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I think we need to start a "research materials" thread. I used PPC & RIA for years and dropped those when ATX incorporated the Intelliconnect. I never cared for it and never totally got the hang of using all its features. Also, I was annoyed each time I'd get their newsletter email that wouldn't let me open up the full article because I didn't purchase it separately, only through ATX. I had Tax Analysts for a couple of years and didn't like that either. I still have PPC for my accounting books and research.

I'm already using Drake and I'm planning to go to the seminar in Philly on 5/10. I'm hoping to pick up some tips that I haven't stumbled on or haven't found through the video tutorials (haven't watched all of those). I like what Taxed said about using the input screen based program being partly an attitude change. I've found that many of the input screens are laid out exactly like the form with the boxes in the same order. For example, if you look at the W-2 input it is the same as an actual W-2 would appear if you take away the form's overlay. I had no trouble converting to Drake or learning to use it, converted in mid-Feb 2013 and prepared returns without having to look at the manual. I was satisfied with the return and then watched the e-file tutorial prior to filing. I know, I know, not the best way to do things, but I'm simply saying that for me the program was easy to learn. I was feeling pretty comfortable with the whole process after only a couple of returns. The program is lightning fast, with e-file creation and filing as fast as a click. Print selection is easy, print the whole thing or only pages you request.

Taxed, I didn't have that because I was on PPR with Drake for this year. JohnH, did you have the Taxbooks research? I'd like to know about this too.

I'd really like to get back to a discussion of the ACA since that was the original topic of the thread. I am planning to take one or more courses to try to not be bewildered. One of Jack in Ohio's posts mentioned formulas and tables that will be problematic. I'm hoping that most of that will be built into our software much like all of the other fomulas and tables that are incorporated into the software for the returns we now prepare. Maybe I'm being naive, but why would I have to manually go to a table to plunk in a number into my program or form? I could see that if I was preparing a return with paper and pencil, but I really don't think that will be the biggest hurdle. I think it will be getting the required information from the clients and that they won't want to pay one cent extra in fees for our time to prepare these returns in future.

... or some frackin' bananas if you are a BSG fan.

Tom, I've kept my mouth shut and stayed out of this discussion, but I have to say that you've offended in the same way that anyone placing labels "with the broad brush stroke" (quoting you there) does. I consider myself to be middle-of-the-road, more of a centrist. I don't totally buy into the political platform of either party, but I am registered as a Democrat. Not everyone registered as a "D" is a mindless Stepford voter, just as I am sure that not every "R" voter supports that platform 100% of the time either. I am a D that owns a gun and supports the right to do so. My husband, also a D, was a longtime member of the NRA but dropped his membership many years ago, not because of the legislation they support or promote, but having to do with a particular MD individual they chose to support even after it was shown that that individual was corrupt on many levels, personally and professionally. I am also a D that thinks along the lines like Jack from Ohio about taking personal responsibility. I believe in some help for those truly in need on a short-term basis to get back on their feet, but the total welfare state that we have today rewards people for choosing not to work, or work a little, or have more children, and I have a problem with that. I liked the idea someone had, sorry I don't remember who it was, that said the EIC should be removed from the return and managed by the state office that handles other welfare benefits. Let the potential recipient take their completed tax return and other documentation to that office to apply.

Sorting center is 25 mins each way. If I had to do that, I might as well skip the post office and hand deliver the package myself.

Most of the time I don't pay for priority either because, like Taxed, the local mail gets there the next day or the 2nd. I've even had first class mail get to FL from DE in 2 days. But I can top Jack's story. I live in northwestern DE in a town right on the PA line. I sent a 10x13 envelope with tax documents to the next local town over from me in PA that is at most about 5 miles away. That first class envelope took 7 days to reach the recipient because it went to Philadelphia first. I could have walked there and back many times over. How's that for inefficiency?

Taxed, you can set your preference to calculate automatically when you click on "view" and when you close. That bypasses the need to calc first. Actually I think that is the default.

Jainen, thank you.

I submitted a 4868 late in the evening on 4/14 with a direct debit request for the 15th, and it was acked at 10:30pm that same night. I checked with my client and he said that his online banking shows the withdrawal on 4/16. Does anyone think that the IRS will give credit for the payment as of the 15th and that this is only the date that it cleared the client's bank? I know that when I've used EFTPS on the 14th and scheduled a payment for the next business day, that business day is the date that it would show up on my bank statement, not the day after. And fwiw, some other people on the official ATX forum were complaining of direct debits not being withdrawn, so you aren't the only one affected. Same problem occurred last year and that had something to do with a code and the amount not showing up properly, and then some preparers had their clients send checks in that duplicated the payment.

Taxed, I don't have any Sch F returns, but I prepared all of these others in Drake this year without a hitch. The program worked well for me. I only had one return that I took exception to, and that was a Delaware return with historic preservation credit carryover from prior years. The proper amount of the credit was calculated, but it wasn't split and applied properly against the tax on a joint return. I e-filed that federal and filed that state return on paper.

Drake pricing for the unlimited renewal is: $1095 if paid in April & May $1195 in June & July $1295 in Aug & Sept $1395 in Oct & Nov $1495 Dec 1 and thereafter I spoke with a Drake rep recently and asked how & when this year's PPR will unlock to unlimited. This comes via an update, usually shortly after 4/15, but their board met and decided that this year it would be after 10/15. I wonder if this was due to the number of users coming over to Drake that might have extension returns.

Next year's depreciation report is automatically generated and shows up when viewing the return. That form will print with the client and preparer copies, or that single report can be printed by itself.

Didn't either the buyer or seller attach Form 8594? I would guess that the previous preparer's memory is foggy on this as well.

I got the 2011 demo and purchased Drake on a PPR basis for 2012, so I don't have the cWU either, but I did enough reading to find out that to efile using the CWU, one needs another IRS-assigned number to file through the IRS' FIRE system. You would need to allow at least 6 weeks ahead of filing to receive that number by mail. I'm assuming that the W2 e-filing through SSA is the same as before, but I don't know that as a fact. I'm starting to watch some of the tutorials that are available on Drake's site about the CWU and will probably attend one of their seminars too. Let us know what you find out.

Single payer system would be if our government collected the fees for, and paid for, all health costs, and they would either contract with the private (outside the govt) providers of the service (like Canada) or the provider would actually be employed or owned and run by the government (like the UK).

I never gave ATX or CCH permission to store any of my clients' files. I am no longer their customer, and I don't want any of my clients' files stored by them. I have redundancy in my backup methods, didn't ask for and don't want outside help with backup. How and where are they being stored, and what security measures are in place? For those of you worried about cloud computing, do you not have a problem with this?

Why haven't the schools banned pens and pencils? Those could be used as weapons and so could the eating utensils from the cafeteria. What about the baseball and softball bats, tennis rackets, hockey and lacrosse sticks. More weapons! Wire or gut from the stringed instruments all should go too! No more sports or music because of the danger.

Don't know, but if I click on the picture, it opens up bigger.

Jack from Ohio, does your above posting mean that the owner of the firm you work for isn't even considering evaluating other software? If so, I think after this season that would be foolish and a big mistake. The firm has 8 months to test the other competing brands. There are other large firms that posted on the official ATX forum about being successful at converting from ATX to Proseries, Lacerte, Drake, and ProSystem Fx. While small, my conversion to Drake was easy and the only thing that really didn't convert well was related to business returns that had additional details on the worksheet for "other expenses" such as line 26 of a Form 1120. It only affected the comparison and not the returns themselves. All carryovers and depreciation were correct. Every.single.return.correct! And I did it in mid February! It would have been even easier if it had been mid-summer. I posted some things on here in those first couple of days that were due to my inexperience with the program, but within a couple of days I was comfortable enough to prepare returns with ease. We all know that the firm you work for does 2900 returns, but how many preparers does that include, 7,8,9? It might be a lot of returns, but spread over that number of preparers, that volume isn't more than some others on here prepare. Spread those returns over the next 8 months and checking the conversions, or preparing some in another program, isn't the insurmountable task that you make it out to be. It just isn't! You and the owner should test out a couple of the programs and pick one as a backup. Just because the 2011 or 2012 files are converted does not mean that the original file is changed and never to be accessed by ATX ever again. I still have all of my 2011 ATX files intact, but I also have them in 2011 for Drake. I could prepare a 2012 return in either program. Are you also not testing a backup program for the returns you do on the side and outside of the firm?

I agree with John on the macros, although I didn't use any during the season. I wasn't sure that I would know how to set them up either, but today I set up 2 simple ones: one to jump to the pin screen, enter the current date and my 5-digit pin; the other to enter all of the information except the date, cost and FV for our local Goodwill drop off for n/c contributions. <--That would have saved me lots of repetitive typing. It wasn't *necessary* to have that macro, but it would have been a big time saver for sure and it only took a couple of minutes once I understood how to set it up.

Rather than go further down these divergent paths and realize that there is almost no way that all of the guns will be taken away from our honest and law abiding citizens, could we possibly put our heads together and discuss ways to start getting the illegal, stolen, and unregistered firearms off the streets? What will ultimately be a deterrent or limiting factor to these violent crimes? KC, the "#9 post" that was referred to is the posting number that appears in the righthand corner of each post. If you look at this post of mine, it is #36 in this thread. #9 was some picture with text that you posted on the previous page.

I still have one Delaware ack yet to come back. It is for a senior citizen that typically takes longer for DE to approve, so I'm giving it a little extra time. DE returns have a due date of 4/30 so not too worried about it yet.

Well said, Maribeth. I don't agree 100% with the politics on either side of the aisle, and I don't mind anyone expressing their view as long as it isn't a rant. I learned some things the other day from Catherine about the global warming debate that I hadn't heard from either party because the radicals on each side are too busy...well...being radical. I enjoy the diversity of the group and reading all of the posts, and I love cake. To Florida Tax Man, I agree that Bobby might be reading this forum for himself. Some of your posts made me smile, some didn't. I simply read most all of the posts and move on. I don't really care if the NT posts are separated or not. Most of the threads end up somewhat hijacked and stray from the initial posted topic anyway. It makes me smile because no one here ever points that out or gets reprimanded for hijacking a thread that causes the discussion to wander off in another direction. Other forums I'm on, the hijacker might get blasted by other users or the moderators. It's refreshing to see that we bean counter types that are perceived to be sticks-in-the-mud aren't that rigid. The name might need an update, but whatever it turns into, I'll be here. Thanks to all that participate and make the busy season a little more bearable.