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I learned about it when I complained to support that entity returns didn't have a taxpayer info page like the 1040 had/has. Entities now have a Main Info form. I don't use it very often but it is a nice place to list information about a client that isn't a part of the return.

Line 8 of D-40 is where you enter the income you want to subtract out.

Couple moved from DC in late June 2023 to IL, so they are 50/50 DC/IL. On what form do I report 50% of their wages in DC? The moment 100% of their wages are flowing to DC. Thanks

Take a look at this post:

Thank you Abby Normal for telling us about that. Honestly, I had never seen the permanent data page before.

Thank you for the links. This is a great resource.

Auto shutdown every night using a scheduled task. You can't hack a computer that is off. Besides, most thefts are smash and grab so your computer will be powered down if stolen.

I avoided collecting DL info except for clients getting a State refund. Like Lee, I would like to limit personal information in my computer, but two (three?) years ago several of my clients' refunds were held up by the IRS for verification, so I started collecting them on anyone getting a refund. It is something of a pain to re-enter every year in ATX, so thanks for the tip. I figure as long as the license is not expired, should be good enough for the IRS.

Yep, started on another family. Every. Single. Return. has something new and different this year. Same old clients, in fact I fired a few. But my guesstimates on when I'll complete a return or when I'll get to someone #12 in my stack are way off this year due to all the new issues. I also started a load of laundry last night. Marchternity @MarchternityBot Today is March 1544, 2020. It will never end. #taxtwitter

Take a nap until then! Or work on someone else's stuff.

Nah. Send 'em a link to Direct Pay and tell 'em to make sure they pick EXTENSION payment. Or (securely) send 'em a coupon to mail in with a check.

I've generally found external search engines to work FAR better than the IRS search box. Look up "2022 instructions Form 8606" (or anything) and anything 2022-specific will be somewhere on page 15 of the results. If you're lucky.

Tom, ARM is a different architecture. Just like PC is different than Mac. For an app to be "native", it has to be written for the particular architecture. MS tried having ARM based computers able to also run apps for x86 (intel/AMD) already, and it was, to me, a bust. This new iteration seems to be a game changer. The ARM chip and Windows will handle the x86 software through emulation, without taking a huge performance hit. The early tests compare the performance well. Native ARM apps will be faster but for most of us, we won't see anything different as we are all limited by our fingers, displays, drive speed, and as we age, comprehension speed. From what was disclosed Monday, the new Windows/ARM/CoPilot+ machines should be able to run most current PC apps without any special action (as the current PC computers, all 64 bit, have emulation to run all the 32 bit software still heavily in use). I should get the new surface the day of or day after public release. I will test my own app and see how it works. Comparing to the state of the art intel core ultra chip. I expect them to be close enough I can use either. The bene of the ARM is heat and power issues are dramatically less. Also the processing speed should be better (when using ARM apps) or at least the same (when using x86 apps). For the prior ARM emulation, I did not bother even testing it as the reports were not good. Intel has a new chip in the works which should compete with the ARM, but I have seen nothing mentioning if they can resolve power and heat issues. (For example, there is usually no reason to buy the best intel chip in a laptop, as most laptops cannot provide enough cooling and have to heat limit the processor either on the fly, or via hardware settings.) Intel got the actual shaft this time. Intel is just barely into their Meteor Lake cycle, which has a NPU (AI) type of processor, but not enough for Copilot+. The Meteor chips are essentially obsolete after only a few months - assuming the ARM emulation is even close to what is being reported. It may take intel a year or more to catch up. Computer manufacturers are rumored to already be abandoning Meteor Lake after just a month or two into their release cycle. (I just got a Meteor Lake computer, and I am happy with it as it is a dual monitor laptop, which is a significant upgrade for me - if I was only after performance, I would not have bought the ML chipped device.) My Meteor Lake device, I have to keep propped up for air circulation, and it still heat limits from time to time. Not really an issue for my use, but the fans are noticeable when it gets to the heat limit. For the ARM device, I suspect I can stuff it back in the cubby I have and may never hear the fans. --- We are getting close to a time when any laptop can run any app, and no more being stuck in PC intel, PC AMD, PC ARM, and maybe even Mac (assuming Apple steps up and buys one of the emulators which run on Apple and makes x86 - and now likely ARM - emulation internal). --- I just saw one potential hitch, Qualcomm is being or may be sued by ARM for not following their license agreement correctly, but these things usually play out with exchange of cash before consumer's are affected.

And drive encryption is only slightly helpful UNLESS you power off or hibernate, and have a password/PION on restart (not just the Windows password). Notice I did not mention sleep, since sleep is the same as leaving your computer on, unlocked, and ready for anyone to use.

Not much risk if the info is just in ATX. Also, your drives should be encrypted.

I'm running ATX on Win11 now and it's fine.

Will it affect our ATX software in any way? Or is that still to be determined? Tom Longview, TX

Co Pilot is Microsoft's AI and it will become an integral part of MS and Windows computers.

Can I ask some dumb questions? I have heard about ARM chips/motherboards, but I thought they were only for advanced applications (Data Centers, cloud computing on large systems). Are they coming to desktops and laptops? What is co-pilot and why would I want it? Tom Longview, TX

Abby, thank you for your usual response. Code # is 62(a)(2)

If you are intel only, and are interested in the Copilot+ functions, then waiting until the next intel chip is released is a wise move. I suspect the emulation added to the ARM chips, and in Windows itself, will make the intel/ARM moot, if not now, very shortly. The performance hit of the emulation is more than covered by the faster specs of the current ARM.

And, that person who lost his license and got a new one without telling you. Thank goodness, I ask each year, so I found out. CT makes you hand type in the license number each year. I don't know if Mr. Normal's link will work if a client has a CT return. I'm going to try something similar in my software to check it out, though!

I have removed and have stopped retaining any drivers license information in order to reduce the risk of identity theft.

I just noticed that the Permanent File form has a field for Driver's License Number, on the Data tab, so you can enter it there and create a link to the Main Info field for ID Number. And, if you want to enter the issue date and expiration date, you can use the Date of Birth and Date of Death fields on the Permanent File Data tab, and link those as well. Fortunately, ATX doesn't link anything on the Permanent File form to any other forms. How to create links: https://support.cch.com/oss/sfs/kb/solution/000176488

The latest statistics show the number of Win 10 users has actually increased a bit to over 70 % of all Windows OS systems. Apparently, there are now a number of refurbished Win 10 systems being sold due to the increased number of dissatisfied Win 11 users.