The 2024 Desktop/Contingency Software & Site Administration OnDemand webinars for the 2025 Filing Season are now available. The direct links are available below and also accessible under Section 6 in the Practice Lab.

• Desktop & Contingency Software – Click Here
• Site Administration – Click Here

Remaining OnDemand Webinars: The remaining OnDemand webinars (Return Preparation 1 & 2) will be made available after Thanksgiving (early December). Additional blog posts will be published with direct links when available. Under Section 6 of the Practice Lab, the 2023 versions are still available for viewing.

The 2024 Enhancement Webinar (2025 Filing Season) will be presented live the week of December 8th. Please contact your SPEC Relationship Manager for additional information.

A deployment is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, November 12th to release the below update(s). Access to the program may be limited during a deployment.

DEPENDENT PAGE

• Check boxes for full-time student, disabled and made over $4,700 are not saving on continue (Issue 2603)

RHODE ISLAND

• Schedule M, Line 1t is not calculating when Line 1v for military pensions has a value (Issue 2599)

TaxSlayer VITA/TCE support will be closed on Wednesday, November 13th from 8:00am – 10:00am ET for training. Normal off-season support hours will resume promptly at 10:00am ET.

The IRS has indicated shutdown begins on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, in order to prepare the system for the upcoming Tax Year 2024 Filing Season. After this date and time, no returns can be electronically filed. Additional information available here.

Note: TaxSlayer Pro applications will still be available after the cutover, but if you prepare returns, you will need to file them via paper until the IRS brings their 1040 MeF system back online in late January. When the 1040 MeF system comes back online, you will be able to electronically file the following years: 2024, 2023, and 2022.

Practice Lab 2024 is scheduled to be released/available on Tuesday, November 5th. Please keep in mind that the Practice Lab will be updated twice a week as we receive finalized forms and instructions from the IRS. With that, we ask volunteers to not report calculation issues to support. We also ask to not report forms where the PDF may still display 2023 instead of 2024.

With the Practice Lab 2024 release, you will have access to PL 2024 and PL 2023.

When you log in to your Production Sites, you will see the following TaxSlayer 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019. You do not have the ability to create new returns in 2024, but you can still prepare returns in all of the available prior years. You will be able to electronically file 2023, 2022 and 2021 until the IRS shuts down their MeF system tentatively scheduled for November 30th at 11:59pm ET.

States will not be available in Practice Lab 2024 until closer to the filing season in either late December or early January. You can use PL 2023 to have your volunteers train or practice with state returns.

A deployment is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, November 5th to release the below update(s). Access to the program may be limited during a deployment.

PRACTICE LAB

• Practice Lab will rollover to 2024 (Update)

We’re excited to announce an enhancement released into the 2023 and forward TaxSlayer Pro Online application for Federal returns. Details below…

Problem To Solve: [Example Scenario] Preparer completes return as Direct Debit with $400 owed. Quality Reviewer makes an update resulting in a change in amount owed of only $200. Quality Reviewer skips the Bank Account page in e-file without updating the direct debit payment amount. Return is filed and $400 is paid to the IRS instead of $200.

• Existing Functionality: In the above scenario, whether the amount owed increases or decreases, IF the user visits the Bank Account page in e-file, a validation error appears indicating the direct debit payment and amount owed does not match. User does not see this validation when skipping the Bank Account page often resulting in a higher amount being paid to the IRS than what is actually owed.
• ENHANCED Functionality: In the same above scenario, whether the amount owed increases or decreases, when a user clicks “Save & Exit” or “Transmit Return” on the Submission page, the below dialog box will appear if the direct debit amount has not been updated. Clicking “YES” will redirect the user to the Bank Account page to make an update. Clicking “NO” will continue the desired action (Save & Exit or Transmit Return).

Practice Lab 2024 is tentatively scheduled to be released/available the week of November 11th.

DISCLAIMERS:

Please keep in mind that the Practice Lab will be updated twice a week, after release, as we receive finalized forms and instructions from the IRS. With that, we will ask volunteers to not report calculation issues to support.

With the Practice Lab 2024 release, you will have access to PL 2024 and PL 2023.

After Practice Lab 2024 release, when logging into your Production Sites, you will see the following: TaxSlayer 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019. You will not have the ability to create new returns in 2024, but you can still prepare returns in all of the available prior years. You will be able to electronically file 2023, 2022 and 2021 until the IRS shuts down their MeF system (this has not been announced by the IRS yet).

States will not be available in Practice Lab 2024 until closer to the filing season in either late December or early January. You can use PL 2023 to have your volunteers train or practice with state returns.