How many times per day

[Roberts]

Do you log into your tax software?

Last years tax software to check something?

 

My software logs me off after 20 minutes so I basically have to log back in about 20x per day.

[Abby Normal]

I only open 2017 to work on a return. Almost never open prior year software when working on current year. I close ATX to clear memory after working on a few returns or one big return. But I rarely get the 20 minute log out.

I only have to press 2 keys to insert my password, so it doesn't bother me at all.

[rfassett]

Current year software only two or three times per day during tax season.  The only time I get timed out is if I go into a meeting and don't close the program.  Other than that, the program is opened and being worked in all day.

Prior year to check something - just once so far this year (yesterday) to check on a 990 schedule that did not get to my file cabinet last year.

[Janitor Bob]

47 minutes ago, Abby Normal said:

I only open 2017 to work on a return. Almost never open prior year software when working on current year. I close ATX to clear memory after working on a few returns or one big return. But I rarely get the 20 minute log out.

I only have to press 2 keys to insert my password, so it doesn't bother me at all.

two keys?  How?

[BulldogTom]

Just now, Janitor Bob said:

two keys?  How?

You will have to show up at Rita's home this summer for Abby's training seminar to find out.   Stay out of the back 40 and for God's sake don't accept a hug from anyone.

Tom
Modesto, CA

[Janitor Bob]

I think I've spent more time typing my user ID and password into the 2016 and 2017 program than I have actually doing taxes.

 

OK..not really, but it sure feels like...I truly hate the password requirement.  It is just me...working out of my home office...no clients in my office...no friends or family in my office. 

[Jack from Ohio]

29 minutes ago, BulldogTom said:

You will have to show up at Rita's home this summer for Abby's training seminar to find out.   Stay out of the back 40 and for God's sake don't accept a hug from anyone.

Tom
Modesto, CA

JB, wanna carpool to the party after tax season?  We are close enough to do that.

[Margaret CPA in OH]

JB, me, too.  And I wonder about future years.  How long will we be required to change the password every 90 days?  With the 3 year sol, we sometimes go back to prior years to amend or even prepare original returns.  Frankly, I have my passwords on my desktop so I don't forget.  It's just me here, home office, all alone...

[Abby Normal]

4 hours ago, Janitor Bob said:

two keys?  How?

I use AutoHotkey for a bunch of scripts to save me typing, so I wrote a script that's triggered by pressing 2 keys that types my password for me. I honestly don't even know what my password is. I have the same password for 16 and 17, and when I change one, I change the other.

[SaraEA]

Timing out after a period of inactivity is an invention of the Security Summit.  I personally think that using a hotkey defeats the security.  In UltraTax, you don't time out if you are actively using another program.  When I am working on a client's books or eating lunch, I keep email on the screen and periodically click on any message so I don't time out.  I also type in the password in the morning verrrrry sloooooowly so I don't mess up and have to prove I'm not a robot.

[Yardley CPA]

Not only is Abby Normal a Tax Stud, he's also pretty savvy when it comes to computers and programming and writing scripts as evidenced by his "AutoHotkey" use. 

11 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

I use AutoHotkey for a bunch of scripts to save me typing, so I wrote a script that's triggered by pressing 2 keys that types my password for me. I honestly don't even know what my password is. I have the same password for 16 and 17, and when I change one, I change the other.

 

[ILLMAS]

As soon as I open my eyes, darn thing is time out, I hate when that happens.  

[Abby Normal]

11 hours ago, SaraEA said:

using a hotkey defeats the security

Nobody know what those 2 keys are but me. Even if you're computer saavy and see I have autohotkey running, it's a unlabeled script buried in 9 pages of other scripts.

[Abby Normal]

1 hour ago, Yardley CPA said:

Not only is Abby Normal a Tax Stud

Well, I'm humbled by others tax knowledge on this forum and others routinely.

1 hour ago, Yardley CPA said:

pretty savvy when it comes to computers and programming and writing scripts

Computers are an accountant's best friend (and worst nightmare some days). Doing accounting programming in the 80s, I saw how computers could be great time savers, if you make them do the work for you. Then spreadsheets came out, and macros, which got renamed to scripts at some point. Hell, I even have a script to type 'Tax Returns' which saves me thousands of keystrokes during tax season. Besides, I often typed Retruns.

[Roberts]

17 hours ago, Margaret CPA in OH said:

JB, me, too.  And I wonder about future years.  How long will we be required to change the password every 90 days?  With the 3 year sol, we sometimes go back to prior years to amend or even prepare original returns.  Frankly, I have my passwords on my desktop so I don't forget.  It's just me here, home office, all alone...

Thankfully, a lot of the programs stopped doing the 90 day requirement. I use two different tax programs and have the passwords written on a piece of paper taped to my monitor.

[jklcpa]

3 hours ago, Yardley CPA said:

a Tax Stud

  First post I saw this morning and it cracked me up!  We already have categories built in that change as members' post count increases. Maybe we should have a special award for Tax Studs. 

[Abby Normal]

3 hours ago, ILLMAS said:

As soon as I open my eyes, darn thing is time out, I hate when that happens.  

How long were you asleep?

[Jack from Ohio]

1 hour ago, jklcpa said:

  First post I saw this morning and it cracked me up!  We already have categories built in that change as members' post count increases. Maybe we should have a special award for Tax Studs. 

What would be the qualifications?

[BulldogTom]

47 minutes ago, Jack from Ohio said:

What would be the qualifications?

Whatever Judy says they are......

Or it depends on the quality of what you promise to bring to the Rita Cookout this summer for Abby's educational seminar.....

Tom
Modesto, CA

[jklcpa]

1 hour ago, BulldogTom said:

Whatever Judy says they are......

Or it depends on the quality of what you promise to bring to the Rita Cookout this summer for Abby's educational seminar.....

Tom
Modesto, CA

haha, you guys don't listen to me! 

We could make something of this and have some fun this season. What about having monthly winners of the title during the busy season with some little spiffy awarded?  I'd need input on the criteria.

[rfassett]

3 minutes ago, jklcpa said:

haha, you guys don't listen to me! 

We could make something of this and have some fun this season. What about having monthly winners of the title during the busy season with some little spiffy awarded?  I'd need input on the criteria.

When did it become permissible to have fun during this season?  I must have missed that memo.

 

[Abby Normal]

Ok, if the guys can be tax studs, what would the ladies be called? ONLY LADIES MAY ANSWER THIS QUESTION.

 

[BulldogTom]

I think we should have a pinned topic every week for the "Kook of the Week" where we bring our weirdest tax clients/situations.   Whoever gets the most reactions to their posts in that topic gets to be "TAX STUD" or "TAX BABE" for the following week.

Tom
Modesto, CA

[Lion EA]

But, Rita B. has all the weirdest clients!

[Abby Normal]

Uh oh. Tom called the women 'babes'.