- quote -

Fred, you make some excellent points. I wasn't completely
sold on omitting my SSN. Its a probability game and a
judgment issue. Like I said above, omitting the SSN could
turn out to be bad for business, and that would make it a
bad decision. Thanks for your comments.

Jennifer DeBoer

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"Jennifer D" wrote:

- quote -

You want IRS to require some unique number there.
Otherwise, if IRS had to work on name, you run a very small
but nasty risk of returns you prepare getting pulled in a
return preparer program case to see if a preparer of the
same name is the one doing the bogus ones. You might luck
out only if your signatures are sufficiently dissimilar.
They can also make some differentiating assumptions on
address and phone #, but do you trust a gov't agency to be
intuitively accurate in that regard? :-) Consider the case
where the bogus preparer uses multiple addresses/phone #s
and the same return software you do.

Fred F.

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- quote -

Thanks for your comments, Harlan. I guess I will just go
ahead and do it! Hopefully none of my clients returns will
get bounced...that is bad for business! :-)

Jennifer

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Jennifer D wrote:

- quote -

Yep. there's a place there for the name of the company and
it's FEI. Also a place for the actual preparer (a person)
and his/her identifying number, be it either a social
security number OR a PTIN. Must be either one or the other,
and since you don' tyet have a PTIN..... welll.....

ChEAr$,
Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA
Sun 27 mar 2005

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I am ready to sign my first tax return as a perparer (paper
return...not efile). I am a member in a two member LLC. I
am primarily responsible for the prepartation of the tax
returns. When I sign, can I use my FEIN, only? I haven't
had time to get a PTIN. I want to avoid using my SSN.

I have looked at IRC Sec. 6109(a)(4) which says that the
identifying # is for securing proper identification of such
preparer, his employer, or both.

Also, Reg. Sec. 1-6695-1(b) does not mention any SSN
requirement.

Seems to me that I don't have to use my SSN as long as I am
identified, by company that is registered with the Secretary
of State, my phone number, address, and FEIN are provided.

Comments?

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