CCH Small Firm Services – ATX — W-2/1099

From the Oct. 2007 Review of W-2/1099
Systems

ATX, which was acquired by CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, a little more than
a year ago, offers an unlimited W-2/1099 preparation system that is functional
as either a stand-alone system or can be used in conjunction with the vendor’s
suite of tax preparation products that includes federal and state income tax
compliance for all entity types, Kleinrock research tools, and trial balance
and document management functions. The ATX W-2/1099 system offers year-end information
reporting for all versions of forms 1099 and 1098, as well as 1096, W-2, W-3
and 5498. All federal and state payroll forms, such as 940, 941, 943, 944 are
also included. The program supports printing of forms to plain or pre-printed
stock and includes electronic filing of information returns to the IRS and SSA.
ATX W-2/1099 costs $140 per year for a version that supports up to three concurrent
users. The system is included with many of ATX’s bundled tax preparation
packages.

Usability/Navigation – 4.5 Stars
All ATX programs open within the same interface, which starts with the Return
Manager, a sortable spreadsheet list of clients and their returns. This provides
a panel for searching for returns and tabs for additional primary functions,
including the Rollover Manager, Preparer Manager, E-Service Manager and Bank
Manager. A series of icons and pull-down menus also offer quick access to specific
features.

Existing returns display the return type and information, and can be opened
by clicking on the entry, which brings up the data-entry screen. The data-entry
screen provides tabbed access to basic information, state IDs, data input, details
and viewable copies of the forms. An Easy View option also provides the ability
to see and edit all Payer data on a single sheet. The system includes a real-time
form replica for entering financial data, with calculations performed automatically
if desired for items such as SSI and Medicare. Within a specific return, a new
same-type return can be quickly created, with the Payer’s data automatically
populated. This can be very useful when manually entering multiple W-2s or 1099s
issued by the same entity. When creating W-2s and 1099s, the system automatically
creates the associated W-3 and 1096, calculating and transferring all wage and
withholding information to the appropriate forms. During electronic filing processes,
the program displays error messages at the bottom of the screen, alerting the
user to potential and real mistakes.

The program organizes its databases and lists by returns instead of client/payer
or payees. This means that there are no payer or recipient selection functions
when creating new forms, although the program’s reporting features do
offer client lists for output. Overall, the program provides a great interface
and simplified navigation, with easy access to all features and the ability
to create numerous user-defined data fields, to make and save form templates,
and to customize parts of the interface to user preferences. Additionally, ATX’s
W-2/1099 system provides an AR system that provides client billing and tracking
functions.

Reporting & Import/Export Capabilities – 4 Stars
ATX’s W-2/1099 system can print to plain or pre-printed stock and includes
quick preview screens to see how output will look. The program allows data import
from QuickBooks, Peachtree and the ATX Accounting Office suite, as well as from
text formats.

Support for Paperless Transmission – 4.5 Stars
Electronic filing of information returns to the IRS and SSA is included, with
the program saving data into the format required by each agency. The system’s
E-Service Manager serves as the hub of all electronic activity, providing tracking
capabilities and other management functions.

Help/Training – 5 Stars
ATX’s W-2/1099 system provides outstanding user assistance features, from
wizards, tutors and tutorials to help get people started, to templates, customization
functions, right-click menus, content-specific guidance and a great Help utility.
Various online support options are also available, including a knowledgebase
and web-based training. Toll-free support is included with the cost of the program.

2007 Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars