Gail in Virginia

I am not yet ready to give up on ATX. Our problems have not been as severe as some, despite running on a network. I really don't like change. We used Drake a few years ago, and while their customer service was excellent I prefer the forms based software of ATX. I did get an interesting email offering $300 off this week only on Pro Series, But I really like ATX usually.

We usually only roll over when we are ready to do the return. So far, we have rolled over 7 returns - a test return, 3 very simple 1040's, 3 1120S returns, and 1 - 1120. Of those, only the 1120 is giving us problems and can't be opened. We are in a networked environment - in fact we just replaced our server this past summer. From the sound of things, we got lucky! But I don't know how much trouble we will have as we go forward, and the program is still incredibly slow!

From something that KC posted on another thread, ATX might not have had a choice on this. If the IRS tells them that they cannot let users edit the forms they don't have any choice in the matter if they want their software approved for e-filing. And how useless would tax software not approved for e-filing be?

So far, the only return that I have rolled over that I cannot open is an 1120. I get the same error message APF mentioned on that return and it will not open. I am waiting to see what happens, but I feel like I will be on line with tech support over that return. I have had that error message in previous years for an occasional return, but usually opening and closing it in the prior year program solves the issue. This time it did not. I have not printed any returns yet.

I would have thought that to qualify as step-children for any purpose there would have to be a legal relationship, such as marriage. But who knows? Anymore you can't even be sure of the definition of marriage....

Personally, I prefer doing payrolls and corporate/business returns. I feel like this is an area that challenges my knowledge and requires more of me than doing plain W-2/standard deduction tax returns. Just as a matter of principle, I don't think our tax code should be so complex that the average taxpayer needs to add insult to injury by having to pay someone to do their taxes. That being said, I do the plain tax returns if requested because some people find that their time is more valuable doing something else, or because anything that says IRS gives them the shakes, or they are illiterate (yes, occasionally) or they just don't want to do it. It is not my decision to make for them. But I hope that I bring some value to every client.

As far as the signature goes, if you don't have a stylus, use the pad of your finger (not your fingernail!) just like you would do anything else on a touch-screen device.

The rollover dog is gone also. I am sad.

I have not tried using it, but the 2012 program now has an option under Reports to allow you to print or export a client list. I don't rollover returns until I am ready to do them, so I really won't find this that helpful for a while. But it does seem to be there.

I got the 1040 Express Answers yesterday I think. I know it is here, and I think it was the last of the three to come. We go in for overkill and get QuickFinders, Tax Book and Express Answers. We also got our Master Tax Guide several weeks ago.

I have never had this problem to the extent that you are talking about, but I have occasionally had a return that acted this way. Because it was occasional, I always just opened the return and closed it in the prior year, and then attempted the rollover again. This is not unique to this year's program, so I don't know how easy it will be for ATX to fix it.

Personally, I think it is time for them all to grow up. None of them really seem interested in doing the job they were elected to do - lead and govern.

That is a bit further west than I am located. But if you come back to Virginia again, let me know and perhaps we can get together somehow!

Happy New Year!

I have not looked yet, but since there is now a separate module for payroll forms, could that have anything to do with your missing rollover items?

JohnH, I have a cousin in India doing a year-long service project teaching women to make a living sewing and working with textiles (or something like that). Not sure what part of India, though. Lion, I live in Virginia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Curious what part of Virginia you were in this summer.

I wasn't thinking about how they were sorted but how they are entered. Years ago, on TaxWise, when I entered the EIN on a W-2 (for example) if I had already used that EIN the rest of the information populated as soon as I entered the EIN. Likewise, once I entered a zip code, the city/state information populated. Saved a lot of typing and I did not have to look at a payer manager to see if the information was there.

Elrod, I think you are deducting your investment and depreciation twice. It would be 8025/3000=2.68 - .56=2.12 taxable income. No cheating on hypothetical scenarios!

Cathy, I can't say about 2012 but I know that the 2011 program computed the correct wages for SS and medicare if you had the W-2 set to calculate automatically, once you input the adjusting item with its correct code. For example, if you put $10,000 in box 1 for wages, and then entered $2,000 in box 12 with code D, the program calculates the box 3 and 5 amounts as $12,000 and computes the amount that should have been withheld based on the adjusted numbers. I agree about the state i d numbers though. And I wish that if you enter the employer identification number and it matches a payer in the payer manager that it would populate that information automatically.

I am in Southwest Virginia between Roanoke and Martinsville - actually in Franklin County where the movie Lawless was set.

Usually when I close and reopen a return, or when I run the diagnostics, if a required form is missing ATX will add it. I have in the past used TaxWise and Drake before going to ATX, and of the three I prefer ATX. Drake has great customer support but for me the interface was not what I wanted. To actually see the tax forms I had completed required going from the input screen to the tax form screen and I like to see the actual tax return information on the actual forms as I enter it. TaxWise had some good points, but ATX provides more forms for the same money, and in the past has provided some payroll oriented forms that other tax programs did not. I don't know how to really compare diagnostics because in our office we don't rely on the program diagnostics. Good luck with whatever program you chose!

This was previously discussed on this forum, and some reference links were posted that you might find helpful. I tried to post a link, but every time that I clicked the button to add a link, the forum grayed out and I could not post. If you can't paste the above link and get to the previous discussion, just search for "student loan disability" and this thread and the previous discussion should be the only ones that come up.

One of the reasons that I have stuck with ATX through some of the recent issues has been the payroll forms as part of the program. If I can just buy the payroll program, then I am free to use any tax software I like.....

Please let us know when the surgery is scheduled so we can be sending prayers for you and your doctors especially that day! You mean a lot to us on this forum.

Be strong, KC. You are in my prayers.