This release contains a fully functional federal 1040 program, which is used to proforma client data and produce client organizers.

Transcription

1 2015 ULTRATAX/PROFORMA & CLIENT ORGANIZER, v User Bulletin 1040US : Initial Release November 23, 2015 This release contains a fully functional federal 1040 program, which is used to proforma client data and produce client organizers. Many of the forms included in this release are preliminary or prior year versions and are subject to change. As a result, final testing of all federal calculations has not been completed. Therefore, we recommend that, beyond proforma processing and producing client organizers, you do not file actual tax returns with this release. The December release will include fully tested calculations to match all available final government forms used for filing tax returns. We also recommend that you do not customize or proforma prior-year customized UltraTax/1040 form print collations until you receive the next UltraTax/1040 software update, which is scheduled for release in late December. The December release of UltraTax/1040 will include more final government forms, which may cause to override any form print collation customizations you may complete prior to the December release. CHANGES This release includes the following changes. Health care related data entry, now located in the new Health Care input screen folder, has been expanded and redesigned to provide a better workflow. Two new options in Setup > 1040 Individual > Other Return Options > Proforma tab allow you to proforma the selection in the Entire family covered for full year with minimum essential health care coverage field from Screen ACA Tax or the Entire family will be covered for 2015 with minimum essential health care coverage field from Screen TPW-ACA. An X in these fields in the prior year proformas 1 (Yes) to Screen Coverage in 2015 when this option is marked. These options are marked by default. New Screen Coverage, Health Care Coverage. All health care data entry previously in Screen ACA Tax has moved here, along with self-employed health care and long-term care premium data entry from Screen OtherAdj. New Screen PTC, Premium Tax Credit, which replaces Screen ACA Cr. New Screen 1095A, Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, which replaces Screen ACA Cr-2. New Screen Afford, Health Care Affordability, to calculate the Affordability Worksheet. New Screen 1099QA, ABLE Account Information, to calculate the new ABLE Account Worksheet. Screens 5498SA, Health, Medical Account Contributions, and 1099SA, Health, Medical Account Distributions, have moved to the new Health Care folder from the 1040 Adjustments folder. Data entry in Screen Coverage for the Entire family covered for full year with minimum essential health care coverage field is now a Yes/No drop-down list. This field is also available in Screens Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 1

2 W2, 1099R, SSA1099, C, F, and K1-3 in conjunction with data entry for health care premiums. A selection is required in only one location. UltraTax/1040 generates a critical diagnostic if this field is blank in all locations. The Tax Projection Worksheet defaults to the same treatment in the following year as indicated in the current year Entire family covered for full year with minimum essential health care coverage field. To track the amount of available NOL that applies to each year, Screen NOLCO now has the Per Year Net Operating Loss for Net Investment Income column. Form 8960 Worksheet 2 calculates the NIIT NOL by applying the Net Investment Income Applicable Percent of NOL in each year to the remaining NOL available for that year. These amounts automatically proforma. Tax elections adopted as part of the final tangible property regulations (Reg (a)) are required to be filed on an annual basis for property placed in service during the tax year. Therefore, UltraTax/1040 automatically proformas election numbers 71 (Capitalize Repair and Maintenance Costs (Reg (a)-3(n)) and 74 (De Minimis Safe Harbor (Reg (a)-1(f)) on Screen Elect, as well as entries on Screens C-2, F-2, Rent and 4835 for the Small Taxpayer Safe Harbor Election (Reg (a)-3(h), if data was present in the prior year. An FYI diagnostic is generated when proforma d election information is present in the return. If the election does not apply for the current tax year, remove the proforma d data from the applicable Screens. The Family Transfer Utility (FTU) was added in In 2015, when selecting a parent or claiming taxpayer that had data transferred via FTU in 2014, automatically populates the Clients selected pane with any dependents who were selected in The 2015 United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges established that same-sex couples may now exercise the fundamental right to marry in all states. Thus, individuals in a samesex marriage are now considered married for state and federal tax return purposes. As a result, the Joint (Same-Sex) Split Utility option has been removed from the Utilities menu for UltraTax\1040 generates an FYI diagnostic to review the return type and state carryover information for same-sex clients proforma d from the prior year. The latest IRS revision of Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, included with this release of UltraTax, has removed representative designation code i Registered Tax Return Preparer. Form 2848 representatives using code i under Setup > Office Configuration > Preparers in UltraTax 2014 will not have code i proforma to UltraTax A Critical diagnostic will be generated for a client s return if a representative selected on Screen POA used code i in the prior year and a new code has not been selected for the representative under Setup > Office Configuration > Preparers. Statements available to print for Form 2848, line 5 Sign a return have updated text based on Form 2848 instructions. The text Treasury regulations section has been replaced with 26 CFR in the statement This power of attorney is being filed pursuant to. Dependents in the Dependent information statement dialog in Screen 1040 or nondependents in the Qualifying person information for nondependents statement dialog in Screen Cr will not be reported on Form 2441 if 2441 expenses are entered but the date of birth is not entered and the dependent/qualifying person is not marked as disabled. A new FYI diagnostic has been added to provide an alert for when this situation occurs. Due diligence codes have been added to the Form 2441 Provider information statement on Screen Cr. An IP PIN (Identity Protection PIN) column has been added for dependents in the Dependents information statement in Screen 1040 and for nondependents on Form 2441 in the Qualifying person information for nondependents statement on Screen Cr. Failure to include the IRS-issued IP PIN in any of the required fields will result in the return being rejected. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 2

3 An accrual farm activity no longer prints a crop insurance deferral election. A crop deferral election made in the prior year for an accrual farm activity will not proforma to the Election history statement on Screen F-3 for that activity. Data for the 2Yr Comparison for Schedules C, E, F, and Form 4835 now always proformas to the 2Yr screen in the applicable activity folder. As a result, the option to proforma the data in Setup > 1040 Individual > Federal > Other Return Options > Proforma has been removed. Proforma of client documents Due to changes and enhancements, the following 2014 UltraTax/1040 client documents are not available for proforma purposes. The Extension Credit Card Payment (FI) custom paragraph has been rewritten to include additional filing instructions that are included in the Form 4868 instructions for esignature has been added for Bank Account Verification, 8878, FinCEN 114 and an esignature pending section has been added to the following client documents: 1040 Extension Instructions Extension Instructions Insert Form 114 (FBAR) Instructions Bank Account Verification Instructions Disclosure (TL) custom paragraph has been renamed to Disclaimer (TL) to be consistent with the Organizer and business products custom paragraph. FAFSA Instructions have been edited to accommodate the filing of two school years. Form 433-F Collection Information Statement information is a calculating form this year and may be filed with Form Form 433-F information has been added to the following client documents: Form 9465 Instructions Form 9465 (FI) custom paragraph Proforma of state data When you receive and install your state programs on a later release, will automatically proforma the prior-year UltraTax/1040 state data as you process returns for each client. Note: If your federal data has not already been proforma d, will proforma the federal and state data at the same time for clients you select for proforma processing. ENHANCEMENTS TO 2015 ULTRATAX/1040 There are many enhancements in 2015 UltraTax/1040, including those listed below. The following calculating forms and worksheets have been added to UltraTax/1040. Form 433-A, Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals Form 433-A (OIC), Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals Form 656, Offer in Compromise Form 8885, Health Coverage Tax Credit, has been reinstated by the IRS. Data entry for this form can be found on Screen Cr-2 in the Credits folder. Form 8960 Net Investment Income Worksheets have been expanded to five worksheets. The Deduction Recovery calculation on Worksheet 2 has been moved to the new Worksheet 5 and is multi-unit for each year of deduction recovery. ABLE Account Worksheet calculates excess contributions and taxable distributions for ABLE (A Better Life Experience) accounts. This type of account is new in Inactive Activities Report summarizes all activities indicated as inactive for the current tax year. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 3

4 Net Operating Loss Worksheet 3 - Adjustments to AGI has been added to calculate the amount of adjustments related to the net operating loss carry forward. The calculated adjustment is used in the modified taxable income calculation of Net Operating Loss Worksheet Carryover Calculation. Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Worksheet and Summary The time frame for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has changed. For school year , the FAFSA can be filed beginning January 1, 2016, using 2015 tax return information (as in previous years). For school year , the FAFSA can be filed beginning October 1, 2016, also using 2015 tax return information. The 2015 UltraTax/1040 will produce both the FAFSA and the FAFSA. The following years FAFSA will continue to be filed beginning October 1 using tax return information from the prior year. The following noncalculating form will be calculating in 2015 UltraTax/1040. Form 433-F, Collection Information Statement The following features were added to UltraTax/1040. Amending state returns is easier with the ability to select states attached to the client s return and transfer the original information when amending the federal return. The process for allocating taxable pension and IRA amounts for part-year resident state returns has been streamlined on Screen 1099R in the Retirement folder. State part-year allocations can now be completed on one screen instead of adding a separate screen for each state. Nonbusiness rental of personal property engaged in for profit income and expenses will now be entered on Screen Rent using new type of property code 9 Nonbusiness personal property. Income from nonbusiness personal property rental units will be reported on Form 1040, line 21 and related expenses will be reported on Form 1040, line 36. The Rent and Royalty Reconciliation Worksheet will provide additional detail of the rental s income and expenses. Screen K1-7 now includes data entry for tracking purchase and sale information for publically traded partnerships, which is subsequently used to complete Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets and Form 4797, Sales of Business Property, when applicable. A new not-required statement was added that details the amounts included in the Foreign Earned Income Tax Worksheet, line 2b. A new section was added to Wrk11, Tax Refund Worksheet No Tax Benefit Derived. The new worksheet section calculates state and local refunds that are not taxable in the following year due to zero tax in the current year. The Tax Return Summary now reports estimated taxes indicated as already paid in the 2016 Estimates section on Screen Est. Screens 433, and 656 have been added, providing data entry for collection information statement Forms 433-A, 433-A (OIC), and 433-F, as well as Form 656, Offer in Compromise. These forms can be used to settle significant back tax debts with the IRS via installment agreements, requesting currently non-collectible status, or the offer in compromise program. In new Screen 1099R-3, data entry required for IRAs and qualified retirement account plans to compute the minimum amount required to be distributed in 2016 has been added. The calculation for this information is done on the new Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Worksheet and Summary. The Pension and Annuity Information Facsimile section in Screen 1099R has been enhanced to more closely follow the format of Form 1099-R. Roth conversion and recharacterization fields are now located on the new Screen 1099R-3. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 4

5 Diagnostics included in the Client Analysis Report and Client Analysis diagnostics tab have been enhanced and expanded, alerting you to more tax planning opportunities or the need for additional services to your clients. A new FYI diagnostic has been added as an alert for reviewing whether or not to suppress the failure-to-file (FTF) penalty from calculating when a return filed a zero extension, and the completed return is subsequently timely filed by the extended due date. UltraTax/1040 proformas the qualified real property Section 1245/1250 percentage to Screen InstPY when a prior year qualified real property asset was entered in the Asset module, and sold on the installment basis. UltraTax/1040 also data shares the qualified real property Section 1245/1250 percentage to Screen K1Sale when a qualified real property asset was sold on the installment basis and Section 179 expense deduction was claimed by a partnership or S Corporation. New Qualified Real Property Section 1245/1250 Percentage and Apply Qualified Real Property Percentage to current year payments received fields have been added. The ability to mark certain activities as inactive for the current tax year has been added. An Inactive activity for 2015 field has been added to the tax input screens listed below. If the field is marked on the input screen, data from the applicable activity will not be used in the tax return s calculation. An inactive activity will proforma to the next year: C in the Business folder F in the Farm folder K1-2 in the K1 1065, 1120S folder Rent in the Rent & Royalty folder 4835 in the Farm Rental folder 5471 in the 5471 folder 8858 in the 8858 folder If a Section 481(a) adjustment was reported on Form 3115 in the prior year, that information will proforma to Screen Info in the General folder, allowing the adjustment to be tracked over the next three years. A diagnostic is generated reminding the preparer to enter the amount of adjustment allocated to the current year. If an election was made to take the entire adjustment in the year of change, nothing will proforma. New data entry on Screen 5329, Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans, for ABLE account information. Screen Ext now includes a new Estimate of total tax liability (Force) field. An entry in this field forces the amount on Form 4868, line 4. Gains resulting from the disposition of qualified small business stock (QSBS) acquired after September 27, 2010 that meet the 5-year holding period are eligible for a 100% exclusion. As a result, new input is available on Screens 2439, 8814, B&D, K1-2 and K1-T to classify capital gains and/or capital gain distributions as being eligible for the 100% exclusion. A new Non-Qualified Expenses (Sch) column has been added to the Eligible Student Information statement dialog in Screen Educate. This field works with the Scholarships and Grants column by reducing the amount of Scholarships and Grants applied against Qualified Tuition and fees allowing for an increased credit. These amounts are reported as taxable on Form 1040, line 7. See IRS Publication 970 for more information on when this may be beneficial to the taxpayer. When Form 1040, line 21, includes income from multiple Form 5471, Schedules I, a new Not Required statement will generate detailing the income included from each individual Schedule I. ENHANCEMENTS TO INPUT SCREEN FOLDERS To make locating and navigating input screens easier, the following enhancements have been added to UltraTax/1040 tax input screen folders. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 5

6 A new Foreign Bank & Asset input screen folder contains Screens 8938, , 114, and FrgnAcct. Previously, these screens were in the Other input screen folder. The Other input screen folder has been renamed Other With Return and contains only the following screens: 8594, 8621, , 5074, 8689, 8886, , 926, W7, 970, 970-2, 982, Insolve, 8275, and OthAsset. The rest of the screens in the Other input screen folder have moved to either the new Foreign Bank & Asset folder or the new Separate Filings folder. A new Separate Filings input screen folder contains screens for completing forms that are generally filed separately from Form This folder includes screens that were previously in the General folder (Screens Amend, POA, POA-2, 8822, 8822B, 8857, , and ) and screens that were previously in the Other folder (Screens 8898, 8918, 3520, , , W4, 56, and 8404). A new Health Care input screen folder contains new screens (Coverage, PTC, 1095A, Afford, and 1099QA) and screens that were previously in the 1040 Adjustments folder (5498SA and 1099SA). Screen Coverage contains health care data entry that was previously on Screen ACA Tax and Screen Other Adjustments. Screens PTC and 1095A replace Screens ACA Cr and ACA Cr-2 from the Credits folder. The General input screen folder now contains only the following screens: 1040, Contact, Bank, Info, 1310, 8332, 2120, IDTheft, 8379, 8914, ComPSt, Letter, Consent, and Family. Screen 9465, previously included in the General folder, has moved to the Payments folder. The Payments folder also contains three new screens (433, 433-2, and 656). To view or modify the order and/or visibility of folders and input screens within UltraTax see Configuring the order and visibility of folders and input screens in the Help & How-To Center. ENHANCEMENTS TO 2015 ULTRATAX SOURCE DATA ENTRY The following features were added to the Source Data Entry (SDE) utility, which will be available in the December release of UltraTax/1040. Facsimile data entry has been added for Form 1099-QA, Distributions from ABLE Accounts Facsimile data entry has been added for Form 1095-B, Health Coverage, and Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage. ENHANCEMENTS TO 2015 ULTRATAX ELECTRONIC FILING The following features were added to the UltraTax/1040 Electronic Filing. To help the IRS combat identity theft and fraudulent return filing, the IRS has requested that additional information accompany an electronically filed return: Driver s License or State ID information is entered in new Screen IDAuth in the Electronic Filing folder. Note that the IRS will not reject a return if this information is not included. Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) moved to new Screen IDAuth in the Electronic Filing folder. It is used to enter the IP PIN (Identity Protection Personal Identification Number) when issued by the IRS. An IP PIN helps the IRS verify a taxpayer s identity and accept their electronic or paper tax return. When an IP PIN is used, it prevents someone else from filing a tax return with the Social Security Number (SSN) of the primary or secondary taxpayer (spouse). Starting with the 2016 processing year, the IRS will require the use of Identity Protection PINs for all Social Security numbers with an IP PIN requirement, regardless of whether the SSN is entered for a primary, spouse, or dependent/qualifying individual. Entry of an IP PIN will be required for any SSN with an IP PIN requirement on the following Forms/Schedules: Form 1040, Individual Income Tax Return, series Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses Schedule EIC, Earned Income Credit. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 6

7 Device ID identifies the computer that created the electronic file, as more fully described in IRS Publication 4164, Modernized e-file (MeF) Guide for Software Developers and Transmitters. Screen W-2 includes the new Verification Code field. The IRS is working with a limited number of participants who issue Forms W-2 to include a Verification Code field on the Employee Copies B and C of the W-2. The primary bank in Screen Bank serves as the Ultimate Bank Account for disbursement of refunds when a tax refund disbursement service or bank product is used with a direct deposit disbursement. Note: If the client is not using Refund Advantage but is entering into an agreement with a different financial institution, Screen ELF in the Electronic Filing folder has Other bank product and Disbursement fields. Support e-file of Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method Support e-file of Form 8858, Information Return of U.S. Persons With Respect To Foreign Disregarded Entities The Actionable Items packet now supports masking on Form 8879, IRS e-file Signature Authorization when masking of the client copy is enabled. Rejected returns in CS Connect Call Summary appear in red text. FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) e-file has separate e-file status points. Form 2441 provides an option to select when the child care provider moved or couldn't be located, allowing due diligence when details such as EIN cannot be collected. This input is useful to prevent IRS e-file rejections of error F Eliminated e-filing limitations on the number of instances of the following: Form 2106-EZ, Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses, number of vehicles Form 2439, Notice to Shareholder of Undistributed Long-Term Capital Gains Form 8611, Recapture of Low-Income Housing Credit Special bonus depreciation allowance As described previously, several activity folders include a new Inactive activity for 2015 field. The following is an example of how this is useful for e-file: Previously an inactive unit of Schedule C with no income or expenses would generate an ELF Critical diagnostic and E-File Error Report error. To prevent this rejection but retain other data entry for proforma to next year, you can mark the Inactive activity for 2015 field in Screen C. New electronic filing diagnostics were added and other diagnostics were expanded to further prevent error codes, schema failures, and bad data entry for the following forms. Foreign Employer Compensation (FEC) Record Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income Form 8621, Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets ENHANCEMENTS TO 2015 ULTRATAX ESIGNATURE The following features were added to the UltraTax Electronic signature (esignature). esignature is prevented for personal preparer. esignature of Form 8878, IRS e-file Signature Authorization for Form 4868 or Form 2350 including Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) as specified in the IRS requirements. For details, see the esignatures overview topic on the Help & How-To Center. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 7

8 esignature of FinCEN Form 114a, Record of Authorization to Electronically File FBARs esignature of Bank Account Verification Worksheet Setup > 1040 Individual > Federal > Other Return Options > Other tab > esignature group box features three new options to configure esignature. Expiration # of days for Form 8878, 8879, and 114a (defaults to 3 days) Reminder frequency for Form 8878, 8879, and 114a (defaults to 18 hours) Reminder frequency for other documents (defaults to 7 days) When sending only the Engagement Letter or Bank Account Verification Worksheet for esignature, the esignature can be sent to the Taxpayer or Spouse only with the new Signer for joint returns field in Screen esign. The leading underlines preceding the indented Consent to Disclosure recipients, or Consent to Use specific uses of information, are presented to the taxpayer(s) where they may enter their initials per item. Refer to User Bulletin 1040US , esignature Processing Procedures for more information and processing steps for the esignature feature. ENHANCEMENTS TO 2015 ULTRATAX CS To learn more about enhancements to products in general, such as expanded printing functionality, field masking for confidential tax return information, and new features on the Home Page for client profile search capabilities, refer to the Platform User Bulletin UT , Initial Release. USING ULTRATAX/1040 CLIENT ORGANIZER The 2015 UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer is a powerful program that allows you to create professional tax organizer packages for your clients. For details, see the 1040 Client Organizer Help Center topic on the Help & How-To Center. ENHANCEMENTS TO ULTRATAX/1040 CLIENT ORGANIZER The following enhancements were added to UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer. New Organizer Form 1099QA, ABLE Account Information, has been added to report distributions from and contributions to ABLE (A Better Life Experience) accounts. New Organizer Form 1095A ACA Health Insurance Marketplace Statement has been added for your clients that enrolled in health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The new form provides information that will be needed to complete Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC). New Form IDAuth for gathering driver s license or state ID information to help the IRS combat identity theft and fraudulent return filing. Note that the IRS won t reject a return if this information is not included but at some point may start requiring identity authentication under certain circumstances. Clients who had Form 1040-ES 2015 declaration code 4 (Print vouchers with amount fields blank) in the prior year will produce the Estimates form in the Classic Client Organizer in 2015, without calculated estimate amounts. Changes Organizer Form Coverage replaces Form ACA Tax. This form includes health care coverage and exemption from the mandate to have coverage. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 8

9 Organizer Form 1095A replaces Form ACA Cr-2. This form provides facsimile data entry for Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement. Important UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer processing tips If your firm does not use zip numbers [ ] and + control total indicators on the printed Client Organizer packages, use the options in the Setup > Office Configuration, Print Options tab to remove zip numbers [ ] and + control total indicators prior to printing the Client Organizer packages. If Schedule D was present in the prior-year return, a blank Organizer Schedule D form will also print with the organizer package. To prevent a blank Organizer Schedule D form from printing with the Info Record of stock purchases on Organizer, mark the Do not print a blank Sch D Organizer form (unless marked Always in Collation) checkbox in the Setup > 1040 Individual, Organizer tab. If you are licensed for FileCabinet CS and use it to store copies of scanned paper organizers, we recommend that you turn off the shading prior to printing organizers. To print the Appointment custom paragraph in the Client Organizer cover letter for any client for whom you want to include appointment information, complete the Appointment date, time, and duration fields in Screen Contact in the Client Organizer General folder. UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer automatically prints appointment information in the cover letter. The appointment date and appointment time fields are also available for next year s appointment information, and the information you enter will proforma to Note: The Data Mining feature in 2014 includes a pre-defined appointment list custom report. Access Data Mining in 2014 by choosing Utilities > Data Mining. Refer to User Bulletin 1040US , Client Organizer Procedures and User Bulletin 1040US , Web Client Organizer Procedures, for more information and processing steps for the Electronic Client Organizer feature. PREPARER TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PTIN) If you prepare Forms 1040 for compensation, you must renew your Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) for filing season 2016 (2015 tax year). The PTIN system is ready now to accept applications for For those who already have a 2014 PTIN, the renewal process can be completed online and only takes a few moments. The renewal fee is $50. If you can t remember your user ID and password, there are online tools to assist you. Preparers can get started at If you are registering for the first time, the PTIN application fee is $50 and the process may also be completed online. Effective Nov. 1, 2015, the annual fee for 2016 PTINs will be $50 for both new applications and renewals. The IRS will collect $33 as a user fee to support program costs and a third-party vendor will receive $17 to operate the online system and provide customer support. For more information about requirements for federal tax professionals and access to the online PTIN system, go to ELECTRONIC FILING Effective January 1, 2012, preparers who expect to file 11 or more federal individual or trust tax returns during the year will be required to start using IRS e-file. The rules require members of firms Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 9

10 to compute the number of returns in the aggregate that they reasonably expect to file as a firm. If that number is 11 or more in 2015, then all members of the firm must e-file the returns they prepare. This is true even if a firm member prepares fewer than the threshold on an individual basis. Clients may independently choose to file on paper. To find applications and instructions to participate in the IRS e-file program, point your Internet browser to Professionals/e-File-Providers-&-Partners/Become-an-Authorized-e-file-Provider. Please note that the UltraTax/1040 Electronic Filing utility will be included in a January update of UltraTax/1040. The IRS generally announces the opening date for the transmission of electronic files as the third week of January. As of the date of this bulletin, the IRS has not announced an opening date, due in part to pending extender legislation. Thomson Reuters is working closely with the IRS and will announce the opening day through a product news announcement on the home page as soon as the information becomes available. Refer to User Bulletin 1040US , Electronic Filing Setup Procedures for more information on setup issues and other information you may need to address prior to electronically filing 1040 returns with. HELP & HOW-TO CENTER The Help & How-To Center provides one-stop access to the information you need while using UltraTax CS. We ve combined all content from the help topics and our Support knowledgebase into a single repository that is hosted on our website and accessible from within. To learn more, see Finding answers to your questions. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 10