to enter the Taxpayer Bank Account Information. TaxSlayer does not present the bank account information to the volunteer unless it is requested for completion of the return. Direct deposit Asks for name of bank. That's not necessary. Why ask? 3/3 Development already planning to remove When starting a new return Popup says, "Be sure you get your 7216 Consent to Use Tax Return information signed before starting a new tax return." Volunteers don't need this. Why is it even here? Can it be removed? Would be terrifically confusing. 3/10 TaxSlayer will review with IRS CORE team after 7216 consents are implemented in the application Filing status It asks, "What is your filing status?" Questions should not be in second person. It should say, "What is the taxpayer's filing status? 3/3 The wordings on the screens are written as if the preparer is asking the taxpayer the questions. The on screen wording will not be changed. Finished return How does preparer a return? Appears that preparer to log out to close a return. There are three ways to close a return: After completing
Entering Message: “If child was born in 2015 you must check 12 months.” This is not always correct. 3/3 This is on screen guidance due to the number of inquiries received regarding the number of months that should be used for children born within the tax year W-2 Apt. number does not carry over to W-2 We're supposed to make W-2 match paper W-2. 3/3 Development looking into Form 8888 - split refund I couldn't figure out how to do it. Form search did not find it. VITA sites encourage savings and splitting refunds. 5/11 F8888 is currently set to not show in e-file section gambling income Could not figure out how to add gambling income when there is no W-2G. Without a W-2G, could not enter gambling expense on Schedule A. 3/11 Will get with development to remove the validation. 5/11 Validation has been removed "Helpful menu This includes links to things VITA does not - and shouldn't use. Such as: look up W-2 on ADP, look up W-2 on W2 Express, Efile Opt out form, contingency plan 3/3 The on the left navigation pane, with the exception of the links added by Kim (including the Contingency Plan link) can be removed
of said forms (W-2, 1099-R, etc.) Schedule E Depreciation needs to be an easy way for tax preparers to put in the land value so that the land value is not mistakenly captured in the cost basis and improperly depreciated 3/14 We will suggest a verbiage update to say “Do not include land value” next to cost basis field Where is Simplified Method worksheet for 4/4 Current enhancement with Development to add – will function like 1099-R simplified worksheet link 5/11 – Simplified link has been added to Box 7a Technical Issues Throughout the program (especially setting up tax returns initially), are boxes that cannot be checked. This causes confusion. 3/14 = Not a TaxSlayer - We have had a developer look at this on an IRS COE computer and have asked them to if a certain font will be allowed. This may also be an issue for computers using a military network F8615 Kiddy Tax The software doesn’t automatically add the Form 8615, or give the preparer any kind of warning that one is probably required. Although there are some situations where a dependent child with unearned 4/1 Will get with Development to create e-file warning
8814s, instead of the correct number of $4144. This would result in an understatement of HHI. $2,000 and not base amount of $2,100 for TY 2015. Will present to development ACA F8965 On Form 8965, a quality issues exists for the Part II exemption for “gross income below the filing threshold.” If the preparer checks the box yes for this exemption, the software just gives the exemption – even though the gross income on the return is well over the filing threshold 4/4 Under Review 5/17 Has been sent to development to correct ACA When calculating the Premium Tax Credit, TaxSlayer automatically used the Federal Poverty level for the tax return address. If there’s a way to change the FPL used, I couldn’t find it. 4/4 Under Review 5/17 Ability to adjust FPL located in basic information ACA F8965 When asking about coverage exemptions, TaxSlayer shows an outdated list of exemptions– The current list of exemptions can be found in the instructions for f8965, or on page ACA-6 of P4012 4/4 Under Review 5/17 Dev already updating exemption list Itemized Menu Schedule A Difficult to Maneuver 3/3 TaxSlayer will be enabling a “view form” feature that will allow the preparer to view the entries made on the Schedule A form. Action Requested: Send TaxSlayer detailed information on how you are
Entering credits - screen shot 2 The page that refers to deductions actually includes deductions and credits Deductions and credits should be separate - or rename the page "Deductions and Credits." 4/18 – Covered in training, Suggestion will be reviewed Selections for "Federal Return Type" - screen shot 3 The only choices are: Electronic Mailed, Direct Deposit, and Paper Return. This makes it seem like Electronic Mailed and Direct Deposit are mutually exclusive. What is to be checked if someone wants to file electronic and do direct deposit? Or wants to file paper and use direct deposit? And "Electronic Mailed" sounds like both electronic transmission and mailing a paper return. Confusing. 4/18 – covered in training *Need to find out about paper return and direct deposit 5/11 – Paper direct deposit has been added Itemized Deductions Charitable Contribution requires date of donation. Date not needed or used for anything 4/18 – Will review suggestion Itemized Deductions Mortgage Interest-asks for mortgage payee info Not required 4/18 – will review suggestion Spanish Can TaxSlayer print in Spanish? Useful for many taxpayers. 4/18 – Training issue: Select the drop down menu while in a return and select change language. Client Letter Is there a way to develop a Closing Letter in TaxSlayer to clients that can be catered to individual program needs? Most programs currently use such a letter for every client. (Shows up in the desktop version) 4/18 – Future Enhancement Request. Pro Online does not support a client letter Rounding TaxSlayer does not round of to the nearest dollar. Can it be set to round so we don't have to deal with all the pennies? 4/18 – need specifics because it does once you hit Continue on the page
knows the TP and the SP’s birth dates, and knows the start date of the annuity. It would avoid many errors if the software made the calculation for us, and instead just had a check box to indicate if it was a Joint & Survivor Annuity. Itemized Charitable contributions – cash Is it necessary to ask for the date and a description of each cash contribution? This seems unnecessary. Desktop does not ask for this level of detail. Preparer can choose “override” and enter a lump sum, but then the preparer would have to manually add up all the cash contributions from all sources. An enhancement would be to remove the date & description but still allow individual entries if desired. 4/19 – will review Itemized PMI Currently, there is a separate entry screen for PMI. It would be much easier if there was an entry field for PMI on the Mortgage Interest Reported on 1098 screen, as is done for property tax 4/19 – Will review 5/17 Training Issue Form 2441 Provider Entry Field (Enhancement) If a name is entered more than 26 characters, you get an error and have to fix it. Couldn’t the entry field just be limited to 26 characters? 4/19 -- will review 5/17 Has been sent to development to correct Form 8863 Can’t change student once selected I like the way the drop-down menu functions, allowing us to select the student instead of having to type the name and SSN again. But I let it default to the wrong name, and there didn’t seem to be a way to change it to the correct student. I had to delete the F8863 and re-enter. Is this a Font Awesome problem? 4/22 – F8863 calc is tied to the initial student selected based on dependent entries in basic info. Must delete and choose correct student if necessary Direct Deposit No warning I purposely made mistakes for both the routing number and account number when I entered it the second time, but did not receive a "warning" that 4/19 – Known issue and will be fixed 5/17
sets up for the site to use Federal: Income Unemployment landing page does not show UI income amount. Makes QR more challenging. 5/31 (CS) Unemployment Income is clearly visible using 1040 View which will be default landing page for QR Federal: Income RRB 1099R EIN must be entered each time. Since there is only one issuer of RRB 1099R the EIN could be pre-entered, reducing likelihood of an error. 5/31 (CS) All returns pass through QR. If both preparer and QR do not identify incorrect entry, IRS will reject Summary/Print View:F1040 Blue numbers are difficult to read. Also dollar sign ($) is unnecessary and it difficult to see if there is a number entry. Preparers with less than ideal eyesight may make errors such as seeing $0.00 as 50.00. May be improved with different color or bold font. Consult literature on color issues for seniors. 5/31 (CS) Under Review Summary View:F1040 Dependents’ SSN truncated on summary views Makes QR more challenging since the top of form 1040 page 1 is both a convenient place to perform some QR and a place that the TP can look at to confirm SSN's, address, name-spelling, etc. 5/31 (KM) This is determined by Security Templates and can be modified at the site Client List Client list shows truncated SSN’s. Creates problems during training if we continue the policy of the first three digits indicating the exercise and the middle two digits id'ing the preparer. Couldn’t pick out specific return. 5/31 (KM) This is determined by Security Templates and can be modified at the site level. Credit If more than $250 per TP is entered the error message is, "Taxpayer Educator Expenses must be less than 250 dollars." Entry is handled correctly but the error message is misleading. More correctly 5/31 (CS) Verbiage update under review
Explanations to IRS? The only form that seems available to provide an explanation to the IRS is the Miscellaneous Form in the e-file section. Is this a suitable place to enter explanations to the IRS, or is there a better alternative? Explanations accompanying the return can prevent the IRS from contacting the TP. 5/31 (KM) We will check on adding Preparer Notes, but the Misc notes section in the e-file section will not go to the IRS Printed Forms Negative values are printed with a minus sign in front of the number. IRS guidance in F1040 Instructions is to report negative values in parentheses. This also makes it less likely for the number to be mis-read by the TP. 5/31 (CS) Under Review Income:Less Common Income:Gambling Winnings(W-2G) Message in state section says: "Leave the "State Tax Withholdings, State Taxes Paid To and State ID Number" section blank if no state tax withholdings were included on the W-2G form you received." If any state winnings are entered but no state tax was withheld, leaving those fields blank results in a TS error message that they must be completed. The Instructions say nothing about conditions that would cause the preparer to not enter anything in the "Gambling Winnings" field. 5/31 (CS) If State Winnings were reported, necessary information required to complete the state portion of the W-2G would be available. Most people would leave State Info blank but would choose their state from the drop down prompting the program to look for withholdings, etc. that would not apply.