Polls - what software will you use in 2014, what most influenced your decision

[Jack from Ohio]

I'm picking myself up off the floor, not because of your statement of dependability, but because your firm (and you?) decided to make the switch.

I think you'll find that your preparers will pick up on the input screens rather quickly, and the little tricks and nuances will come easily enough. Those should seem a very minor inconvenience compared to all of the workarounds that using ATX entailed this past season. I hope your conversion goes well!

We cannot take the chance of another 2012. Converting and checking 3,000 returns will start just as soon as the conversion program is released. We will probably have 300+ man hours in verification before season gets started. The cost of conversion is small compared to the lost revenue and customer confidence from 2012.

[jklcpa]

Yes, those hours do sound about right when comparing it to the time I spent. I checked everything that converted on every return. Have you considered converting some of the extension returns over and preparing those using 2012 Drake program?

[Jack from Ohio]

Yes, those hours do sound about right when comparing it to the time I spent. I checked everything that converted on every return. Have you considered converting some of the extension returns over and preparing those using 2012 Drake program?

We are currently up to date on all extended returns. 6 weeks later than previous years, but current. I told many of the extenders that the date was Aug. 15. It worked!!!

[Guest Taxed]

Yes, those hours do sound about right when comparing it to the time I spent. I checked everything that converted on every return. Have you considered converting some of the extension returns over and preparing those using 2012 Drake program?

I contacted Drake about the 2012 tax year conversion programs and they are estimating sometime in October.

If you download the conversion program from their support site now, it is the 2011 tax year program.

[Randall]

I attended a Drake seminar, got the 2012 demo. I have since purchased 2013. I am still considering renewing ATX and having both programs for the coming year. I just don't have the time to get into it right now. I plan to finish up 2012 and make a decision on ATX after Oct 15 but I think I'm going to go with both and have time to learn Drake and see if ATX is improved and make a comparison over time. I hate to spend the extra money but I think it might be worth it in the long run. I'm just a one person office so I don't have staff and workstations to consider.

[Guest Taxed]

Does the ATX renewal price go up if you renew in January of 2014?

[taxxcpa]

I wish there was an undecided button. I might not chime in on this one until November or so.

Maybe there should be a repeat of this poll in November. Some of us may change our minds between now and then. Others who are presently undecided might reach a decision by then.

[Jack from Ohio]

I attended a Drake seminar, got the 2012 demo. I have since purchased 2013. I am still considering renewing ATX and having both programs for the coming year. I just don't have the time to get into it right now. I plan to finish up 2012 and make a decision on ATX after Oct 15 but I think I'm going to go with both and have time to learn Drake and see if ATX is improved and make a comparison over time. I hate to spend the extra money but I think it might be worth it in the long run. I'm just a one person office so I don't have staff and workstations to consider.

Wait till those of us on the Beta Testing squad have given it the once over. I intend to beat it relentlessly with the most difficult returns and scenarios I have. Told Keri that too. "You want me on the Beta test squad, I want fully working version of what you have and don't expect me to pull any punches about problems I find..

We are still switching to Drake.

[JohnH]

I'm looking forward to the results of the Beta testing as well. Drake is now my primary vendor and I expect them to continue to be so until I retire. But I don't take anything for granted and even in my small practice I think it's important to have a backup plan. I'd like to have ATX as my backup vendor since I'm already familiar with it. Much better to have a familiar company as your backup vendor than one you have to learn all over again.

[Guest Taxed]

John H says, "Now that you've switched to Drake, have you identified your backup vendor?"

Jack from Ohio replies, " I am the backup vendor."

John H is absolutely right we all need to have a backup tax prep software in case our primary tax prep software fails to deliver for some reason. Last year I learned my lesson. I will have intuit pay per return as my backup next season.

[Randall]

Yes, I'm becoming more of a believer on the backup plan. That's why I've been considering renewing with ATX even with purchasing Drake. Also, I think the additional local forms, and payroll and intelliconnect. I would have to purchase a couple of other programs, forms and tax research (Parker) or something like that to go along with Drake and I think that would be at least 50% of my extra cost anyway.

[Guest Taxed]

Randall how much will it cost you to renew ATX in January 2014?

[Randall]

Taxed: Not sure. It was under $1800 last year for the full package and early renewal. I'm hoping they'll offer some discounts later in the year for people to stay loyal. Not sure how much the fallout has hurt them. I recently received an offer to renew with a delayed payment but no discount. I'm not planning to make a decision until after Oct 15.

[jainen]

I marked "other" as my reason because I work in an accounting firm and do not have a choice. Maybe I should have marked "ease of use," because it was way too hard to work on my own. I gave that up a few years ago.

[Guest Taxed]

Taxed: Not sure. It was under $1800 last year for the full package and early renewal. I'm hoping they'll offer some discounts later in the year for people to stay loyal. Not sure how much the fallout has hurt them. I recently received an offer to renew with a delayed payment but no discount. I'm not planning to make a decision until after Oct 15.

For what ATX did to you guys, I would not pay $1800 to renew. When the rep calls to sign you up, you should start with a 50% discount and see how it goes?

BTW if you already purchased Drake, you will not spend $1800 for Tax Research. You could get TTB or Parker for much less than that.

[Randall]

Taxed: I said it might be 50% of the extra cost. Not sure what Parker cost but I think I would have to add another app for a forms package to cover things ATX has but Drake doesn't have. Not sure if that would add up to $900 or not. Then there's the familiarity I have with ATX. An early look at Drake tells me it's going to be a learning process. Then there's the concern (as discussed) with having a backup program. So if I'm going to spend another $900 anyway, I would view the other $900 worth it for the intangibles. Having both programs for the upcoming season gives me more time to see if ATX improves, learn Drake, compare the two. It's one thing to read others' post about a program and another thing to start using it yourself. So I don't look at it as spending an extra $1800 but maybe only an extra $900 (or maybe a little more).

More and more people are commenting on having a backup program. This is making more sense to me with the tax laws changing so much and the program companies trying to keep up, buying and merging, cutting corners with their costs or their programming. We saw the results with ATX. I heard TaxWise was worse than ATX last year. There have been comments on the higher end programs too. Lacerte, ProSeries. I don't know the specifics. But their pricing is way too high for me. Even with both ATX and Drake, the cost is much lower than the high end programs.

[Guest Taxed]

Parker Research is $267 right now and Tax Books Weblibrary Plus is $235 (plus you get additional discount if you are a Drake user).

I agree we need to have a backup tax prep option in case our primary tax software fails to deliver.

[mcb39]

There is always FREE FILE; both federal and state. Believe me, if you want to exercise your brain, go there. I've used it a couple of times over the years when the state module wasn't ready through ATX. How any self-preparer gets his return done correctly using online filing is beyond me and certainly makes him smarter than I am. This is only to be used if you want a backup to a backup. IMO

[Guest Taxed]

There is always FREE FILE; both federal and state. Believe me, if you want to exercise your brain, go there. I've used it a couple of times over the years when the state module wasn't ready through ATX. How any self-preparer gets his return done correctly using online filing is beyond me and certainly makes him smarter than I am. This is only to be used if you want a backup to a backup. IMO

I thought there is a AGI limitation (57,000). Beyond that it is not available.

Also how did you enter your PTIN or was it filed as self prepared.

Every tax season I end up doing a couple of low fee or free returns for children of my clients who get hungup on that Free File programs. They call me asking me to hand hold their kids through that program. My answer NO. But I will prepare their return if they will bring be all the documents.

[mcb39]

First of all, my post was tongue in cheek (sort of). Of course, there are limitations. But you also reminded me of another freebie. I do all kids of clients free while they are in school. This is for a couple of reasons; Continuity, so the student doesn't go online and claim himself and mess up the parents return; Next, a free child now becomes a potential client once they start working. I have been at this long enough to see it happen. Clients that started out with me with young children are now retired and those young children are now married with families of their own. Where do they go to have their tax returns prepared? You guessed it! (most of the time)

If a student comes in and asks me to do their friend's return and the friend is not a client of mine, there is a very small fee!

[ILLMAS]

$1800, is that going to be cost of ATX for 2013?

[Guest Taxed]

$1800, is that going to be cost of ATX for 2013?

The list price of the 2013 version is on their website http://atxinc.com/PDF/compare_grid.pdf

The Max package is $1248 and the Total Tax Office is $1779

You can look at the chart to see the differences in functionality and additional modules.

[Jack from Ohio]

Max is $1,248. This package includes up to three preparers. Unlimited preparers license is $624.

[Margaret CPA in OH]

I just renewed today with a 20% discount at $995. This was after 'the best I could do' by my rep in April of 10%. I had very few problems compared to others, though. My biggest gripe was the extremely slow response time with moving between data fields and opening the program. I learned to cope by having lots of things ongoing simultaneously. We'll see what happens. I did tell the rep that ATX will likely lose virtually all customers if there isn't a dramatic turnaround this year. He said they are keenly aware of that.

[Guest Taxed]

Last December CCH offered their Taxwise Power package at $995 with a three year price lock.

They should have offered you a price lock to retain you for 3 yrs.