Posts by Jack Young

Nicole Lee6 said:If we’re talking about setting up your PIN for the IRS portal, then on this specific page 1. you have to decrypt the initial PIN. Basically, you receive an encrypted PIN via email for your first login, and here is how you actually handle it: go down to the bottom left and hit the "Tools—Decrypt PIN" button. This will pop open a new window. In the dropdown menu at the top, just select your USB drive—it should show a long string of numbers; honestly, if you only have that one thumb drive plugged in, it makes things much simpler. Once you've selected it, type in that original PIN they sent you in the email, click the "Decrypt PIN" button, and the system will generate a new 6-digit PIN. For heaven's sake, write that number down somewhere safe immediately, because the system is going to demand it every single time you try to log in.

Or just set your own custom PIN if you prefer

vividhound60 said:So I found out today that I can just send over the balance sheet and the GDP figures to the IRS... I actually called up the local branch to see if they'd even bother with these forms if the numbers weren't huge... turns out they will... apparently they haven't been told specifically not to accept them, but honestly, they don't really care about the scale... they just want those three-digit figures on the page... anyway...

Can I ask you something real quick? Why exactly are you sending the balance sheet and income statement to the FBI?

Matthew Newman8 said:So, how would I even go about importing this? I’m curious about the customs process, which carrier you’d trust to handle it safely, and how the shipping payments actually work...

Look, just have your supplier include the FedEx shipping costs right on the initial invoice. You pay the invoice, then you wire the funds to China via SWIFT. Once the goods hit US Customs, you'll get a notification that the shipment has arrived. A customs broker will send you an import declaration to fill out and fax back, then they'll send over the bill for the sales tax. Pay that, and boom—your stuff is at your door that same day.

Matthew Newman8 said:Hey there!
I'm planning to import some ceramic mugs from China—specifically sublimation blanks.
I've already tracked down some suppliers over there, but I’m trying to figure out the best way to bring them into the States under my own LLC. I saw that someone on here mentioned they offer help with logistics, but their inbox is totally slammed so I can't send them a DM. 😁
If anyone here has experience with this kind of importing, please shoot me a private message. I would really appreciate any advice you can share.
Thanks in advance!
Best,

So, what kind of help are you actually looking for?

Henry Edwards33 said:Paperwork is fine.😉
It's just the ones in the VAT system that have to go through the IRS portal.

thanks

Man, there have been so many headaches this year dealing with the IRS digital portals and all those online filing systems... I started tackling this stuff last year and honestly, it was a breeze—it felt like my IT guy and I were totally in sync.

I actually have a quick question for you all. A friend of mine has some clients who aren't registered for sales tax, so they don't file any sales tax returns and haven't even set up an online portal with the government. Do you think she can just mail in their annual income tax forms and other paperwork from 2012 on paper, or is having that digital account mandatory for everything now? What’s your take?

So far, everything with the IRS portals and the unemployment filings went through without a hitch—sent them off yesterday. Honestly, I have no idea what kind of news is coming my way next. I guess I'll just take whatever they offered me a few days ago on the tax site and hope it stays that way. Fingers crossed, right?

Brenda Chase3 said:I wanted to jump in and give you some firsthand insight on this situation. We actually filed our final return this past Friday—well, we were a little early, haha—and I can confirm that the attachments feature is working perfectly fine. The key is making sure everything is saved as a PDF; once you hit send, the system confirms they’ve been submitted and everything looks good on our end. The only real headache is that because of where we are located, some of the agents over at the IRS simply have no clue that you can submit everything digitally through the online portal. When we sent ours off, I gave my agent a call just to double-check that she could see the files. I told her we had included all the attachments, but she was totally baffled—she honestly had no idea that attaching PDFs was even an option. Since the local office hasn't updated their internal software to handle the 2012 filings yet, she couldn't actually pull anything up to verify. Eventually, she pulled up the official instruction manual and realized that everything is supposed to be routed through the IRS electronic system now. We made sure to include the gross balance sheet and the reconciliation between the corporate tax and sales tax forms, all in PDF format. Now, I won't hear back from her regarding whether she successfully processed everything until sometime in April.

Hey, could you explain that bolded part a bit more? I'm trying to figure out how you got it to work. I've been poking around the IRS website looking at the sales tax forms, and that "Attachments" section is just grayed out for me. It won't let me click anything. I'm not actually filing a year-end return yet—haven't even finished it—but I'm just curious... what do I need to do to get the upload button to actually react?

wiredmarlin41 said:That isn't my point. This isn't about which method is more "authentic"—it's about catering to the whims of the bureaucrats.
To me, those officials are practically deities. If I just give them exactly what they want, maybe they'll leave me alone and stop giving me such a massive headache.😁

Which specific agents are you dealing with?
When you mentioned scanned documents earlier, I assumed we were talking about those non-standard files we upload through the web portal that need to be in PDF format.

wiredmarlin41 said:Your filing wasn't rejected because the IRS doesn't actually have the capacity to verify whether every single document has been manually signed or stamped.
I suspect this is just down to the personal whims of individual agents when files are sent to the archives. For some, it doesn't matter at all, whereas others insist on having every scrap of paper signed and stamped.
Personally, I am going to send mine without signatures or stamps to save myself the time of scanning everything. If anyone actually demands it, I'll just send the client's paperwork later. 😁
I agree with you—the signature and stamp are completely redundant.

Come on, please tell me you aren't seriously suggesting that a handwritten signature scanned into a PDF is somehow more legit than a digital signature... I don't think I've ever heard anything like that before.

Raymond Martinez10 said:New issue—I picked up the ISIS package for all my clients, but the FBI won't cooperate. Every time I prompt them to sign, those little blue spinning loading squares just start circling endlessly. It’s enough to give me a massive headache. And I'm still waiting...

Oh, by the way—I was using Chrome before, but now I've switched over to the EU system.

Those things could spin until tomorrow for all I care... nothing is happening. Something definitely got skipped. Like, did you make sure all the business info after the Tax ID section was filled out?

Did you check that box that says "I have verified the content before signing..." before you hit that "sign form" button?

Hannah Harris6 said:Hey there. Is anyone else here running into a bit of a snag with this new online portal? I’m trying to get my digital signature on the ID form, but the system keeps throwing an error saying it's "unsigned." It’s like a stubborn mule refusing to budge. Does anyone know what the catch is? I'd really rather not spend my afternoon scrolling through endless PDF manuals or playing phone tag with the IRS. Thanks in advance!

I wish I could tell you why it's acting up... honestly, I just finished submitting an ID for a different company using a totally different digital certificate, and everything went through perfectly fine.

Think about whether you picked the right certificate at the very start. If you have a bunch of them saved on your computer, things can get messy. It might be a good idea to unplug any other security keys or smart cards so only the correct one is active.

Also, when you're filling out the section for "LOCAL TAX AND MUNICIPAL DATA," make sure you don't miss that little green checkmark. That's usually where people trip up.

Just sent off my ID form successfully!
FARC is still showing up just like before

Jack Young, are you using the e-filing system? Got those security certificates installed yet?

Brenda Chase3 said:Basically, things like balance sheets, income statements, and loan agreements—though whether they ask for those depends entirely on which specific auditor you're dealing with.

All sorts of stuff?
I mean, couldn't they just pull those straight from the IRS?

Last summer, I had one company ask me for a full balance sheet, but when I dealt with a different firm under the exact same agent, they didn't even ask for that. It's funny how inconsistent things can be.

Taylor Evans82 said:Nope, it's totally broken. You can't even assign new permissions. You can't save a PKK file locally either—unless you export it to a PDF just to look at it later (which is a pain since everyone’s office hours aren't synced up with the IRS). Plus, you can't pull data from a submitted form into a new one.

Honestly, it feels like a total mess for something they made mandatory for basically every business out there.

But hey, at least we can upload attachments directly with the sales tax forms! It'll be way better than last year when we had to file everything online only to run down to the local office to drop off physical paperwork.

What kind of paperwork did you have to lug around for the auditor last year?

wanderingranger41 said:I’d be an employee, but my payroll taxes are already being handled by another company...

As for the startup capital, you're wrong. There is nothing stating I can't pay myself a salary from those funds starting in month one—though I'd have to cover the taxes. I can use that initial capital however I see fit. My question is whether I have to pay tax on it when I'm paying back a loan, and if so, how much.

In those first few months, the company won't be making huge profits or seeing massive expenses, but I need the legitimacy. When I walk into a meeting with a client, I need to be able to say "I am an official representative of this firm," rather than just some random person showing up...

Sure, you can spend your money however you want—it's your call. But just because you *can* doesn't mean it's the smart move. It’s like having a starter kit for a hobby; if you blow all your supplies on day one, you've got nothing left to actually get the project moving. I always say that your seed money is there for a reason: it’s meant to cover those essential startup costs so you don't end up stuck before you even begin. Costs. It’s funny how that word just hangs in the air, isn't it? Like a heavy fog rolling over a quiet morning in Seattle. You start thinking about one little expense—maybe a latte here or a quick trip to Target—and before you know it, the whole budget is looking a bit thin. It’s like trying to fill a bucket with tiny pinholes in the bottom. You pour in your paycheck, and suddenly, there's just less than there was a minute ago. Everything adds up. Every single little thing. You see all those line items pop up—vendors, payroll, the whole nine yards. But here’s the thing: you can't just dip into that pot to cover loans. It’s like having a dedicated fund for groceries and then trying to use the milk money to pay off a credit card bill. It just doesn't work that way. Those funds are strictly for the bills they're meant for.

wanderingranger41 said:I’d be an employee, but my payroll taxes are already being handled by another company...

As for the startup capital, you're wrong. There is nothing stating I can't pay myself a salary from those funds starting in month one—though I'd have to cover the taxes. I can use that initial capital however I see fit. My question is whether I have to pay tax on it when I'm paying back a loan, and if so, how much.

In those first few months, the company won't be making huge profits or seeing massive expenses, but I need the legitimacy. When I walk into a meeting with a client, I need to be able to say "I am an official representative of this firm," rather than just some random person showing up...

What kind of shady loan are you talking about now?

wanderingranger41 said:Hello, I have a few questions...
I remember reading somewhere on this forum that you can technically loan seed capital to a business after it's officially registered and then pay it back later. Is that actually true, and if so, does the IRS take a cut or require any specific filings?
To be specific: my plan is to personally loan the funds to the entity (either to myself or my husband) just to get things moving until we're up and running.
The business likely won't see any profit for at least a year, so I’d be lending money to the company as needed. We won't have any employees at the start either; it'll just be me putting in the hours as director. Currently, I have a full-time job elsewhere, but I'm out on maternity leave right now. Can I serve as a director while still having social security contributions being paid through my other employer, or will the government treat me like a retiree and block me from holding that position?

That’s not quite right. Your initial capital is meant for things like paying vendors and keeping the lights on—it's definitely not a personal piggy bank to draw from later.

wanderingranger41 said:Hello, I have a few questions...
I remember reading somewhere on this forum that you can technically loan seed capital to a business after it's officially registered and then pay it back later. Is that actually true, and if so, does the IRS take a cut or require any specific filings?
To be specific: my plan is to personally loan the funds to the entity (either to myself or my husband) just to get things moving until we're up and running.
The business likely won't see any profit for at least a year, so I’d be lending money to the company as needed. We won't have any employees at the start either; it'll just be me putting in the hours as director. Currently, I have a full-time job elsewhere, but I'm out on maternity leave right now. Can I serve as a director while still having social security contributions being paid through my other employer, or will the government treat me like a retiree and block me from holding that position?

You can totally give the company interest-free loans, and once the business starts bringing in cash, you can pay those loans back. As for the role, you can absolutely be the director without hiring a single employee.

Look, there isn't some cop breathing down your neck here; you've just been given a clear set of instructions on what needs to happen. As for your question about the dependent, your mother can qualify as one as long as she doesn't bring in more than $3655 in total income.
Just a heads-up, though—income counts whether it's taxable or tax-exempt
. We're talking about all kinds of receipts, except for things like social security or child
benefits, newborn grants, or
payments for baby gear. Also, family
pensions (which includes those survivor benefits)
paid out to kids after their parents pass away aren't included in that count either.

Partial disability rating? That’s a plus 0.30 coefficient right there. It's like getting a little extra boost on your stats in a video game—not quite a full level-up, but definitely enough to change the math.
It’s basically like hitting a perfect 1.0 score on a grading scale—total, absolute disability status. Everything is maxed out.