Closing down office ?

Today in Massachusetts, our Governor closed the state down and told all workers of non essential businesses to stay home. The problem is that their list of essential businesses could include just about every business. The president of the Massachusetts Society of CPA immediately sent out a letter. See below.

"Today, Governor Charlie Baker issued a "stay-at-home" advisory and ordered all "non-essential" businesses to close their doors and move to remote-only work. The MSCPA successfully advocated for accounting services to be included in the list of essential services.

The advisory states, "Professional services (such as legal and accounting services) and payroll and employee benefit services, when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities and critical sector services or where failure to provide such services during the time of the order, would result in significant prejudice." This does not require those providing these services to be physically at work, but gives the option to do so if necessary."

The problem is the Mass Society was really lobbying on behalf of the owners of CPA firms which is their job. But now we have disgruntled employees who think they should be allowed to stay home (and be paid in full). It is easier for the tax preparers to work from home but how do you tell the support staff they have to come in, answer phones, assemble returns, etc

How many people are going to actually shut down the office?

assist in compliance with legally mandated activities and critical sector services

IRS already extended filing and payment dates to 7/15/20 including estimated tax payments. If our DOR would just issue the same order for MA individual, Fiduciary and business tax returns similar to the Federal returns, tax prep and CPA shops could close until 4/7 like others and the employees could take care of their families at home. It would NOT be "legally mandated activities and critical sector services"

The state of MA did not do this right IMHO.

We are, essentially, business as usual with the obvious considerations. A number of our admin staff can perform their duties from home with proper call forwarding, etc., but many of them have to come in.
I don't have a lot of patience for people looking for a windfall in these types of circumstances.
I'd much rather be in the office, but I'm set up at home and clients still need our help. We can't close our offices for 2-3 weeks. We have business owners that are trying to make very difficult decisions on very fluid information.

Support staff can forward calls to their phones and have the supplies at home to assemble returns and contact clients and tell them the results. If they balk at that then terminate them. This is no picnic. Small businesses can't pay people to stay home and do nothing when it's possible to work.

We did shut down our office last Tuesday and went to teleworking. That said, some people still come into the office-it is their choice; they are not forced. Our admin staff rotate coming in every other day or so. They volunteered so they could handle the paper docs and few returns that go out on paper. They care about the firm and the clients. Voicemail gets the phone calls.
We were already set up for working remotely. We just had to add a few more terminal servers to keep traffic moving.
Our office is in MD. Governor Hogan ordered all nonessential businesses to close by 5 PM today. We are essential.

According to what I can find on the governor's website, CPA firms are not considered essential in WA state. Guess that moves us to wrap up the returns we have in the door and what can be emailed.

I'm in MA as well, but with a one-person office, life will go on as usual whether 'essential' or not. I already converted most of my in-office clients for the next two weeks to use my remote tax prep method via Dropbox as a precaution anyway. Today I spent time rescheduling most for later in April or remote. Rainy days I'll work from home, otherwise head into office as this is not a strict shelter in place.

How are you handling your MA client's questions about Form 1 extensions particularly payment deadline in light of IRS 7/15 date??

I'm a one-man operation and my county considers me essential. I am coming into work, as is the attorney down the corridor from me. Most of the rest have left the building of sixty office suites. I could work from home, but sending and receiving mail would be problematic. So here I am. I plan on drastically restricting meetings, moreso than I have already.

The Governor is making an announcement this morning. I may yet be on my way home by lunchtime.

We are also financial advisors so we are deemed essential and I'm in the office - everyone else is working from home (if they work at all).

CPAs are considered essential if they are helping clients meet their legal responsibilities. Payroll? Tax filings? Audited reports? I don't know if the government and regulatory agencies have waived those requirements. Tax returns - yes.

I have taken the view that essential work in NC are (a) tax payments due to NC by April 15th; (b) property tax returns due April 15th; (c) Federal and state payroll reports and payments. I am also taking the view that returns with large refunds should be dealt with as well, especially for those out of work at the moment. I am hopeful that most of those can be sent via Sharefile.

We do not meet with clients.
Clients may drop off or pick up records at a space we provided which is blocked off and has no access to other parts of the office.
Any staff may work from home, call in sick, stay with child, whatever. We continue their pay.
We are notifying all clients that their returns will be completed during the period 04.01.2020 to 07.15.2020.

For those of you in states that have not yet been closed down, I recommend you go get your hair cut/styled/died now.

For those of you in states that have not yet been closed down, I recommend you go get your hair cut/styled/died now.

Ha! I'm a guy but I have cut my own hair for 15+ years. Grew very tired of paying up to $60 for what was still a crappy haircut (uneven, not what I requested, missed areas, etc.). No one can tell and is always surprised when they find out; I'm an observer and use various techniques used by my aunt (a cosmetologist, she cut my hair when I still lived in AZ) to get the look I want.

I have some clients--most vulnerable ones, believe it or not--that seem to still want me to come around them. I am surprised, and rejecting it as much as I can. I sent out an e-mail to all clients indicating suspension of anything face-to-face, with only a couple exceptions. It is easier to cut people off when you work from home anyway, and have never allowed clients to drop things off or pick up from it. When they ask why, I just refer back 10-15 years when we found out some clients we had were rather ruthless drug traffickers and another was smuggling guns between the U.S. and Colombia--I do not want them having access to my house, even though they could technically find my address via the state. At least it is gated and SOMEWHAT controlled access.

Wiles, I had a hair appt last Friday, before the Governor ordered a shut down. After receiving email and text reminders via their automated system, and confirming thru the system, I show up and find the place closed.
No cut, no style, no dye.
Having been a client for years I was disappointed that they did not notify me of the closing. When things get back to so called normal, I think I will patronize a different hair salon.

Grew very tired of paying up to $60 for what was still a crappy haircut (uneven, not what I requested, missed areas, etc.).

That is one expensive Barber! I was paying $20 plus tip and that included a massage and sometimes if my hair was greasy a shampoo as well!

That is one expensive Barber! I was paying $20 plus tip and that included a massage and sometimes if my hair was greasy a shampoo as well!

Our area is not known for good barbers or cosmetologists. $60 was when I thought I would be better off going to a cosmetologist--nope! Fine by me, I hate having my hair cut by someone and it saves me money.

My wife did find someone, finally, that is quite good. Hope they are able to survive this...

I was a week overdue when CA shutdown last Monday . Can you still buy a Flowbee?

I appreciate the direct cost savings, but the time savings is an even greater benefit. I can't drive to the nearest barber in the time it takes to cut my own hair. I do live in the boondocks, though.

I'm a one-man operation and my county considers me essential. I am coming into work, as is the attorney down the corridor from me. Most of the rest have left the building of sixty office suites. I could work from home, but sending and receiving mail would be problematic. So here I am. I plan on drastically restricting meetings, moreso than I have already.

The Governor is making an announcement this morning. I may yet be on my way home by lunchtime.

Here in my county of NC, we are exmpt. The ruling clerly calls for exemption of professional services as lawyers, accountants and insurance agents.