Drake Software

[DTS]

Please, if it is not too much to ask, please post your findings.

I am a disgruntled customer with ProSeries since some years, pricing being one, but I really like their product, especially how thorough their error checking function is. I am just too terrified, being used to this that I will miss too much with another program that isn't that thorough. Drake is probably the only one I would want to switch to.

I will post. I think I'll have a better handle on the whole picture with one season under my belt, but I suspect my opinion will not change, great software.

Gretel, please check your email.

D

[Lion]

Only 1040s

I also prepare only Forms 1040 for everyone. I also charge by the form. So, someone with only the 1040 with a W-2 pays the basic 1040 price. Someone who itemizes, has interest/dividends, capital gains, and self-employment pays the basic 1040 price + the Schedule B price + the Schedule D price plus whatever I'm going to charge for those new forms + the Schedule C price and maybe depreciation &/or office-in-home...you get the idea. The more forms, the higher the price. It works out for the clients and for me. And, I don't have to remember where to enter items in three base forms or explain why their return looks different that it did last year or than their child's return.

[DTS]

I checked 10 of my clients with depreciation and it appears all transferred. I will double-check when the time comes to prepare the return and make sure each item came over.

Also, I only checked 4 clients with huge capital loss carryforwards and those four did not carryforward, so I have some work to do in that area, but no big deal.

[joanmcq]

I pretty much only do 1040's as well; there are a few 'kids' returns, but not many. Most of these are my 'early birds' who only have one W-2. ATX doesn't choose the form for you, but you can replace an EZ with a 1040, and the info will carry over to the new form.

I hate looking at 1040A's; nothing appears to be in the right place. I just don't use them.

As far as Proseries goes, I've just helped two fellow preparers with COD/short sale issues and had to override or just abandon the COD worksheets. Using them was a nightmare, and I could not get the program to calculate correctly in a really oddball/complex COD situation.

[oceanlovin'ea]

Taxslayerpro is menu driven not forms driven. So you just enter the information and it will put it on the appropriate form.

Linda, EA

[Gary2]

Taxslayerpro is menu driven not forms driven. So you just enter the information and it will put it on the appropriate form.

Do you mean it's "interview driven"? A forms-driven product can still have menus.

[TaxmannEA]

I checked 10 of my clients with depreciation and it appears all transferred. I will double-check when the time comes to prepare the return and make sure each item came over.

Also, I only checked 4 clients with huge capital loss carryforwards and those four did not carryforward, so I have some work to do in that area, but no big deal.

Better check the data fields on the depreciation schedules to insure that dates and basis transferred correctly. We went from LaCerte to Drake several years ago and discovered that the dates on the Depr. schedules were scrambled as well as incorrect prior depreciation totals. (Had one asset that showed aquisition date in 1788!)

[DTS]

Better check the data fields on the depreciation schedules to insure that dates and basis transferred correctly. We went from LaCerte to Drake several years ago and discovered that the dates on the Depr. schedules were scrambled as well as incorrect prior depreciation totals. (Had one asset that showed aquisition date in 1788!)

Thank you. I will do that. I did take a passing glance at that to make sure "a date" was there. I planned on printing up last year's depreciation schedules and confirm.

Again, thanks for the heads-up.

PS: I don't have any assets listed from 1788...

[dtlee]

Are you sure about Drake and having to select what return to print? I use Drake and Drake selects the appropriate return: 1040EZ, 1040A, or 1040.

That is, unless you restrict it to not print 1040EZ or 1040A.

And has been this way for years.

Drake has not had that restriction in any of the 13 years I have used it. You can tell it to avoid 1040As or 1040EZs, but even that can be changed after the return is completed.

[MAJ]

1788 ??

What -- You don't remember that purchase...
it was only a short purchase away from our democracy...

How could you forget such a date!??
Besides -- Back then it must have cost all of a $1 and depreciated over 223 years...

That's a full 0.004484305 per year!!

[DTS]

I bought my first home on 50 acres for $1 in 1788. Lovely home and the kids liked it...