Switching Tax Software

[equinecpa]

I thought I'd add my two cents on the conversion processs...

I've struggled the last few years to get away from CCH. I like ATX but dislike CCH as a company. In 2007 I made the switch to TRX-pro and Intellitax only to have CCH buy and kill intellitax the next year. In 2007 I also purchased Drake PPR for corporate and partnership returns and to play on a few 1040's.

Drake customer service is top notch but what they couldn't do for me (and I didn't expect them to ) is ease the pain of navigation. So often I'd find a box I needed to check but couldn't find the input field that linked to it. I also found reviewing returns much more difficult (this in fact is what killed drake for me - I forgot to input a sale date on the sale of a capital asset and missed a $150,000 gain!).

So I guess I just wanted to caution those switching tax programs to do a thorough review of your returns -and don't rely on the error checking of any software to find your errors or omissions.

For what it's worth I'm back with ATX, I guess I'm hoping that I don't have to call support much in the future!

[geekgirldany]

So I guess I just wanted to caution those switching tax programs to do a thorough review of your returns -and don't rely on the error checking of any software to find your errors or omissions.

I think that is what I am worried about the most. I will be spending extra time just double checking. What I liked about Taxwise was its screens. I could see how the 1040 (or any other form) would be calculated without having to print. The bottom line was right there for me. Its going to be totally different in Drake.

I am wishing myself luck.

[JohnH]

Don't most of the input-screen based programs offer an icon or keyboard shortcut that allows you to "toggle" back & forth between the input screen and the form during the preparation? I always used that with Ultra-Tax and I discovered it when evaluating Tax Slayer last year. I got too busy and didn't evaluate Drake this year, but I'd expect Drake to have something similar. I use ATX so it's basic to the program and I'll miss the forms based approach when I switch, but I'd think that by now any program would offer the capability make a rapdi shift to & from the form.