Calling Taxwise and Drake Users

[equinecpa]

How will returns be filed using this TRX outfit? Or are they merely wholesalers and all contact
will be WITH Taxwise?

This is a good question. I have placed a call with TRX. I have been told:
TRX will provide the efiling
TRX will provide the suport

They do for their current TRX offering so this makes sense. I was very happy with the support and efiling service this year.

[lenboush]

Nothing I said was meant as trying to be at war with anyone. I sincerely apologize that I was offensive to you.

I have no problem agreeing to disagree. I'm sure I throw away tons of junk mail that others would disagree with my defining it as junk mail as well.

[drdino]

taxladyea

"I have been able to give my "cheat sheet" to a novice key punch operator and had an excellent and most important of all a correct tax return prepared. Kristy finds it easy to get around in the program.

Never had a price increase. For my $995. (by renewing in May)($1395 if you wait until Jan) I get:
1040 all forms
1120 all forms
1120S all forms
1065 all forms
990 all forms
706 all forms
All States and all necessary forms for any income tax or income tax related
Free electronic filing
RIA on line free
Drake's write up (which while I do not use gets better each year)
Live Payroll (everything necessary) which I DO USE and I like."


I've heard you mention the 'cheat sheet' before. What do you use it for? And which write up's are you talking about? One last question. Live payroll. I got the test download and it is not part of that. How is the live payroll? Thanks.

Dean

[ChEAr$]

Next question then,

This is a good question. I have placed a call with TRX. I have been told:
TRX will provide the efiling
TRX will provide the suport

They do for their current TRX offering so this makes sense. I was very happy with the support and efiling service this year.

Involves adding state returns as needed?
Example: I purchase 1040 (with direct filing, btw) and this package includes three
states. Great, since I do as many Georgia returns as Alabama returns. Then there are
always other states. To add a fourth state, OR a business entity return, I have to begin
the return, only to be told something like: "you have not yet purchased that return; do
you wish to?" (Yes, darn it!) and i'm connected via internet to their server and it is
downloaded. Added states are 10$ each per client, and entity returns are 30$.

That's easy enough I think. How will TRX do this?

[taxladyea]

Drake and live payroll

Good morning,

If you go into the CWU and after setting up a company and opening up you click on payroll
it gives you the option for either live payroll or ATF payroll. It may not be on the full demo of the tax package that they send out, as to that I cannot say.

As for the "cheat sheet" that is just my name for my return recap based on the prior year as to form. Basically I already know what the answer should be before the return is entered. Kind of a check process also.

As to the fact that some users seem to imply that Drake is only good for simple and average returns I will take issue. I have found that Drake works for all my returns and I can assure you that many are very complex; you do however have to think thru the process to prepare. I personally like that. Tends to keep me sharper;.

One other point about Drake I would like to make is how responsive that the company is to changes that their users request. The company is very open minded.

[JG EA]

But in looking over Drake live payroll:
They do not have a way to remove unwanted categories from the check stubs
The do not have a way to pay payroll liabilities without entering those liabilities into the
bookkeeping section

Incidently I examined CFS live payroll and they also do not have a way (at all) to pay payroll liabilities with a check! All they have is a checklist that adds up the liabilities and you can record when they are paid.

I make Federal payments with EFTPS but have many checks to SUTA etc.

And both Drake and CFS only have blank checks (requiring new equipment) or totally preprinted checks - no way to print the individual employers name on the check. Since we handle several from a payroll trust account this also makes these programs unusable.

[equinecpa]

Involves adding state returns as needed?
Example: I purchase 1040 (with direct filing, btw) and this package includes three
states. Great, since I do as many Georgia returns as Alabama returns. Then there are
always other states. To add a fourth state, OR a business entity return, I have to begin
the return, only to be told something like: "you have not yet purchased that return; do
you wish to?" (Yes, darn it!) and i'm connected via internet to their server and it is
downloaded. Added states are 10$ each per client, and entity returns are 30$.

That's easy enough I think. How will TRX do this?

It looks like the STATES are included. Take a look at trx1040.com.

[dhawkcpa]

I used Taxwise

until switching to ATX in 2003. Now CCH has aquired both ATX an Taxwise.

Many ATX users are nervous that CCH may dump ATX and attempt to sell Taxwise to everyone. Many ATX users are angry at CCH about being put on the back burner this last year. Delivery dates, support, efiling and frequent updates were some of the compaints. Actually, the ATX program itself was better than ever.

Since 4/15 I have looked at Drake, Orrtax, Taxslayer, and revisited Taxwise. My favorites are ATX and Taxwise. No, I don't work for CCH.

With ATX, you can fill out a form and review it at the same time. With Drake, these two parts of tax work are so disconnected that it could take an ATX form based person a long time to get used to.

Taxwise has some neat features. It is a quick program. It has red exclamation marks on the form list so you know where you must complete missing items. You can estimate any cell so you remember to come back to it.

The unique thing about ATX is that you can choose to enter or see data in spreadsheet form. That means you can see all w2's, 1099rs, Sch D sales, interest & dividend data on one screen. For me, that makes reviewing fast. Also, you can make spreadsheets that can be added to any clients file. The worst thing about ATX is the client letter. I think it's hard to do a client letter with a spreadsheet.

Drake had a nice way of easily importing a spreadsheet directly into Schedule D. If you see a lot of stock sales this is great. It is also very quick as a database would be.

I have had no problem with multi-state use for Taxwise or ATX and have heard that Drake is also good.

I will be sticking with ATX for 2008 but it is nice to know that good choices exist.

[taxladyea]

live payroll

I only use blank check stock. The company name etc etc does print on the checks.

[ChEAr$]

How's that again?

If I choose Taxwise it will be through TRX-they offer it for $699.00 I'm not sure if it's scaled down. I have a demo and it looks like it'll do everything I need it to do. I also have a demo straight from Taxwise - I'll have to compare the two.

What's thi sTRX place have to do with it? You gave me the impression that TRX is one who
resells Taxwise and therefore does it under license from Taxwise. Yet on the web page you
referred me to down yesterday I don't see the connection.

Is there one?

[B C]

It is, in my opinion, offensive and presumptuous to impose your personal religious beliefs on other people. Drake doesn't mail out a "holiday" card. They mail a christmas and easter card, which I find personally offensive. I am not a christian, I have asked them to stop sending me these types of cards yet they continue to come, therefore I would call it "in your face." I also think it's a poor business practice. There's my gripe with Drake. I don't want to start a war here, but hope this clarifies my position and we can agree to disagree. Okay?

I take it you no longer do business with them since they are so offensive to you

[RLymanC]

Depreciation

Don't be afraid of TW Dep. worksheet,,,,it takes only 30 sec. to enter an assett,,,press
F-10, up comes another work sheet for an additional entry, all depreciation will flow to the line you linked from by pressing F-9

[PIGLEE]

I have used Tax Wise and Drake. I left Tax Wise becuase of their lack of support. Support has been fantastic with Drake. The first year I used Drake it took some getting used to, but now I would not go anywhere else. Be careful with Tax Wise, I decided to look at it again last year, just to be sure I had made the right decision. Was told I had to pay for it to try it. So I did. After working with it again (and I really prefer the tax form entry method) I decided to stay with Drake. I really feel it is a much better program, and accurate program. When I went to cancel with Tax Wise in August I was told that the fee was non refundable, What a shocker, what an expense, but I made a great choice with Drake.

[JG EA]

I only use blank check stock. The company name etc etc does print on the checks.

So, what do you do about your payroll liability checks? How do you handle those?

[taxxcpa]

I like Drake despite their Christianity agenda

It is, in my opinion, offensive and presumptuous to impose your personal religious beliefs on other people. Drake doesn't mail out a "holiday" card. They mail a christmas and easter card, which I find personally offensive. I am not a christian, I have asked them to stop sending me these types of cards yet they continue to come, therefore I would call it "in your face." I also think it's a poor business practice. There's my gripe with Drake. I don't want to start a war here, but hope this clarifies my position and we can agree to disagree. Okay?

I agree that it is inappropriate to push a religious agenda with a tax preparation product, but I buy their software, not their religious beliefs. If the best software pushed a Muslim agenda, I might still buy it, and I notice some Muslim-sounding names on the Drake Forum.

I think it is less offensive, however, for Drake to send Christmas and Easter Cards than for Public Schools to push religion. Our Governor even led a prayer meeting at a Publicly-supported educational institution to demonstrate his Christian qualifications.