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Joan might be correct. The very day in March that I got my ATX refund back against my credit card, I also received a call from an ATX sales rep. My rep is no longer with the company, and this gentleman wanted to know if I could be enticed to come back to ATX.

Jack, I don't know enough of the technicalities of software to know this, but you seem to, so here's the main question - If the base (Raven) that the program it is written on is not suitable for the program in general, is any amount of good developing, restructuring, or patching really going to solve the problems with this program? In another thread you said that they chose a little boy program (Raven) to do a man's work and should have used something like Oracle or SQL.

Yes, their refund policy is in writing and right before the 2/28 deadline for requesting the refund CCH SFS extended it to the end of March, so they changed it mid-season (yes, more time allowance, but they changed it nonetheless.) Had I known that it was to be extended I would have paid for a lesser rate of postage to send their "materials" back to them instead of paying a higher price to make sure the package was in their hands before 2/28. The day after I mailed it was the day they changed their policy and Kimmie told me that sending them back wasn't necessary! Still mad over that.

I got my renewal in the mail today and I am no longer a user. You will NOT get every penny back because the "processing fee" is not refundable. I renewed on 5/27 last year at $1700 ($1779 - $178 discount + $99 processing). My refund from ATX was $1601 and didn't show up on my credit card until 3/30/13 even though the ATX website showed it was refunded on 3/13, the date it was approved by their accounting dept. It took another 2 weeks to release the funds after numerous calls to them and my credit card company. Technically I only processed one return through ATX server even though I had some dummy and real returns in the works with a variety of problems. The one return I processed was considered free and ATX refunded my purchase price without charging me the $20 per return fee, but they kept the $99 processing fee. That one return really cost me $99 plus the amount I could have made on a $1700 investment, plus the amount it cost in postage to send their materials back (per their refund policy) and then Kimmie said that wasn't necessary!

Oh yes, it's a *very* nice fee. The broker is with Wells Fargo and has large enough client base to retain an entire group within Wells Fargo structure. They will not provide any data in spreadsheet or any other electronic format because they fear that someone could manipulate the data and make it look like that's the way they reported it. I've asked every year for many years, but they are adamant about not providing it. This was the first year that all of the data was even complete. Prior years there were the details of the proceeds and then each of the fund managers would provide their analysis, but there were always pieces missing from their summaries that wouldn't completely tie in for things like the fractional shares, return of capital, basis was missing. I'd photocopy their summaries and add the missing parts by hand with adjusted totals and submit that with the return. Still, it was very time consuming. Oh, and one of the managed funds is entirely in foreign investments. It sure made for lots of work for the Form 1116 too. The investments were spread over about 26 countries. This year the wife didn't think I charged her enough and added an almost $200 *tip* along with her payment. Sweet!

It does! I only had one large enough to consider doing the import. My client's broker doesn't provide an electronic file, so I took the time to set up a file as a template in excel. If your clients don't provide the data in electronic format, the excel file can be reused over again for other clients once you know the columns link up properly with the Drake screen. My particular client had 6 different brokerage accounts. Some accounts were titled in husband's name, some in his grantor trust, and 2 managed accounts...that all had sales activity. Entering into excel was a nice way to make sure all of the totals tied in before they went into the tax program. The first time I did the import I didn't have a column lined up properly with the sequence that Drake wanted and it threw off all the columns and inputs to the right of that column. I deleted the input screen in the program, fixed my error, reopened the input screen and redid the import. It worked beautifully and saved me a substantial amount of time on that return because the two managed accounts were both liquidated on the same date so many of the transactions were on the same date. It was very easy to use the "fill down" feature in excel for that date and for the T/S/J column too.

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.