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I wear out my my WinKey: E - Explorer R - Run I - Settings D or M - Desktop (Minimize) 1..0 - Pinned Apps S or F- Search L -Lock screen C - Charms

The start "screen" was just a full screen menu. Win 10 has the same concept they just made it not full screen.

It was hidden until you pointed to the upper right corner... or you could just press the start button (WinKey) on your keyboard.

All versions of windows have a start button and a menu. And they work better than the old menus, anyway. Change is hard but inevitable. And in this case it's for the better.

Yes, but the date will still be wrong on the letter and anywhere else it appears. And, for me, it's easier to remember to check the box.

If you check the Complete box in the Return Manager when you complete a return, ATX will remember that date and use it whenever that box is checked. This is true even if you uncheck the box, make some changes and save the return. We often update our notes for death, divorce, marriage, births, address changes, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. during the year, after the return is done. So we have to uncheck the complete box to save our changes, but as long as we recheck the complete box, the original complete date will be correct. It's rare that we have to reprint a return, but it comes in handy when we do.

Sounds like box 1 wages to me: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-seps-compensation

I wouldn't be concerned because of all the options for having a late election accepted. I haven't seen an S acceptance letter in awhile, come to think of it. I attached a 2553 to a first year S corp for 2015 because I wasn't sure the 2553 had been accepted and got a letter back saying that I didn't need to attach the 2553 because it had been accepted already. This shouldn't be so hard.

The learning curve from 8.1 to 10 is a lot less steep. BHoffman's issue was MS killed Windows Mail so she had to switch to Outlook. I've been using Thunderbird for a very long time because I hate most Microsoft software and you never know when they're going to kill off their software.

I use box 1 wages as well, even if it includes health insurance premiums. It's all compensation.

Thanks. Let's hope the IRS has made some progress on this issue.

http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2013/feb/20126773.html

I work in the Detail screens a lot and disable the automatic calculations on Detail sheets (Preferences, Open Return) But please turn Automatic backup back on. It is not slowing down you're input and you do not want to be without it. Call tech support because I have zero lag on input and tab switching. Also, bring up Task Manager in windows and see if you can spot the problem.

Client owed 1,000 with 2015 1040, including a 400 SRP. Because client paid late, they got a balance due notice, but it was only for 600. Then they got a separate notice saying they owe a 400 SRP. Checked IRS account transcript and it shows overpaid by 400. It has the tax amount exactly as it showed on the return, but no SRP. Has anyone pulled an account transcript that does show the SRP? I'm hoping they send him a 400 refund so we can attach it to the SRP notice that says he owes 400, and mail it back to them.

It really is, unfortunately, down to just those two, maybe three if you count TaxWise. I remember when we had many more viable options, but there's been a lot of consolidation.

Been meaning to share this for awhile. I downloaded AutoHotkey and with a lot of help from the internet, was able to create a useful (to me anyway) set of scripts (attached). The auto-execution section is just something I was told is good form. I have no idea what it does. The volume controls section turns your Scroll Lock and Pause keys into volume up and volume down. Ctrl+Print Screen = mute. (I can never remember that one!) CapsLock delay prevents accidentally pressing CapsLock. You have to press CapsLock twice in less than half a second to toggle it on or off. The CapsLock Smart Shift is the main reason I downloaded AutoHotkey. iT pREVENTS tYPING lIKE tHIS. I work in all caps in ATX and when I need to write an email (or post here) I want to work in mixed case. If CapsLock is on and you press Shift and any letter key, it turns CapsLock off and types the capital letter you wanted. I know my script is inelegant, brute force programming, but it works, and that's all that matters to me. The last section is all my keystroke saving scripts. I chose the equal sign (=) as my trigger key. So if I type irs= I get Internal Revenue Service. no= November, sa= Saturday, ssn= Social Security number, etc. Anything I type frequently goes here. You can add whatever you need here. My favorite one that we use the heck out of in ATX on form 8949, is V= (It's capital V because I work in Caps in ATX). It types VARIOUS in the purchase date column and 123115 in the sold date column and moves me to the next column. It works anywhere you encounter those two columns. I say 'column' because I work in the Detail screen only. IMPORTANT: Put a shortcut to the AutoHotkey program in your Startup folder so it will start with windows. ("C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"). I keep a shortcut to the Startup folder on my desktop for programs that don't have that option. Then save the file below to My Documents (not in any subfolder). Happy scripting! And don't say I never gave you anything! AutoHotkey.ahk

Backups are instantaneous in ATX. You must be referring to exporting, which takes awhile. My backup of ATX backups (& data) happens in the background. ATX takes 6 seconds to start, which doesn't slow me down at all. I write macros (scripts) in AutoHotkey which I use in windows and many other programs on my computer, as well as ATX. (I've been meaning to post my AutoHotkey script in case anyone is interested.) To each his or her own. I'm glad we all have the choice of several different tax programs.

Are we gonna throw down?

The question of ATX vs Drake would be best answered by downloading 2015 version for both and seeing which one suits your work style best, which one would take you less time to do a tax return. ATX has PaperlessPlus FC software, but, as you learned, these FC softwares often store pdfs in a manner that requires you to have their software to access. For that reason, and because I'm cheap, we have always just manually created folders for clients tax returns, records and other documents. We are almost entirely paperless now and we can easily access the pdfs without the need for any software, probably faster too.

Per ATX, " the Auto-Save feature is not activated until you save the open return manually ". Although when I tested it, I did not manually save first and it still worked.

Forgot to mention that the prior accountants for the partnership never recorded their changes in the client's data file, so their books are incomplete. Let's hope they don't get audited for any of those years. I always record the changes in the client's books and give them a pdf of the GL along with the tax return. I think it's my job to make sure the client's books are complete and accurate.

Yesterday, I got a final short year 1065 from a respected larger local firm. First thing I noticed was no dates for the short year. They took entire year of depreciation. Today I get a 1040 faxed and the preparer proudly proclaimed on the cover sheet that they took no depreciation on the rental in 2014 because taxpayer might be selling. AND they didn't back out any amount for land. I appreciate the extra work and the chance to showcase my admittedly limited competence in tax law, but these are fairly basic issues.

Auto-backup and auto-save are two completely different things. I've never heard anyone say that their auto-backup does not work.

The automatic backup works fine. The auto-save doesn't work for some people. It works fine for me but I choose not to use it. I think a lot of programs take up more and more hard drive space. It seems whenever larger drives become available, programmers take advantage of it.

It's effective today, but as far as I can tell, it's not functioning yet. I like that it will save the $300 annual filing fee for personal property. http://www.dllr.state.md.us/retsecurity/