My competitors have the forms I'm waiting for

[schirallicpa]

Is the 8863 or the 5695 really that complicated? It is Feb 6, and my clients should be getting refunds already! I can't believe that I am again telling clients that I don't have forms available. This is so frustrating! Do other softwares have such incredible wait times? Does ATX not have enough IT people to take care of the changes?

Grumble Mumble.

[Monkeyman]

Is the 8863 or the 5695 really that complicated? It is Feb 6, and my clients should be getting refunds already! I can't believe that I am again telling clients that I don't have forms available. This is so frustrating! Do other softwares have such incredible wait times? Does ATX not have enough IT people to take care of the changes?

Grumble Mumble.

schirallicpa,

Isn't there something from the IRS that prevents the form 8863 from being filed until after Feb 11th?

I have the form in my personal return and was advised of this.

Monkeyman

[RoyDaleOne]

A 2007 Form 8863 is available on the IRS web site.

[MN2V]

Go to IRS.gov then tax professionals and the 5th article down explains AMT -- How it affects 2008 tax filing. While you are there, subscribe to the e-news and quick alerts as they are very helpful.

[Jack from Ohio]

Is the 8863 or the 5695 really that complicated? It is Feb 6, and my clients should be getting refunds already! I can't believe that I am again telling clients that I don't have forms available. This is so frustrating! Do other softwares have such incredible wait times? Does ATX not have enough IT people to take care of the changes?

Grumble Mumble.

It is NOT ATX!!

Even if you have the forms, you cannot e-file them. Also, if you mail the return, it will NOT be processed till all the changes are in place. You can thank your Congress for making changes on Dec. 24th to the tax laws. This information has been on the IRS website since Dec. 28.

Updated Dec. 28, 2007

The upcoming tax season is expected to start on time for everyone except for certain taxpayers potentially affected by late enactment of the Alternative Minimum Tax "patch." Following extensive work in recent weeks, the IRS expects to be able to begin processing returns for the vast majority of taxpayers in mid-January. However, as many as 13.5 million taxpayers using five forms related to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) legislation will have to wait to file tax returns until the IRS completes the reprogramming of its systems for the new law.

IRS has targeted Feb. 11, as the potential starting date for taxpayers to begin submitting the five-related returns affected by the legislation. The February date allows the IRS enough time to update and test its systems to accommodate the changes without major disruptions to other operations related to the tax season. See IRS News Release 2007-209 and these questions and answers for more information.

Returns that include the following forms cannot be filed until Feb. 11, 2008:

• Form 8863, Education Credits
  
• Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits
  
• Schedule 2, Form 1040A, Child and Dependent Care Expenses for Form 1040A Filers
  
• Form 8396, Mortgage Interest Credit
  
• Form 8859, District of Columbia First-Time Homebuyer Credit
  

[chadw]

It isn't ATX on those forms, but they are lagging behind on some of the other forms.

[Randall]

Your competitor is probably giving them the loan advance.

[Chrisbry]

I checked with a friend of mine who's firm uses Creative Solutions UT. They are still waiting on pretty much the same forms that we are waiting on with ATX. AND .... they have had bugs in their software with just about every update.

It doesn't make it any easier but if it's any consolation -- we aren't alone.

[schirallicpa]

In looking at the IRS website, it isn't exactly obvious that the 8863 nor the 5695 are to be delayed. A few days ago the ATX website said they were expected to be ready Feb 5.

[Chrisbry]

I got this email this morning from the IRS:

ATTN: Software Developers, Return Transmitters, Electronic Originators, and Federal State participants

As a reminder, Software Developers and Transmitters should use their test

ETINS when sending test returns during filing season.

Test returns transmitted using production ETINS will be rejected.

We encourage testing of the 5 AMT Patch Forms beginning February 6, 2008

with the 11:00 AM PATS drain.

----------

This has been an IRS e-file QuickAlert

[GeneInAlabama]

Form 8863 IS available with ATX. I have a return ready with a form 8863 in it. We just can't create an efile with it until Feb 11th, and as someone mentioned, if we send it in the mail before then, IRS won't process it.

Gene

[Randall]

Yes, it's been available for awhile now. I used it in a return but I knew I couldn't efile it yet. Then when I saw it was better for the client to take the tuition deduction, I discarded the 8863 and efiled the return.

[mcb39]

I have about five returns ready and waiting for one or both of those forms. It is definitely NOT ATX, but IRS.....They are supposed to be ready for filing on Feb 11. We shall see. And, yes, they cannot be paper filed either.....

[jainen]

>>It is definitely NOT ATX, but IRS.....<<

No, it's ATX. I have previously posted that the enhanced productivity of high end software is worth the extra price. Lacerte has had all five AMT-affected forms fully functional since January 9th. Of course they can't be filed yet, but everything is checked and printed and signed and we move on to the next one.

[mcb39]

>>It is definitely NOT ATX, but IRS.....<<

No, it's ATX. I have previously posted that the enhanced productivity of high end software is worth the extra price. Lacerte has had all five AMT-affected forms fully functional since January 9th. Of course they can't be filed yet, but everything is checked and printed and signed and we move on to the next one.

ATX has the forms available and can be calculated and printed. They just cannot be filed....

[tilt]

ProSeries is able to file 5695 and 8863. I've already submitted both and had them accepted by the IRS

[Julie]

Don't know what they're doing, but, like Jack from Ohio pointed out, the IRS says it will not accept tax returns with those forms before Feb. 11. That early filing may have been a mistake, if IRS cannot process them correctly.

ProSeries is able to file 5695 and 8863. I've already submitted both and had them accepted by the IRS

[joanmcq]

Will they be processed correctly??? Its the IRS that has said the forms could not be filed until Feb.11. I am getting REALLY TIRED of so-called preparers that can't keep up with taxes enough that month old info is news to them!!!

[taxperson]

It's very unlikely any ATX competitor is submitting returns with the delayed forms to the IRS. Here's the IRS reject code that is generated for returns transmitted prior to Feb 11.

"0096 Form 1040/1040A - The following forms cannot be e-filed at this

time; Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits, Form 8396, Mortgage

Interest Credit, Form 8859, District of Columbia First-time

Homebuyer Credit, Form 8863, Education Credits (Hope and

Lifetime Learning Credits), or Schedule 2, Child and Dependent

Care Expenses for Form 1040A Filers."

[Monkeyman]

Will they be processed correctly??? Its the IRS that has said the forms could not be filed until Feb.11. I am getting REALLY TIRED of so-called preparers that can't keep up with taxes enough that month old info is news to them!!!

I couldn't agree more, joanmcq.

I used to get all of the sales emails through the ATX website.

At this time of year I would get eleventy kajillion emails, USUALLY ALL IN CAPS,

demanding that a form be made available my competitor has them you do this every year why does it take so long this is a simple form to reproduce the IRS has it on the website the paper form is at the library it's January 2nd and my client wants their refund blah blah scream complain whine.

That is one part of my job at ATX that I do not miss. I could tell stories that would curl your hair about these "preparers" that knew less about tax law than a 20 year old kid in our call center.

I loved sending them to the IRS website and proving them wrong.

Monkeyman

[kcjenkins]

ProSeries is able to file 5695 and 8863. I've already submitted both and had them accepted by the IRS

I THINK YOU ARE LYING, BECAUSE THE IRS WILL NOT ACCEPT THOSE FORMS.

I hope other ProSeries users will expose your lie.

[Chrisbry]

I found this on Intuit's Online Resource page:

http://www.intuitaccountants.com/webx?14@@.ef72a7a/5

Form 8863 Education Credits--Can it be efiled??

Senior Contributor

Florida

Total posts: 152

This post is about: ProSeries 2007

Replying to: mikestaxservice (Jan 19, 2008 1:17 am)

Proseries should be more sophisticated: I realize that IRS is the one delaying the filing of returns with this particular...

Neither the IRS nor ProSeries has been johnny-on-the-spot with announcements so far this year. I think if you explained this situation to your client, you'd be ok. I would go ahead and transmit the return since you have indications right now that it would work. If it rejects, neither you nor your client is any worse off since the client was going to have to wait until 2/11 anyway. If it goes through, you'll look great in the eyes of the client. One other option you have is to call the IRS efile help desk on Tuesday for an update. You can get the number online for the IRS efiling center that you use.

Remember the email I got from QuickAlerts IRS which was encouraging TESTING starting 2/6.....If you have an accepted return, you'd better double check to make sure it wasn't accepted as a TEST RETURN.

[Monkeyman]

I THINK YOU ARE LYING, BECAUSE THE IRS WILL NOT ACCEPT THOSE FORMS.

I hope other ProSeries users will expose your lie.

Whoa, KC, I have never seen this side of you before. Go get her!

tilt is probably a ProSeries troll trying to sell the program here as others have done.

She obviously has little actual knowledge about tax issues.

[joanmcq]

I said earlier; I am SICK of people complaining about these forms not being ready!!!! On TP Exchange, people are complaining about ATX. The other companies may not be printing 'DO NOT FILE' on the forms, but paper the paper filers returns are just stacking up at the service centeres. DOESN'T ANYONE READ THE FRICKIN' NEWS?

[PapaJoe]

Some of us eat frickin bananas.