Do you charge a fee to retrieve archived (2002) copies of returns? A former client emailed me out of the blue asking me to respond to the state with copies to her. In 2002, I was all paper, not electronic, so retrieving the documents will take time ...
If it is a former client and you have to retieve copies going back that far I would charge a reasonable fee for the additional work
Depends on the client. If we parted on good terms, and she was willing to wait until I got around to digging through storage (after 10/15), I'd likely send her a copy free, on the grounds that it would cost me more to figure out what to bill than it would be worth.
Note that I would not "respond to the state" for free. Correspondence with tax authorities, even if it's as simple as "here's that return you were looking for" is worth a heck of a lot more than a copy of the return is. If she didn't want to write her own letter / send it in with her own stamp, she can hire someone to do it.
Also, if you do charge, I'd present it as an up-front minimum fee for archival research, payable in full in advance before you start looking, not refundable if the search is unsuccessful (silverfish ate the return, for instance). The value of the return goes down exponentially once it's in the client's hands.
I always charge former clients for copies. $5-10 depending on the number of pages.
Ex-client - charge.
Current client - no charge, unless it's a PITA client, then charge.
I do the same as Archie especially on the PITA ones.
I forgot the PITA clients(don't I wish!). I charge them double.
I had one today! When I first started one of those type clients, and I showed him how easy it was to maintain his return copy and the documents in the little pocket in the back of the folder, he exclaimed, "Great. Now I can lose everything at once."
Him I charged triple.
I feel like asking them why I bother printing and assembly their copy if they don't keep it anyways. Sometimes I think they just don't want to look for it and it's easier to call me.
