ReadingEA

Yup - I didn't stick around this season to find out something I already knew. Shame - I was with ATX for 12 years. Should have bounced long ago. Suppose I just needed a push like this.

2:18 - this is the time it takes me to open a return (that's already been rolled over and completed mind you) to recreate the Efile for Education Credits, close the return then transmit it. WOW! Anyone who thinks this is acceptable this far into the tax season either has too much time on their hands or is an ATX sales rep. So glad I switched to ProSeries. Just tyring to get these last 20 or so returns that I did with ATX before I jumped ship off my desk. Looking forward to moving on with my life without CCH/ATX. I'm letting American Express deal with CCH and their faulty merchandise from here on out.

Just wanted to share this: "The enhancements we've added to ATX 2012 make tax preparation as simple and stress-free as possible, and that's a testament to a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people who took the time to listen to what tax professionals said they needed and then turned those comments into the software enhancements in ATX 2012." KENNESAW, GA – August 28, 2012 by Jeff Gramlich, President of CCH Small Firm Services.

I switched to ProSeries Jan 31st. Scary but glad I did! I wouln't get caught up in their verbiage about "simple" returns. The software does everything for 1040s. I'm at the point where I'm am faster now with ProSeries than I was with ATX. There is virtually no lag when clicking something, saving, printing, or opening/closing returns. It's quite easy to use also once you catch on to the format. I particularly like how it error checks as you go rather than one final error check with ATx thats like rolling the dice. I got the Professional package (I forget which one) - cost about $1400 including the network module. Does everyting and more than my $2000+ program at ATX. Funny how it ended up being cheaper than ATX! Price is important to me but not my top priority. I didn't want to trust my livilihood to a no-name or startup company with no history (see TRX posts).

Like I said, I feel your pain with TRX having had my own stuggles with ATX. I've jumped ship on ATX and joined ProSeries (already refunded by ATX). The point I'm trying to make is that if you are serious about this business, you should be serious about investing in the tools of your trade.

I spend more than that on paper in a tax season.

Don't mean to pour salt in the wound here guys because I really do feel your pain, but you spend $339.94 on "professional" tax software and you're "shocked" it doesn't work? Really?? I'm having my own struggles with ATX (which, by the way, avoid at all costs as a replacement to TRX) but honestly, you get what you pay for.

I switched over Monday to ProSeries. It's not like a swtich that you just throw though and stop using ATX all together. I have some preparers (I have 5) who are still trying to struggle along with ATX until the conversion data comes back from ProSeries so that we can do rollovers (they call them "transfers" with Proseries). We do about half of our total volume with the client in front of us and the other half as drop offs. For the more complicated returns, some of my preparers are using ATX; they just start the rollover and opening process 20 minutes before the client is expected and pray for the best. It takes them the full hour usually to complete the return (last year is took maybe 45 mins tops). So we are in a "hybrid" phase I suppose but it sure beats waiting for ATX's next miracle fix. I had to give my preparers some hope! I personally, and 1 other preparer have been using ProSeries exculisively since we got it. Yes, I was scared! But that was Monday and I can honestly say that by today (Thursday) I can fly through a return atleast as quickly as last years ATX version. I really enjoy some of the features especially not having to recreate the e-file after every click of the mouse! It's funny how we are scared of change - I've been with ATX since Saber 2002 and dreaded having to retrain and relearn a new system but finally made the plunge out of necessity and am glad I did. I just had to remind myself that its me who prepares the taxes not my software. The software is simply a tool - I'm the expert.

The "conversion process" at Proseries involves uploading exported versions of your 2011 client files (the .atx ones) into their processing system. They are converted into 2011 Proseries returns and you download them to the 2011 ProSeries program (which is given to you with your purchase of 2012). You can then "roll over" (ProSeries calls it "transfer") the data to 2012 Proseries program.

I would be interested to see how the "millions" of returns that ATX has processed so far this year compares to last year at this time using 2011 software? Can you say Damage Control??

How can the execs at ATX be honest and professional if they sold faulty merchandise to loyal customers? The most insulting part is that they continue to drag their customers along with the promise of the next miraculous "update" that will fix everyone's problems; hoping to keep their customers just long enough this season so that they can't or won't be willing to leave ATX this year. My advice to everyone - move on! Change vendors and try to salvage what you can from this season. You would be amazed how quickly you can learn a new system when you have no other choice. You are what makes your buisness valuable, not the software that you use. I made the switch to ProSeries on Monday, and yes, the interface is different and I was scared, but it only took 2-3 returns to really get comfortable. I continue to get more comfortable using it, and each day I find features that are pleasantly different than ATX. My conversion of 1600 clients will take 5-7 business days, but, at this point, I'm only doing simple w-2 type returns because most clients don't have all their forms yet so reinputting info such as name and date of birth is no big deal. As for ATX, I have contacted American Express directly to contest the charge for this faulty merchandise. Best of luck everyone!

Nice try CCH. Keep the spin machine turning. Tell everyone again how lucky they are to have such great "new" products to help make their lives easier.

That's the way I did it this morning at about 8am. Update crashes otherwise. Again - very little improvement over 12.5. Even after disabling all anti virus thinking that was the problem. Rollovers take 5-7 minutes; creating E-files takes 2-3 minutes. Just clicking the state box to include in efile is "delayed." I click the box and about 15 seconds later the check mark appears. Delays and crashes make it almost impossible to prepare returns in front of clients. My "network" module is pretty much useless. All my other preparers either get stuck on the splash screen or the program freezes then crashes. I've already made arrangements with another software provider but CCH still needs to answer for what it's done to so may tax professionals this season.

Disabled on all machines - no better even after 12.6.

Can't get anything done even after 12.6 update! Program is super slow on server and non-fuctional on network workstations. Freeze...Crash...Restart all day long.