Search the Community

Former Carbonite user here. Carbonite is inappropriate for tax preparers and bookkeeper, or anyone who frequently updates files. (I won't bore you with the detail unless you ask.) I switched from Carbonite to CrashPlanPro when I switched to ATX because I called Carbonite when I saw I couldn't backup my ATX files. ATX made a poor decision to store the database AND the backup files in a hidden system folder. This year I finally moved my ATX backup files location to another folder. A tech at Spider Oak told me that it's a waste of time to backup a database using a remote backup program like these, because of the way these backups work. He said the database is often unusable when restored. So backing up the ATX backups is the most important thing to do. I've considered doing disk imaging for backups because of the time it would save using an image in the event of complete drive failure. You wouldn't have to reinstall and configure all of your software, including windows. Anyway, to answer the initial question, your files are stored here: C:\ProgramData\CCH Small Firm Services\ATX 2017 Server

When trying to open the 2017 software, I am getting a Server Progress pop up box with the following database server error message: Could not listen to port. Prior status was "Claiming Port'. Does anybody know how to fix this issue? I had a customer service agent help me with it earlier in the week and now the issue has returned. Please help!

Do you have the EIN letter? Are you sure the name is entered correctly? If the EIN simply isn't in the IRS database, you won't be able to efile. You could pull a transcript to see if the W2 is posted, then use the EIN and name listed.

It is indeed ridiculous to hear of so many states requiring proof of state tax withholding, even when the state itself is doing the withholding. Lazy and unaccountable. We are spared this misery in TN where there is no such income tax. So we don't have to deal with state idiots, right? Wrong. Just talked to guy at the state, who asked me to file an amended return for a business tax just because the state changed their database. Rita, let's welcome people to our intelligent state where everyone is smart, lives in fashionable houses, has honest politicians and well-manicured lawns.

Make sure you check the box for copies of notices. But also be aware that they only get THAT right about half the time. They do keep a central database. I have no idea how current it is, or how easy it is for agents to access it.

I get the feeling they don't have a central database of POAs they can easily look up. I'll attach a copy to the amended return. I just want to get a copy of any notices/letters.

ATX has a drop down at the top for donees, but only if the client had an 8283 last year. We keep suggesting a payer database for this form along with 2441 and colleges on 1098-T. Maybe one day!

I'd believe they have access to the HRB "Tax Cut" program database - but not Intuit's. Maybe the kid did his return on Tax Cut instead of Ttx?

Could it possibly be that H&R Block has access to TurboTax and that is how they know that he claimed himself? Maybe a shared database?

Another way is to right click on the client's name from the personal client manager and then click on search EF database. I find this a bit quicker to do.

cbslee, if your question is a more general one about the acks and error codes - In addition to Catherine's instruction, another way to find the information again for any return is to use the EF menu and choose "Search EF database". From there you can find the acks, the ack code, and any error codes by searching for the return by name or EIN. Clicking on the error code or message usually brings up more information or takes the user to the spot requiring the correction, iirc. Also contained at the right in that EF search box is a button to click that will take you to Drake's online database that is part of the support site. Clicking that will bring up the log in screen, and from there you would have access. Still not sure exactly what else you need, there is a KB that may be helpful to you. It's # 10783, if this link doesn't take you to it.

I called IRS PPL this morning to work on a client representation issue. I filed the POA with the CAF unit in 2012. I have been working with this client for years, and had multiple contacts with the IRS on their account. In 2015, we got an installment agreement. This week, the IRS sent a notice that they need a new 433-F, and they need it in 10 days (of course they do!). So I call PPL to ask for an extension because my client is recovering from major surgery. They don't have my POA on file. Literally, I have had at least 15 contacts with the IRS on this client and they all could see my POA when I called. Until today. So I send an e-fax with the POA's, and of course, e-fax comes back with an unsuccessful transmission due to line busy after 15 minutes on the line. IRS said call back when your fax machine works. Sucks to be me today. This is the third client that I have had to re-send my POA over for, and all of them are clients that I sent in the forms to the CAF unit. I don't understand why my POA's are disappearing from the database. This happening to anyone else? Tom Modesto, CA

You said yourself that long passwords can make password hacking reasonably hard, and encryption makes internet sniffing a bit tougher. Google/Microsoft/Amazon/Apple don't expend that additional processing power encrypting all of their site traffic for the heck of it. Taking long passwords as an example, every time some website or service is hacked and a huge collection of email addresses, usernames, and passwords is liberated from their servers, almost half of them are very quickly cracked because they're weak. It's often not worth the time required to brute force the remaining passwords. That's what I mean by low hanging fruit. I mean, I have a database (stored locally) of my hundreds of passwords. I can't imagine why I would store that information in plain text when it's trivial to add a significant layer of protection by encrypting the whole database. Sure it's relatively safe on my network, but sometimes happens, you know? EDIT: Speaking of poop happening, sorry about the site going wonky for a while this morning. There were some issues that may have been brought about by my host patching the server against meltdown and spectre late last night or early this morning.

You can't 'save' the return to a thumb drive unless the entire database is on the thumb drive. If you have your backup location set to the thumb drive, you can close the return and ATX will automatically create a backup to the thumb drive. That's why I reacted confused to your post.

I usually use the property tax bill (supposed to be on all bills, hollow laugh) or property card record from the online assessor's database (almost always has the info). If I still can't find it, I call the town assessor's office. They have all the splits between land and building values.

I agree with cbslee and that we should continue with our usual abundance of caution. I don't know why the articles I read said that MS had released and emergency patch today, because the updates that I received late this afternoon were for ancillary programs and the usual database updates for my AV software.

Did you see that yahoo just announced that several years ago when their email database was hacked that every customers information was exposed which is 3 times the number that they had previously admitted to ! IT security experts are now saying that with hackers getting more aggressive and sophisticated that this situation is only going to continue to get worse !

I read an IRS notice today (sorry, the link is on my work computer so I can't share it now) telling us the changes to expect in eservices later this month. We now have to register through something like "Secure Access." Yes, even those of us who went through the other registration they demanded not long ago. If it wasn't through the secure system we have to do it all over. And yes, the notice stated if our credit report at Equifax is frozen, we will have to unfreeze it. Apparently the questions they ask so we can prove who we are come from Equifax's database (e.g., how much your mortgage is or where you lived 100 years ago). Talk about infuriating! To date Equifax has not notified anyone whose data were stolen. (Website is useless, so take heart NECPA, maybe you weren't all hacked after all.) And there is no word on exactly what info was taken. It "may" have been birthdates and SS#s, but was it also our mortgage payments and where we lived 100 years ago and all the rest of the history Equifax keeps on us? If the hackers have that, they can save us all the trouble of having to swim through the hoops IRS is imposing to access eservices and just do it for us. IT people are still in a state of shock that the company didn't notice 143 million files were transferred from their servers over a month or two. That amount of increased traffic should have raised multiple red flags. Maybe their IT music major guru did notice and just added server capacity.

Perhaps this should be a separate topic ? The SEC announced today that they recently discovered that their database containing sensitive corporate information which could have used to generate insider trading profits was hacked back in 2016. So here we all are being bounced around like ping pong balls in a game we can't see by unknown players waiting for our number to come up like a reverse lottery. Any thoughts that we as individuals have control are sadly probably delusional .

According to this article, Equifax knew about the software flaw, but also knew that there was a software patch available well before the hack started and did nothing. Equifax is not only greedy, it is stupid and incompetent and doesn't care that identity theft cost Americans 16 Billion Dollars last year ! The CEO and other officials should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law ! NEW YORK (AP) -- Credit agency Equifax traced the theft of sensitive information about 143 million Americans to a software flaw that could have been fixed well before the burglary occurred, further undermining its credibility as the guardian of personal data that can easily be used for identity theft. Equifax identified a weakness in an open-source software package called Apache Struts as the technological crack that allowed hackers to heist Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and full legal names from a massive database maintained primarily for lenders. SECURITY FOR DUMMIES The patch was released shortly afterward. Equifax said the database intrusion began in May and continued until July. Security experts said Equifax had more than enough opportunity to block intruders by sealing the security hole. "There is no excuse for not following basic cybersecurity hygiene," said Nate Fick, CEO of the security firm Endgame. "Some heads should definitely roll for this; it's only a question of how many." The company didn't respond to inquiries on Thursday

Lion, you are right--a freeze did no good because the hackers went in behind the scenes and accessed our data. Only legitimate inquirers like mortgage lenders and insurance companies were frozen out. To FDNY, that data is of immense value even with a credit freeze. Criminals can file tax returns for you, get a job under your SS#, get medical care under your name, open bank accounts with your data and launder money in them, etc. From what I've read, the Equifax website is not yet functional enough to let people know if they were victims. Most people are getting an offer of free credit monitoring. It's still unclear if the mandatory arbitration clause applies to Equifax or just to the credit monitoring company (which Equifax owns). I had credit monitoring a few years ago after another breach and did receive a call when I opened a new credit card. I confirmed that I opened it, but at that point it was already open and if thieves had done it they could have charged a lot before I got the call. I think monitoring offers a false sense of security. I was really upset that that it took less than 24 hours after the announcement for Lion's husband to get a scam email that undoubtedly would require him to enter personal info. I read a warning that people should beware phone scams supposedly from Equifax. I feel that we are all under attack. Now my rant: The credit reporting agencies collect all kinds of data on us, without our consent, and make money selling it to whomever pays for it. Those supposed breaches at the IRS IP PIN, transcript, and FAFSA apps were not breaches at all but thieves who had purchased credit reports and had enough info about the victim's prior addresses, loans, etc. (with additional personal info freely available on the internet and social media) to pass as the real person. If I don't want my credit history shared I have to PAY them to freeze it (and unfreeze it if I want to shop my auto insurance or refi). I am helpless to keep my financial info out of Equifax's database, have no control over whom they sell it to, and now it's gotten into the hands of criminals. This breach affected over half of the US adult population, so if you are a couple chances are at least one of you is involved. Thanks to Equifax, we will all have to looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. I will not join a class action but may sue them for $10m or more. GRRRRRRRR.

ATX programs have always been a major resource hog. When the ATX program is installed, it sets up 4 different database servers on both standalone and networked systems. IMHO the program starts and tries to access the servers before the servers have spun up which generates the error messages, which is just bad programming. Earlier this year when I would get this message, I would wait a minute and it would always start up on the second try. Since I have installed a SSD hard drive on my Win 7 Pro 64 bit system with 6 Gigs of Ram, this error has not happened. By the way, since I have installed the SSD, my system is ready to go from a cold boot in less than 1 Minute.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned tax professionals to beware of phishing emails purporting to be from a tax software education provider and seeking extensive amounts of sensitive preparer data. The email’s origin is unknown but likely issued by cybercriminals who could be operating from the U.S. or abroad. The email is unusual for the amount of sensitive preparer data that it seeks. This preparer information will enable the thieves to steal client data and file fraudulent tax returns. The IRS reminds all tax professionals that legitimate businesses and organizations never ask for usernames, passwords or sensitive data via email. Nor should a preparer ever provide such sensitive information via email if asked. All tax professionals should be aware that their e-Services credentials, the Electronic Filing Information Number (EFIN), the Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and their Centralized Authorization File (CAF) number are extremely valuable to identity thieves. Anyone handling taxpayer information has a legal obligation to protect that data. Because the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, acting in partnership as the Security Summit, are making inroads on individual tax-related identity theft, cybercriminals increasingly target tax professionals. Thieves are looking for real client data so they can better impersonate the taxpayer when filing fraudulent returns for refunds. The fake email uses the name of a real U.S.-based preparer education firm. Here’s the text as it appears in phishing emails being sent to tax professionals: In our database, there is a failure, we need your information about your account. In addition, we need a photo of the driver's license, send all the data to the letter. Please do it as soon as possible, this will help us to revive the account. *Company Name * *EServices Username * *EServices Password * *EServices Pin * *CAF number* *Answers to a secret question* *EIN Number * *Business Name *Owner/Principal Name * *Owner/Principal DOB * *Owner/Principal SSN * *Prior Years AGI Mother's Maiden Name If you received or fell victim to the scam email, forward a copy to [email protected]. If you disclosed any credential information, contact the e-Services Help Desk to reset your password

I had a reject of form 7004 last Aug when I filed it for a 5/31 C corp that had used that fiscal year since its incorporation in 1946! When I called in to the practitioner priority line, the rep told me that the IRS had updated one of its systems and that most of the companies having this issue were older companies that were missing an entity code in the IRS' database and making the system want to default to calendar year filing. I paper-filed the extension, and I do not recall how the client and I decided it had been resolved. The rep took down all of the information that she passed on to the IRS entity division for correction and said that it might take 30 days or more to correct. By the time we filed the return in mid-Nov, the e-filed form 1120 was accepted without any troubles at all. Here's that post with more details and a couple of other members that had similar troubles:

I can never pass those "public database" type questions. They have too much information that has to do with my ex (1987 divorce) and his second wife. I don't know what street they lived on in Syracuse or what bank gave them a mortgage in Philly or how many cards they have from Brooks Brothers. I always fail. Couldn't reactivate my e-Services account online or even by telephone but had to wait for codes to arrive in the mail. I don't get any W-2s or 1099s in my name/SSN except the one from my sharecroppers who always, every single year have a typo; a different typo each year, but a typo. And, IRS says my cell is not in my name, but AT&T says it is in my name so can't change it to my name. I can't prove I'm me, but some thief in Turkey or someplace can prove he's me!