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I thought I'd update this thread to say that I found the AMT depreciation, and it is on the same report with the regular depreciation. I hadn't scrolled to the right side before today. I haven't prepared any yet with the depreciation, so had I done so and printed those, I would have seen that it is there after all. I actually like that the AMT is on the same report. It makes more sense since it is all on one screen for the input no matter what program I'm using. User error on my part all the way!

Well I have one that I was able to open before and now I can't.

I've downloaded everything since 12.5 directly from the ATX site, with no other programs running, and antivirus scanning shut off. I am on a standalone running Win 7 with 12 GB RAM, and I have had some sort of problem after each update. Today the program is shutting down when I try to open one particular file that wasn't a problem before yesterday. It was one that had lost the unemployment data caused by one of the earlier updates. I've lost track which of the updates was the cause. To add to that: The problem return that I can't open is one that I redid in ATX after installing 12.8, so what happened today that won't allow me to open it is anyone's guess. I'm not doing it in ATX again. It's already been accepted by IRS through Drake.

Well, I could open returns last night and today I can't. I have standalone installation here.

Great ideas Eric! So when will you be getting started?

I efiled my sister's return on the evening of the 2nd and her refund was DD on the 11th.

I downloaded 12.8 from the web, installed it, and updated the forms. Everything seemed fine but somehow a return was damaged somehow. I can open and close it, but the program won't let me save it. The other few that were there seem ok. I'm not preparing returns using ATX at the moment, but I'm checking some that are sitting there in the return manager. The return with the issue is one that had lost the unemployment income due to one of the earlier updates, so maybe that file was already damaged. That return was the first one I tried with Drake because of that data disappearing, but I left the prepared (and unissued) return on ATX. All of the returns that are in I've prepared in Drake. I am keeping up with the ATX updates just in case something really horrible happens, but I'm getting more comfortable with Drake's program as time goes along. Printing and efiling are both fast. I'll probably be asking for my refund from CCH close to the end of the month. I'm keeping it until then because I have 2 clients that haven't given me the info for their 1099s yet, and I'd rather not have to prepare and file them manually.

Jack, I don't have to imagine it, once upon a time I lived it too. For many years I worked for a firm with just another CPA and myself, 2 juniors and a secretary. We did close to 500 personal returns and another 500 business entities plus quite a lot of pension accounting. We worked overtime from Jan through mid-Oct, had a small break in Nov, and in Dec worked on a lot of year-end planning for the cash basis calendar year corporations. When I first started there were no computers. Everything was prepared manually with a pencil, eraser and a copy machine. Financials were drafted and typed by the secretary. We did go through a tax program conversion there, and I'll admit that it was rough too. ^ This is just one of the reasons why I work by myself now, so that I don't completely ruin my health any more than I already have.

I know this new forum is for ATX issues, but I thought I'd post it here for those others of you that may have switched to Drake or are thinking of doing so. I purchased Drake on a pay per return basis and put out $285. I might be glad that I purchased Drake on this basis and didn't pay for the unlimited use, and I may have to suffer along with ATX like the rest of you. Let me be very clear that I have always like ATX for its ease of input and the worksheets that detail out the calculations. I think Drake might be fine for the really simple returns, but I have to admit that I'm not very happy with the whole process for my more complex returns or any returns that have depreciation, partnerships and corporations. Here are some of my problems with Drake's program for individuals: - lack of detail for state tax deduction on Sch A. User may create a detail worksheet, but if state itemized deduction requires adjustment for these, manual adjustments will be necessary if the return includes items such as 4th qtr estimates pertaining to prior year paid in current year, or any local taxes included in this line - depreciation! This is horrible. I've spent hours going over all clients files post conversion to Drake to make sure numbers are correct. No way to see the AMT report either. One block to enter business use of auto's percentage, then I had to override the expense to get to the correct deduction. I couldn't find anywhere to input any mileage, at least not that I've found yet. I think that portion might have to be as overrides for those specific lines. - carryovers. No way to enter carryovers related to a vacation rental property that isn't in service any more. This is related to depreciation and investment interest. - Errors related to names: every 1099R that was converted had the address in in the name continuation box and would need to be changed. It won't accept names with any punctuation like commas, apostrophes, or dashes. For businesses - - many of the expenses that converted over are appearing on incorrect lines or are missing. Because of this, taxable income is incorrect, errors on every return with tie in to the balance sheets and M-1, M-2. The program does some creative things in balancing M-1. - I can't say enough times that depreciation is a disaster. It is possible to delete the assets and simply fill in the 4562 as if by hand. I may consider this since I have a very nice depreciation program from the Tompson Reuter group, because I never completely liked ATX either and continued on with dual systems for those that were already set up where I needed more reports for my accounting clients. So I've literally spent many hours making sure that the conversions are correct, fixing several partnerships for things like a disposition of an assets for which sec 179 was taken because this program has the figures flowing to some places but not to others, fixing partners' bases. I feel like I'm doing 2 tax seasons at once to fix all that is missing from the 2011 conversions just to be able to roll them forward to 2012. There are probably a lot of things I've not mentioned, but my head is really burned out. It does do a couple of things better on the Delaware state returns than ATX, but with ATX there is the ability to correct these things on the worksheets. If Drake does have problems in reporting items, it is totally inflexible and almost impossible to change it. There is a very specific error in the way it is handling a credit with no way to fix it or override it so that the proper amount is applied and that the carryover is correct. At this point I might be keeping Drake in reserve as a backup in the event of something seriously going wrong with my ATX program's ability to function on my machine. I've gone back and forth about this ever since Friday night when I started checking the conversions.

Yesterday I went into the program to open a form and left the return open longer than 5 minutes. It later showed up as Auto Saved Return and wouldn't allow me to delete the return until I closed the program and restarted it running as Administrator.

That return is one that has been on hold in the ATX program because of the NJ payment voucher not being approved for paper filing. I've prepared it again in Drake and it is ready to go. More importantly, I can call this client to pick up his work and I can get paid! Apparently ATX is so busy fixing the darn program errors that some of the forms aren't getting finalized as quickly as they could. I'm pretty disgusted with ATX now. That return was perfect before the last update and then it lost data.

I hope they are correct. I'm still finding little errors as I'm going back and forth from ATX to Drake. A return that was easy and done in ATX but waiting for a form to be approved, I decided to use this as one of the returns to ease my way into Drake and I'd be able to compare the two systems. Somehow over $4,000 in unemployment benefits disappeared from the ATX return. I don't need the embarrassment of e-filing an incorrect or incomplete return because of a faulty program.

Fwiw, ATX is still showing a NJ1040-V with the "not approved for paper filing" watermark. Not e-filing, but paper filing, so sometimes it is the program and not some law or rule change that's holding up finishing returns.. I find that ridiculous. Drake says the return is ready to go. I had 2 returns held up because of this.

I had a whole new set of problems after 12.7 and had crashing when opening one return in particular. Running the program as administrator allowed me to open it.

You are correct about ProSysFx. I used it a long time ago, way before desktop pcs, when it was called Computax and we had to fill out input sheets and send to the company for processing. Anyone remember that? Then they wrote for inhouse data entry & upload for processing by them, and it still handled everything flawlessly. Then using it totally inhouse was a dream! I loaded ATX 12.7 and am having crashes again too. I just purchased the Drake as PPR to get going and will wait for the refund from CCH. The Drake rep said they've had a large influx of ATX customers again last night and today, so they knew some more bad things must have happened with the program today.

In Preferences, click the 6th item down, "Open Return". Check the box to turn on the autosave feature. The most frequent autosave setting is for every 5 minutes for an open return. Click Apply to save any changes you've made to preference settings. You can click the on the Save function any time you want in addition to the autosave feature.

Numbers, why the need for 2 EFINs?

I made the suggestion about after tax season only because Jack thinks it's too late to handle conversions at his firm with some software vendors doing conversions out of house. I'm switching to Drake in the next day or so because I only have a few returns in so far, so converting at this point in my season won't be an issue. I already have their 2011 full functioning software that I've recreated my own personal and corporate return with, and I did that with watching only a couple of their training videos that were 8-10 minutes each. Once I do the conversion, I'll be watching more of those and looking at the manual more closely. Honestly, doing those 2 returns hardly took any more time than ATX would, and that was using a program totally unfamiliar to me. I've played with it some more and found features that ATX doesn't offer that will help me, like the multi-case planner as just one example. I'll see if Drake's depreciation is enough for me to use in the accounting side of my practice. Until ATX started calculating future year reports, I've always kept using Tompson Reuters Fixed Asset II, but if Drake will give needed reports, then that might save me some more money but I'm not counting on that. In fairness to Drake, I made several observations when I first tried it that weren't totally accurate. I've since found that using the ESC key backs out of the return view screen (or other screens too) an allows the user to go back to input after viewing the return without exiting out of the file. I was doing it wrong and had to reopen the file each time. Opening return files is fast with almost no delay. Several other features that I like are that with printing a pdf using Drake's pdf printer, the program automatically creates the appropriate file and saves it in their document manager program with just that one click. Drake also will create random PINs on the signature forms, has a daily scheduler with ability to use for a firm with multiple preparers, and a simple loan amortization schedule generator. I'm sure I'll discover much more when I really get into it.

I'd like that too.

Jack in Ohio, I like JohnH's suggestion about having 2 programs. If you or the other partners aren't keen on doing this at the firm this year, you could purchase the second software on a pay-per-return basis with minimal cash outlay for those returns that you prepare outside the firm to test it out yourself and also to become familiar with it. You could also limp through this season with ATX and test out new programs in the summer when the workload is somewhat less. Some vendors will give the prior year program as a free trial. You could take a few of the most basic returns you do and recreate them on the new software. You'd have the original return to compare results, look of the product, and the time to prepare them in each program. Any software you try will be a learning experience, but remember that we are going through that each year with ATX too. Yes, most of the program is similar in appearance to prior years, but each year there have been changes that we have to learn along with the workarounds that are necessary or the shortcuts that make us faster. I think you will find that after preparing just a few returns with new software that you will be more comfortable with it. You might even find some features that are helpful to you that ATX doesn't provide.

Well that is about like my setup, and I don't customize anything in the program. About the only thing I changed in last year was from "we" to "I" in the letter. I was fine until 1/28 when the 12.5 update cause the program to continually shut down with that popup box. I was lucky enough to have been logged on and watching the official forum and got the temporary patch to fix the problem. If I hadn't been on that forum at that exact time and reading the appropriate threat, I would have had a totally nonfunctioning program for 9 days because getting through to tech support was impossible. They had a recorded message that played and hung up on callers. I was still having problems after the 12.6 install that magically disappeared, but I don't know why. The program seems to have a mind of its own. Today's crash for me was only on a test return after the 4562 was updated. There just seem to be too many things causing crashes or errors that need workarounds for my comfort level. I'm also concerned about the amount of resources this program needs to run. It seems to be ok for me right now on a basic w-2 return with one state. Later on I'll have large multi-state returns of greater complexity, and it is not uncommon for me to have many of the following programs open at the same time: ATX, Excel, Word, Quickbooks, Tompson Reuter's Fixed Assets II, and the internet. How well will ATX be performing for me then?

I rolled one return over to test this, a partnership with over 100 assets. Error checking the return caused mine to crash also.

The couple of returns I have in so far error checked fine. I believe it is the depreciation causing the crash and that's why I picked that particular return to test this.

Just to see this myself, I rolled over one of my partnership returns. It has about 140 assets entered. Rollover took less than a minute, opening the file took between 1-2 minutes because one city form is not yet available and the program had to calc the depreciation. I put one entry in gross receipts and proceeded to error check the return. Program stopped working and I got the message box "windows is searching for a solution." Closing that shut it all down. More arrrrrrrgh!

I know the IRS said that stockpiling efile returns was OK this year due to the one week delay of them opening for efile, but I think you are still supposed to file current returns within 3 days of the client signing the efile authorization form. I believe someone commented on the official forum that if the sig date entered in the system is more than 3 days old the program is creating an error message. Also and much more of a longshot is that under your scenario, you enter a date into the system that does not match the date on the 8879 to get around this problem and then the IRS shows up to check your files. That's pretty unlikely, but you would be violating the rules. I'm not even working on returns that have depreciation yet because of all the problems ATX is having with errors in the calculations and program crashs of returns that have the 4562 included in them.