PortalSafe

[jshtax]

it is a little better but still close to p2p

[joanmcq]

I was imputing K-1 info today and it was lagging. Also printing a big return; hoo boy! I was at over a gig of memory usage. And I was printing to PDF, too.

[Lee B]

It's amazing how much each ATX user's experience varies. I had to enter about 50 stock transactions on Form

8949 yesterday and had slight delays between each data entry field (less than a second).

[Yardley CPA]

I also password protect/encrypt any tax file that I email a client and use Adobe Acrobat. My clients are aware of what their individual password is to open the file. I agree with Randall, I believe it does make clients feel more comfortable; however, the other reason (in addition to state regulations) I password protect the document is to provide some protection should if I send the email to an incorrect email address. I’m happy to report, that’s never happened to me…but in the event I enter the email address incorrectly, the file is somewhat safe and normally cannot be opened by just anyone who receives it.

[MAMalody]

I also password protect/encrypt any tax file that I email a client and use Adobe Acrobat. My clients are aware of what their individual password is to open the file. I agree with Randall, I believe it does make clients feel more comfortable; however, the other reason (in addition to state regulations) I password protect the document is to provide some protection should if I send the email to an incorrect email address. I’m happy to report, that’s never happened to me…but in the event I enter the email address incorrectly, the file is somewhat safe and normally cannot be opened by just anyone who receives it.

I follow the same procedure, but one year the wrong Smith got the return...couldn't open it....whew!!! Neither were angry and glad to see the system protected them.

[jshtax]

It's amazing how much each ATX user's experience varies. I had to enter about 50 stock transactions on Form

8949 yesterday and had slight delays between each data entry field (less than a second).

So what is fine if you do not enter each stock transaction? I net short and long term trades.

[Guest Taxed]

Can you not input the trades via a spreadsheet into 8949?

I find the spreadsheet method much easier especially if I can get the broker to download it for me and i just format it. I am a very slow typist.

[Eric]

Have you people with very different experiences with similar returns created test returns that behaved badly, exported them, and shared them with others to compare performance?

It would be interesting to see how much of this is return-specific, and how much is hardware/network configuration.

Eliminating variables in situations like this can really help to give you some direction.

I believe that the power of the community, and free exchange of information is the best way to tackle these issues, so let me know if there is anything I might be able to do to help. (more space to upload attachments, a new forum to contain threads for comparing notes, some custom thread tagging to help organize things, etc.)

[Guest Taxed]

Great idea. Process of elimination to get to the problem.

[joelgilb]

Can you not input the trades via a spreadsheet into 8949?

I find the spreadsheet method much easier especially if I can get the broker to download it for me and i just format it. I am a very slow typist.

Both ATX 2012 and 2013 have CSV import features for the 8849, but I do not know the format required for the spreadsheet import. My guess is that it has to be identical to the columns in the 8849.

[kcjenkins]

generally, you can import as a spreadsheet, then if necessary move columns around, before you import it into the tax program. But most every broker now gives it to you in the right order.

[jklcpa]

Am I the only one that has run into road blocks from the brokers where they've flat out refused to give the data in spreadsheet format? I have not been successful in getting this data from any of the brokers my clients deal with. The last one I asked said it was because "they didn't want anyone 'manipulating' the data." Yet, the detail info given with the 1099B and its totals didn't tie in because of a handful of transactions from cash in lieu of dividend payments and return of principal. It would have been so much easier to add these into an existing spreadsheet.

[Guest Taxed]

If your clients use Scottrade (most of my day trader types do) they can download it themselves and e-mail that to you.

Most brokers will not cooperate with you unless your client put the pressure on them if the broker has to request that from their recordkeeper company (I think a lot use that National Financial)

[Lion EA]

I still have one broker who won't provide spreadsheets. For other holdouts, I told my clients the difference in their prices if I type in all their transactions vs. receiving a spreadsheet from their brokers. That got spreadsheets emailed to me that same day in most cases! I may finally set up Scan & Flow so it can create spreadsheets from the hardcopies for next season.

[Guest Taxed]

I forget the name of the brokerage house I think it is called Steiffel Nicholas or some thing like that, and one of my clients actually took his account away from them when they refused to cooperate??

My assistant will charge $10 to $12 per hour to manually create the spreadsheet from the paper report and some of my clients pay that instead of fighting with their broker. But obviously that is not the optimal method due to typo type errors.

[Jack from Ohio]

Scottrade only downloads in a format to be imported into TurboTax or an Intuit program. Tried that.

Have your client give you login and password information to their investment company webpage and download it yourself. With everyone but Scottrade, I have had success at it that way.

[jshtax]

Until I see audits from the IRS on a schedule D I am going to continue matching the total sales on the 1099-B to the total proceeds on 8949-Schedule D. They receive the 1099s now with the basis they can figure it out.

[Guest Taxed]

>> Scottrade only downloads in a format to be imported into TurboTax or an Intuit program. Tried that.

You can format the columns and headings in Excel to match your software requirement

[Lion EA]

My software doesn't have a requirement; I don't change the spreadsheet. ProSystem fx grabs the columns you tell it to get. Love it. And really want to have time to work with the Scan program before next tax season. It'll take the paper G/L reports and based on the broker, turn them into spreadsheets.

[Jack from Ohio]

>> Scottrade only downloads in a format to be imported into TurboTax or an Intuit program. Tried that.

You can format the columns and headings in Excel to match your software requirement

Show me how Scottrade website will download the information in an Excel Spreadsheet. Tell me how and when you did that? It will download only to a file that can be accessed with Intuit tax software.

[jklcpa]

Scottrade allows the year end tax documents to be printed as pdf files from their site. Why can't you get the pdf and convert it to an excel worksheet?

[Jack from Ohio]

Scottrade allows the year end tax documents to be printed as pdf files from their site. Why can't you get the pdf and convert it to an excel worksheet?

Then I have to check all details for accuracy from conversion. Never is correct.

[jklcpa]

If that download from Scottrade as a pdf is in the same format as the 8949, entering the totals and attaching the pdf would work too.

[Guest Taxed]

Show me how Scottrade website will download the information in an Excel Spreadsheet. Tell me how and when you did that? It will download only to a file that can be accessed with Intuit tax software.

I don't download it. My client gets it and e-mail to me a spreadsheet that I or my assistant spend some time formatting the columns and it works 99%. There are some transactions that have to edited to make it work.

Yes I agree it is not 100% automatic but when you have over 100 transactions, spending 15-30 minutes to get it to work is worth it.

If you are using Drake and you get the pdf version you can get it converted by sending it through Gruntworks.

Jack, pls. tell your clients to do this for you:

Transaction History

In This Section

Transaction History

Trade Confirmations

Account Statements

Tax Statements

Use the Transaction History page to locate important details of transactions that took place in your account including the dates and descriptions for each transaction. Multiple shares of a security that were part of a single trade order will be shown as one transaction. If the net amount of the transaction was calculated based on an average price of multiple fills, YES will be indicated in the Avg Price column. If your order was executed in one fill, you will see NO in the Avg Price column. An order placed prior to Aug. 28, 2010 will show N/A in the Avg Price column. Those earlier orders will only display individual fills. Visit the Order Status page of your account to view the individual fills for any trade.

To view the Transaction History page, go to the My Account tab of your Scottrade account and click Account History in the left navigation menu.

When viewing information on the Transaction History page, you can filter the page results by Date, Transaction and Symbol using the entry fields at the top of the page. Using the Transactions drop-down box, you can filter your transaction history by the following types of transactions:

• Trades
• Buys
• Sells
• Deposits & Withdrawals
• Interest
• Dividend
• Stock Receipts
• Stock Deliveries

To filter your transaction history for a range of dates, use the Date drop-down box and enter the Start and End Dates of the period you want to view. Use the Export to Excel link above your list of transactions to create records of your investments that can be saved on your personal computer.

[kcjenkins]

It's always more effective to have the client make the request