Release 2012.01g now available.
Initial installation for the year must be from the disk we send you at the beginning of the tax season.
You can therefore update to release 2012.01g on-line only if you have already installed release 2012.01f or earlier,
or a pre-release for the 2012 filing season (2012.pre or 2012.pre1).
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TIP: Before executing these downloads, exit Tax Preparer by closing the Tax Preparer Control Panel.
If you do not, you will encounter an error message indicating that HSPrnTax.EXE is being used by another process,
and the update will not be completed.
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The downloads on this page are only for Tax Preparer for Form 1040 returns.
Downloads for the Partnership Edition for Form 1065 returns are found on the
Partnership Downloads page.
Downloads for the California Supplement for Form 540 returns are found on the
California Downloads page.
e-file information. If you purchased e-file transmission software for the current filing season,
you can download it from our e-file Alerts page.
The software is now a web-based program that uses NTS's Atlas web software.
You can set up the software and send provided test returns to make sure you are ready for the first e-file ready release
of Tax Preparer (2012.01), which is capable of generating e-file output (Standard and Premium Levels only).
Current downloads. In order to use these downloads, you must have already installed
an earlier release for the 2012 edition of the Form 1040 software. Just go to the level you installed
and click the link. Your prior installation will be updated to 2012.01g
Economy Level.
To update the Economy Level to release e2012.01g, click the following link:
Update Tax Preparer 2012 Edition Economy (e2012.01g).
(For details on the changes, see Changes in Recent Releases below.)
(5,139 KB) (revised 2/3/2012)
Standard Level. To update the Standard Level to release s2012.01g, click the following link:
Update Tax Preparer 2012 Edition Standard (s2012.01g)
(For details on the changes, see Changes in Recent Releases below.)
(5,828 KB) (revised 2/3/2012)
Premium Level. To update the Premium Level to release p2012.01g, click the following link:
Update Tax Preparer 2012 Edition Premium (p2012.01g).
(For details on the changes, see Changes in Recent Releases below.)
(5,970 KB) (revised 2/3/2012)
Documents released by IRS after we released 2012.pre. IRS forms and publications contained on our CD-ROMs for release
2012.pre reflect IRS releases up to January 4, 2012.
To check for subsequent IRS releases (and revisions to prior releases),
go to the IRS web page IRS Forms and Publications.
(HowardSoft on-line updates do not add any more IRS Forms and Publications.)
How to download into Tax Preparer. In order to make your downloads of IRS forms and publications
accessible from Tax Preparer,
right-click each link to an IRS form, instruction, or publication
and choose Save Target As..., then save the file to C:\TAX\DOC2012. You will then be able to access
the forms for on-screen viewing while using Tax Preparer by clicking Documents
on the floating menu bar of the Tax Preparer Control Panel, then Forms and Publications.
(If you installed Tax Preparer in a folder other than C:\TAX, the default folder,
you will have to replace C:\TAX with your own folder when you Save Target As above.)
(updated 2/3/2012)
Release 2012.01g differs from release 2012.01f as follows:
- Form 1116 (Foreign Tax Credit) added to the Standard and Premium
Levels of the software.
- Form 5695 (Residential Energy Credits) e-file errors eliminated.
Formerly, if you claimed a credit in Part I of Form 5695, an e-filed return could be rejected
with the errors ERC 0033 in field 0036 of Form 5695 and ERC 0010 in field 0038 of Form 5695.
- Manual updated to reflect the changes in Form 1116.
Release 2012.01f differs from release 2012.01e as follows:
- Form 5329 (Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs) and Other Tax-Favored Accounts) added to all
levels of the software.
- Auto-create of Form 5329 expanded so that an amount on line 15b can cause the form to be generated even
when there is no Form 8606 for the return.
- Manual updated to reflect the above changes.
Release 2012.01e differs from release 2012.01d as follows:
- Form 2210 (Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals) added to all
levels of the software. Form 2210-F for farmers is also included.
- Form 4136 (Credit for Federal Tax Paid on Fuels) added to
the Premium Level of the software.
- Manual updated to reflect changes in Form 2210. (Form 4136 did not materially change because
all credits were extended another year or more.)
Release 2012.01d differs from release 2012.01c as follows:
- Form 5695 (Residential Energy Credits) added to the Standard and Premium
Levels of the software.
- Manual updated to reflect changes in Form 5695.
Release 2012.01c differs from release 2012.01b as follows:
- Form 4835 (Farm Rental Income and Expenses) added to all levels of the software.
- Form 8863 (Education Credits) added to all levels of the software.
- Form 8880 (Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions) added to all levels of the software.
- Form 8853 (Archer MSAs and LTC Insurance Contracts) added to the Premium Level.
- Form 8889 (Health Savings Accounts) added to the Premium Level.
- Schedule D label for line 10 changed to match the label for line 3. Only the on-screen and draft printing
labels are affected. Calculations and graphic printouts are unaffected.
- Manual updated to reflect changes in the added forms since last year.
Release 2012.01b differs from release 2012.01a as follows:
- Schedule D and Form 8949 added. Your list of transactions are no longer carried on Schedule D,
but rather on the new Form 8949. However, the software has retained the look and feel of the prior-year software
so that you do not have to deal with Form 8949 yourself. Instead, it is automatically created and completed for
you. Be sure to read our details for Schedule D in the updated Tax Forms Guide to understand the changes.
- Form 8867 printing revised for better aesthetics and less confusion on the official printout. If you are claiming the earned income credit (EIC)
based on one or more children, the part of the form related to the childless credit is now left blank, with neither Yes nor No boxers checked.
Similarly, if you are claiming the childless EIC, the part of the form related to the child-based credit is left blank, with
neither Yes nor No boxes checked. Similarly, if you answer No to line 13a, neither the Yes nor the No box for line 13c is checked.
- Schedule E, line 19 revised so that you can create a general itemized list for line 19 to explain your entries for line 19 on the
supporting worksheets. Pressing F10 now takes you to a general itemized list instead of the Rent/Royalty Worksheet, and your list
is cross-refernced on the official printout of Schedule E.
- Form 1040 labels changed for data entry lines that formerly referred to 2010 when they should have referred to 2011.
(No official printouts or calculations are affected.)
Release 2012.01a differs from release 2012.01 as follows:
- Schedule E worksheet. A problem with line 18a of the Rental Royalty Worksheet in Part I of Schedule E
is averted.
See
Technical Change Notice TCTP1201 for details.
- Form 8917 graphics. (Standard and Premium Levels only)
A missing word added to line 1, column (b), heading, and all headings moved slightly
for better aesthetics.
Release 2012.01 differs from release 2012.pre1 as follows:
- Form 8917 (Tuition and Fees Deduction) added
to all levels of the software.
This form is required in order to claim a tuition and fees deduction
at line 34 of Form 1040.
- e-file ready. (Standard and Premium Levels only) The ability to generate
e-file output that can be transmitted to the IRS is added. Once you install
the transmission software you purchase from us, you can send this output to the
IRS to file your returns.
Included with this capability is the ability to print graphic Forms 8453, 8879,
W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, and an ACH payment form.
- 1099-R Worksheet revised to conform with the new IRS format with its two new boxes 10 and 11.
This worksheet supports lines 15a through 16b of Form 1040, but is incompatible with the
worksheet included in the pre-releases. (CAUTION: If you have already prepared a
return with a 1099-R Worksheet, you MUST modify the data as follows. First print
a copy of your entries on all 1099-R Worksheets. Then remove all the worksheets by placing
the cursor on line 16a and pressing R or shift-F3 and answering Yes to All Pages? Once the
i beside line 16a changes to a w, itemize line 16a and reenter all data on the worksheets.)
- Tax Forms Guide is updated to conform with the changes in this release.
Release 2012.pre1 differs from release 2012.pre as follows:
- Form 8867 (Paid Preparer's Earned Income Credit Checklist) added
to all levels of the software. Form 8867
must now be filed with any return signed by a paid preparer if it has
a claim for the earned income credit.
The form is now automatically generated and completed for any return with
an earned income credit. However, the paid preparer must manually complete
the Due Diligence section at the end of the form in order to satisfy IRS requirements.
- Schedule EIC screen 1 is modified in order to fully automate Form 8867. New entries are added
to that screen for this purpose, so you should check the screen for proper entries after
you install release 2012.pre1 if
you have a return created with the first pre-release that has a Schedule EIC.
(Our on-screen Schedule EIC is used to compute the earned income credit for all cases,
including the childless EIC, even though it is printed with the official return only
for the child-based EIC.)
- Dependent Worksheet, which supports line 6c of Form 1040, is greatly expanded on screen 2
in order to fully automate Part II of Form 8867. Because of these changes, for any previously-prepared return
with a Dependent Worksheet for line 6c of Form 1040, you must view all Dependent Worksheets
after you install release 2012.pre1.
- Tax Forms Guide is updated with instructions for Form 8867 and material changes to the
instructions for the Dependent Worksheet and Schedule EIC.
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