MDCPA Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 Anyone have an outline of the process they would recommend or have used - i.e. things to consider, record retention, scanning software, efiling, etc. Yes, I'm still one of those with paper everything so I need all the help I can get. I am enrolled with IRS and have my EFIN although I have never efiled a return. The saving grace, if there is one, is that its a very small practice - less than a 100 clients, but still soo many file cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 >>Going paperless<< Every year I think about not sending out my organizers. That would reduce my paperwork right off, and if I changed my phone I could reduce client paperwork as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 Now - That's the Jainen I've been missing!!! z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxxcpa Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 If you want to go paperless, the first thing you need is a really good scanner. I just recently bought one from this web site http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx...-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA In addition to getting a scanner, Adobe acrobat comes with it at no extra cost. I scan my bills, my bank statements, client W-2s, 1099s, worksheets, mortgage info, donation lists. It is so much easier to organize and find things by just a couple of clicks on the computer than looking through file cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxCPANY Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Hey, MDCPA, Four years ago, I went paperless, and it was everything you should hope it would be -- e.g., I got to jettison several cubic feet of file cabinets, and stop *sweating" through every call from a client asking about a current or recent filing -- as I now could find everything quickly with logic. First off, you need a 'decent' *dual mode* scanner -- one that does both Automatic Document Feed (ADF) as well as Flatbed. The latter capability is *essential* in dealing with crumpled, funky documents that clog the ADF; it also allows you to scan pages from thick books -- such as major tomes of tax research -- that I have found necessary to include among the protests I file with tax authorities. (It also helps if your scanner connects with your PC via USB 2.0 -- though I still rely upon a Fujitsu f-4010CU that supports only USB 1.1; it's fast enough.) Second, you need a 'graphic-file-handling' app that accepts a wide variety of graphic-format files, and produces "TIF" files. I still use Visioneer PaperPort v.6.0 -- a decade-old version of what you could buy, today; that I've never upgraded -- nor, apparently, have had to -- based upon plethoras of negative reviews of all succeeding versions. Overall, you need an app that is not restricted to any *propriety" format, but, rather, can deal with all the graphic-format files that your clients would send you. The 'blessing' of Visioneer PaperPort is that it displays digital documents just as if they were papers on your desk; so you 'deal' with them the same way -- only without wasting/shuffling actual paper. Finally, you need to create a special Windows folder called "Clients," to put all this data into. (I have "partitioned" my hard-drive, for this purpose -- ask me about that, directly.) Within the Clients folder, you should have "sub-folders" for each client, and, within those, further sub-folders for -- at least -- each year of your client's documents & returns & messages, etc. Overall, the native Windows file-folder system is a perfectly-capable regime for organizing your clients' information -- and one so *graphically" displayed that you should become able to find *anything you seek rather intuitively. Hope this helps, TaxCPANY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Also, you will find it much easier to go paperless if you go to dual monitors, because then you can have the input data on one screen and the return on the other, just like having paper on the desk, but neater. Once you ever use dual monitors, you will never be willing to go back to just one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDCPA Posted May 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Thanks to all who responded-great info- but that's what I've come to expect from this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret CPA in OH Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 The description of TaxCPANY's "filing" system is virtually identical to mine. Within each client folder is a subfolder for each tax year and a "permanent" folder for items spanning years. It's so easy to double check a document from last year with a current year form or to see what might be missing. KC's recommendation is also mine. Dual monitors are well worth the price and desk real estate. I have 2 x 17" side by side. It is so great to have the prior year return on one monitor while working on the current year. Or always having this forum open to check in quickly and having my email client open on the other. The possibilities are numerous and really increase productivity. And you will never go back to a single monitor as she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Paper or paperless: Prepare for a disaster. Test your recovery methods. Review/repeat at least once a year, if not once a quarter. Plan/test for: Simple stuff. Computer failure/theft, power outage, internet outage, phone outage, etc. Major stuff. Office destroyed, unable to get to office for days, unable to use phone for days, unable to use internet for days. Worst case. Imagine having to start over with no access to your current computer equipment, on site storage, phone (cell and LL), internet, etc. Can you go somewhere else (a friend/relative's location in another city), buy a new computer and other hardware, and be back in business in less than 72 hours from arrival? --- know how to get mail and call forwarding processed quickly actually test starting over with a new/replacement computer and peripherals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Wise advice, Medlin Accounting! On another forum I read, a guy in California a couple of years ago walked into his office mid-tax-season to discover they'd been broken into overnight and ALL of his office equipment had been stolen. No client files, fortunately. What saved them was he did a backup last thing every day to an external drive and took it home with him. They lost one day getting in new machines and loading software and setting up the printer networks. I signed up for online backup within a week of reading that. Would have done it even faster but I took some time to investigate vendors. But I should review my retrieval procedures. Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Agree with KC on dual monitors. Went to dual monitors last season, 1 24" and 1 19" (turned sideways). Now I have the CY tax software open, PY tax software and the adobe Acrobat Pro with my clients data all open simultaneously. and wah la, no paper! Don't skimp and buy a cheap scanner. Make sure you get a reasonably quick ADF with Duplex capability. Will save the hair on the top of your head. There was recent thread here which discussed scanners and is worth looking at. As for scanning software. I have used several versions of paperport and initially liked it. However, after getting a more sophisticated software bundled with my Kodak I65 scanner, I immediately dumped paperport. World of difference. Software is just as important as the scanner. Finally you will need a decent Document Management Software (DM). Would love to help here, but I am still (and it has been 2 years now) looking for one that has all the features that should be included, without paying several thousand dollars for it. What I can say is forget the ATX Document Manager. It is way to low level and IMHO you will pay for using this low cost or free bundled document manager later. KC did have an interesting recommendation for Speedy Organizer at http://www.speedyscan.biz/. I just did an online demo today and for a low cost (under $300.00) has a lot to offer. I did not like that it renamed and moved everyone of my files to its own (well one you direct it to) folder. But to its credit it did not change the file type. It also renames your files, and can create some squirreley names. My concern is what happens when they are gone. Well their answer is it is MS Sql and should not be a problem... BUT still bothers me. Further there is no internal OCR, an almost essential feature in any decent DM. An although it can search inside files, it is a one word exact matching search only and only if the files are searchable. Without OCR many PDF scans will not be searchable. Again minimum needs would suggest a boolean search inside files. Finally, if you structure folders in different ways, as I do ( some by client name, some by type - Wordproc files, Spreadsheet files etc), you may need to create multiple databases and would have to search each one separately. Awkward and cumbersome. Still it looks like a cost effective software to start DM with, although not enough for me I am afraid. Therefore I am still looking for a sub $1,000.00 more featured DM software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Have you looked at Dokmee Enterprise? Or check out http://www.ademero.com/products/industries/legal/ This one has OCR capability in the workgroup version, at $299 per workstation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Have you looked at Dokmee Enterprise? Or check out http://www.ademero.com/products/industries/legal/ This one has OCR capability in the workgroup version, at $299 per workstation. I haven't yet, but they just sent me a demo link, so they are next. Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Apparently their demo link was just to sign me up for a time. Will report after I try it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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