that had a chart with suggested value scales, ranging from $2 - $12 for a ladies shirt, for example. Then I used another online donation calculator that Goodwill recommended, and re-entered one of my donations into that one to show the old goat that the final total was about the same as the one we had given him. His re-calculated total on that one donation sheet went from our $400 down to his $105, so it was a drastic change. That should prove to him that we hadn't inflated the values of our donated items. But the bottom line is that WE are allowed to place our own value on our goods! I feel discouraged that he was cheating us out of over many thousands in deductions for the sake of being conservative. I am still so mad that I am sick about it. So, wish me luck...I go tomorrow to have a talk with him. I feel quite sure he will be uncomfortable with changing it, so I will take it home and do it myself. Sigh. We lost our checkbook yesterday and when I called for help, the bank froze it despite my begging them not to...so now I have to go through all that disaster of the changes with a new account. What a mess. Good luck and I'm sorry you've got another headache to deal with. FWIW, my husband is a CPA. He said he would not pay the extra hours. They should have contacted you if there were concerns. Three hours of CPA time is a lot of money. Doing it yourself should be easy (well, aside from his marking up your records...yuck). I hope you're not paying him for the mess he made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks y'all for the encouragements. I'm trying to get myself together before tomorrow. :tongue_smilie: Hubby was going to take off so we could go together, but he later remembered that his co-worker had already taken the day off. On my own I guess. Oh well, I've got my big girl panties. :) But if the man starts acting defensive, I may start crying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks y'all for the encouragements. I'm trying to get myself together before tomorrow. :tongue_smilie: Hubby was going to take off so we could go together, but he later remembered that his co-worker had already taken the day off. On my own I guess. Oh well, I've got my big girl panties. :) But if the man starts acting defensive, I may start crying... Stand your ground. Think of a few calm sentences that you can repeat as often as he needs to hear. Something like: "The extra calculations were unnecessary, inaccurate, and we did not ask you to do them. We will not pay for them." Repeat, repeat, repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Along with the big girl panties, summon your inner Remudamom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Stand your ground. Think of a few calm sentences that you can repeat as often as he needs to hear. Something like: "The extra calculations were unnecessary, inaccurate, and we did not ask you to do them. We will not pay for them." Repeat, repeat, repeat. I agree, I will be thinking about you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 You don't want to work with this dufus, and that's your prerogative. Just walk in to his office, look through what he has for you, remove your original documents (w-2s, etc.) from the stack and set the rest on his desk. Tell him you're not happy with his services and then walk out the door. No arguing or tears necessary, but bgp's required. I'm a CPA and used to do taxes. Three hours to calculate donation values is completely ridiculous anyway unless you are a large business making donations, even if you hadn't given him the values. Which you did. And the extra time was unauthorized. The whole thing reeks of him taking advantage of you. Don't let him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Absolutely agree with PPs. I guess you've already had your meeting with him, but I hope you were able to stand your ground. He should not have charged those hours or changed your numbers. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Blueridge, I was just hoping to read about a positive outcome of all this, please post when you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Well, what a ride...I had planned to go visit the tax man on Monday, but couldn't get an appointment until today at 4:30! So at least I had all week to prepare myself and channel my inner Remudamom. I was SO proud of myself, not that I made any difference at all, but that I handled myself so confidently. :) I had my folder with all the new copies I had printed of varying valuations of donations, I had my tax rules memorized. I went in and the office must have been 100 degrees...He was obviously exhausted and said he was overworked, and we shared a few nice comments before I got down to business. I showed him all that I had brought, explained how It'sDeductible works, showed him another Goodwill chart with sliding scale of possible values for donations in case he was still hung up on that. He was. I spent 25 minutes going over and over the whole thing, and found out that he and a client had been audited (painfully) last year and it took 6 months to finally be resolved. So, because he is punchy, he told me that he simply could not accept the It'sDeductible values as they were just too unrealistically high. :001_huh: I told him we were happy to do the taxes ourselves and he wanted me to go home and talk to my dh about it first. :confused: Then he would *refigure* all the donation values with the sheets I had brought him and it would cost extra hours I am sure. He did not offer a dollar of a refund...So, I am, once again, at a complete loss. Dh said to cut our losses and do TurboTax, but it just doesn't seem right. Anyway, I did my very best, kept my cool, and still failed to resolve it. :tongue_smilie: The old goat. Edited February 11, 2011 by Blueridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Take your stuff home and do TurboTax. I would not pay him but at the very least I would do what your husband says to do and cut your losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I wouldn't pay this guy a red cent. He did work that you did not agree to. Just because he had to do some extra work with a previous client does not mean he gets to screw you over. Go in there with no appointment and demand your paperwork back. He is padding his bill at your expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) Ginger, I agree with the others. You don't owe this man anything -- he did work you did NOT ask him to do; before forging ahead with the re-evaluations, he should have called and asked if that's what you wanted him to do since it was obvious you'd already put work into that. That was his mistake #1. Being difficult about it, and blaming it on work he did for others is his mistake #2. Saying he is going to charge you even more when you went there already unhappy with how much he has charged you so far is his mistake #3. I would call ASAP and tell him to forget re-working anything, that he's done work you've not asked him to do, that you're unhappy with the service provided and when can you come pick up your papers? At the very most, pay him for an hour of time. If he speaks of how much time he put into this, just keep repeating, "But I didn't ask you to do that." Edited February 12, 2011 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Thanks, y'all. Thankfully I do have my paperwork file, and I will start Turbo Tax tomorrow morning. Hubby is going to stop by and tell him on Monday, so I won't have to see the smoke coming out of his ears. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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