First, you'll want to get your account number from Setup. Then you
can Login and start your tax return data entry. Instructions are in the
system, including IRS instructions, available through the "Help" button.
You might want to print this page for a quick reference and to use as a
check list.
The quick basics are these....
- Fill in your basic information worksheet completely.
This is the first form you will come to when you first enter your return.
After it is complete, click on the "Forms/Menu" button on the bottom button
bar. Remember to always use the bottom button bar to navigate in your return
in order to make sure you are saving your data.
- Remember to always wait for the alert box which pops up on each form
to say that it has loaded completely. If you do not wait for this indicator,
your page may not load completely and you will encounter errors.
- Fill in your W2s and other income forms (W2g, 1099R) if you have any.
Complete your Schedule 1 or Schedule B form if you have any interest income.
You need to fill in these forms to file your return electronically, and to
make sure that subsequent calculations will move income and withholding
amounts properly to the 1040.
- Use whole numbers only! You can avoid any rounding errors by
entering numbers which are already rounded to the nearest dollar. The IRS wants
only whole dollars in returns which are filed electronically.
- Fill in any expense forms you may need for child care or other personal
deductions such as Schedule 2 or Form 2441 or Schedule A.
- Calculate your return along the way to move information from the basic
information worksheet to other forms by clicking on the "Calc" button. This
calculates the entire tax return as you have enterred it so far, not just one
form. It will even create forms for you such as the EIC or the SE or 2210.
- You can override those fields that the calculation creates if you
believe it to be necessary. The most commonly used forms will have input fields
highlighted with a different color. The other fields on the form will be
created by calculation. You can override a field, that is to say, you can
force the contents of a field, by putting an asterisk "*" in front of the
value as in "*95" instead of "95". Remember to enter only whole dollars.
- Go to your 1040EZ, or 1040A, or 1040 LAST. The program
will have created one for you by this time. Review your 1040 to make sure you
have enterred all information and everything is complete and ready to go.
IMPORTANT You MUST click on the Jurat/Disclosure link near the
bottom of your Form 1040/1040A/1040EZ and put in at least your birthdate(s)
and the signature date (date of filing)
to efile your return. If you have an ECN you will want to enter it
on this statement.
- If you want to file your return electronically, go back to the Forms/Menu
and click on the "Validate/File Return" button. The program will step you
through the process.
In a little more detail...
There are differences between filing a paper return and filing an
electronic record. Principally, all the information from source
documents is entered on screens provided in the program, whereas on a
paper return, some of these documents are attached to the form you
mail in. The following are some examples:
With the paper return, you attach your Form(s) W-2 to the front of the
Form 1040. In the electronic return, you must enter the information on
the Form(s) W-2 in the electronic record. This is accomplished by
using the Form W-2 located in Other Forms selection on the form
screen.
There are special considerations applicable to the Form(s) W-2. The
Form W-2 is considered as a STANDARD form if it is computer generated
and has no alterations or changes. If it is typed, hand written, or
altered in any way, it is considered non-standard.
If your address on the Form W-2 is different than your address on the
Form 1040, you must enter what is shown on the Form W-2.
Although you attach the Form(s) W-2 and 1099-R to the Form 8453OL,
which you must mail to the IRS, these documents arrive at the IRS
after your electronic return has been processed, and the paper
documents become back-ups to the electronic return.
The above is also true for the Form(s) 1099-R.
There is an exception, and that is for Form(s) 1099, other than the
Form 1099-R. For example, Form 1099 MISC is entered on the applicable
form as indicated by the box in which your earnings are posted. If
there is an entry in box 7, non-employee compensation, you enter that
on a Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ. If it indicates you received rental
income then it should be entered on Schedule E, and so forth. The data
on Form(s) 1099 INT and 1099 DIV is entered on Schedule B. Information
from K-1's is entered on Page 2 of the Schedule E.
The complete IRS instructions are only a mouse click away, and we
recommend you review the applicable areas if you have any doubts.
On the electronic filing screens, you will notice special "literal"
fields. These literals are the same ones that are in the IRS
instructions for specific situations. These are generally described in
the instructions as "write on the dotted line to the left of the line
number. Most people who fall into these special situations are aware
of the requirements and know what to do with the information. If it is
foreign to you, you probably don't have to concern yourself with it
and should leave those fields blank.
We recommend that you avoid over-riding fields, especially on the Form
1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ, because in most cases this will cause a reject
condition. The exception is if you have interest income of $400 or
less, you do not require a Schedule B and should override the field at
line 8a of the Form 1040, for interest income, or line 9 of the Form
for dividend income.
There exists a rule that if the data is insignificant to the return,
you should not enter the data. For example: If your itemized
deductions are less than your standard deduction, then do not enter
any data on the Schedule A, unless you are required to do so because
of the rule about married filing separate and one spouse itemizes. If
the Schedule A is not required, then Form 2106 is not required, since
it feeds directly to the Schedule A. This is true of other Forms that
feed to the Schedule A, such as Form 8283, Form 4684, etc. However,
you may enter the data in all those Forms in order to see if they do
affect your itemized deductions. If they do not, then make sure you
delete the applicable Forms before submitting your return.
Caution: If you live in a community property states you cannot file a
return electronically if your filing status is "3," married filing
separate.
Step by Step...
The recommended method of entering the data for our program is very
simple:
1. Gather all your source documents (W-2's, 1099's, etc.).
2. Select the necessary input screen from the "Other Forms" menu.
3. Enter the data.
4. Validate the Form.
5. "Calc" the return.
6. After all the data has been entered on the necessary forms, and the
return has been calculated, open the applicable Form 1040, Form 1040A,
or Form 1040EZ and review the data on the form. If there is omitted
information then go back to the applicable Form or Schedule and enter
the information. Again validate that Form or Schedule and "Calc" the
return.
7. Once you are certain your return is correct, file it. You will be
advised by email that your return has been processed by FileSafe and
that it will be transmitted to the IRS.
8. After the acknowledgement is received from the IRS (within 48 hrs)
you will receive email that will indicated if your return was accepted
or rejected. If it is rejected, you will be informed of the specific
area that caused the rejection. Once you correct the required
information, re-submit the return.
Caution: Once you have submitted your return and it has been accepted
by the IRS, there is no way you can change it electronically. If you
discover an omission or that you submitted incorrect data, the only
way to correct it is by using a Form 1040X, amended return, and that
must be mailed in paper form.
9. When you receive email that indicates your return was accepted by
the IRS, you must print the Form 8453 OL, sign it, attach your Form(s)
W-2, Form(s) 1099-R, to the front of the Form 8453 OL and staple to
the back of the form any of the following paper documents, if
applicable: Form 2120, Multiple Support Declaration; A physician's
statement, as required, to support an entry on Schedule R or Schedule
3; A proof of blindness certification from a physician or registered
optometrist; Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions (Appraisal
Summary); Form 8332, Release of Claim to Exemption for Child of
Divorced or Separated Parents and; Form 2848, Power of Attorney and
Declaration of Representative.
10. Mail the Form 8453 OL, with attachments, to the IRS. If you have
used your ECN as issued by the IRS where requested in the system,
you will not need to mail in a Form 8453OL.
11. Don't hesitate to use the help screens and links to the IRS
instructions. Remember, you are preparing a very important financial
document and should use all the help available to you. Try to make
certain you include all your income, from all sources, and take all
the deductions that are legally yours.
12. Be aware that many Forms are created automatically by the program
based on data that you input from your source documents. For example:
Schedule SE will be created if you have income from a Schedule C.
Schedule EIC will be created if your earnings and other criteria
justify the Form.
13. If you have specific questions about the operation of the program,
or encounter a problem, send us email and describe in detail which
Form you were on, what you did, and what the error is. Also, make sure
you let us know who you are, your account number and social security
number, and your email address, all of which we need if we are to look
at your submitted return and located a specific problem.
contact@123taxprep.com
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