Customer Support Center

By holding down the Alt key and then pressing the F key you can bring up the Forms Menu to add a form to a field in a tax return.

There are several Alt functions in AccuTax that will save you and/or your tax preparers time while processing a tax return, which in turn will help your tax preparation business generate more revenue.

ALT Functions:
Alt+C — Commands Menu
Alt+D — Database Menu
Alt+F — Forms Menu
Alt+H — Help Menu
Alt+P — Print Menu
Alt+R — Return Menu
Alt+S — Setup Menu
Alt+U — Utility Menu

There are several F-Key functions in AccuTax that will save you and/or your tax preparers time while processing a tax return, which in turn will help your tax preparation business generate more revenue.

F-Key Functions
F1 – Help
F2 — Work in Progress
F3 — Choice List
F4 — Print Select
F5 — Clear Override
F6 — Bookmark Field
F7 – Calculator
F8 — Print Window
F9 — Sort Statement
F10 – Exit

Simply click Select a Return from the Work In Progress screen and then click the Configure button. Now, with just a few clicks of your mouse, you can add or remove any of the informational columns that appear with your list of taxpayer clients.

Simply open the tax return, go to the Invoice — Billing & Pmts form and scroll down to Line 3 of the Discounts and Credits section. Then, type a description and amount for the discount and it will automatically be deducted from the total bill.

Simply click Today's Appointments on the Work In Progress screen and then click on a calendar date to see what is on your agenda for the day.

To change the tax return colors, click the Setup menu and then click Color Setup. Scroll through the various color options and customize AccuTax's color scheme.

From printing bank product checks to preparing tax returns, you will find it all at AccuTax University.

You can do this by clicking the ∇ icon that appears to the left of the Search field on the Return Lookup screen.

Instead, click the Setup menu, click Office Setup, click the Overrides tab and then type your company information in the top portion of the screen. Now, all of your company information will already be displayed when you configure each of your tax preparers.

To check the status of a return, click the Quick button located on the toolbar.

Simply click the Utility menu, click System Utilities, click the Status Sync button, and then click Run Utility. AccuTax will retrieve status information from the Central Site.

The status report lists current information for any tax return on your program by a specified date range. The date range defaults to all dates, but can be changed to any date range. Various sorting options are available that can be used to limit the information displayed on the report.

To run a status report, follow these steps:

1. On the Reports menu, click Status Reports and then click the status report that best suits your needs.
2. Select the sorting option you want to use to sort the report from the list.
3. Type a Min Date and a Max Date for the sort criteria.
4. Click the Quick View button to view the report on your screen or click the Print button to print the report.

The IRS allows two methods for calculating vehicle expenses. You can either use Actual Expenses, including depreciation of the vehicle, OR the Standard Mileage Rate. The Standard Mileage Rate is updated each year.

1. f you have not done so already, add the form you want to carry the vehicle expenses to. For example, if the vehicle expenses are to be carried to a Schedule C, add the Schedule C to the tax return.
2. Press CTRL+N to open the All Forms & Schedules window to the Depreciation tab.
3. Double-click Car/Truck to open the Business Activity Asset window.
4. Click New Asset to add a new vehicle.
5. In the Description box, type a description of the vehicle.
6. In the Date Placed in Service, type the date the vehicle was placed in service.
7. Select the appropriate Business Asset Class and then click OK to open the Choose Asset Class window.
8. Enter the original cost or basis. Note: AccuTax requires at least $1 for cost or basis.
9. Click New Asset to add a new vehicle.
10. Complete the questions that appear in the Choose Asset Class window. If you are claiming standard miles, the questions must be answered as demonstrated below. The last question is not available if the vehicle was placed in service during the current tax year.
    
    
    
11. Click the Mileage/Expenses tab.
12. Enter the total vehicle mileage, total commute mileage, and average daily commute miles in the appropriate fields.
13. Enter the activity and business miles in the center grid. All business activities on the return will display in this grid.
14. Enter the actual expenses paid in the applicable boxes.
15. Select the two evidence questions at the bottom if applicable.
16. Click Close.
17. Click Return to List.
18. Click Close.

To print returns and other documents to a non-PCL 6 printer, follow these steps:

1. On the Setup menu in AccuTax, click Printer Setup.
2. Select the Use GDI printer interface check box and then click OK.
3. Try to print a tax return.

If the above tax return does not print, your printer is not compatible with AccuTax. Try saving the return as a PDF and then printing the PDF.

To print checks to a non-PCL 6 printer, follow these steps:

1. From the Work In Progress Summary screen, click Check, Registers, and Activation.
2. Select the Use GDI Printing checkbox and then click OK.

The next time a taxpayer needs a copy of his or her return, instead of mailing a paper copy, try e-mailing a PDF file. With PDF files, you save time and money by mailing taxpayers fewer paper documents.

PDF stands for "portable document format." When you print a tax return to PDF, you make it "portable," which means it is easy to transmit through email and the document will look the same as the printed document. In addition to making documents portable, PDF files look and print the same on virtually any computer.

To print a tax return as a PDF document in AccuTax, follow these steps

1. From within a tax return, click the Print menu and then click Final Tax Return.
2. Click PDF
3. In the .pdf file, click Save.

In the Save As Copy dialog, browse to the folder where you want to save the .pdf file and then click Save.

If you have printed a bank product check that is damaged, was printed on blank paper, or is unusable (for example, the check text printed on the wrong side of the check stock) you can correct the problem by processing a reprint. After processing a reprint, the bank product check is immediately ready for you to reprint.

To void and reissue or reprint a check, follow these steps:

1. On the Work In Progress screen, click Checks, Registers, and Activation.
2. On the Check Register tab, click the bank product check you want to reprint and then click Reprint. A check is now available to print.

To report a lost or stolen bank product check, follow these steps:

1. Immediately contact the bank that issued the bank product check and inform them of the lost or stolen check. In most cases, the bank will require you to complete and send a form officially requesting the stop-payment and reissue of the check.
   *The required forms are usually included with the documentation that you received with your bank product check stock.
2. Contact a Customer Support Manager at AccuTax to inform them of the lost or stolen bank product check. A Customer Support Manager will gladly assist in performing a stop-payment on the lost/stolen check and by requesting a check reissue.

To add an asset to a tax return, follow these steps:

1. If you have not done so already, add the form you want to carry depreciation to. For example, if you want the depreciation to appear on Schedule C, add the Schedule C to the tax return.
2. Press CTRL+N to open the All Forms & Schedules, Depreciation screen.
3. Double-click the business activity to open the Business Activity Asset window.
4. Click New Asset.
5. In the Description box, type a name for that asset.
6. In the Date Placed in Service box, type the date the asset was placed in service.
7. Select the appropriate Business Asset Class and click OK.
8. On the General Tab screen, type the original cost or basis of the asset in the Original Cost or Basis box.
9. If claiming the Section 179 deduction, type the amount elected for the Section 179 deduction in the Sec 179 Expense box.
10. If the asset has prior year depreciation amounts, click the Depreciation tab on top and type the prior year depreciation in the Adjusted Depreciation box.
11. Click Close.
12. Click Return to List.
13. Click Close.

Did you know that you can download the AccuTax Keyboard Guide for a convenient reference guide to many of AccuTax's keyboard shortcuts? Place it over your keyboard, tape it to your computer monitor, or simply keep it around your desk for an easy, helpful way to have the information at-a-glance.

Simply click the Help menu and then click IRS Reject Codes.

AccuTax has you covered. Simply click the Utility menu, click System Utilities, click the Tax Return Audit button near the center of the screen and then click Run Utility. Double-click the tax return you wish to restore.

Just go to the Information and Status page of the tax return, click the Client Letter field and then press the F3 key on your keyboard to open the Spanish letter option.

You may receive this error message if any of the following conditions are true:

• Another computer has already transmitted to the Central Site using the specified User ID.
• You are transmitting from a newly purchased computer.

RESOLUTION

When you first transmit, Central Site automatically assigns each of your transmitting computers a unique serial number. Central Site uses this serial number to prevent multiple stand-alone computers from transmitting to Central Site with the same User ID. If a user attempts to transmit to Central Site with multiple stand-alone computers using the same User ID, the message Login Refused Serial Changed will appear.

AccuTax does not support stand-alone transmitting computers with the same User ID.

To reset the serial number, please call a Customer Support Manager and request that they reset your serial number.

When you try to transmit to the Central Site, the following error message appears:

CAUSE

This issue can occur if any of the following are true:

• The User ID entered in AccuTax is incorrect.
• The password entered in AccuTax is incorrect.

RESOLUTION

Method 1: Verify the User ID

1. On the Setup menu, click Office Setup
2. In the User ID box, verify the correct User ID exists.

If the correct User ID is not entered, type the correct User ID and then click OK. If you don't know the correct User ID, contact a Customer Support Manager.

Method 2: Verify the password

IMPORTANT: Your password is case sensitive – for example, PASSWORD and password are different entries.

1. Click Transmit on the toolbar
2. On the Transmit to Central Site dialog, click Setup.
3. In the Password box, type your transmission password.

If the correct password is not entered, type the correct password in the Password box and then click OK. To find the transmission password, contact a Customer Support Manager.

When you try to print a tax return, the following error message appears:

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if AccuTax has not been updated with the Printing package update.

RESOLUTION

Download and apply the latest Printing package update.

To install the latest Printing package update, follow these steps:

1. Click the Transmit button on the AccuTax toolbar.
2. On the Transmit to Central Site window, click the Transmit button. AccuTax will transmit to Central Site and retrieve any updates that have not been installed.
3. Once the transmission has finished, click the Software Updates option found on the Work In Progress Summary screen.
4. Click the Apply All button to install the pending updates. Once the program has finished installing the updates, the software will restart automatically.
5. Attempt to print again. If you receive the same error message after following the steps listed above, contact a Customer Support Manager.

If you have forgotten your AccuTax Login ID or password, please contact a Customer Support Manager.

All paid Federal tax return preparers must register with the IRS, obtain a PTIN, and renew it each year.

Renewals

1. All federal tax return preparers must renew their PTIN each year
2. Pay PTIN renewal fee
3. To renew go to the IRS Tax Professional PTIN System page on the IRS website and log into your Account.

Obtaining a New PTIN

1. Pay New PTIN fee
2. To register for a new PTIN go to the IRS Online PTIN system page on the IRS website, click on New User, and follow the prompts to setup your account and go through the process of obtaining a PTIN.