Tax Software this tax season

[Dusty2004]

Mike Mac

For the first time in many years, I am unhappy with ProSeries. The software carried over wrong amounts from prior year MN state returns, so each and every return must be carefully watched with something that should be automatically correct.

What did Proseries say when you talked with them? Is the issue consistant?

Dusty

[oceanlovin'ea]

I am still using TaxslayerPro and have no problems with it.

I was looking at Drake, but haven't had enough time to really do a good enough job.
I thought I would like Drake because it came with a client write up program. But I wasn't too impressed with that....reports looked very basic.

I do have whatever TRX sent to me but I haven't even installed it.

Maybe when I get past March 15th and s corp returns, I will have time.

Linda, EA

[dtlee]

What do the rest of you expect from your software?

this is what good Tax Professionals do.

Peachie,

I suspect what I am doing is overkill and that I should not be doing this.

I guess I was asking if we should blindly expect these things to be handled correctly or if we should be expected to check line by line for correctness?

An interesting thing to note about the handling of Statutory wages for a NJ nonresident in TaxWorks. According to their updates, they also fixed this for residents. The problem I saw has been around for a while (I duplicated it back through 2007). So either I am the first TaxWorks preparer to come across a statutory employee in New Jersey, or no one else has been able to convince them they were handling it wrong. While I am impressed by how quickly this was corrected once I showed it to them, I wonder if anyone else ever bothered to check that line. The same thing is true of the problem with the wrong line being pulled to the NY return from the 1120-H. They seem to be anxious to fix this, but it has been wrong for quite a while.

Also, while they appear to have corrected the problem with the miscalculation of the government bond interest from a K-1, I could be mistaken. I just showed them that when they import interest information from a K-1, they either are still computing total interest incorrectly on the 1041 when there is government bond interest or they import the information from their own K-1 (i.e., prepared with their software) in a way that is incompatible with how they want it entered on their K-1 input screen.

It isn't just TaxWorks. Some other well-loved software has their own "glitches".

Drake computes the sales tax deduction using the wrong local sales tax table for most New York City residents. Should I even be checking this?

I had to return TaxSlayer Pro because they were not properly representing an indirect rollover in their e-filing record (they "pretend" that the taxable portion on Form 1099-R, Line 2a was reported by the payer as the net amount after subtracting the amount the taxpayer decided to roll over [which the payer would not know]). Should I even have to look into the e-filing record to make sure these amounts are not misrepresented?

I am fairly certain that no one at the IRS is catching these errors.

TaxSlayer Pro claims they have manipulated Line 2a this way for over 25 years.

What likelihood would there be of the IRS looking at a sales tax deduction that is $50 or $100 higher than the correct amount? (It could easily be a cheap used car they paid a small amount of sales tax on.)

I have been told that other software does not have these problems and may try ProSeries again this year (it has been several years since I last tried it, but it made as many errors as these other products back then...for a much steeper price).

Does anyone else check the returns their software prepares?

[powerage]

I am still using TaxslayerPro and have no problems with it.

I was looking at Drake, but haven't had enough time to really do a good enough job.
I thought I would like Drake because it came with a client write up program. But I wasn't too impressed with that....reports looked very basic.

I do have whatever TRX sent to me but I haven't even installed it.

Maybe when I get past March 15th and s corp returns, I will have time.

Linda, EA

You will love Drake. If I ever went into the tax business on my own, this is the software I would use. A very fair price for a high quality product. After the season is over, you can get their 2010 software for free.