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I won't write these letters. The lender can request the returns from the IRS if they want to see the actual Sch C and SE included with the returns. My state's division of revenue has an easy search function for businesses licensed in the state showing when the initial license was issued, type of license, and the date the current license expires. For a small fee, much more information is available through the Sec of State for those businesses required to file there as well.

I sign in and check the "remember me" box. I never log out and only ever need to sign back in after I delete my cookies and temp files. This forum keeps me logged in even if I exit out of the internet and come back on later. Do you have antivirus or cleaning software that is deleting cookies and temp files automatically or an internet setting that deletes them when you exit or after so many days?

One of the techs on the official board said that this would be fixed in the update following the update that is to be released next week. No time frame for release 12.7 was given.

The program's "Support" menu has Quick Tutor videos that cover many of the functions.

Rita, have you tried going into Preferences, then Print, click View/Edit Print Packets? Within each packet you can mark three ways (default, always or never).

Since all I've done is complain most of the week, I thought I'd share something positive. I got through a return, created the efile, and printed. The print packets worked well and I like that a custom packet can be printed at the same time as the others. Just for Jack in Ohio I will say that printing this year's return was much faster than in previous years. I don't know why, it could be that I have updated drivers since connecting my 9 year old printer to my system. I had this set up last year though, so that might not be it. It was a simple federal return with 2 states. The entire print job took a little over a minute to finish. Letters were standard, not customized and were a little out of order, but the rest of it was perfect. I was pleasantly surprised, almost excited to have something working. I haven't tried to efile this very simple return. I hope that goes without a hitch. I really would like this to work out that ATX will be able to fix the program. I see lots of things I like and I don't want to switch. I've been using ATX for so long it's like an old friend, but this year the friend is struggling with a personality disorder and needs lots of help. lol I've been fooling around with Drake and could make it work if I really had too. I would quickly come to hate working in it though with all the in and out of the file to calculate and be able to look at the return. Having to repeatedly reopen the file after looking at the return was really annoying and seemed a waste of time. I also saw something about it that could easily lead to mistakes. Yes, there were some things I had trouble finding at first, like how to tell the program to apply the overpayment to next year's estimates. I chalk that up to lack of familiarity. However, what I really didn't like was that the input screens had boxes for entering the number that would appear on the return, but also on the same screen were boxes with +- next to them that would add or subtract to entries derived or calculated elsewhere and those figures were not to be seen. The final number including the adjustment (or they were overrides but you can't tell which is and override and which is an adjustment field) isn't shown anywhere. You have to calc the return and view it. Then to get back to input, reopen the file. I was really unimpressed with this. Depreciation had the look of being very basic. It will let you choose any method or life no matter what year is entered. It could be simply a typo, but the program gives no warning until you calc and review all the notes. If I had to use it, the data entry mode seemed better than forms entry because even in forms entry the preparer can't see the numbers appear. It still must be calc'd, viewed, and reopened. Also be aware that forms entry mode is only available for 1040 prep, not for any of the business returns. Another minor annoyance is that it didn't like that I have 2 commas in my firm name and kept given error messages. I had to delete all of the punctuation in my name to clear these errors. Sorry for the ramblings. I hope this might help others that are looking at Drake.

Several people have posted that this happens when you still have the return open and are trying to transmit. I haven't had that, only from what I've seen others have posted on the official forum. Try closing the return and try to resend.

I downloaded the demo from Drake the other night. I'm still on the fence and am waiting to see if the next update will fix my problems, but then I wonder if I'll have the problems that many others here are having. I suppose I'm not experiencing them because I'm not using the program much yet. Drake would take some getting used to. I went through the program and actually re-prepared my own personal and corporate returns for 2011. I was able to recreate the returns exactly, but not entirely without some issues. Some things look so basic, especially in the depreciation area, lack of worksheets, that I can't believe there aren't many mistakes being made. I think ATX catches a lot of mistakes that the less knowledgeable preparers would be running into with Drake. One specific problem I had was with the limitation on HSA contributions. Husband and I each have our own separate HD medical policies, no family coverage, only for 10 months last year. He's over 55 and I am not. It looks like I entered everything properly and Drake is not calculating any limitation on the amount of contribution allowed. It is showing the full amount that would be allowed for the full 12 months. In order for the correct limitation to print on the form, I had to enter it in a box on the input. I can't believe that if there are all the questions related to this limitation and boxes to enter the # of months, that Drake's software wouldn't calc this limitation.

Julie, you can click on "new" as if opening a new return. From there you can see forms that are available to you but not yet downloaded to your system. The 8879 has been available. You might have some corrupted forms. I believe there is a separate thread here on this forum that addresses how to fix that.

I've always used that summary sheet. My clients really like it and that it has all of the refunds or balances dues all on one sheet.

Lynn & raven, I am having the same. Another user & I were a couple of the first to post this on the official board. The other user somehow got the attention of one of the techs. She posted a patch and KB that was quickly taken back down. She posted another KB that was also removed, probably being too risky. The revised execute file is what was given, had to be manually inserted into the proper directory after renaming the old file. It is only a temporary fix so that we could cancel the popup box without shutting off the program. After that, I get all kinds of popup warning boxes that are still appearing. The last I read is that they are still working on it, haven't identified all the causes, and *might* have a solution by sometime next week. Nothing is firmly promised as to when this will really be fixed. ETA: ATXMichelle posted that they are shooting for the next update to be released on Tues 2/5 that should fix the problem. This is just awful.

I installed on 12/12/12. I believe I opened a dummy return at that time, input taxpayer demographics and a Roth IRA distribution to test that calc. That calc had errors, began to doubt myself, ran same in 2011 and got correct answer. I figured a lot of the forms and calcs were prelim and didn't worry about it. Once or twice between initial install and mid Jan I opened it and manually ran an update. During that time I tested my capability to connect to the server using their test transmission. Each time I opened the program to look around I did run a manual update. I was noticing all along about the updated number of forms not matching the total and the % of update would say something like 98% or 102% complete. I didn't try to do anything toward preparing a return with it until last week. Last week I rolled over mom's return and entered 3 basic Sch B entries, I created a dummy return in 2011 and rolled it over, and I created a new dummy return in 2012, all to give the program a test drive. I never did try any printing, I was really just poking around in it and getting used to the feel and changes in preferences. Everything was working for me until Monday with the 12.5 update when it all went to hell. I'm running Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit, if that is helpful. I've heard that the people having the most problems are on Win 7, not sure if that's true or not.

Joan, yes I went back and remove the estimate letters, then removed the letters from the return. Each time I open it, they are back. Manual clearly says that it is possible to remove unwanted letters even if the default is to include them. I've tried both ways.

I have my preferences setup to include separate federal and state client letters and estimate letters to all returns rolled over. The manual, yes I checked it to be sure, said that within a return a dynamic letter can be deleted if it is not needed. For the very simple return I tried last night this client did not need estimates so I deleted the federal and state estimate letters. Every time I reopen the return, the program is adding those letters back into the return.

Thank you, Eric, that's what I've been thinking since this nightmare began, that the old programming couldn't have been totally useless. After all and as someone else pointed out, Taxwise and Drake have yet to go through with this conversion. ATX should have released in the old format while continuing to work on this and have it rolled out and complete for next year. Not the rush job and complete disaster that this is quickly turning into.

When I was speaking with a Drake rep yesterday, he did mention something about web based cloud computing with them in the future.

^ that is the sole reason that I haven't asked for a refund from ATX yet and gone over to Drake. I really like using ATX and it suits my practice well, and I don't want to convert to Drake and then next year have the same sort of fiasco with Drake and have to think of another conversion. I'm really hoping for a solution from ATX so that I can get going.

I agree about reading the manual, and I watched all of the training videos as soon as they were available. Of course, I could use a refresher now. I wish reading the manual would solve whatever is wrong in my machine. I've been trying to wait and have tried the workarounds and new file that a tech provided, but after this afternoon working up a simple test return to the point of being ready to final and that I'd consider complete, now the program is generating a whole 'nother error message and shutting me down for a different reason. It also won't let me access that one return I worked up. It will let me open the other 2 test returns that don't have data in them. I'm incredibly frustrated with not being able to get started and fearful that if I do work on returns, that it will be a complete waste of my time and effort if I can't get back into those returns later on. I really like using ATX and don't want to change, but really I feel like I can't wait much longer. I'm sorry if you and Jack in Ohio are tired of hearing me and others express our frustration, but remember that people *think* the program has the same features or should act the same because in many ways, it still looks the same but some things have been moved to different places. I'm not being wise when I say this, but if the programming-related posts are that bothersome to you, maybe you should skip those threads for a while,

lol yesterday I received a doughnut too, on a plate, handed in to me while husband stayed hidden on the other side of the doorway. I guess he was trying to stay out of the line of fire. hahaha

You should see the official forum. Yikes! I haven't been there in years, in fact I've never had a problem with the programs where I ever had to call in until this year. Yesterday people were on hold for 6 hrs trying to get help. I tried calling in and there were so many ahead and waiting that I got a prerecorded message and then it hung up on me. Really nice! Someone posted that the fix for my problem is half finished (this was an ATX tech that was posting) and in another thread it was stated that the fixes for the 12.5 update *might* be ready by the end of the week or maybe on next Monday. My program won't function at all. I now have returns waiting to be prepared and I've already lost 3 days on this. Now I'm supposed to wait until next week and *hope* that it will function? I am to the point of not trusting that it will be reliable.

I got one of those too. Mine said "With the release of ATX update version 12.5, users are quickly preparing for the start of individual filing season. To help you maximize your software"...blah, blah, blah. I can't even keep the software open after running the 12.5 update yesterday afternoon. I'm not laughing.

I guess this depends on what you've paid for the nonfunctional ATX. I purchased Total Tax Office and paid $1700 last May with the early renewal discount. Drake would cost me $1495 plus $89 to have online research for a total of $1584, and the number of returns I prepare puts me right at the point in their pricing where per return is equivalent to the full program. If I ask for a refund from ATX now, I'd be charged $120 for the 6 files I've processed in the payroll program, so with that subtracted, my cost for Drake would be equivalent to the refund I'd receive from ATX. Drake's sale rep told me that 2011 users that renewed early for 2012 received a $400 discount on this year's full program and paid just $1095. I never count on those policies continuing in future years, but that would be icing on the cake for me at this point.

Automated message states that they are moderating all incoming calls (not taking any) so to help those already in the queue. Then it hangs up. There is no telephone support for new callers right now.

JB, that's what I did many years ago when ATX's letter wasn't nearly as user friendly and I didn't like the look of theirs at all. I made a standard one-page letter in word. On the second page of the letter (that I never printed) I had a variety of paragraphs all set to go. All I had to do was copy and paste the section that I wanted and fill in an amount. The sections were all preformatted and matched the letter perfectly. I had 2 for federal, for balance due or refund, and the sections already included the proper mailing address. It would be even easier now with e-filing. I had similar sections for the state with bal due and refund too. I had a second similar letter for estimates all ready to go too. It was a lot quicker than fussing with the letters in the program at that time. Up until 2 years ago, this is how I continued to do the covers too. The look so much nicer than what the program prints. I still have all the letters if I ever need them.

One of the early posters about the "Network Update" issue that posted on the official ATX site just posted over there that he received a call from ATX's technical that It looks like they've figured out the problem and will be posting an update. I sure hope so. I hate to think like this, but I'm ready to ask for a refund and purchase something else.