November, 2014
Thank you for choosing ATX for your tax preparation needs.
If you’re new to ATX, please make sure to review our System Requirements. You can test your system against our requirements with our System Analysis tool.
As a reminder, we no longer support ATX on Windows® XP.
To ensure that your ATX system is consistently providing you the experience you need, we focused on fine-tuning the server performance. We have minimized the workload on the server, which, in turn, allows it to work more efficiently. On the application side, we’ve made performance improvements in data entry and rollover of supporting data (companies, payers, etc.). We will continue to pursue similar improvements in the areas that matter most, including opening returns, rollover, and adding forms to returns.
Based on your feedback, we re-designed the process with ease-of-use in mind. The new process lets you:
You don’t have to go to the Admin Console anymore to restore your program database or change the backup location to restore returns.
Customers with Stand-Alone and Workstation/Server installation types can change locations in the Preferences dialog box without needing to open the Admin Console. Changes made in ATX are automatically copied to the Admin Console, and vice-versa. See Backup and Files Preferences.
The re-designed interface lets you make backups directly from the Backup dialog box. Simply select a new location, such as a flash drive, and ATX backs up the data. You can restore from that location in the Restore dialog box. See Manual Backup.
We made the Backup and Restore folder structure and file names consistent throughout the application. This will make it easy to restore data to different ATX machines.
We’ve redesigned the Backup and Restore dialogs so that, along with returns, you can now backup and restore any combination of the following:
To see the new designs, see Manual Backup and Restoring Returns.
A new category called Setup Data can also be backed up and restored. Setup Data includes all Preferences, Security groups and users, Print Packets, custom client letters, customized master forms, EFIN enrollment data, ACKS that aren’t related to returns, FAM-specific data and PRS data.
To help make Backup and Restore more consistent with other parts of ATX, we added pagination to the re-designed dialog, so you can now backup and/or restore selected returns on multiple pages simultaneously.
Your default backup and file storage folders are now year-specific: ATX 2014 Backup and ATX 2014 Files. Even if you change your backup or file locations, ATX will automatically add a year-specific folder to the new location. This helps you distinguish between data from year to year, and also prevents other data from getting mixed in with your ATX data.
ATX will remember your last five selections (so you don’t have to keep browsing).
Backup files now contain an embedded Return Name, which makes identification easy.
Moreover, dates and times are now relative to the current time, so it’s easier to tell if you’re choosing the correct version.
Return names and file names (such as Companies) appear in the progress dialog box.
Existing backups and files are no longer automatically transferred to newly-selected locations. If you change backup or file locations after you’ve already stored to other locations, ATX no longer moves previously-saved data to the new location. Rather, to avoid mixing other system files with ATX data, you’ll get an alert to manually copy the files from the old location to your new location.
By default, standard client letters refer to returns that "have been e-filed" or "will be e-filed" based on e-file status when the letter is generated. If you prefer to show customers letters that reflect a static result in the process, you can now set “has been e-filed” or “will be e-filed” as the global preference on all standard letters.
A new form has been added to centralize a taxpayer’s bank information in a single location. Users can select different bank accounts for each jurisdiction in the return.
When you purchase PRS funds from the website, the funds are now visible from within ATX. When you create a return, the cost of the return will be deducted from your PRS funds, and you’ll be able to see that in ATX.
Our new FeeCollect PS package offers a variety of preferred services to assist EROs in multiple areas of their business operations. A "solutions fee," which will apply to each unique SSN/TIN, will include the following services listed below:
Customers in IL, NY and ME who process refund settlement products must purchase the FeeCollect PS package.
Our commitment to excellence in automated forms continues with the following 2014 items:
New Electronic Filing packages planned for TY 2014:
If you’ve used Program Help, you already know that it contains a lot of information! For this very reason, we removed all those help files from your ATX install and have moved them to a cloud-based server. Not only do you get a speedier ATX install, but this move also frees up space on your system and gives us the ability to post updated Help more frequently than full version releases. In more ways than one, Help is now dynamic!
As a finishing touch, we’ve given Program Help a “facelift” to help improve readability.
To help preparers be more productive, we’ve made it easier to get your tax questions answered. Click the new Tax Research button on the toolbar to access your tax compliance library. Streamline your workflow when preparing a return by getting line explanations within the application. Simply right click and select the Tax Line Research menu option when on a form. Last but not least, access your Master Tax Guide with a simple click. Right click on any field and your Master Tax Guide is available for quick answers to essential tax questions.
See TaxResearch® and the Master Tax Guide.
Find clients by entering the 9-digit Social Security Number without dashes in the Find field.
When you roll over 2013 returns that contained any type of client letter, the letter and all of its customizations will be rolled over with the return. What’s more, any Client Letter templates that you customized in 2013 for your business can also be rolled into ATX 2014. See Rollover Manager.
Insert itemized, text, or custom lists in many additional areas, such as Schedules C and E.
Increase revenue by applying a standard fee to returns for Protection Plus customers. See Enrollment Manager.
We’ve made the following enhancements to help you manage fixed assets:
The following 2014 regulatory requirements have been met for Fixed Assets:
On the Global Settings tab: