Tag: Practice Lab

The Save and Enter Another button will be added to the following entry pages:

• W-2
• Interest Income
• Dividend Income
• Schedule B Other Interest
• 1099-R
• RRB-1099-R
• W-2G

Purpose:

Allows the preparer to open a blank entry screen without having to go back to the summary page when entering income information.

Benefits:

• Quick Data input
• Allows the preparer to enter multiple income documents when using Taxpayer Profiles
• Allows the preparer to enter multiple income documents when using the Quick File feature

Note:  Selecting Continue will take you to the Income Summary Screen

Schedule to be released tomorrow, May 3rd!

When accessing the W-2G menu, right below the Gambling Winnings field, there will also a new Gambling Losses field. This allows users to go ahead and enter the losses applicable to the reported winnings within the W-2G. These losses will automatically carry to Line 28 of the Schedule A and will no longer require the preparer to remember to report gambling losses later during return preparation.

Note: Any gambling winnings not reported on a W-2G, applicable losses will still be entered within the Itemized Deduction menu and will add to the total gambling losses carried from W-2G entries.

We will be putting the returns in maintenance mode on Monday, February 5th at 5:00 am for a series of updates.  The updates is scheduled to include:

• PA – A fix for the PA Schedule UE
• LA – Fixed an issue where Line 5a of LA Schedule E was not populating on the print
• Site Production Detail Report (both Electronic and Paper) were yielding zero results. This is now fixed
• WI – Fixed an issue where the zip code entry for Private School Tuition Credit was not saving
• RI – Fix to check the Retirement Modification qualifications when subtracting certain retirement income
• AZ – Form 340 is now an available form to include a print set option for AZ returns
• CA – Fixed an issue that was keeping CA Schedule X from generating in the return.

Blog posted 02/04/2018  3:42 pm EST

The IRS issued final forms and instructions to software vendors last week.  We are in the final implementation of delivering phase I to production.  This phase will include the ability to designate the disaster area in the Personal Information Section.

You will then be able to enter the inputs from their TY2016 return into the application.  Once the Disaster Designation has been made in Basic Information, a menu option will appear at the bottom of the main income menu titled, “Prior Year Income for Hurricane Disaster Victims”. Preparers will have the option to let the program determine the most advantageous calculation for the return or choose to use the prior year figure.

This phase I delivery will also include the changes to charitable contributions as it applies to Disaster Areas. Within the Itemized Deduction menu > Gifts to Charity, users will first complete the “Cash Gifts to Charity”. After completing this menu, a new menu will appear labeled, “Cash Donations to Disaster Relief Charities”. This is where the preparer will designate the amount of cash donations made towards disaster relief efforts.

Phase II will implement changes that impact Form 8606

Blog posted  01/30/2018

Click here for speedtest

The following information was distributed in a Fact Sheet in October, and as we move into preparing live returns, we wanted to highlight some troubleshooting tips when preparers at your site are experiencing slowness (i.e. taking a long time between page refreshes, your browser title displaying the words “not responding” in parenthesis, the screen freezing, etc.)

Note:  Check the blog or message center to see if we have a post regarding maintenance, a system wide issue, or an issue that is effecting many users.  These would typically be the Summary/Print page not displaying a calculation, a PDF not generating, or something very specific not loading.

• Make sure you are running the latest version of your preferred internet browser
  • If you have access to a different browser, close your current browser and try the same thing in a different browser.  Support will recommend that you try the same action in Chrome, or if you are already using Chrome, to log out of the application and close all instances of your browser (not just the browser tab).
• Try a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5) to clear your active cache.

There are several variables that can create slowness at a local level:

• Is your internet service shared connectivity in the host location?
  • This is common among internet provided by cable companies
  • DSL is a more direct type of connectivity but speed is controlled by the level of the subscribed provider plan.  A lot of internet providers will slow down connectivity speed if usage exceeds the allotted plan.
  • Host site employees and people other than those preparing taxes may be using the shared internet, thus decreasing available bandwidth.
• Is your internet connection wired or wireless?
  • Wired internet connection is typically faster and more stable
• Is your internet connection via a hot spot?
  • A hot spot uses cellular service, so connectivity is going to depend on how many bars of service are available and how many active users are accessing the same hot spot.
• How many workstations are connected to the internet router and active at one time?
• What else is happening on the workstation
  • Are there multiple browsers open (i.e. Chrome and Internet Explorer)
  • How many other active internet sites are open
    • Some sites are dynamic and are running advertisements and notifications
    • Most state and government agency sites that are used for research are static

It is to note that if we detect any type of interruption, we terminate the session.  This is an enforced security protocol to ensure the integrity of taxpayer data.  For example:  If your connection is slow and taking a long time to exchange data packets, we will terminate the session.

For sites experiencing slowness, send the following information with the Subject line “Speed Test” to [email protected]

• SIDN
• City/State
• Time of Test
• Internet Provider
• Connectivity — Wired, Wireless, Hot Spot at the site experiencing the slowness
• Number of computers at the site accessing the internet connection (including those accessing the internet, but not necessarily using the application)
• Internet download/upload speed from the site, this enables us to create a database of this information Click here for speedtest
• Go to a command prompt and type or copy: “tracert vita.taxslayerpro.com”
  • Copy and paste results into the email or use a screen capture function to gather the information

We will be putting the returns in maintenance mode at 5:00 am Eastern on Tuesday, January 23rd to perform a series of updates to include:

• Adding several additions to the zip code database to automatically generate city and state
  • 85757 – Tucson, AZ
  • 32163 – The Villages, FL
  • 85193 – Casa Grande, AZ
  • 85298 – Gilbert, AZ
  • 85147 – Sacaton, AZ
• Removing the requirement of Taxpayer/Spouse occupation from Basic Information
  • If preparing PA returns, the occupation entered in Federal Basic Information will carry to PA Basic Information

Blog Posted 01/22/2018  6:03 pm Eastern

Scenario:

Complete the Form 8863 entry page and use the browser auto-fill feature and click Continue.  Receive the following error:

Workaround:

Click the error and the page will take you to the Institution (typically this is institution 2 if you have completed the first institution information)

Click the X (see example above) and the following page will display:

Click OK and then Continue.   The Education Summary Page will display

Solution:

This will be resolved in a future update

Blog Posted 01/21/2018  10:52 am EST

Scenario:

Navigate to the 8863 and select Cancel

Issue:

The page does not go back to the Credits Menu as expected

Workaround:

Click any link in the left navigation panel under the Federal Section or enter a new form number in the Forms Selection box

Solution:

This will be resolved in a future update.

Blog posted 01/21/2018 10:43 am EST