Randall

David1980, I was going to mention possible accidents too. Scary how high these bills can get quickly.

Naveen, I'm not sure what you mean when you say pdf already open, open in another reader? If so, try devices, print, print in Adobe.

Remember too that the 1040 p. one deduction is only to the extent of W2 wages subject to Medicare tax (which would exclude the health insurance amount).

Thanks for comments.

Was the original post referring to returns or letters? I use upper case on the returns, but it seems there are some auto fills that input the info in lower case (ATX), Can't think of a specific example right now. Perhaps on Sch D (8849) when you use 'various' or 'inherited'. For letters, I use mixed.

I got an email recently to renew. I thought I was supposed to renew at irs.gov so the link made me cautious. I went to irs.gov to renew.

I liked the separate programs too.

I think this is the equivalent of the archive cd. The final update for the 2012 program.

I haven't gotten my email yet. But I'm looking for a discount too. I think they need to have some kind of 'loyalty' discount to keep as many people as possible. I think they need to keep as many as they can and 'prove' the 2013 program is much improved. The 2013 program may be do or die for them. They won't survive two consecutive years like 2012.

Even if it is safe without encryption, I still do it with password. Even if it's just a placebo effect. It also makes the client feel more comfortable. But brokers won't email their info to clients even with encryption. I'm currently waiting for a client to receive some cost info thru snail mail.

As for reporting, I put the earnings amount from the 1099-Q on line 21. ATX input has a line for it. I then put a negative number on a fill in line for the nontaxable amount with a description such as '1099-Q amount used for qualified education'. IRS may still audit this, but at least the 1099-Q is accounted for in the return processing.

Lying is an accepted practice for anyone anywhere.

Jack from Ohio: Where did you buy your new computer? I'd like a 500gb ssd on my next computer. I've only seen up to 256gb. I'd like 16gb RAM but would settle for 8.

Just this season, my tax shouldn't be very much because we bought a house in NC (2nd home). And just today (no kidding), follow-up to that, I thought the down payment was deductible. We put 25k down on it.

I agree Eirc. W8 is really about touch so MS can compete in the mobile device business. That all remains to be seen, but W8 works fine in the PC world. For me, I want the touch and I want to work in the same os with my pc, laptop, phone.

Not sure why you can't load ATX 2012. ATX and other programs all say they don't support W8. But the programs run just fine on W8. I have ATX 2012, QB, Peachtree and others. If you don't like touch, don't get W8. W 8.1 will not do away with W8. W8 is NOT another Vista. That's a techie sound bite that has spread like wildfire. IT techies and tech rags have all jumped on the 'I hate W8' bandwagon. I plan to get a new office pc, W8, touch, Thunderbolt portal. The biggest holdup now is the touch monitors and Thunderbolt devices are pricey. Apps will start to support W8. They'll have to go forward or lose out.

Did you get touch monitors with the new W8 computer? If so, what brand, size, cost?

Why can't you load ATX 2012 on the W8 computer? I loaded it on my new laptop last year. I didn't use it much because I still did most of my work on my office computer W7. But I did do a few things and didn't have any problems.

Taxed: I said it might be 50% of the extra cost. Not sure what Parker cost but I think I would have to add another app for a forms package to cover things ATX has but Drake doesn't have. Not sure if that would add up to $900 or not. Then there's the familiarity I have with ATX. An early look at Drake tells me it's going to be a learning process. Then there's the concern (as discussed) with having a backup program. So if I'm going to spend another $900 anyway, I would view the other $900 worth it for the intangibles. Having both programs for the upcoming season gives me more time to see if ATX improves, learn Drake, compare the two. It's one thing to read others' post about a program and another thing to start using it yourself. So I don't look at it as spending an extra $1800 but maybe only an extra $900 (or maybe a little more). More and more people are commenting on having a backup program. This is making more sense to me with the tax laws changing so much and the program companies trying to keep up, buying and merging, cutting corners with their costs or their programming. We saw the results with ATX. I heard TaxWise was worse than ATX last year. There have been comments on the higher end programs too. Lacerte, ProSeries. I don't know the specifics. But their pricing is way too high for me. Even with both ATX and Drake, the cost is much lower than the high end programs.

Taxed: Not sure. It was under $1800 last year for the full package and early renewal. I'm hoping they'll offer some discounts later in the year for people to stay loyal. Not sure how much the fallout has hurt them. I recently received an offer to renew with a delayed payment but no discount. I'm not planning to make a decision until after Oct 15.

Yes, I'm becoming more of a believer on the backup plan. That's why I've been considering renewing with ATX even with purchasing Drake. Also, I think the additional local forms, and payroll and intelliconnect. I would have to purchase a couple of other programs, forms and tax research (Parker) or something like that to go along with Drake and I think that would be at least 50% of my extra cost anyway.

I attended a Drake seminar, got the 2012 demo. I have since purchased 2013. I am still considering renewing ATX and having both programs for the coming year. I just don't have the time to get into it right now. I plan to finish up 2012 and make a decision on ATX after Oct 15 but I think I'm going to go with both and have time to learn Drake and see if ATX is improved and make a comparison over time. I hate to spend the extra money but I think it might be worth it in the long run. I'm just a one person office so I don't have staff and workstations to consider.

Yes, a lot of people with big money are naïve. The celebrity types should have lots of handlers around them but they still have to agree and sign the papers.

Nothing's been done yet. Will be meeting with client and attorney soon. My first concern is losing step up basis by moving the property into an entity and out of the individual's name. Father is old and dying and children want the property sold and distribute the money. At least from my preliminary understanding.

He may have had all the advice but just didn't care. He probably wanted to keep it simple, give the money directly and not care about the tax.