IDMS Inc. — Account Ability

Account Ability’s primary
interface provides both pull-down
menus and icons for common features,
which open into a subwindow within
the screen that provides additional
icons and feature options. Most
of the system’s features are
organized around the Client Management
console, which maintains all payers/employers
in a single database table that
is sortable by ID, name or other
data, and is also searchable by
client ID. The Client Management
console’s intuitive icons
provide quick access to common tasks
and provide descriptions of each
icon’s function when the user
hovers the cursor over it. After
entry of a new client, which is
performed through a multi-tabbed
screen that prompts for basic payee/filer
information, users can access that
client’s files and returns
simply by selecting it from the
Client Management console.

After
selecting type of return, a replica
of that return appears in a subwindow.
Payee data entry is performed directly
on the actual forms, with payer
information fields automatically
populated. The system also offers
an option to automatically assign
employee control numbers for W-2s
and a warning if a taxpayer ID has
been duplicated, as well as a full-screen
view of forms using an Auto Hide
feature that temporarily removes
the toolbars. A button on the form
allows computation of FICA withholding
amounts that can be overridden.

Account Ability allows users to
have open and be working on up to
five tax forms at a time. It offers
password protection at the client
return level as well as a backup
and restore utility. The program
offers links to the SSA’s
Business Services Online (BSO) and
The IRS’ FIRE System. Account
Ability also uses the SSA’s
AccuWage and AccuW2c utilities to
help guard against errors prior
to transmission of data.

Reporting
& Import/Export Capabilities-
4.5 Stars

The
program can import 1099 and W-2
information from QuickBooks and
has the ability to import ASCII
files, which most accounting programs
can export to, resulting in a two-step
process to transfer data into Account
Ability. IDMS offers conversion
services for some payroll systems.
The program provides a comparative
analysis report that shows which
forms have been used among filers,
as well as a Client Activity Report.

Support
for Paperless Transmission- 4.5
Stars

Account Ability’s included
electronic and magnetic filing capabilities
generate transmittal files in compliance
with SSA and IRS specifications.
For electronic filing, users can
access the IRS’ FIRE and SSA’s
BSO systems through the program.

Help/Training
– 4 Stars

The built-in Help utility within
Account Ability includes Windows-based
index and search functions in addition
to the previously mentioned mouse-over
icon descriptions. Included in the
Help menu are a tutorial and How-Tos,
as well as links to the company’s
web site and to the sites of related
agencies. IDMS offers free unlimited
toll-free support for licensed users,
as well as support options via e-mail
and through the company’s
web site. The Account Ability Exchange
is an e-mail-based support forum
through Microsoft’s bCentral
that keeps users informed of updates
and changes to the program and other
products and services.

Relative
Value – 4.5 Stars

Account Ability is inexpensive and
provides support for virtually all
1099 and W-2 filers, as well as
additional forms, in a package that
is easy-to-understand and use, although
perhaps not at the leading edge
of technological advancement. With
free unlimited e-filing included
in the base price, along with some
import capabilities, optional conversion
services and low-cost networking
options, the program should be quite
capable of hand- ling the needs
of small firms.

2004 OVERALL RATING: 4.5

For this review section, we scored
the reviewed products on the following:

Usability/Navigation, which covers ease-of-use; number of clients and form recipients; primary navigation tools; and general operation of the program, including data entry.

Reporting & Import/Export Capabilities focuses on managerial tasks, printing functions and data transfer between the program
and spreadsheets and other applications
such as payroll and AP modules.

Support for Paperless Transmission. With increasing state and federal requirements for magnetic or electronic transmission of W-2s and 1099s, as well as the cost and timesaving benefits of minimizing printing, we considered the capabilities of these programs to perform paperless transmission of year-end returns.

Help/Training looks at built-in help utilities such as right-click menus and tutorials,
external help tools such as online
support centers and functionality,
as well as productivity tools and
training options.

Relative Value provides the reviewer’s subjective opinion of what the user gets for the price. There is some variance in the pricing of the programs in this review, but it is not very wide. Value, of course, is not exclusively related to cost. However, sometimes the best deal is not the cheapest, and sometimes the most expensive option does not provide the best function.

The Overall Rating represents a comprehensive view of how a product scored in the above
categories, and is the average of
those scores rounded to the nearest
half-star.