TaxCPANY

Thanks much, taxperson, Lion, & michaelmars,

I just wonder why CCH didn't bring ATX along, in becoming NYC-approved? It seems unfair, and, while perhaps it's something political that ought to be raised before the NYC Dept. of Finance, it might be another harbinger of ATX's demise. That's particularly why I ranted in this forum.

I know what a *great* bargain ATX is -- e.g., I'd used ProSystem fx & its only other major competitor, back when I worked in the-then Big 8 -- and I used Lacerte for the first years of my own practice -- until Intuit's purchase raised Lacerte's cost beyond reason. With ATX, for almost a decade, I've been able to serve my wide-ranging clientele -- and, yes, just over a majority of them reside or have businesses in NYC.

This second year of ATX omitted while CCH re-qualified its "premier" product worries me; I'm afraid it's an instance of "pay to play." That's not ethical; that's not what NYC should be gearing-up to offer all its taxpayers and us "stakeholders."

Most truly yours, TaxCPANY

Does the client earn more than the threshold requiring filing in all thirteen states? If so, I only know how to do that in Lacerte -- but greatly would appreciate if and how you get it to work in ATX.

If, however, there are juridictions with under-threshold income, just pick up the withholding(s) on Schedule A, and walk away from amounts not worth the cost of recovering.

VTY, Tax CPANY

Second year in a row that CCH ProSystem is one of only two apps approved by NYC to e-file its business returns. Who owns ATX?

IRS agent wants to assess "substantial underpayment" penalty based on 2006-year Form line 44 ("tax") of client's return. Line 63 ("total tax") would avoid the penalty -- i.e., client's additional liability exceeds $5K.

Has anyone here avoided that penalty by specifying which line of the return is determinative?

16 court cases found by CCH Intelliconnect did not pin down the meaning of "tax required to be shown on the return," nor were any other sources produced. My search of this group's archives also found nothing; so I greatly would

appreciate any current help.

VTY, TaxCPANY

P.S. I called this "superficial" because it doesn't delve into the "more likely than not" controversy -- and the agent I'm dealing with is such an *** that he cites IRS Publications as "authority." Still, if I don't trump his obtuseness with real *authority,* it'd cost my client.

"ILL" like my teenage daughter sez, dood. I mean, I LUV it; and transponded it to every Hibernophile I know -- e.g., my bagpipe-adept cousin, my spouse's colleague's hubbie whose Scotch Whisky tasting-party marched our palates up from salt marshes to the Highlands, etc. Not only good taste, but, heck, where'd our profession get its greatest refinement since Luca Pacioli's formalization?

Having too much fun before the first, full week of year-end tax-planning, TaxCPANY

Not if you are a Bobby Burns fanatic like I am!

Does ATX 09 co-install a PDF printer in a Win7-only platform, that can be accessed by other apps?

I ask beforehand, because there seems to be a fair amount that can gang agley (viz. KC's joke) between 64-bit OS (of which Win7 is my first) and apps not specifically designed for it.

Thanks in advance, TaxCPANY

This is *ILL*!

Well, I'm going to start requesting the Service to reconsider, point out that attaching the closing-statement summary to Form 8453 should serve perfectly well. Thanks, kc, for pointing out this important step backwards.

Hi, Pedro,

I still use a Fujitsu fi-4010CU from four years ago; so I can't advise you about newer hardware. BUT, I believe I've learned that the crucial thing about going paperless is 1) get a reliable, *duoplex* scanner that 2) is bundled with the best document-management software.

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 was bundled with my scanner; so I gained full PDF functionality. AS important, I already had Visioneer PaperPort -- that I think is the best document-manager software out there. The 'genius' of PaperPort is its appearing to be a virtual desktop -- i.e., showing all documents as 'stacks' just as they'd sit on your desk -- AND its ability to import & export *every* sort of graphic-file format as you & your clients ever might need. Via Paperport, I have the infinite capacity to manipulate every scanned document and fax that I receive, and to generate digital or printed documents -- after I've digitally-modified those -- to send on. (Whenver possible, I store & send documents as *.TIF files -- 1/3rd the size of PDF files. But you DO need to be able to create PDF files, as Linux and other Operating Systems don't all handle TIF files.)

Hope this helps, TaxCPANY

Hi

I found today on compusa store 3 different scanners 2 of them were Fujitsu S1500 & S510 and the other was a Neatdesk scanner,

as I am considering going paperless this tax season could you please give me a good advise based on your own experience which of them is better.

Here is a link for Neatdesk scanner:

http://www.neatco.com/products/neatdesk

Thank you

Pedro

The crucial question is when she 'might have' relocated to NYC -- i.e., NYC presumes tax-residency only upon 183 days presence; so, perhaps, only "recently" may well *not* require your client to file an IT-360.1, but, rather, elide her short-term stay. Resist NYC residency, if your client's facts fit the foregoing test, as I infer.

VTY, TaxCPANY

P.S. There could be other applicable tests, but, based on what you described, I truly doubt your client has got an NYC residency 'problem' -- in 2009, at least.

Thanks for the response on this.

Do you know if she would still have to pay New York City tax as well.

-Dave

Loaded ATX 2009 on my XP Pro (SP3) desktop, this evening. Works fine, *there*.

BUT I'm leery about loading it on my new Win7 ThinkPad X200S (Ol' faithful died two days before Win7's release), because several attempts to get Win7 to recognize my network printers have been futile. My 1300 LaserJet was not one of HP's 'favored' 100+ printers, nor will Win7 recognize the PDF-printer add-on of my PIM.

Btw, anyone else notice that CCH/ATX has un-bundled "Asset History" from Asset Entry -- in order to require us to buy its *separate* Fixed-Asset Manager? That's a downgrade I resent.

VTY, TaxCPANY

I still am using Visioneer PaperPort v.6.0 (10-year-old app that's even Windows XP is happy with). It's TWAIN-compatible -- e.g., I use a Fujitsu fi-4010CU for either ADF or table-top scanning -- and its virtual tabletop of stacks of document thumbnails -- sized just large enough to recognize the type of document, small enough to show 20ish stacks on-screen -- is a perfect analogue of our actual desks. Not only can you name each page of each document, it exports every type of graphic file-format I've ever needed, imports everything except PDF. Whoa, you say? I simply print a PDF via MS Office Document Image Writer as a TIF file -- which also happens to be the leanest, clearest format for forms, IMHO -- to import into PaperPort. THEN 'VP' becomes the PhotoShop of document management, allowing me to straighten & clean-up imperfect scans, smudged faxes, OCR forms into digital text/MS Word, etc. Having scanned various sizes of my signature, I can copy that into any doc -- returns included -- that 'pass' everywhere I've tendered them.

The only caveat: I've heard that every later version has bugs of one sort or another -- thus I've never upgraded. But, I've never needed to, and none of the half-dozen doc-managers I've sampled offers such enormous flexibility.

Even if Windows 7 finally finds VP too old, my several XP PCs will carry VP into the next decade.

>>Suggestions for experienced users<<

I have been asked to comment, although I was not planning to respond as I have little to contribute on this topic. I use Lacerte with its built-in document manager. I scan source documents into a single pdf file; each document is a separate page but not otherwise identified. It probably has many more features but I only use it at a very simple level. I return all client records and shred my own notes so I keep no paper file whatsoever.

I've been following Camico's (or some practice-liability insurer's) advice: to NOT shred a client's documents without first having contacted the client -- via Certified Mail/Return Receipt Requested (or, now, emailed-receipt confirmation -- costs $1 less) with a *deadlined* offer to send the documents back to the client -- on its dime -- else the docs get shredded promptly upon the eclipse of the deadline.

In the four years since I've "gone paperless," this policy has allowed me to jettison two, letter-size AND two legal-size, file-cabinets -- and package a couple, cubic feet of documents for only two clients, while over a dozen blew my 'formal' notice off.

In this next, 'slow' month, I expect to rid myself of another, four-drawer file-cabinet, this way -- and 'lose' only a day of my assistant's time to shredding formally-abandoned documents.

Pragmatically yours, TaxCPANY

This ol' goat is getting used to Intelliconnect's new format (the cascading-menu format is more click-intensive, compared to Kleinrock's straightforward check-offs), but, now, aggrieved that TTOers cannot log-in through "Tracker News"-emailed items. Rather, we're restricted to 'coming in' only via MyATX. Anybody else share my complaint, please remark it to Stephanie Bradford -- as I today heard is the likely point-person/manager in the ATX/CCH research miniverse.

VTY, TaxCPANY

For those of us who don't 'need' full-blown QuickBooks -- e.g., I still use Quicken v.6.0 -- and balk at spending three figures on time & billing software, I recommend BillingTracker Pro, now in version 4.0.7 and still "shareware" conscientiously-attended to by its original programmer, Jeremy. www.billingtracker.com

Not only is it enormously flexible in how you want to bill -- hours vs. projects vs. forms vs. retainer etc., rounded or not -- it's just as flexible in offering handsome, default or customizeable invoices. Its timer also can track two jobs at once -- e.g., get a call in the middle of one job, pause that with one click and start tracking the caller's time -- as QB Timer can. Also, with one click, you can change an invoice showing a wholesale amount to one listing each component of time -- the "line by line" display cited below.

IMHO, TaxCPANY

As far as charging by the hour, you essentially need a decent time clock software.

I used to use TimeSlips and then switched to the QB Timer bundled with QuickBooks.

If someone calls that I am going to bill, just switch to a new timeslip (lingo I still use from TimeSlips, but QB calls it an activity) without turning off the clock at all, and immediately the new slip is accumulating your time.

I can look, at any time at Time Activity Log and use it to add a bill int ATX and still export to QB for my own records.

Has abilty to accumulate time in multiple rates, items, add classes etc. You can add additional and specific descriptions which will be added to the default descriptions from your items listed in QB, upon import into QB.

One of the few things Intuit did right (for those of you that know me you know I HATE INTUIT).

I can also use it in conjunction with Intuit's Billing Solutions (a pay for service of Intuit/QB) and Merchant Services (Intuits Credit Card Service) to facilitate getting paid by credit card and emailing bills to clients. And Billing Solutions will send out automatic reminders of unpaid invoices to my clients that I bill. Its like have a billing clerk without a salary!

And well for an Attorney, the Courts often require us to have very detailed line by line bills.

Only thing it doesn't do well that TimeSlips did is round invoices to the nearest "?" (you fill it in - tenth, sixth, or quarter hour or nearest multiple of $5, or $10), and I find I have to manually round off my billing items.

It indeed is all about CCH's acquisition, JohnH -- as I learned when Intuit acquired Lacerte and so motivated me to seek and find ATX, in the first place.

I must say, I envy your client base. In my case, this 19% increase could equal anywhere from three return-fees to a fraction of some other client's -- i.e., I bill strictly by my hours; so I see this as how many more hours I'll be indentured to CCH/ATX before I reach profit. Still, it's less than a *good day.*

Thanks much for your thoughtful response. VTY, TaxCPANY

I don't take advantage of the early bird discounts because I don't see any real value there - the savings is outwieghed by the business risk. I understand the importance of saving money, but it seems to me that the flexibility to make a last-minute change of vendor is more important than saving less than the fee for a single tax return. One never knows when the current vendor will make a last-minute change that makes you decide it's time to move on. If you've already committed, that decision becomes much more difficult. I wait until the last minute to renew and I also continually evaluate alternatives, usually by getting a demo from competitors and running one or two exension returns on it.

As for the price increase, well it is what it is. When a product is priced considerably below market and the company is acquired, the acquiring company looks to price increases as their chief means of funding the acquisition. (They issue the obligatory nonsense about how nothing is going to change and various other other marketing hype, but the reality is quite different where the actual plans are being made by management) . Whereas for many of us the decision to go to ATX in the past was practically a no-briainer, CCH is now slowly putting us in the position of having to cotinually evaluate them vs competitors on the basis of cost vs benefits. That takes us back to point # 1 above.

For me, ATX is still winnning the race right now. But if they overreach by raising prices too much, cutting features too far, or reducing customer service to unacceptable levels, it will be time to move on. There is still competition out there and the gap is closing.

ATX/CCH's 19% increase in the price of Total Tax aggrieves me, so that, for once, I didn't' opt for the "early renewal discount," when it first was offered.

Now that that discount period has been extended way longer than ever before, I 'enjoy' much more time in which to make my decision; but I can't find anything recent on this board about how the rest of youse are taking this.

What am I missing -- really?!

TaxCPANY

(Might be the stupidest question I've ever posed, but, really, I mean it.)

Not only might a Form NYC-360.1 (NYC change of residence) be required, but, also an NYC-202 if this is a self-employed individual grossing over 75K (or, if less, in recording an NYC-specific NOL to use in future to your client's benefit).

So, yes; it indeed seems to have been "too simple." NYC is very aggressive in enforcing its own taxes *apart* from NYS; so more "due diligence" likely needs to be exerted.

VTY, TaxCPANY(C too)

Then what am I waiting for? I too will sign with TRX, and donate some of the savings to this board. TaxCPANY

Hey, MDCPA,

Four years ago, I went paperless, and it was everything you should hope it would be -- e.g., I got to jettison several cubic feet of file cabinets, and stop *sweating" through every call from a client asking about a current or recent filing -- as I now could find everything quickly with logic.

First off, you need a 'decent' *dual mode* scanner -- one that does both Automatic Document Feed (ADF) as well as Flatbed. The latter capability is *essential* in dealing with crumpled, funky documents that clog the ADF; it also allows you to scan pages from thick books -- such as major tomes of tax research -- that I have found necessary to include among the protests I file with tax authorities. (It also helps if your scanner connects with your PC via USB 2.0 -- though I still rely upon a Fujitsu f-4010CU that supports only USB 1.1; it's fast enough.)

Second, you need a 'graphic-file-handling' app that accepts a wide variety of graphic-format files, and produces "TIF" files. I still use Visioneer PaperPort v.6.0 -- a decade-old version of what you could buy, today; that I've never upgraded -- nor, apparently, have had to -- based upon plethoras of negative reviews of all succeeding versions. Overall, you need an app that is not restricted to any *propriety" format, but, rather, can deal with all the graphic-format files that your clients would send you. The 'blessing' of Visioneer PaperPort is that it displays digital documents just as if they were papers on your desk; so you 'deal' with them the same way -- only without wasting/shuffling actual paper.

Finally, you need to create a special Windows folder called "Clients," to put all this data into. (I have "partitioned" my hard-drive, for this purpose -- ask me about that, directly.) Within the Clients folder, you should have "sub-folders" for each client, and, within those, further sub-folders for -- at least -- each year of your client's documents & returns & messages, etc.

Overall, the native Windows file-folder system is a perfectly-capable regime for organizing your clients' information -- and one so *graphically" displayed that you should become able to find *anything you seek rather intuitively.

Hope this helps, TaxCPANY

I'm with you, barosser -- with slight differences.

First, I learned to loath one support-person, Lisa, as a brainless twit, this past Season.

Second, I received only two callbacks from the over-half-dozen returns I'd uploaded -- and it so seemed that uploading a return became a way of deferring my question that I stopped doing it.

Third, *none* of my posts to the revived ATX chatboard have been replied-to. So whatthe@#$% purpose does it serve, compared to when William and JoAnne &c. monitored it?!

The pluses I must acknowledge are 1) ATX's truly-comprehensive catalogue of national and state forms (and enough local returns for all my clients -- none of whom live in Ohio, for instance), 2) its rapid updating of every such form, 3) free efile (under TTO); 4) Kleinrock's libraries (under TTO), and 5) how ATX's support this year rebounded somewhat from that worst experience we all had, last year.

*IF* TRX could provide me points 1) through 4), I'd buy from it instead of CCH in an instant. I'd be extremely grateful to anyone who'd affirm that TRX's provision of individual (domestic & foreign), partnership, C- & S-corporation, fiduciary, non-profit, gift, payroll & sales-tax returns equals CCH/ATX's offering.

Very truly yours, TaxCPANY

Hi Eli,

I *still* rely upon Visioneer PaperPort v.6 to "manage documents," ever since I went paperless in 2005 -- even though I've been TTO since before then. The 'beauty' of this app is it can produce graphic-files in a rather huge variety of formats.

In my case, I turn everything into TIF files -- as Windows Office 2003's "basic" package includes the 'reader' necessary to access TIF files -- that also are *much* smaller than pdf's. (Caveat: clients using Linux and Apple OS have a problem with TIF files -- but not with pdf's.)

1) The biggest problem with any particular vendor's doc-mgr app is its *proprietary* software -- e.g., what happens if that vendor disappears? I'm confident in 'betting the farm' that Microsoft & Adobe will be around forever-enough for Statute-of-Limitations concerns.

2) The basic architecture of Windows Explorer's "folders" affords more than enough structure for me to save client's files/documents in 'places' I not only hardly can forget, but also have the native Windows "Search" function to find -- when & if I have (and, indeed, have done).

So, overall, I advise you to pay nothing to get ATX Document Manager. If you have at least Adobe Acrobat v.6 and Visioneer PaperPort of the same vintage -- and are 'comfortable' with arranging your information in conformity with Windows' "folders" scheme, you really need not transmogrify your practice to become paperless -- and happily so.

Very truly yours, TaxCPANY

Anyone using this program? Has it been helpful in your office?

Thanks!

Eli

I've been on-hold for over an hour, right now. TaxCPANY

Two days ago, average phone que time was 90 minutes. Hopefully that has gone down a bit.

David, I scanned my signature, created a *.bmp file of it; Adobe Acrobat (version 6) 'captured' that as my "digital signature," which I've been applying to all returns for a couple of years. No authority ever has rejected one.

I.e., I can suggest only this workaround, that, as you were in the custom of emailing returns to clients, implies you've got the means to create PDFs. Hope this helps, TaxCPANY

I have never e-filed 941s before. But now that we are required to manually sign the 941s, I'm thinking of e-filing them.

Usually, I email the 941 to my client for them to print, sign and mail. It appears that I can no longer do that since the form has to have my manual signature.

The only solution is to mail the form to the client. Has anyone figured out a better way to handle this?

It seems as though e-filing 941s isn't as simple as e-filing 1099s and other forms. If I understand correctly, I have to apply for a PIn for each client and apply for a PIN for me and it takes 7 - 10 days to get approval from the IRS. By that time, the forms will be late.

Is there an easier way to get set up to e-file 941s without having to get each client to apply for a PIN?

Thanks for your help.

Those're New York C- and S-corporation returns, KC. TaxCPANY

No one has any info beyond what is available to all at the MyATX site. There you can look for the expected release date for any form. Go to MyATX home page, look on the left side, click on 'find a form', and then look for your form.

What is that form anyway? I could not find it listed on the CT tax site?