• First Contact -  Wednesday, December 10, 2008
• Power of Attorney (POA) Received - Thursday, 11, 2008
• POA Faxed to IRS - Thursday, 11, 2008 while it was still warm from printing out
• First IRS Contact - Thursday, 11, 2008
• Tax returns previously filed by taxpayer - 2002 through 2007
• Tax returns not filed - All had been filed
• Tax returns filed by IRS - None
• I prepared and filed no tax returns for this client
• Monthly Installment Agreement -
• Wage Levy Release received - Faxed to employer on Thursday, December 11, 2008 so Cara wouldn't freak out over the weekend

I talked to Cara on Thursday and spent some time with her on the phone. I asked her all of my usual questions and get all of the info I needed from her during our conversation. These initial phone calls give me a chance to learn about the particular issues that the caller has, and the same was true in this case. Cara also had an opportunity to form an opinion of me and my knowledge of the subject and my own personality and professionalism.

She wanted some time to think about it all, but after twenty years of phone conversations with troubled taxpayers all over the country, I could detect a tremble in her very unique Australian accent. I told her I knew she was emotional, so I took some additional time to assure her that the world wasn't about to end and that IRS wasn't going to come take her home or her car or her husband and that I could make sure that they wouldn't take any of her paycheck that she needed to buy Christmas presents.

She thanked me for spending the extra time with her and we had a good laugh about her Australian accent and my Texxizz drawl. She assured me that she would talk to her husband and that they would probably fax my Wage Levy Package to me very quickly.

I got the info from them Thursday morning, so I went right to work. Some cases just seem to click, and I think Cara worked her Aussie magic on this one. Or maybe it was because it was my 54th birthday.

I set them up with a $275 Monthly Installment Agreement that was much lower than one of my competitors told them was possible, but I'm really accustomed to this outcome. It's not that I'm so high on myself, it's just that I know this business. You probably do your job really well. I just happen to do this job really well.

I know I'm weird for enjoying this kind of work, but, hey, it beats working on the north shore of Alaska like one of my clients.