Backups done by ATX

[GeorgeM]

I have noticed that the backups done by ATX take up a lot of space on the hard drive. As of now I have only 5 returns in the return manager and there is already 21 files in the backup directory, and in the database foldera there are 10. I never noticed thin in prior years, but by the end of tax season there will be thundreds of files.

does anyone know if these files are necessary or can we delete some of them?

[Pacun]

EXTREMELY important question. If the IRS gets a court order to see your computer, ATX will have (by default) up to 3 back up copies of the same return. Let's say that a client comes to your office and tells you that he is ready to file and that he will not claim a dependent. You prepare the return and gets backed up. Then the client calls you and tells you that he lived with his child and that he wants to claim it, you prepare the return again and gets back up. When you are ready to file, your client tells you that he has other deductions to claim, another back up will take place. If the IRS see all of these backups from your computer, it will leave an aroma that you playing with the returns.

This is a straight forward and honest return but sometimes we use current year's software to calculate next years tax liability during tax planning and the returns will be backed and it might not look as clean as this one. Did you get the point?

On the intended benefit, I have worked on a return and then I had wished that I kept a copy of the old return. With the 3 default backups, I will have it.

[SunTaxMan]

Multiple returns for the same client are common, at least for me. I LABEL, with a suffix, the purpose for each "duplicate," e.g., "Q1 Est tax," "PP Assets," "10-31 worksheet," "X, 5-31-06," "MD worksheet," and ALWAYS "FINAL" on the final return that was filed.

I figure if I check the "complete" box on the duplicates, as I finish with each, for its own purposes, I can create another duplicate to use for a different purpose, and no matter what I do subsequently, those "complete" returns in the program manager will not change - I don't want them to change.

In addition, I have printed a pdf. copy for the client's file - one more "backup" for me - just in case.

[kcjenkins]

Back to the original question. Yes, the program needs all those files. It's not the number of the files, but the size of the files, that determines how much space the backups take, anyway.

[Pacun]

For those concerned with disk space, please configure your ATX to only keep one version of backup. That will eliminate the duplicate files.