Trusted someone to do taxes

[CaringforMom]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Mass
Hello all,
My 19 yr old son brought his tax information from his job to a friends of his mother who does taxes. (she did them as employment in the past)
It was my son's belief that the forms where filled out and filed electroncly
several weeks ago.
We have been trying to reach the family now to see if in fact they sent the taxes out since my son hasn't recieved a refund yet.
This mother is not answering her phones and has not called me back after several attemps I also sent a message to her son . but no response.
We are asking them to provide us with a copy of the taxes or to least let us know if they sent them but can not find out any information and my son can't remember the amounts of the refund to get information online as it requires the exact amount.
My question is Can this mother some how get my son's taxes back for herself? and how can we find out information from the IRS if its been filed?
Please be kind yes I know he should have gotten the copy when his friends mother filled it out but we trusted them to send it for my son.
I do not know what to do at this point.

 

[tranquility]

Please be kind yes I know he should have gotten the copy when his friends mother filled it out but we trusted them to send it for my son.

Not just should, but must.

Look, the bottom line is you must contact the preparer. Personally, I'd be nice, but the preparer has acted outside the normal way such matters should be handled. I'd go into it in more depth, but the preparer is going to be on the naughty list of the IRS if they find out. I suspect the person is not registered, as required, with the IRS. If you report them, the IRS will bring down the hammer almost assuredly. (I say "almost assuredly" as we would need to know more facts to know what rules and regulations were violated.)

But, the hammer down is not your goal. Your goal is to get your son's taxes filed. Talk with the preparer. Get your stuff back or an acknowledgement the taxes were filed electronically. (By "acknowledgement" I mean specific information with numbers and dates. Not a statement by the preparer.) Mention that you talked to other tax professionals and they said things were not handled according to law if the preparer becomes uncommunicative or uncooperative. Don't threaten anything, just inform them that if you don't get the forms or the acknowledgement, you "will explore your legal remedies".

 

[CaringforMom]

thank you for responding
I have tried to contact them ( they are friends or where friends of my son's)
I tried to call again tonight, as usual no answer no call back

one concern I have is can she somehow claim my son's taxes?? (recieve his refund)
Your right all I want is to ensure the taxes were filed. and to get a copy for my son to put away.
If my son called the IRS would they be able to give information without knowing the exact amount of the refund?

 

[tranquility]

Yes. One reason for the mandated process is to reduce the chance of such things, but it is possible. Once again, your best course is to contact her and then move forward from there.

As to contacting the IRS, it is not going to speed things up at this time. If the preparer is uncooperative, the IRS can speed things up. (They should probably be contacted anyway at some poin. The preparer has no business doing this work if she can't follow basic rules unless there is some personal crisis.)

 

[swalsh411]

Why is your son not doing his own taxes? Is he of at least average intelligence? It's not that complicated.

 

[tranquility]

Hey, hey, hey, lets not get crazy here. Just because someone can do it his own does not mean he shouldn't support me at the level I've become accustomed to.

 

[csi7]

Swalsh, I have someone do my taxes to double check my work.

I even do it for my child's taxes, due to all the little quirks involved.

For you may never have been audited, I have, and it's not a pleasant experience. Didn't make a mistake, however, a vindictive ex-spouse was involved.

 

[CaringforMom]

thanks for your 2 cents there but my son goes to college full time and he works full time including weekends. Any time left he studies but that don't matter she offered to do this for him.

My question about contacting the IRS wasn't to "speed things up" I asked if we contacted them would they be able to tell us if the taxes was filed??

Im upset about this whole thing my feeling is one of 2 things she either didn't bother to file it
or she some how filed it and recieved my sons refund for herself
I am showing up at her house this weekend if they don't answer what is my next step to do?
Thanks so much~

 

[tranquility]

Contact the preparer. If you don't get satisfaction, contact the IRS and report the problem.

As to anything else, maybe or maybe not. Usually such things are caught by our clients when they file electronically and it gets kicked back because of the return already been filed. You can call the IRS and ask, but what info will that tell you? That a return was not filed? OK, now what? Same problems. (If one was, what does THAT tell you?) Call the IRS now if you'd like. But, once you put things in play, son is NOT getting a refund until things are investigated.

What is your goal?

 

[CaringforMom]

goal is to find out if she filed the taxes or not.
and if she did , where is the refund should have had it by now its
been several weeks since she was suppose to file it.

Bottom line, We want a copy of the taxes for my son's records, every attempt to contact them has been avoided.
I want my son to have his money

Been calling for almost 2 weeks now so a visit is next and I don't usually just show up at peoples doors, but that's what I will do.
thank you!

 

[Zigner]

How did your son elect to receive his money?

 

[davew128]

Swalsh, I have someone do my taxes to double check my work.

I even do it for my child's taxes, due to all the little quirks involved.

For you may never have been audited, I have, and it's not a pleasant experience. Didn't make a mistake, however, a vindictive ex-spouse was involved.

Double face palm. An audit by its very definition is SUPPOSED to be intrusive and probing. However it is also not unreasonably so if you kept the required records to support whats on the return.

As for having someone do your return to double check your work, you're the kind of client most preparer's hate because you want us to be responsive to whatever mistake you made on Turbotax and have us explain why your return is wrong (which makes you scratch your head when the software I used made by the same company gives a different result on no tax benefit).

 

[tranquility]

goal is to find out if she filed the taxes or not.
and if she did , where is the refund should have had it by now its
been several weeks since she was suppose to file it.

Bottom line, We want a copy of the taxes for my son's records, every attempt to contact them has been avoided.
I want my son to have his money

Then, you need to contact the preparer first. Not try to contact her, but contact her.

 

[davew128]

Been calling for almost 2 weeks now so a visit is next and I don't usually just show up at peoples doors, but that's what I will do.
thank you!

I will caution you that sometimes tax professionals can be very nonresponsive to phone calls. Especially the "How's my return looking?" calls. Most tax professionals this time of year are knee deep in the returns, and customer service type things are frowned upon because they take away from getting the work done. I avoided a guy's call for a week, when he just wanted to confirm my mailing address, and my response was, did your email account not work and did you lose the link to my portal's drop box (knowing he was 3000 miles away).

I'm not excusing the no communication, but it is a reality in this business. It's also not unheard of for preparers to literally die and nobody is around to pick up the work.

 

[CaringforMom]

I will caution you that sometimes tax professionals can be very nonresponsive to phone calls. Especially the "How's my return looking?" calls. Most tax professionals this time of year are knee deep in the returns, and customer service type things are frowned upon because they take away from getting the work done. I avoided a guy's call for a week, when he just wanted to confirm my mailing address, and my response was, did your email account not work and did you lose the link to my portal's drop box (knowing he was 3000 miles away).

I'm not excusing the no communication, but it is a reality in this business. It's also not unheard of for preparers to literally die and nobody is around to pick up the work.

Perhaps you didn't read the whole post here but she is the mother of my son's friend who did the taxes for him.... as a favor..
She does do them for a living or has in the past . this was done at home so I'm on at no excuse for this behavior and well I don't believe in ignoring someone who contacts you. usually there is a reason someone ignores you.. thats my opinion .