WE
Level 1

We need to be able to PRINT the Pa Local Tax Form immediately.  This happened last year and caused massive outrage and cost us a lot of time and money since we had to hand-write this form.  This form never changes, ever.  If you need to wait to 'approve' it on Feb 11th for some reason, that's one thing, but make it so we can PRINT it immediately.  We are already starting to do returns and hand-writing this form again, which is outrageous.  It cost us time and money, and makes us look ridiculous in front of clients.

Again, please make it such that this form can at least be PRINTABLE NOW.  And quite frankly, a credit to my account needs discussed.  Between last year and already this year, it's causing alot of unnecessary time and grief.  Unbelievable.  THE FORM DOES NOT CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

Regards.

Just-Lisa-Now-
Level 15
Level 15
I believe I remember hearing that its the state and local tax authorities that dont want forms to be able to be printed until final, because some dummies still end up mailing them in before they're ready

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥Lisa♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
WE
Level 1

This form never changes, and last year ProSeries freed up the form after enough backlash.  The PA forms are different, and make explanation (sans 'dummies' editorial) makes since for PA forms since PA state forms could possible change, but this form is a basic skeleton form, for which we actually enter the tax rate and jurisdiction, the form simply collects taxpayer basic info and income.   The forms needs to be able to be PRINTED, as it was last year before the PA forms were finalized.

Regards.

Accountant-Man
Level 12

Can you do it online?

** I'm still a champion... of the world! Even without The Lounge.
chasetax
Level 7

i have a few pa local returns also--i download the earned income form from York  Area Tax Bureau--and fill it in using the computer

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SeanS
Level 3

Most Local Returns are mailed and not efiled - Remove the VERBIAGE AND ALLOW US TO PRINT AND DECIDE IF WE WANT TO MAIL OR NOT.

 

Intuit wants to be the leader in Financial Technology with a stock price to reflect it's success

HOWEVER - can not solve this simple bump in the road to help its loyal customers

$8,000 for the software- Hand writing Local....not good

Sean

Connellsville PA

 

Ernie
Level 9

@Orlando  this form is the same from year to year and does not change.  Can you please find out why it is not ready to go?  I know that PA and the Local have approved it because I discussed this with both our local tax collector (Berkheimer) and PA.

Dusty Ernie

Orlando
Intuit Alumni

I'll ask - but honestly us engineers just do what we're told in this area.. we don't get the tax laws one bit.. we just write the code that enforces the rules (if you're wondering, we discovered a long time ago it's easier to train accountants to code vs training engineers how to deal with tax laws.. so the actual tax calculations are coded by very hard working accountant-converts).  In this case I know we were told PA was one of the states that required blocking of non-final forms.. and I'm told it takes 3 weeks between when the government says a form is final and when we can get the government to approve the use of our representation of their final form... even if it never really changes year over year.

In short, and hopefully this doesn't offend anybody.. but our government isn't exactly the most efficient or logical of entities.

Ernie
Level 9

Orlando:  This form has not changed in YEARS and they have no plans on changing it.  So, as politely as I can, that is not the reason.  Last year everyone I could get called in and complained and complained and it was fixed right away.  Someone at INTUIT is holding this up as my contact at PA that is involved with the approval said they approved all forms for all vendors before the end of the year.

All vendors that I have friends that use their software have their forms ready to go.

Someone at INTUIT has this as a very low priority and that is why it is not completed, and is not completed year after year.  To pay what we pay and you cannot release a form that has not changed in years in a timely manner is, well let's just say not appropriate and leave it at that.

Dusty Ernie

SeanS
Level 3

Orlando,

The local "Form" is not being efiled to PA  - This is not a PA Form - this is a local generic form-similar to a worksheet

Various taxing agencies in Pa- form is sent to them-  NOT SENT TO PA  - MOST LOCALS ARE MAILED

please review last year- attached

Lack of understanding on intuit side is causing preparers money and time.

Drake, Ultra, Taxslayer and others - not having issues with Local

This is from last year - fixed Feb1 , 2020

It's because of the local form. You need to delete it and then PA will print. I just spoke with someone from the office of the President of Intuit and they will have this fixed by the end of the day today. The local form says that it is not finalized until 2/20 which there is nothing to finalize. Software techs were not aware of what was going on. They will fix the local so it can be printed today and then you will no longer need to delete the local form but currently for right now that is what's holding up printing out PA. 

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SDJayhawk
Employee
Employee

Confirmed with the development team that these forms are still in the approval process and will be released final in about two weeks.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

0 Cheers
Ernie
Level 9

@SDJayhawkBull****    This form does not change year after year.  My friend in PA said all forms have been approved.  Last year Pro Series said the same thing and numerous people call the Presidents office and made a big deal about this and *wow* the form was suddenly approved much earlier than the due date.

THIS FORM DOES NOT CHANGE / HAS NOT CHANGED SO PA IS NOT GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME TO APPROVE.  DRAKE AND ULTRA TAX ARE APPROVED (DON'T KNOW ABOUT OTHER VENDORS).  WHY WOULD THEY BE AND PROSERIES NOT BE APPROVED?  IT IS A LOW PRIORITY BY WHOMEVER WORKS ON THIS FORM AND THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE AND HAPPENS YEAR AFTER YEAR - WHY?

Dusty Ernie

SeanS
Level 3

PA DOES NOT APPROVE NOR HAS EVER APPOVED OF A LOCAL GENERIC FORM

INTUIT - PLEASE REVIEW YOUR PRIOR YEARS

 

THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING DOES NOT HURT, AS MUCH AS THE LACK OF EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND DOES!! 

Sean S

Connellsville PA

 

rjholton
Level 3

Glad I'm not the only one that has a list of local returns that must be printed once the form is final....it's crazy.  This makes no sense because this isn't even a PA form.  It's a local form.  In addition, Berkheimer (the local tax authority with which I deal with most often) has opened their 2020 individual electronic filing through their website.  So now it makes me look like an idiot when I tell the client I can't finish their local return because the software hasn't finalized the form, but they can go to Berkheimer's website, manually enter their local tax information, and file.  

Ernie
Level 9

@SDJayhawk @Orlando  why are the other software vendors ready to go and you are not?  Because it is important to them and we are not.  Why is PA way down on the list every year?  Why are you unable to get it ready to go when the other vendors are?  We pay LARGE sums for this software and we have to wait weeks and weeks and weeks and.... WHY?

mdaddycpa82
Level 3

Add me to the list of CPAs and preparers extremely frustrated with this situation. It seems like this continues to happen every year for a form that frankly does not and has not changed....It's simple, take the "FORM IS NOT FINAL" off and let us print this silly one page form that fully aggravates us enough here in PA, please let's not add to the frustration by preventing this further.

And if anyone has the phone number other than basic customer support to help push this along, please share.....

Ernie
Level 9

@SDJayhawk @Orlando  why is the form so low on the list?  It does not change year to year.  Other vendors have it in their software.  What is the reason PA local so low on the priority list?

Dusty

IRonMaN
Level 15

Ernie - do what you did last year to speed up the process.  This kind of stuff is out of Orlando's jurisdiction.  You need to move up the food chain and put pressure on Intuit's jugular.


Slava Ukraini!
PATAX
Level 15

It is February 4, 2021, and this local one page form is still not ready....what a joke.

IRunFar
Level 3

First off, let me say I share everyone's frustration with Intuit's utter lack of attention to this matter happening year after year.  It is unforgiveable.

That being said, there is a somewhat tolerable work-around someone suggested last year, or perhaps the year before, that we have been using.  If you have ProSeries 2019(or any year, as we know, the form NEVER CHANGES INTUIT), you would open the client's 2019 return, and go to the local return.  You can over-ride the year in the upper right hand corner to "20", change the due date, and type in the wages, and withholding, etc.  Then you print out the form, and exit 2019 without saving.  In 2020, you uncheck the box on the Local return, deactivating the form.  Now you can print out 2020, unless it has other forms that aren't final yet.

It's clunky, but beats hand writing the form, or letting returns stack up because of Intuit's lack of concern.

Intuit, if this is my last year using ProSeries, you can look at your complete lack of concern over this repeated issue as being one of the reasons.

ChrisCPA1
Level 3

Cheers to all who posted... thank you Ernie for linking me to this growing list.   Because 1 idiot left his laptop exposed in a Starbucks, we all have to pay price and have to keep logging into software.  I downloaded a robo clicker when away from my desktop.  Also since several mailed "Forms Not Final" forms last year, we cant at least print drafts for review.  

mdaddycpa82
Level 3

Great idea...thank you! I feel like I may have done this in a prior year when we were waiting, the thought didn't cross my mind this year, so thanks again, extremely helpful!

dsterner
Level 2

It's a year later, and the same situation exists. We are unable to print the PA Local Tax Form again this year. The program indicates it will be final on 2-17-22, which is over 3 weeks into the filing season. For what I am paying for this program, it is unacceptable that I should have to hand write this form for the first 3 weeks of my season. The form is a generic form and doesn't change from year to year, yet the same problem seems to persist on your end year after year. Please resolve this issue immediately if you wish to retain me as a customer, and I imagine other preparers in the state of PA.

Thank you!

PATAX
Level 15

@dsterner God bless you for speaking the truth.

IRonMaN
Level 15

"if you wish to retain me as a customer"

But that's the problem, a good portion of the folks that post here threaten to leave, but they never do.  Intuit knows the vast majority of preparers are bluffing because they know accountants/tax preparers don't like change.  Tax preparers will do anything to not have to learn another software.  For the 12 folks that do leave, there are 13 from UltraTax and Drake making the same threats and do have the backbone to leave and show up here.  Welcome to the whacky world of being a professional tax preparer.  There really is no such thing as the perfect tax software ------------- at least not for what the average firm can afford to pay.


Slava Ukraini!
ChrisCPA1
Level 3

It is mind numbing that you can literally download regular turbo tax and print the same forms that are blocked on ProSeries.  Are they trying to have clients leave us and get this business?

 

IRonMaN
Level 15

Turdddotaxxx helps out Intuit's stock price better than the professional tax software, so they do have their priorities.


Slava Ukraini!
PATAX
Level 15

Chris I'm just going into the 2020 software opening up the wage tax return and changing it to the 2021 information and printing it out. For me this is the fastest and more professional than doing it by hand. But I know a colleague who is using blank forms and doing them by hand. Hopefully it'll be updated within the next week. Nothing we can do. Just my opinion.

ChrisCPA1
Level 3

PATAX hopefully you see this.  I typically spend $400 annually for paired down version of BNA/Bloomberg Superforms which I have been using for years.  A nice, bare bones forms package.  I disable to local form in Proseries, print to PDF, prep form elsewhere and bring into the pdf.  A pain but solid work aorund until they turn off the block.  Frankly again... mind numbing to block to ability to print on a form that DOES NOT CHANGE.   

https://pro.bloombergtax.com/request-trial-superform-tax-forms/?trackingcode-cta=SF00194550

PATAX
Level 15

@ChrisCPA1 thanks for that link Chris. If I'm still doing taxes next year maybe I'll check that out since it looks pretty good. 

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JCTaxAdv
Level 3

This is unbelievably ridiculous. This is just a placeholder form for local earned income tax. Majority of PA preparers use local tax bureau's online websites (such as https://efile.lctcb.org/eitintroduction.aspx) to file directly online for the local Earned Income Tax. I have already filed several local tax returns successfully through the LCTCB website, so it is the locality that makes their system available (makes their forms final) - it has nothing to do with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue finalizing the local EIT forms. (And as others have said - these are stock forms that almost never change from year to year. The Lancaster County Tax Collection Bureau's EIT form is exactly the same this year as it was for the 2020 tax year and 2019 tax year.)

It is the EIT return print out from ProSeries that is helpful to include for taxpayers.

If higher-ups would review the regulations more carefully, they would find something that would allow permission for the programmers to release the EIT forms for printing in advance of the 2/17/21 release. Should have been reviewed before the new ProSeries 2021 software was even released - now we're in crunch time and all at ProSeries are too busy to make an additional coding change.

Ugh.

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