Terry D EA

Taxed - What happened after you uninstalled and reinstalled the program? Did the 8829 and Sch A function as it is supposed to? I would like to know.

Taxed, I agree go ahead and uninstall, re-install then update. I don't know what version of Adobe you are running but I am running the latest which I think is Adobe Reader 11. Good Luck

Okay, as I said I may be reading you wrong. I did not intend to offend. I just don't understand a "what if" when there isn't a "what if" choice. "What if" implies to me the possibility of a client making a decision to see which way is best. Now, if this is being used for a client to determine whether it is profitable to continue in business or it is hurting more than helping, then I can see a "what if" during tax planning and not preparation. Again, JMHO

Taxed, I am only trying to help you based on what has worked for me and what I was shown. Yes, I can tell you are frustrated as frustrated can get. Maybe give it a rest and come back to it later will help.

I wonder if we could screen share with each other to help one another using the team viewer thing. Anyone know if we can do this?

My Sch A was fine and did have the proper numbers. I have not tried to print so I can't answer there. I did run the adding machine to verify every line. I don't know if this will work or not. But, delete the Sch A, 8829 and Sch C from the return. Go back and add the forms. Enter all of the information on 8829 first, then complete the Sch C. Nothing will calculate until you hit the green button. I hope this time, it populates the Sch A correctly for you. I am working out of a test return that I have continually added forms and deleted forms to see what the program will do. I have added forms in the order that I have for years and ran into the 8829 Sch A problem. So far, everything else is good.

This was on the general discussion board. Follow the thread if you like. Just recevied this from ATX.. To our valued ATX customers, We realize that some customers are experiencing challenges with their ATX software as they prepare for filing season. We apologize sincerely for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are working very hard to correct these issues. We have hundreds of dedicated employees across a number of departments developing software updates and working with customers to help resolve the difficulties you are facing. You can be confident that our most recent update and those to come will improve ATX performance. We understand your business demands tax software you can count on and a company you can rely on. Our employees are dedicated to your success and to upholding ATX's 28-year history of product excellence. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that, through this unusual, time-challenged tax season, ATX will provide you with the high-quality product and service you need. To help you get the most out of the enhancements and new functionality in the 2012 edition of ATX, we have developed a webinar entitled What's New in 2012 ATX: Enhancements, Features and More. We are offering this webinar at no charge several times over the next few weeks, and I hope you will take advantage of it. To register for the webinar, click here. I want to thank you for your continued business and patience. We will work hard to continue to earn your trust.

<<<<The reason most MFJ people ask me what would be the tax situation with/ out the business. It is a very natural question. I don't see this software allowing what if analysis.>>>> It doesn't really matter what the situation would be. If the client has a business then he/she MUST report all income and expenses to arrive at his/her bottom line. I wouldn't allow a client to make a decision to withhold income and expense information if they didn;t like the outcome of the analysis. Personally, I would never do an analysis like this. Doing so, is a direct violation of Circular 230. I am sure you don't want the penalites from this. Maybe I am reading you wrong.

As a response to your other post. I think the stress and frustration level you are putting yourself through is not helping you at all. I get what you mean and how you feel. I too have wanted to throw in the towel and run. But after some thought and just plain relaxing for a bit, it seems as though everything will come together. Most of my frustrations have been with the program features and my lack of knowledge of how the product works. When I first got into this business with ATX many years ago, I experienced the same frustrations and later learned what a good product it really was (before the CCH buy out). Switching to TRX TaxWorks got me there too and now the same with TaxExact. I don't consume any alcohol so I can't advise you as to what a good drink to allow you to relax would be. But maybe a good walk around the block would help. Hang in there and I think we will all get through it. Remember, as I said in another post, we are supposed to verify all calculations and not rely on the software totally. Here's a go figure. I don't remember where I read this but the IRS says for a practitioner to blame his/her software for an error is a lame excuse and not acceptable. To me that statement is questionable. There are times but not many, when the software can calculate wrong. The IRS has to remember a human wrote the program from their ridiculous and confusing laws. As much as I liked ATX, I did have a gliche one year that William couldn't figure out that prevented 1099 MISC information from flowing through to the 1040. I missed it cause I relied on the software. I paid the interest and penalties, ATX refunded the penalties and interest to me but I still lost the client. So, could we say this was indeed my fault or the software? All I know is I still make sure the calculations are correct.

Try clicking on the small green dot in the task bar area of the software screen. For me to see this, I had to auto-hide the windows task bar. TRX support told me to change my screen resolution but that doesn't help as I am set at the optimum resolution for my computer. So, auto hiding the task bar works for me. Clicking on the green button forces the program to calculate. When you click on the button it will turn red while the calculation is in progress. After it is finished it will turn back to green. I did exactly as you said and had to do the same thing. I know it is an extra step and we shouldn't have to force a calcuation but for now, all I care about is that it works and the numbers are correct. I hope this helps.

Good Luck with Pro-Series. I bet you will have some issues with their functionality as well. I know when I tried them on a demo, inputting was cumbersome and somewhat ridiculous. If you use the interview it looks like Turbo Tax on steroids. Too pricy for me and too much trouble to learn at this late date. Best of luck to you.

I agree with the method of sorting the client forms in order and the tax forms. I too have done it that way for years and have become quite anal about it. However, it makes sense to me that if I enter a figure in Sch A that corresponds to another form and enter the same or different figure on the 8829, the program doesn't really know which number to use. I get that so I will change my order of things for a return that will use these forms. It is just another learning curve. I don't welcome change easy either but we just have to do what we have to do. I did as Doug suggested and the forms DO calculate correctly and the correct amounts flow to both Sch A and C. I wonder if the rest of you know about the little green button at the bottom of the screen just above the task bar? I just learned that this is the recalculation button. If you delete a form for any reason and then add that form, it doesn't calculate automatically. Yes, I know TaxWorks and ATX did this without the extra step and sometimes with ATX we had to use F9 to force a recalculation. So, use the green button often to reclaculate the return if you make any changes. If I am a little off here, I hope Doug or someone chimes in to correct me.

I just did the 8829 and if you do the 8829 form first and put in your indirect expenses, then choose the schedule A the unused portion of the property taxes and mortgage interest does flow to the schedule A. I received this from Doug Hughes in an e-mail. It has always been my practice to complete forms and Schedules in order. But, now that I know this, I will complete any 8829 form first before completing the Schedule A. Personally, I haven't tried it yet but I will. Here is some additional information on the capital gains entries: When we updated to version .10 the developers reformatted the form with various and Inherited it will be corrected in the next update.

"The judge was required to decide if the IRS had the authority to regulate preparers, not if it was a good idea." I got this too. But why was it even necessary to question it in the first place? The three preparers evidently couldn't pass the test or competent to do so. They definitely spent more on legal fees that they would have on study materials and the exam. Yes, I know they were speaking for the thousands of mom and pop shops that apparently are questionable as well. JMHO

Done

Hmmm, Most preparers were instructed by the IRS to have passed the competency test by December 2013. Here's my take. Is this Judge whacked? Maybe he would want some fly by night first year, inexperienced HRB, JB Liberty Tax preparer who is not qualifed doing his return. Maybe it is okay to go to a Dr. for brain surgery who can't pass the medical exam??? In some situations, preparing a tax return may be more complex than brain surgey but still, no competency or credentials required. Personally, I find this as an opportunity to increase business and not a disadvantage. BTW, my first year was with HRB and I found out 18 years ago all the rip off scams they utilize and quit within two weeks. Went back to school, studied and worked my way up from three clients the first year before I hung a shingle out. I am studying now for the EA exams. Attorney's CPA's should be required to maintain the CEU's and pass a renewal competency exam. In my earlier years, I was and still am a professional automotive technician. I have been ASE Master Certified with many other certifications as well. Due to the complexity of the automobile and the never ending technological changes, I have to recertify every 5 years. Far be it from me, but tax laws change every year and I can't hardly remember how I prepared an EIC return five years ago regarding who gets the kid. Think about it, is this requirment really a bad idea? For those of us who have worked diligently over the years it may seem to be somewhat of an insult by the IRS to make this requirement but if you genuinely care about your clients and your back, it's not a bad idea after all. For all of those who want to throw darts at me for saying this, don't wast any time chime right in there.

Crank, I did not get any type of flyer with the original CD. I agree with some of the communication problems and yes, information from TRX regarding status and update changes would be outstanding to have. At the risk of taking some abuse here, I personally would like to see TRX focus on the problems with the software and not worry about creating a members board. I agree, it would be a great tool but right now, get the software working right.This is just my opinion.

Doug, I sent you an e-mail as you have requested regarding some of the problems. Hopefully they were detailed enough and we are all looking forward to a speedy fix.

Doug, I have read a lot of the other posts including all of the posts on the general board regarding ATX. It does appear that the problems are, for the most part, industry wide which is why I am not ready to leave one product and jump into another with equal problems and learning curves at this late date. I think we all can get through this is if we have some patience. We are all intelligent and experienced enough to use what resources we have and make the best of it. None of us should, by any means, completely rely on any tax preparation software to process any kind of return without scrutinizing it.

Taxed you are correct on the 8829 and Sch A. At first glance, I thought the Sch C may have to be completed but I did override line 8 for the amount to be entered from Sch C. Still no adjustment to Schedule A. I hope this gets fixed as well.

It would be a complete and utter lie if I said I wasn't as nervous as others and genuinely concerned about the tax season. I have experienced some of the same issues with the TaxExact product. I did my first individual tax return this afternoon with the full understanding that I could not transmit the return and the State wasn't complete. Fortunately, this client was very understanding. I completed 2011 using TaxWorks without a hitch. I did complete 2012, minus the State, and didn't experience any issues with inputting information. As a professional, I ususally don't use the interview part of any software and just jump right to the forms. But, I did use the interview process this time and I must say I didn't experience any difficulty. With that said, I have checked the calculations and all check out. This is a basic 1040 with Sch A, no interest income,and the client has to bring additional information from missing 1099R forms. At this point all is well and yes I am nervous and double checking each and every calculation. While I am not experiencing major problems yet, dont' count me as a cheerleader for TRX. I am just going to wait a bit longer before making a final decision. Here are my concerns that I would like to see addressed as soon as possible. 1. Cannot proforma any clients 2. My S-Corps, partnerships, and Trusts do not show under the proforma nor can I place a bullet in by the selected forms to proforma. 3. The custom letter thing is basically useless. 4. I haven't found any way to create a detailed statement to go with the return nor do I see any tab that shows me the detailed statements. Sometimes, I create these on my own using excel but prefer not to. 5. Don't see any way to arrange the print order. TaxWorks was able to create a client return that I could change the print order. It sure was nice to reach to the printer and it was all in the order that I wanted. 6. I don't see any slip covers, so I created a return cover page which doesn't print right at all. I thank God at this time that most of my clients will begin to call during the middle and closer to the end of next week. Hopefully, some of this is fixed. However, some of my business clients have already submitted thier QuickBooks files, rental information; etc but I cannot work on them. Again I hope this gets fixed sooner than anything else. I am will to be patient just a little longer to see if TRX comes through. If not, then this will be the last year for me. I too feel slighted with the fact that I renewed early last year and didn't get the product that I paid for. I hope Doug is listening to what is happening and comes up with something to keep the ship from sinking completely. Biting the bullet with some kind of offer that is solid now may very well ease the pain that will come later. Doug, we all know you are trying hard to get this thing working correctly. I can only imagine the programming nightmare involved in creating a good or any workable tax preparation product. I support you in your efforts and I hope others can relax a little and hang in there. I am sure you know that once frustation sets in, any means of clear thinking is gone and no matter how hard one tries, nothing seems to work. It appears alot of folks are at that level and once January 30th hits and we don't have a reliable product, your customers will probably drop like flies. I know you know this but, we have an awful lot at stake here. So much that it is very difficult to risk any portion of it.

Thanks Nellie for the information. I did get the custom letter to work but the spacing and centering is an issue. I have not tried what Taxed said but will give it a go. In my opinion, this should be an easy step. TaxWorks also had the CPA-Preparer, privacy letter as a default. This would be a nice addition to the product.

I have figured out how to create a custom form such as a return cover page, privacy statement; etc. How do you get it in to the return? I need to know how to preview the form so that it fits in my return covers. Any help?

If you are looking at the decedent's home, then you need to find out how the transfer took place. I am confused with your statement "take ownership" of the estate. The estate belongs to the decedent. FMV of the property probably needs to be determined. By your statement, it appears there might be a chance that the beneficiaries inherited the property or possible it transfered to them upond death. You really need to find out these details. This may be a moot issue when it comes to the estate tax return. More information would be helpful.

Doug, I remember you saying you guys were working on the download speed. I must say, good job! The 06 downloaded for me within 2 minutes. That verses 7 hours for the first time is incredible. Thanks for working on this