# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response · 2019-08-11 · 2016 TaxSlayer Practice Lab Issues v22...

2016 TaxSlayer Practice Lab Issues v22 (1).docx

List of issues with Practice Lab 2016 – do not include issues reported for Practice Lab 2015

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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 1 11-Nov MW Address Sections: Zip code lookup does not work Aware of issue.

2 11-Nov MW W-2: Calculated Soc Sec & Medicare taxes incorrect Aware of issue. Fixed as of 11/17/16

3 11-Nov MW 1040 view uses 2015 form Fixed as of 11/17/16

4 11-Nov MW Print function does not work Fixed as of 11/17/16

5 11-Nov MW ACA - 1095-A input screen-months & data entry screens do not align

No response

6 11-Nov MW State Return: Can select a state return Fixed -2016 state software not available. As state approves software will be added to practice lab

7 11-Nov MW E-file Section: Cannot select e-file on navigation bar Fixed

8 11-Nov SRC Carry forward function working on a random basis. Pulled forward data from SSN that does not exist in Practice Lab 2015 for specific user.

11/16 - Carryforward will not be available in Practice Lab

9 11-Nov BobE Schedule A –Medical -LTC insurance blank is grayed out. To make an entry one must click on the detail icon. It takes many, many seconds for the detail screen to open. After

entry, Continue takes equally long to get back up a level. After all this, the amount shows on the medical page but

does not enter into the medical total. [Ref: Miller return

11/16 – Will get with development

10 11-Nov BobE Schedule A - Sales tax calculation appears screwed up. For the case of James Miller, PL16 calculates $578, PL15 calculates $783, and the IRS Sales Tax calculator shows

$827, all for the same AGI.

11/16 – Can the James Miller return be sent to us to re-key in program? Miller return is attached.

11 11-Nov BGR Form 8889: Values on Form 8889 did not flow to the appropriate lines on the Form 1040. The 1040 did not reflect the HSA adjustment on line 25 and the 10% tax penalty was

not shown on page 2.

11/16 - Aware of issue



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 12 11-Nov BGR Data Changing After Logging Out: Finished a return, Austin

Drake, saved and exited the lab. I went back into the lab later and opened the Drake return, however the first name

was changed to Enrico. Also, addresses, cities and states, were different from those I had put in.

11/16 – Due to carryforward being enabled on error. The SSN matched another return previously created. Carryforward is now not

available in PL. Still taking place as of 11/28/16 on a random basis. See issue # 63

13 11-nov DLY Direct Debit using 4/15/16 as date that payment is due. Cannot select date for debit

11/16 - After tax day each season, no future date is allowed to be requested. i.e. if today’s date

was 3/4/16, when using direct debit, you could select a future date up to but not past 4/15/16 – non-issue. For the 2016 tax season tax day is 4/15/17 so for the 2016 practice lab this feature

should be enabled. MW 11/20/16.

14 11-Nov DLY On W2 – changing Box 1 always replaces Boxes 3 and 5. If these are different numbers and one wants to correct Box 1 and not change 3 and 5 – increases entries and potential for errors.

11/16 – If adjusting box 1 after initial entry, user must manually change boxes 3 and 5

15 12-Nov DWF Retirement Savings Credit is being calculated for Roth contributions that exceed the compensation shown on the return.

11/16 – Can IRS instructions be provided that support this? 11/17: I was wrong in that the credit is not limited to compensation. However, it

is limited to compensation + elective deferrals.

(Pub 590A) and 26 USC 25B. As I researched the sources, I realized that having a taxpayer with

less than $2000 in compensation but with taxable income is going to be very rare. I suggest we postpone fixing this until next year. dwf

16 12-Nov DD W2s in pdf created from Summary/Print show calendar year 2015 instead of 2016. Unable to create from the end of the

eFile section to verify.

11/16 - Aware of issue with PDF W-2 and print function outside of return.

17 12-Nov DD Cannot locate the (expected) EOY age for taxpayer, spouse,

dependents

Not a new issue to Practice Lab 2016



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 18 12-Nov DD ACA – dependent: Cannot locate method to exclude a

person for ACA purposes when the person is reported on the Basic Information sheet but NOT claimed as a

dependent, for example, divorce decree or 8223.

11/16 – Aware of issue – work around would be to indicate person listed as having full year coverage.

19 12-Nov SRC Same SSN: Tried to create a new return in Practice Lab 2015 using SSN for return already in Practice Lab 2016 (but not in Practice Lab 2015) and got “There is already an active return

using this SSN. Please use a new SSN or view the return via the client status list.”

11/16 – All practice lab users are located in the same office so it is highly possible the same SSN had already been used by one of the other

30,000 volunteers also using the PL. We have been previously advised by TaxSlayer that the same SSN could be used as long as the preparer's account information (email address

and username) were different. See item # 63.

20 12-Nov LSA POA/Form 8332: File attachment is enabled for capital gains / losses. Could not locate how to attach F8332 or POA

11/16 – POA and F8332 has not been enabled in the PL. However, the attachment location within Capital Gains can also be used to upload POA and F8332 – It all goes with the return just the same.

21 12-Nov LSA ACA- SRP Dependent MAGI: Still cannot add dependent’s MAGI for ACA – SRP or household income filing threshold exemption purposes

11/16 – Aware of issue

22 12-Nov LSA ACA- SRP: When claiming a nondependent for EIC purposes

who has no health insurance coverage, the program is incorrectly assessing SRP for the nondependent. The person claiming the dependent (e.g. the ex-spouse) is responsible

for coverage / SRP.

11/16 – Same as item 18.

23 15-Nov dwf Sale of main home in situation where one spouse died in previous year, and 2nd spouse is now filing as single. Sells main home within 2 years of death and can claim full $500,000 exclusion. TaxSlayer doesn’t seem to provide for $500,000 exclusion on return with filing status of Single.

11/16 – Aware of issue



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 24 15-Nov SRC Capital Gains list of adjustments should include code –

particularly since cannot items in the dropdown box extend past the edge of the window. Also, how to report multiple

codes for one transaction?

Did not respnd regarding inability to enter multiple codes for one transaction. MW

11/21/16

25 15-Nov dwf Schedule K-1 menu: The descriptions of which form each line points to have been deleted.

11/16 – Will bring to attention of development

26 15-Nov MM Dependent Care Credit: After closing a return and then

performing QR, if the return contained a dependent care

tax credit, when selecting the input screen for dependents and then selecting the dependent with the dependent care tax credit to QR DOB, after selecting continue, the dependent care tax credit was deleted. The SSN for the

child was 011-00-2016. The taxpayer’s name was James Daniels and the child’s name was Morris Peterson. In case

you need it the ID for the preparer is: MacTrain68 and PW is: 19NTTC68. This is not an isolated incident as several preparers have reported the same problem with the

dependent care tax credit deleted during QR.

11/16 – Was unable to replicate on several

returns. CTC was never removed from calc.

Please double check return on your end. The original submission incorrectly stated that the CTC disappeared. The credit in question is the dependent day care credit. MW 11/19/16

27 15 Nov DK ACA – SRP: When calculating the Shared Responsibility Payment (SRP) the program is not using the filing status chosen at the beginning of the return. Attached is an example of HOH with dependent. Ran scenarios for all filing

status possibilities and all were incorrect except for single.

11/16 – Will present to development



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 28 15 Nov MW Form 1040 lines 39 & 40: Issue with line 39 and 40 of form

1040 when taxpayer is over age 65. If taxpayer is over 65, the amount in box 40 is correct. However line 39A is still set

for 2015 so for example using Jan 2, 1951 instead of Jan 2, 1952 the 39A box does not have a 1 in it.

11/16 – Will be resolved once 1040 View is enabled for 2016. If 1/2/1951 is selected, the PDF 1040, line 39a is correct as the calcs for 2016 are

being rendered. NTTC: Appears that 1040 view for 2016 has been enabled as of 11/17/16.

29 16 Nov LSA Form 8962: Cannot complete 8962 part IV or V in PL2016. While out of scope for the program, not out of scope for

own returns.

30 16 Nov LSA Form 2210 Underpayment of estimated tax penalty: In order to properly calculate an underpayment of estimated tax penalty, the software needs to know the actual dates of

estimated payments. It is not correct to simply assume the

payments were made on the quarterly due date. Form 2210 is not out of scope for a volunteer’s own return.

31 17 Nov MW Schedule A – Medical Expenses: Entered doctor bills by

selecting the box to the right of the input screen. Amount

did not carryover to schedule A. Then entered amount on input screen and amount carried over to schedule A. What is the purpose of the box next to the input screen if it does

not carryover to schedule A ? The only way to enter other

medical expenses and long term care premiums is to select the box as the input screen for those items is greyed out.

When entering it using this approach, the amount does not carryover to Schedule A. The entire entry screen for medical expenses is extremely confusing.



Page 6 of 13

# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 32 17 Nov MW When attempting to recover Username followed process

but did not receive e-mail containing user name The email to recover log in information is not being sent at this time. We have escalated this issue and hope to have it resolved soon.

11/17/16. The Forgot Username feature is now working and sending out emails. We are still looking at why Forgot Password is not generating and sending the codes if the security answer is

also forgotten. Both are most likely a side effect

of moving to the dedicated environment. TaxSlayer 11/22/17. Recovery of username no

longer working. See item #66. 11/28/16

33 17 Nov MW Accessing BrainShark Training Aids: We are experiencing problems when trying to access the webinars and training lessons thru BrainShark. This is having a serious impact on our training efforts. Without those webinars and lessons it becomes extremely difficult for new users to become

familiar with the practice lab.

The issue seems to be with Chrome and I have heard that it is affecting Safari also. We have contacted BrainShark about this issue and we anticipate that it will be corrected soom. We apologize for any inconvenience. 11/17/16

34 18 Nov DD Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit. Updates slowly

35 18Nov DD Form 1116. Line 1a. Type of income (interest, dividends,

wages, etc) not entered on the pdf per instructions

36 18-Nov dwf Form 1099-R, Box 7, Code 1 doesn’t generate the 10% extra tax for Line 59.

37 18-Nov dwf Amended Returns: Amended returns work in PL2015 but the same steps generate a blank 1040-X in PL2016.



Page 7 of 13

# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 38 19-Nov lj Simplified Method Worksheet: Yale Exercise; 1099-R (Baker

County Police Dept.) Simplified Method worksheet is NOT calculating the taxable amount correctly. However, the

correct calculation does show up in the 1040 View & the Preview Return PDF. This is problematic for Counselors using the incorrect taxable amount to then determine the taxable amount after subtracting the PSO’s Health Insurance

deduction. Have attached screen shots to illustrate issue.

39 19-Nov JDW Other Taxes/Misc Forms: The “Other Taxes” and “Miscellaneous Forms” sub-menu lists no longer addend the affected form numbers onto each line, as is done in PL15.

The form numbers are quite helpful to those who recognize them.

40 19-Nov JDW PMI: The data entry page for PMI says the source for the entry is usually found in box 4 of form 1098. However, the correct source is box 5.

41 19-Nov JDW 2015 Updates: Many of the updates that were made to PL15 on Nov. 3rd have not been sustained in PL16.

42 19-Nov JDW Foreign Address: When the TP is using a foreign address I could find no ZIP or Postal code that would allow

completing the Personal Info page. Error message is, “Zip code entered is not a valid zip code for the State selected.”

43 19-Nov JDW Form 8959: Irrelevant form 8959 appears as part of the print set on many returns, in particular (but not limited to)

MFS returns.

44 19-Nov JDW Direct Debit Phone Number: On a direct debit or direct

deposit return a “Debit Phone Number” is required. Why is this required, and is it supposed to be the bank’s phone number or that of the taxpayer?



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 45 19-Nov JDW Direct Debit ACH 1040: When payment by direct debit is

requested, a 1040-V is generated as part of the print set and the ACH1040 is missing.

46 19-Nov JDW IRA Deduction: On the IRA deduction page there is a

message, “To see the deductible amount go to the “Summary” tab located on the navigation bar above…” but there is no such label.

47 19-Nov JDW Form 5329: When an excess IRA contribution is reported the excess amount doesn’t transfer to F5329 line 10 or 15. It is up to the preparer to recognize both the need to do so and to determine the amount without any Practice Lab

assistance.

48 19-Nov JDW Negative numbers are printed on federal forms with a

minus sign rather than in parentheses per IRS instructions.

49 19-Nov JDW Tuition and Fees: A Tuition and Fees entry doesn’t carry to F8917 nor to F1040, L34. It is total ignored.

50 19-Nov JDW Form 8880 - A retirement savings credit is awarded even when the taxpayer’s age is under 18. Per F8880 instructions such a taxpayer is not eligible for this credit.

51 19-Nov JDW Dependent: PL16 still does not recognize the difference

between “can be claimed” and “is claimed” as a dependent and as a result disqualifies some individuals from benefits

that they are eligible for. Examples are Ret. Savings and Education Credits.

52 19-Nov JDW Various Issues: Many NTTC-submitted issues with PL15 that were reported as “submitted to development” have not been addressed. After six months of great effort by myself and many others, I cannot contain my disappointment.



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 53 20-Nov JDW Substitute W-2: When a completed Substitute W-2 is

reopened (e.g. during QR), the previous responses to the two additional entries (How did you determine… and

Explain your efforts…) have been deleted. The substitute W-2 pdf reflects that by leaving those fields blank.

54 20-Nov JDW Form 982, Part II, Reduction of Tax Attributes, the last two lines are worded identically. An entry on the first of these is

discarded; the second is transferred to form 982.

55 22-Nov LSA ACA: If TP is required to fully repay APTC (e.g. eligible for employer MEC all year), it is not possible to get the right answer. TS caps the repayment.

56 22-Nov LSA ACA – When MAGI is < 100% and there is no APTC, TS should ask whether TP is eligible for PTC. It currently

assumes that if you enter the info from the 1095-A (premium and SLCSP) that the TP is eligible. That is not

always the case.

57 22-Nov SRC Roth IRA distribution with code Q is shown on line 16a – per 1040 Instructions, should be on 15a even though IRA box on 1099-R is not checked.

58 22-Nov LSA 2441 Child and Dependent Care Credit – Medicaid Waiver -

using prisoner income to reduce earned income works for EIC and ACTC, but not for CDC. It needs to. Similar to #148 on 2015 list – but hones in on CDC as not computing correctly.

59 23-Nov JDW Form 8283, Non-Cash Donated Items – Practice Lab doesn't recognize that the street address, city, and zip code fields on

the form have been filled out, and gives an error message indicating all three fields are missing (which isn't useful; there is nothing that the user can do to fix the "errors").

0



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 60 23-Nov LSA F3903 moving – per form instructions, the mileage rate for

2015 was 23¢ and for 2016 is 19¢. TS is using 24¢ for both 2015 and 2016. The rate has not been 24¢ since 2013!

This is a test question for military certification.

61 23-Nov LSA Foreign compensation income – TS requires a foreign employer ID number. Obviously, that would not be a U.S. ID number; no idea why it’s asked for.

62 27 Nov MW E-file Error Pro/Avalon Message: In the 2016 version of practice lab, if after selecting the federal return type in the e-file section you then select “save” instead of “next”, you will receive a very detailed “Pro/Avalon” error message. See

attached example. This did not occur in the 2015 PL and

needs to be corrected as it is very confusing for the preparer.

63 28 Nov MW Creating returns in 2015 and 2016 using same SSN: It has

been noted that if you create a new return in in the 2016

version of practice lab you cannot create a return in the 2015 version using the same SSN. However, if you create a return first in 2015 you are able to create a return in 2016.

We have also noticed that after creating a return in 2016

and logging out, when you open that return some of the information has changed. Very random and hard to

duplicate. Repeat of item # 12. Apparently not completely fixed.

64 28 Nov LSA ACA: I entered a MFJ family of 2 with no insurance (all over age 18) and AGI = 85,000. SRP was computed Incorrectly at $1,791. The SRP worksheet incorrectly used the HoH filing

threshold (13,350) instead of the MFJ threshold (20,700). The percentage method should have been $1,607.50.



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 65 28 Nov MW ACA: Entered a HOH family of 2 with no insurance and gross

income below filing threshold. Answered yes to do you qualify for health care exemptions and checked box for are

you claiming a hardship exemption because your gross income was below filing threshold. Select continue and program then required me to answer questions relating to other exemptions which do not include gross income below

filing threshold exemption. After claiming gross income

below filing threshold you should be able to leave the health insurance area and an SRP should not be calculated. Results

in tax calculation error. See attached screen shots.

66 28 Nov MW Username and PW recovery in practice lab 2016. If you know your username and answer to security question, you can create a new PW. However, if you do not know your username and/or answer to security question, the e-mail feature for recovery of username and PW is not working.

This was previously reported (issue # 32) and appeared to be fixed for a short period of time. As of today, Monday, 11/28/16, the email feature is not working. As more and more of our 30,000 plus volunteers create accounts, there will be more incidents where they need to recover their

username and PW in order to access their returns.



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 67 28 Nov SRC Issues reported with Form 1040NR:

1. When you finish 1040NR Sch OI in the basic information section, it still says 'begin'

2. The tax treaty article number does not carry from the Sch OI entry to column (b) of line J 1 on p2 of 1040NREZ.

3. The tax treaty amount is supposed to be subtracted from the total W2 (line 3) and taxable scholarship (line 5), but

it is not, although the amount is carried onto line 6.

4. The page for inputting dates entered and departed requires a date departed. Most tax payers have a last

entry date and no departure, since they are here. Also,

line G asks for days entered and departed in 2016, but your entry page asks for the year, and doesn't tell the preparer that only 2016 is required.

5. The process asks for all the healthcare stuff, which is not

part of the 1040NR. 6. There is no place to enter all the 1042-S data, BUT you

can enter scholarships under income, exempt scholarship under deductions, and 1042-S withholding on "payments

and estimates" --> "other form 1040-NR payments." 7. The program doesn't carry the 1042-S withholding (or

any other entries under "other form 1040-NR payments)

to the main form... 8. There is no form 8843.



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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response 68 12/2 la 1040 Line 36 - In PL 2016 yale problem, if you are

attempting to enter the jury duty pay paid back to the employer and go to federal, deductions, adjustments, there is no "other adjustment" option, you would need to go through the guide me process to get to the required drop down list. My understanding is that TS is aware of it as a 2016 PL issue as it was working in 2015 PL. It looks to me like they overrode the "other adjustments" line with a 2nd "tuition and fees" line

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# Date Initials Issue TaxSlayer Response · 2019-08-11 · 2016 TaxSlayer Practice Lab Issues v22...

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