Another Thread on Software

[taxxcpa]

Yahoo group

After seeing your post, I went to the Yahoo group and downloaded the cheat sheet. It looks great - thanks for putting up that info. I plan to start evaluating Drake in the next couple of weeks & have already been viewing their webinar. I can see how the cheat sheet fills a need.

My original purpose in establishing the Yahoo group was to enable people to upload worksheets, engagement letters, fee comparisons for other to use. Most of the worksheets, etc. are those I've uploaded--including several for Drake software. I've also posted links to this web site and others--and other users can do likewise.

[BOB W]

How did UT work for E-Files and extensions? While I'm at it, how about the states you do? I can tell you I'm impressed with how it handles the State of Mich. I only do a few other states but if handles those as well I will be very pleased.

Not a problem one..... Flawless at every turn........I do about 12 different states> Res. >Non Res.> Pt Yr all good as long as you code the input correctly on the Federal return..

[LawrenceGR]

Bob W

How did UT work for E-Files and extensions? While I'm at it, how about the states you do? I can tell you I'm impressed with how it handles the State of Mich. I only do a few other states but if handles those as well I will be very pleased.

[BOB W]

Thanks for the post on Pro fx. I have wondered about that software for a long time, but I had heard it was very pricey. I am not an advocate of cheap software as you say it is the only tool we have to spend money on why not get the best. My practice is not as complex as many others on this board so I am able to use a lesser product. I am again this year looking at Ultra Tax I have looked long and hard at LaCerte as well but in that price range I think UT is easier to use.

This is my 4th year with UT and find that I can get around it very well. In the beginning I made a couple of calls to support and got past some issues and have been happy ever since. Pricey but it all depends on where you want to spend your time. I prefer to be productive with tax returns.

Good Luck with UT.

[LawrenceGR]

Lion

Thanks for the post on Pro fx. I have wondered about that software for a long time, but I had heard it was very pricey. I am not an advocate of cheap software as you say it is the only tool we have to spend money on why not get the best. My practice is not as complex as many others on this board so I am able to use a lesser product. I am again this year looking at Ultra Tax I have looked long and hard at LaCerte as well but in that price range I think UT is easier to use.

[equinecpa]

Barb;

I did multi-states with TRX (I think it was NY, NJ and PA) -it handled them OK. I had to tweak the returns for certain little items, but IMO it actually handled them alright. There were a couple dumb things I didn't like like flowing exempt interest to the states - I remember having to override in a couple of places.

For me I don't think TRX was quite enough program, there were small things that it couldn't do that I need but it you do mostly simple returns I think you'd be more than happy. I had no server problems at all and all my efiles went through the FIRST time.

I will be looking at the TW version because with TRX support...I could perhaps bear to use a CCH product.

Carolyn

[BOB W]

Thanks, Bob, It just makes sense to me to spend money on my most valuable tool. I'm frugal when it won't hurt me. I took advice from board members who buy the penny folders at back to school sales and change colors with each year. (I put silver 2007 stickers on them and received several compliments on my packaging of their tax returns.) I bought the nicer plastic folders for entities on sale at 25 cents. I stocked up on toner and paper when I spotted sales, using cheap paper for me but nicer paper for client copies. I dragged furniture from all over my house to create my home office. I bought a $16 floor lamp from WalMart and found file cabinets and a bookcase on craigslist. But, the fast, knowledgeable, English-speaking tech support and tax support help are worth a lot of money to me, as are the time-saving features like the handling of kiddie tax and K-1s and the great diagnostics and the automatic handling of multiple states with credit on the resident return and putting the state estimated payments over to the Sch A and I could go on and on. The program acts like an assistant who knows how to prepare tax returns and a second set of eyes to proofread my work. I didn't buy anything early last year while I was evaluating (I came from ATX, so ignored other CCH products at first), but will certainly renew Profx this year. I think the early period extends to the end of July.

When I see some of the posts asking about other tools or other ways to get a tax return done, it drives me crazy. Your world will be just "top notch" now. This is what I've been talking about for years.....

[erchess]

Trx Good Bad And Ugly

I have been using ATX for several years, ever since AMTAX. I have been pretty well satisfied with them until this year. I felt the program is running slower then before. It seemed to take a lot longer to do just the simply returns. Does anyone agree?

I received the TRX demo and have been looking at it. I really like the format and it seems to run quite fast. I am concerned that I read in this forum that it will not do mulit states, as I have a lot of OHIO and KY since I am very close to Cincinnati, OH.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone has had any bad experience with tech support and were there any problems with the server being overloaded as it was with ATX this year.

Would you recommend TRX?

I used TRX-Orrtax this year and it was my third year with an Orrtax based product. I will never again use Orrtax because returns with K1, Social Security Lump Sum, or filing status on Fed not the same as that for State are all much too difficult. On the other hand, tech support at TRX was fabulous and this year they will be offering a repackage of a higher end software than Orrtax and you might want to consider it. Also if your practice consists mostly of simple returns you might find TRX-Orrtax to be just what you need. In all the three years I used Orrtax I only experienced one Software glitch. The program includes and requires something known as MSSQL and for some reason my copy of that stopped starting up automatically.. Tech support walked me through fixing the problem..

[Lion]

Thanks, Bob

Thanks, Bob, It just makes sense to me to spend money on my most valuable tool. I'm frugal when it won't hurt me. I took advice from board members who buy the penny folders at back to school sales and change colors with each year. (I put silver 2007 stickers on them and received several compliments on my packaging of their tax returns.) I bought the nicer plastic folders for entities on sale at 25 cents. I stocked up on toner and paper when I spotted sales, using cheap paper for me but nicer paper for client copies. I dragged furniture from all over my house to create my home office. I bought a $16 floor lamp from WalMart and found file cabinets and a bookcase on craigslist. But, the fast, knowledgeable, English-speaking tech support and tax support help are worth a lot of money to me, as are the time-saving features like the handling of kiddie tax and K-1s and the great diagnostics and the automatic handling of multiple states with credit on the resident return and putting the state estimated payments over to the Sch A and I could go on and on. The program acts like an assistant who knows how to prepare tax returns and a second set of eyes to proofread my work. I didn't buy anything early last year while I was evaluating (I came from ATX, so ignored other CCH products at first), but will certainly renew Profx this year. I think the early period extends to the end of July.

[Barb]

Also looking at TRX

I have been using ATX for several years, ever since AMTAX. I have been pretty well satisfied with them until this year. I felt the program is running slower then before. It seemed to take a lot longer to do just the simply returns. Does anyone agree?

I received the TRX demo and have been looking at it. I really like the format and it seems to run quite fast. I am concerned that I read in this forum that it will not do mulit states, as I have a lot of OHIO and KY since I am very close to Cincinnati, OH.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone has had any bad experience with tech support and were there any problems with the server being overloaded as it was with ATX this year.

Would you recommend TRX?

[BOB W]

Lion> glad to see that you see the light. ProsystemFX is not my choice but then again I never tried it. Good Luck in the world of efficient software..............

[Lion]

Evaluating

I was evaluating software last year. Eliminated the ones designed for simple returns and lots of bank products. Eliminated the most expensive. Drake was good. Was pretty comfortable with ProSeries Pro, but it wouldn't meet a few of my wishes. (Out on my own, I was concerned with great diagnostics, complex returns, entities, multiple states, AMT, kiddie tax, K-1 entry, passive losses, ease of printing order/assembly, efiling, etc.) Intuit was going to give me Lacerte free for pay-per-return. I thought if I was going to need Lacerte anyway, why not use it -- or another high end software -- for everything and not have two learning curves to ascend. So, took another look at Lacerte, Ultra Tax, and ProSystem fx. After all, shouldn't I spend my most money on my software? I'm working from home, buying supplies when they're on sale, etc. An assistant would cost me $3,000+. Liked Lacerte with its ease of bringing in QuickBooks data, which many of my clients use. Liked Ultra Tax and spent all day in NYC at a seminar talking with them. Liked ProSystem fx. Called their tech support with a question re the evaluation disk. A great techie said he tested the software during the off-season and would be glad to show me around; he spent three hours on the phone with me walking me through an 1120S and taking me through every menu. Blew me away. And, I had fast, knowledgeable support all this season. Two things that saved me enormous amounts of time: kiddie tax and K-1s. For kiddie tax, you tell the parents' return who the children are and you tell the children's returns who their parents and siblings are just by pointing to a list of returns; then the program puts all the returns on a tree so you can click to open and save each sibling, and you're done! For a partnership or S-corp, you export the K-1s by pointing to a list of personal returns; and you're done! You do get a list of items that might need your attention, but everything else is moved to the 1040s' sch E and other forms automatically. Huge time saver. ProSeries fx is worth every penny. I have a 50% discount for three years as a small business, then gradual (20%?) increases. And, I pay monthly with no interest. I will never go back to cheap software again. My time and aggravation is worth more than that.

[lenboush]

Drake

I thought I'd add my 2 cents worth about my experience with Drake. First, I'll say that I have been in the business for 35 years but have only been with Drake for the last 8 years. This year we will end up doing about 1000 returns, mostly individuals but also about 40 entities. We also do about 40 bank products, but only as a service to the clients, not as a profit center.

I started using Drake because I bought a business that was already using Drake. I had sold a previous business to HRB in 1995 and, due to a non-compete agreement, worked for HRB for 5 years. Prior to selling te business to HRB, I had used a software called "Tax Shop", which I really liked. Incidentally, Drake bought "Tax Shop" a couple of years after I sold my business to HRB. Of cousrese, while working for HRB, I used their proprietary software.

From day one I hated Drake. I was already aware that there would be a learning curve, but that was only part of the problem. I found Drake to be very cumbersome and the exact opposite of being self intuitive. As a result, I made it my priority to research as many different packages as possible and switch the following year. I spent many hours on that research that seemed to drag on forever. I finally concluded that, as much as I hated Drake, I had not identified a program that I though was any better except those that cost a lot more. So I decided to give Drake one more year.

The next year, partly because I had gotten past the learning curve and partly because Drake had made substantial improvements in the program, it went much smoother. I still had a solid plan, however, to switch software that summer. After many hours of further reviewing programs that summer, I made the decision to tough it out with Drake. Today, I am glad I did. The massive improvements they have made over the last 8 years have made Drake an exceptional (though not perfect) program. It would take a major change of some sort to ever make me switch. I have gone from being a "hater" of Drake to being a major fan.

For the record, here is a summary of what you get for the $995 (+tax):
-1040 software
- Entities software
- All states
- Free unlimited e-filing
- Amazing customer service that ALWAYS answere the phone within 30 seconds!
- The ability to e-mail a client file instantly to the customer service person you are speaking with to assist them in identifying a problem.
- An online forum that gives you interaction AND answers from other users as well as Drake staff. I have repeatedly seen IMMEDIATE chages to the program made based on feedback and discussion in this forum.
- Automatic online updating so that the siftware is always current.
- Free exceptional web site (you can see mine at www.HeritageTax.com)
- Client Status Manager
- Drake Document Manager (for paperless document management)
- Online filing that you can offer to geenrate more revenue for your business
- Online training (BOTH software training and TAX training) for you and your staff
- Multiple office manager - for those with more than one office
- Appointnment scheduling software that integrates with Drake
- Free reseach capability through RIA Checkpoint
- 3 different banks to chooses from for those who wish to offer bank products.
- Client write-up program (which I do not use)

I really could go on and on about the featues within the software but I've drug this out far too much already. If you can get past the learning curve, I believe most people will like it as much as I do. I do realize that everyone's practice is different and Drake may not be right for everyone. I also realize that there are a lot of other good packages out there, but I really do feel that Drake is a great choice for most.

Incidentally, Drake has not raised their price in the 8 years I have been with them. Instead, they have remained profitable by growing their user base from about 12,000 (if memory serves) when I started with them 8 years ago, to almost 30,000 users now.

[learnmore]

Oh Gosh that is news to me. TRX doesn't make it clear what they are doing. I know that ACE Cash Express a few years ago were selling franchises for tax preparation for their loan offices that included TaxWise. What a web of design big business weave.

They're not selling franchises although they have in the past and are not opposed to doing so, however this is a much a more costly venture. They're just selling the tax software, support, and a few other incentives. Email their support group, support@trxalliance.com. They answered my emails quickly, I then called in and talked with Kenny. He said they just redid the trxalliance/trxpro-tw website and plan to play with a few more designs before the summers over. That trxpro taxwise rebrand website is just a few days old, I was a little confused as well.

[BOB W]

Do your clients tend to come with everything they need? I will not do a return with a client here either - I just can't work with someone staring at me or waiting for me....

I do find every return is missing at least one item...if not more...I'd like to figure a way to streamline the process of wrapping them up... I find I do them (doesn't take much time) find stuff missing, email for missing info...but then get missing info back in dribs and drabs rarely it all...then I find getting the return back into my schedule tough..I think next year I'll schedule the day I do their return, then reschedule for missing items? Perhaps when I email my client questions ask that they have it back by xx date so I can finish off? It's getting them 100% done and out and gone that I find tough...

All my clients know that I charge by TIME & COMPLEXITY. In my annual December letter (w/organizer) I talk about incomplete info and the need to be sure they have everything ready for their appointment. I tell them "Incomplete info will require more time and entra billing time, so be sure you are complete by going over the organizer carefully".

So the moral of this story is > If there is no price for them to pay why should they worry about being complete, you will tell them what is missing>>>>>>>>>>>>.