ATX Client Advisory Board

[HV Ken]

For the second consecutive year, I have been asked to participate on the ATX Client Advisory Board. During the first week of October, I will be traveling to CCH headquarters in Kennesaw, GA for a live meeting with the top ATX decision makers and other selected users that make up the CAB.

As a long time ATX user, I have my list of issues, and from the state perspective I can talk about NY.

If there are certain issues that you would like me to voice, please post them here or send me a private message. Don't bother with the print manager - that is already top on my list!

In addition to problems you would like to see addressed, suggestions for improvement are also welcome and encouraged.

Thanks!

[taxtrio]

Good... I've got some issues for you.

Proforma issues: The 1099G with State refund amount proforma's over the amount; but won't pass efile diagnostics because

the zip code doesn't proforma over with it... Time waster have to always go back and enter missing information on 1099G.

Another proforma.... Sch A Land Contract or other mortgage interest with no 1098. Proforma this year just proforma's the

Name and EIN # ... but missing address-- then again won't pass efile diagonistics until you get the name and address from the prior year return and input it.. It should proforma all information needed to efile... Time wasted.. annoying.

Prior Year Comparison Worksheet is wonderful... But it should have a tab for the State Income Tax not just federal.

(This would be very helpful especially for us in Michigan... we need to know more than just the amount of the Michigan refund

We need to see the breakdown... was some of it from the rent credit...? some from the energy credit? etc.)

This one is my largest complaint over the years....

There is no link between the Return Manager and the Efile Manager. There should be an indicator in the return manager that shows "efile complete" or something that indicates the return as been efiled. I am a small business with no time to waste.

doing everything myself. The only real way to check and make sure everything that needed to be efiled--- was actually efiled--

is to print out both lists and compare them looking for who's missing on the efile list. This would help to provide better and more timely customer service to the clients if it could be readily seen who's missing from the efile list.

I know many people have manual checking systems that work for them... just as I have a system to varify efile; but irregardless... we need this feature!

Printing labels: We need to be able to choose a different size of label. I have be able to change it to any other size of label

and some of my clients names and / or addresses are too long to fit on the same label. I've learned how to transfer the information to excel, then convert to word and choose a better format or label. But why can't we just choose a different label size in ATX?

If they can fix any or all of these this year it would be a great time saver... and would be greatly appreciated!

[michaelmars]

Most people give to the same charities each year so they should roll on the 8283 or a payor manager for charites should be made.

Return should not calculate and add forms as soon as you start working because as soon as you add income underpayment penalty forms come into the return which then have to be deleted,.

if federal deduction for long term care is entered, the corresponding state credit forms should populate, same for education credits.

once a return is on extension, those diagnostics should no longer appear, especially those pesky red ones.

[MAMalody]

I would like to see if the program could include the 1042-S

[HV Ken]

Thanks for the comments so far. If you are not aware, on myatx.com there is an forum specifically for enhancements:

ATX Online Community Center » ATX Online Communities » Enhancements

Those posts are monitored by ATX staff.

[Randall]

I've been requesting the Kenton County/Cities (KY) annual return for several years but it may be down the list on their local returns to include.

[Randall]

Regarding the print manager. Are you including this: When you print certain items, and there is more than one, only one prints. Either the first one or the one that was opened and left open. For example, you may have 5 W2s. When printing the W2 input worksheet, only one will print. When printing asset input, only one will print. I would like to check the category on the print menu and have all items in that category print.

[windmill]

Labels. To be able to print on the 3x10 sheet the client's name and address. Also to be able to print a selected label, not only the upper left, but say, the middle 3rd row.

Small issue, but I have to have another program to do this.

[rscpa]

I wish there was a way to lock the ss# or the TIN # for the client. Too many times it is the first input box to be selcted for the client and way too easy to change. Shouldn't have to look at it every year.

As previously noted, the ability to print client labels in different formats would be outstanding.

[Catherine]

Ignoring the Print (non)Manager, as you requested, here is MY biggest gripe.

ATX is a big, complex program that takes a _long_ time to load a file, or error-check it, or any of a half-dozen different tasks. When a file is opening, I will frequently go off to send a quick email. Then *poof* the program finishes, absconds with my cursor, and first off over-writes the client name with whatever word I was in the middle of in the email (or whatever).

A "lock" on that client name -- or just that the program won't over-write ANYTHING until there is a positive "click" in the field rather than just, "I'm ATX and I get priority so 'still need docu...' overwrites "Jonathan" in the name field".

I have some clients with odd name situations (where the e-file will reject unless it's _just_ so) and many a time I have had to quit without saving and then re-open a file (uh, what a waste of time) to reinstate the correct name field.

Heck, I'd -happily- settle for the "UNDO" choice under the Edit menu to work in those situations. Because it doesn't work in the name fields.

Catherine

[Jack from Ohio]

Catherine, try hitting the "esc" button when ATX clears a field you don't want cleared as it opens.

[Catherine]

Thanks, Jack, I will try that next time. "Undo" doesn't work - and it should. Had not heard of the "esc" dodge, though.

[Catherine]

Perhaps this one is more of a "bug" than a major issue, but I've stumbled into it a couple of times and it is annoying.

Form 1120 -- Schedule K -- Line 13, where total receipts & assets <$250,000 for year. Asks for cash distributions/book value of property distributions for year. No entry gives a red error warning that dist's must be entered. Zero doesn't show up and gives a red error warning that dist's must be entered. Using the Alt-0 to force a zero to show up on the line gives a red error warning that dist's must be entered AND that value must be numeric only.

Last I looked, zero WAS a valid numerical value -- and what's more, it's the -correct- value if no distributions were made!

Catherine

[michaelmars]

a zero doesn't show but gets rid of the diagnostic for me

[Catherine]

A zero doesn't show but does NOT get rid of the RED diagnostic error, for me. Odd that it's different for the two of us.

[Jack from Ohio]

A zero doesn't show but does NOT get rid of the RED diagnostic error, for me. Odd that it's different for the two of us.

Be sure to hit the tab key after putting in the zero. If you do not move away from the field, your entry will not be saved in that field.

[Maribeth]

Okay, this is part of the print manager but . . . . . Please get rid of the dialog box that pops up when you want to print to a pdf printer that is NOT the ATX pdf printer. That is one more click on every single tax return that I don't really need to click. I will print to whatever printer I decide to print to, and I do not need ATX second-guessing my choice.

[michaelmars]

we don't need read warnings concerning extensions, after the extensions are efiled and you are error rchecking the actual return!

[MAMalody]

Okay, this is part of the print manager but . . . . . Please get rid of the dialog box that pops up when you want to print to a pdf printer that is NOT the ATX pdf printer. That is one more click on every single tax return that I don't really need to click. I will print to whatever printer I decide to print to, and I do not need ATX second-guessing my choice.

I just designate the printer I want to use when I set up the program and it always uses that printer. I believe there is a printer setup button you can you to make this adjustment.

[Jack from Ohio]

State of Ohio School District e-file acknowledgments. State of Ohio started sending separate acks for the School District return tax year 2010. ATX has not embraced them to give them to us at all.

Get on track with e-filing Ohio cities. All ATX's competitors are already there. Example: Drake

[Maribeth]

I just designate the printer I want to use when I set up the program and it always uses that printer. I believe there is a printer setup button you can you to make this adjustment.

Yes, I designate the printer that I choose to print to. That printer is a pdf printer, NOT the ATX pdf printer. Everytime I go to print, I get a dialog box that says "are you sure you want to use your pdf printer and not the ATX printer". And then I have to click that, yes, indeed, I want to use my pdf printer and not the ATX printer.

One more click, for every single last tax return. That little box needs to be taken away. I will print to whatever gosh-darn printer I want to print to. I do not need ATX second guessing my selection.

And why do I print to a pdf printer?? Because of the screwed-up print manager that ATX has. I got tired of throwing away pages & pages of paper because of ATX's screwed up print manager so I went and bought a pdf printer so I could go through and delete and rearrange the pages in the tax return without having to print them out on paper first.

Maribeth

[michaelmars]

how about including in the forms drop down a selection for estimated tax vouchers, similar to the one they have for letters and extensions.

[TaxCPANY]

Ignoring the Print (non)Manager, as you requested, here is MY biggest gripe.

ATX is a big, complex program that takes a _long_ time to load a file, or error-check it, or any of a half-dozen different tasks. When a file is opening, I will frequently go off to send a quick email. Then *poof* the program finishes, absconds with my cursor, and first off over-writes the client name with whatever word I was in the middle of in the email (or whatever).

A "lock" on that client name -- or just that the program won't over-write ANYTHING until there is a positive "click" in the field rather than just, "I'm ATX and I get priority so 'still need docu...' overwrites "Jonathan" in the name field".

I have some clients with odd name situations (where the e-file will reject unless it's _just_ so) and many a time I have had to quit without saving and then re-open a file (uh, what a waste of time) to reinstate the correct name field.

Heck, I'd -happily- settle for the "UNDO" choice under the Edit menu to work in those situations. Because it doesn't work in the name fields.

Catherine

Hi, Catherine. It sounds like you're losing "Focus" to ATX, as I used to until I loaded "PowerToys for Windows XP," which gives you the option to prevent that. I haven't noticed that problem on my Win7 machines. Overall, HV Ken, ATX's programmers should be able to rein-in ATX's grabbiness.

VTY, TaxCPANY

[taxtrio]

Re: Michigan

Another time waster... the MI 1040D and MI 4797. Neither are needed unless you have sold something that was owned since before Oct 1, 1967. Very rare these days....

So, ATX should not be adding these forms to Michigan just because there is a federal Sch D or

Federal 4797. I am continually deleting these forms from the Michigan....

Adding these forms should be done by the preparer in rare cases where required.

Re: Charitable donations over 500.00.

Terrible input on that form!! Was better when we could input directly on form.

What happened!

Taxtrio

[joanmcq]

Ok, it's print manager again. I LOVE that it now saves what you've checked or unchecked should you need to print again; very time saving. But I am really really sick of having to uncheck 'options' and other unnecessary crap in the Client Letter and Billing invoice. At least give a spot to choose what you want to always print with preparer and client copies of the client letter.

I'm also tired of having to delete the multiple copies of state refund 1099-Gs. I do have the info in the payer manager, so I just choose 'State of CA-Franchise Tax Board' from the drop-down box, but I have to always delete at least one copy since I charge by the form and don't want extraneous copies on my invoice.

I'll probably find more stuff as I finish my extensions.