MontanaEA

What the heck is going on? I signed up for fee collect thinking this was something I could use on an as-needed basis. I just filed my first return for the year (NOT a fee collect return), and was notified that a trasmitter fee 0f $10 fee is now charged toi my EFIN. I called ATX - they didn't know anything. They told me to call SBBT. I called them - they told me it was a fee for transmitting a piggy-backed state tax return and would be charged on every return I e-file!!!!! Holy cow - what a rude surprise!!!!!!

If I'm wrong about this, someone correct me, but I think the $699 program is a reseller's version of TaxWise. If so, aren't you just playing into CCH's hands by purchasing it? They may not get as big a mark-up profit if you buy it thru a reseller, but they still succeeded in converting an ATX user to a TaxWise user, which everyone seems to think is a danger, they've succeeded in keeping you with CCH, and who knows, next year they could terminate their agreement with TRX and force you to buy it from CCH directly if you didn't want to switch again.

I think what they REALLY need to hear is how many of us only have 100-200 clients and can't afford the expensive software. Let's not give them any cause to think we're rolling in the dough and can afford to pay more.

If this means that some of the donation I just sent in to support this unofficial ATX community website will be used for these "rooms", I object! I am not a Drake user. I demoed their software some years ago and determined that I will never be a Drake user. Let the Drake users (or Drake) set up their own webboards. That's not what I contributed to.

Yeah, I was hoping to be done by now, but I have to stick around until I can transmit 3 efiles (& hopefully get my acks). And everytime you try to send and get a "server error", you have to recreate the efile. How annoying and unprofessional can they get?

Well, I'll be - I never saw that events calendar before. Funny though - April 15th has no events listed. Gee, I can think of one!

Scott, You say you went on vacation with 25 returns to prepare and you efiled them on your laptop, on vacation? How did you get a chance to review each return with each client and have them sign the 8879? Just curious!

I use the organizers for every client. Even if THEY don't use them, they bring them in and I use them as I'm interviewing them to make sure I have everything. I didn't find the mini adequate for most clients - I like the detail on the long organizer better for Sch's A & C, in particular. But the long organizer is rediculous! Way too many pages! I customized mine by using parts of each in years past. This year, I spent hours photocopying many pages onto one for each organizer to try to get the number of pages down to something realistic. I wrote ATX a long suggestion box comment on this terrible organizer. I hope they'll do some work on it. It's more likely if they hear from a lot of us.

My major beef with phone tech support has always been that when you call in with a "bug report", they always want to keep you on the phone while they attempt to recreate/solve it. For pete's sake, just tell the programmers to take a look at it when they get a chance, and fix it! I can almost always work around it, I'm just letting you know so you can fix it.

Thank you. I wish the Maine tax instructions had said that. I just mailed it - without the Federal 6251. Oh well.

LindaB, Thank you for replying. I appreciate your efforts. I can't efile this one - long story.

Anybody? I really need to get this return in the mail. Thanks for any help you can give me.

I hope one of you Maine preparers can help me. I have to paper file a Maine resident return because the taxpayer receives a foreign pension that I can't figure out how to e-file. Does Maine want a copy of the Federal return attached? Do they want the Federal Schedules A, B, or D? I can't find anything in the instructions to guide me. Thanks!

:dunno: I pretty much don't get this whole thread. In Montana we often efile state-only returns because the filing threshhold is so much lower than it is on the federal return. So, I have to prepare the federal return for these non-filers anyway, just to get the amounts to flow to the state return . This year, I just filed both the federal and the state. Some of them just had SS and a small amount of interest. They were on a 1040, not 1040A, and they didn't have any notation of "Stimulus Return". They were accepted by the IRS. I'm assuming these folks will get their stimulus payments.

Ann, Are you sure about the nondiscrimination rules on employee health insurance? I was under the impression that they didn't apply as long as the only benefit in question was employee health insurance premiums.

If you're concerned about it, maybe you should call the IRS e-file help desk and ask them what time they acked a couple of your returns? (then let us all know what you found out)

Here's today's news from the IRS: Revenue Procedure 2008-21 provides that the IRS will not challenge the accuracy of income tax returns filed in compliance with Notice 2008-28 by eligible individuals who enter $1.00 in adjusted gross income solely for purposes of effectuating the electronic filing of the return. It will be published in IRB 2008-12 dated March 10, 2008. The Rev Proc is pretty long, so I didn't paste it here, but if you're interested, it's available at E-News for Professionals at the IRS website.

1040, Line 28

Kea, 1. The first part sounds correct to me. 2. The key to remember is, the basis of the new car is: - the original cost (100%, not just the business portion) - less the depreciation allowable if the old car had been 100% business - plus cash boot paid for the new one - times percent business use of the new one.

I have a new client who moved from Ohio after 12/31/07. I am filing a full-yr resident Ohio return for him. On another thread, I read about Form SD100. After looking at it, I am concluding he doesn't need to file it because I can't find his School Distriict (Tipp City-#5508 in Miami County) in the list on pgs 9-10 of the SD100 instructions. Am I correct? Thanks for your help, Ohio preparers.

Eli, According to Kleinrock 1040 Express Answers: "If a child was born and died during the tax year and no SSN was obtained, then enter "DIED" in column (2) of line 6c next to the child's name and attach a copy of the child's birth certificate. A child born alinve during the year may be claimed as an exemption for the entire year, even if he or she dies during the year. A stillborn child may not be claimed." It might make a difference on the refundable part of child credit, or the stimulus rebate?

Margaret, I made this same inquiry to tech support yesterday. I was reminded by Josh in tech support that the employer's copies don't have to be filed before MARCH 31st if e-filed. I didn't know that. So, I guess we've got a little more time to get these e-filed 1099's ironed out.

On the Return Manager Screen: click the Forms tab click Customize Master forms type "client" into the find box on the left side of the screen select (highlight) the Federal Client Letter click Open Forms click Run Wizard on the first screen (Print Options), check the box that says Add the Privacy Notice to the Client Letter click Finish click Save It shoud now be there for any returns you haven't created or rolled over yet. In the returns already created or rolled over, delete the Federal and State letter in the return, then add them again.

This is from the ATX Support website: 1099/1098 efile issues 02/21/08 updated 2-21-08 10am---1099 efiles, we have identified some returns from Feb 14th that were not sent successfully. We resent those yesterday and expect acks today or tomorrow. Well......, it is now 2/23/08 and mine from the 14th are still not acked.

What Catherine said - exactly! "I have a one-person office and evaluated a good half-dozen packages a couple years ago before choosing ATX. I _really_ like the forms-based approach. I _really_ like being able to "drill down" (i.e. follow the "jump-to bunny") when I have a question as to where number comes from (although I _don't_ like it when the bunny hops in a circle and brings me back to my starting point!). I _really_ like the completeness of the forms -- that was the reason for ditching my prior package; there were too many instances of forms I had to fill out by hand because they were just _not_ available. I was able to do 1099's and W-2's for my corporate clients on-site instead of wrestling with their QuickBooks printing functions; much smoother, better-looking, better form "line-up" -- just better overall. When I switched to ATX, I was able to _double_ my annual number of prepared returns (and more than double the revenue therefrom) while _lowering_ my stress level significantly _and_ easing my work flow (I think those two are strongly related). I really hope that CCH keeps the ATX line, at close to the same price level, and doesn't force me out. I can't afford a pricier package for my practice. Drake was the second runner-up in my evaluations - but I really despise the worksheet-based entry system (and lack of "drill-down"!). It is not a good match with how I work and think. Catherine"