Convey Compliance Systems, Inc. — 1099Convey

From the October 2009 Review of W-2/1099
Compliance Systems.

The
1099Convey reporting system is designed for business entities or professional
firms managing reporting for multiple entities, providing year-end wage and
information reporting to the IRS, SSA, states and recipient copies. The program
offers all versions of the form 1099 and W-2 families (including correction
forms), as well as forms 1098, 5498, 941, 1042s and B-notices, along with transmittal
forms 1096 and W-3. Electronic filing is also provided. The system is available
in industry-specific versions for corporate, financial services, insurance,
gaming and government entities.

Convey also offers an outsourced service for 1099 processing and reporting
through which the vendor manages all printing, mailing and electronic reporting
processes. The 1099Convey system is available in four packages, with the most
economical Essential package costing $495 for a single-user system that can
process up to 3,000 transactions per year. The Essential+ package allows up
to five users and 5,000 transactions at a price of $895.

USABILITY/NAVIGATION –
1099 Convey opens to a simple toolbar that offers icon links to forms, reporting
and payer and recipient management functions, along with form-specific buttons
and a system menu across the top. When a function or form type is selected,
the program opens a separate work area. The primary client selection list is
accessed using the Payer icon, which brings up a window that offers searching
and limited filtering options, with a summary of client information to the right.
Navigation tools enable scrolling between Payer records, while users can also
duplicate a payer’s information for use as a template.

The recipient list provides the same general functionality, including the
ability to attach notes to specific records. Recipients data is kept independent
of their specific forms and independent of payer entities, which allows multiple
form types to be assigned to a recipient, whether an employee, contractor or
other recipient type. This can be timesaving for firms that manage individuals
such as contractors who might receive 1099s from multiple payers being managed
by the program, or who might receive other reportable payments.

To work with an existing form or create a new one, users simply select the
form type from the button or pull-down menu. The program automatically opens
to the recipient form most recently worked on and provides an additional recipient
list on the left that displays other entities that have a form of that type.
This screen also allows searching by several methods, while providing a form-like
data-entry section that includes drop-down lists for selecting payer and recipient
TINs if the payer or recipient data has already been entered into the system.

When creating a new payer or recipient, additional smart entry functions also
aid in setup, such as ZIP Code first entry that completes the city and state
and helps in validation. Payer information is automatically populated onto forms,
and 1099Convey can be set to calculate W-2 withholding. The system includes
several useful management tools, including the ability to make global changes,
automated data backup and recovery, and user customization options.

REPORTING –
1099Convey’s reporting functions are accessed via the Output icon on the
main taskbar, which opens a window that offers form-specific data summaries,
transmittal reports, batch printing options, payer and recipient lists, and
a forms library. Forms can be printed to blank paper or pre-printed stock, and
electronic filing capabilities enable online submission of compliance reporting
to the IRS, SSA and most states. The company also offers outsourced compliance
services that can manage all or part of the printing, mailing and compliance
processes.

IMPORT/EXPORT CAPABILITIES –
1099Convey’s reports and forms can be output to PDF or Excel, or emailed
from within the program. The system offers import from common file formats such
as Excel, CSV, ODBC and text files. A built-in interface with the IRS’
TIN Matching Program also provides an additional measure of employer compliance.

HELP/SUPPORT –
The 1099Convey program offers a built-in guided tour feature, form instructions
and a traditional Help utility, along with links to the company’s support
website, which includes FAQs, user manuals, program updates, training options,
a newsletter and contact information. Technical support is included in program
pricing.

2009 OVERALL RATING: