rchinchilla Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 What features do you love about your tax software? What software do you use and what are the little or big features you love about their product? Not including tech support. For example I used ProSeries and I loved the stability. TaxWise on the other hand requires many work arounds. Is ATX the same way? Drake is very fast but the user interface is a little weak. What do you hate about your tax software Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 >>What features do you love about your tax software?<< I use ProSeries and I love all the money I give to Intuit every year--but there's an old proverb that when you truly love something you have to let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 jainen - Honestly, what do you like about ProSeries? Does the switching over to the state return to find out what the refund/balance is drive you crazy? What do you think of their worksheets? Do you ever use the "QuickZoom" feature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 I was with HRB. I've used ATX at Block and on my own. Last season I used ProSystem fx and absolutely love it. It's worth every penny. Although, to be honest, I received huge discounts as a small, start-up business. I renewed immediately but have mostly pay-per-return options for next season to get the entities and the states I need at the best price. I do love the support, even though you asked us not to mention that. I bought too late to get any training, so they had to talk me through a lot of tasks. They were extraordinarily helpful. I like the K-1s importing into the individual returns. And, I really love how simple it is to do kiddie tax. I like the choices about how to do things (even though the choices overwhelmed me my first year). I like how fast it prints. I like the diagnostics. I'm very happy with items carrying to other returns without me entering them twice. And, that includes multiple-state returns picking up the credit where needed (I have a lot of NY commuters living in CT). I thought Block's TPS was idiot proof, but ProSystem fx catches me when I'm going astray. :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 >>what do you like about ProSeries?<< I like the diagnostics. It's the only thing that means anything at all to me. I don't give a dang about the price or the entry screens or the speed of calculation. I just want to make sure everything is covered. I do three fourths of my work on Lacerte and I feel exactly the same about it. Diagnostics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 Jainen - What exactly about the diagnostics? The fact that it knows something is missing or the links that take you directly error? I used ProSeries before as well as Lacerte. I don't really remember anything SPECIAL about the diagnostics. I did catch all the missing entries but doesn't all software do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 Is HRB going to stay with TPS or are they going to use the TaxWorks product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 >>I did catch all the missing entries but doesn't all software do that? << Now I know you are joking! YOUR software didn't even catch all the spelling errors on your own web site. But that's really not the issue. It isn't the common goofs I worry about--it's the could-be's. The tax code can have a number of perfectly valid interpretations, depending on related matters and even rather subjective positions. That's where a good program can show its power, not in basic mathematics and database organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 Very good point. Regarding the spelling errors it wasn't software it was me. Care to send me the mistakes? You don't have to. Thanks, Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted December 25, 2008 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 This guy is worse than Betty Sue and Jerome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 WOW this forum has to be the toughest I have ever posted on. Incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 25, 2008 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 >>Care to send me the mistakes?<< I wouldn't take the trouble but for the lovely oxymoron of "develope and adhere to strict coding guidelines." If the website showcases your software skills, tax preparation is not your best choice. Hello? Your release date was supposed to be yesterday, remember? Want to know the very worst complaint tax professionals have about software? When it's not ready on schedule. It's time to fish or cut bait, you know what I mean? And frankly, "No File Packages Defined" doesn't quite cut it so Go Fish. See if you can find a better development model than Battlecruiser 3K. By the way, your timing isn't that great either. Tax Season starts in 36 hours. After that, the only professionals who have time to help you will be pessimistic losers like myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David1980 Posted December 25, 2008 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 I'm more of an efficiency guy. I like the diagnostics as much as the next person but they're limited. Diagnostics just can't possibly predict every "what if" scenario or prepare the return for me, so I have to know taxes either way (and I'm very glad of that, if the software could do it for me I'd be out of a job!) So I put the efficiency a little higher on what matters to me. If I have to spend 3 hours on a basic return to find a certain data entry field I am not a happy person. The software should allow me to quickly and efficiently enter all the information and preferably offer time saving tools (let me keep everything in computer files so I can go paperless and I don't have to waste time shuffling physical papers and folders around the office.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 In response to what David1980 said regarding paperless office. Does anybody have a paperless office? Is anyone moving to scanning all documents into some kind of Document Management System? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted December 25, 2008 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 Someone asked about HRB's TPS. As an ex-Blockhead who's still in touch with former colleagues, my take is that Block is using the TaxWorks software it purchased for entity tax preparation but TPS for personal returns. Don't know if that's their long-term plan, though. By good diagnostics I also mean over and above catching missing or inconsistent entries, the ones that would stop e-filing anyway. I mean reminding me during sleep-deprived March of alternate ways to handle something. I'm on my own and want the diagnostics to be my second set of eyes and that virtual colleague who bounces ideas around. ProSystem fx does a good job of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janitor Bob Posted December 26, 2008 Report Share Posted December 26, 2008 I use ATX and I love that when I rub behind it's ear, it licks me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 Interesting Bob, interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 What I love about ATX is the forms-driven program, and the many great worksheets built into the forms. Plus the fact that it allows me to, within reason, modify forms. It's much like the old by-hand method, with all the bad parts taken away. I don't like programs that force me to use their menus, and go in their order. And of course, I like the fact that they keep the price reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 I am with KC. I learned to do taxes by filling out the forms in pencil, and I am uncomfortable if I can't see the form and how it is being filled out as I go. Much as I might yell at ATX's bunny, I really love that rabbit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 I am with KC. I learned to do taxes by filling out the forms in pencil, and I am uncomfortable if I can't see the form and how it is being filled out as I go. Much as I might yell at ATX's bunny, I really love that rabbit! Ditto for me; I date back to ye olde by-hand with pencil on draft, then copy CAREFULLY! in ink on the final. I really like seeing how the forms link to the worksheets to the subsidiary forms to the schedules.... But I must admit that it drives me NUTS sometimes when the bunny "hops" you around in a circle and you don't know where else to look for missing piece X! And I wonder about Bob sometimes -- like if it's time to back away sslloowwllyy, with placating gestures. Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Ah-h-h the wonderful days of working up the return in pencil, then transferring to the final form in ink. But it was a difficult transition - at first I had trouble giving up my chisel, stone tablets, & abacus. Old habits die hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchinchilla Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Ok got it. Worksheets are great but it's good to always be able to see the real forms without having to jump around all over the place. Does anyone like the basic input screens of Drake? What if you could have all 3 styles and choose what style you wanted to enter the information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virtual Managed Solutions Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 IMO, I think that is a great idea! You wouldn't believe (being a Tax Software salesman at one time) how many people were different in their preferences. It seemed to be 50/50 on that particular preference. Half loved the forms idea, the other half loved the input screens. You couldn't make everyone happy. Could you imagine being able to take all the preferences, whether it be the input screens/forms, colors, text, overall look, etc. from each program and by clicking a few boxes, be able to create your own look? You're onto something with that idea Roger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 >>What if you could have all 3 styles and choose what style you wanted to enter the information? << Since you have studied Lacerte and ProSeries, you already know that this has been a standard feature for more than a decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettySue Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 I love tax software that will give a BIG refund. My customers like big refunds. Jerome says that if you can make a program that will give everybody a big refund, you will make millions. Jerome is real smart you know. Betty Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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