We received the following from the MA Dept of Revenue

Subject: Massachusetts Acknowledgements

Please remember that during the first few days of the tax year 2017 filing season, acknowledgements may take 24-48 hours to issue.

Blog Posted 01/29/2018  4:18 pm

We have released preliminary version of all states.  We wanted to give you an early look at some of the changes we are making to the state programs for TY2017, even though they are NOT finalized.

We are continuing to work on areas that improve the user experience, as well as, update the programs with updated tax law and e-file changes as it is released by the state agencies.

We did not release the localities with this early release.

Are tax calculations in the states finalized?

No, this is a preliminary version of states.  As we receive finalized tax law and e-file changes from the states, we will be updating the state software.  This will be a continual and ongoing process through early January (which is typical of any tax year).

Are all items such as dependents and credits flowing from the federal to the state?

No, this is a preliminary version of the state.   Updating the state software will be a continual and ongoing process through early January.

I am beginning the training process for my volunteers, what year should I use to train on tax software for the purposes of state tax calculations?

You should train your volunteers using the TaxSlayer Pro Online 2016 for the purposes of state calculations.  You can utilize TY2017 states for the purposes of demonstrating how they will navigate through the state portion of the return.

I am receiving an “Unexpected error” message when I click Continue or navigate to the e-file section after loading the state. *RESOLVED 12/5/17*

We are actively working to resolve this error.  You can utilize the left navigation panel to navigate through the return instead of using the “Continue” button to navigate between sections.  If you need to utilize the e-file section, you will need to remove the state from the return until an update resolves this error. *THIS HAS BEEN RESOLVED* You can now access the e-file menu with a state return loaded into your 2017 Practice Lab accounts.

Are the new features requested for the states available with this release?

The majority of the new features have not been released with the preliminary version of the states.  As we finalize testing on these features, they will be updated in the Practice Lab.

These are some of the questions we received about Custom Questions during our Administrator Webinar:

Q: Is there a way to make the Assigned Questions = REQUIRED?

A:  The four default question we deliver at the request of the IRS cannot be marked  as required.  Custom questions that are created at the site level can be marked as required.  If the site belongs to a multi-site or relational group, the questions can be marked required before they are assigned to the site.

Q:  Can you make a pre-set question inactive because you are substituting your own version of the question and you want that one active?

A:  No, assigned questions cannot be marked as inactive, however the 4 assigned are not required to be answered.  It is important to note that if you are using your own version of the question, those answers are not being reported up to the IRS in their weekly reports.

Q: Will the 4 delivered questions show up for all the years of the software, or only for the 2017 year?

A:  Yes, the 4 assigned questions on behalf of the IRS will show up in the returns for all years

Q: How do you collect the data after you have gathered it?

A: Reports can be run at a site level for the data captured for custom questions.

Q:  Can one rearrange the order of the answers to preset questions ?

A:  No, they will be arranged in the order requested by the IRS Core Team.

Q: I want to require Custom questions for the current year, but not for prior years.  Is there a way to “unrequire them” for prior years?

A:  No

Q: Can more than one response to a single question be marked?

A:  No.  If you are seeing a pattern of taxpayers with a combination, you can add that combination to the answer bank at any point.  The modified questions and answers are available for existing and new returns.

Q: Can you delete those questions completely?

A: No, you cannot modify or delete anything assigned to the site.

Blog Posted 10/23/2017