e-file the HowardSoft way...

New this year: e-file is built into all Standard Level and Premium Level CD-ROMs for Tax Preparer (1040) and California Supplement (540). You can e-file an unlimited number of returns for a low per-return transmission fee without having to buy anything additional.

How to Get Started Before you can e-file returns with our software, there are two important tasks you must complete: Apply to the IRS. You must be approved by the IRS for participation in the IRS e-file program. Approval is easy and you do not have to be a tax professional to get it, but in order to use our e-file software you must have an Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN), which you get from the IRS by filing Form 8633. You can download Form 8633 by clicking here. (You do not have to reapply each year as long as your EFIN is in good standing with the IRS. Furthermore, once you are accepted into the IRS's e-file program, you are automatically enrolled in California's e-file program.) Register with HowardSoft. Registration is required for each new filing season, and helps you give us the information required to activate your transmission software. Click here for details on this and the bank products we offer, including Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs).

Why use it? Electronic filing (now called "e-file" by the IRS) has been around for years, but you can expect more clients to request it every year because of the massive publicity campaign that the IRS has mounted. The traditional benefit to the client is a faster refund, often by weeks, including direct deposit in the client’s bank account. But the client can also use e-file to "file now...pay later" for a balance-due return, delaying payment until April 15th or paying automatically (electronically) on any specified date before that. The client also has the comfort of confirmation from the IRS of receipt of the return and validation of simple arithmetic on the return.

How it works. e-file is fully integrated into Tax Preparer so that you can generate files for electronic filing as easily as printing a return. Then, when you're ready to transmit your returns to the IRS, you merely start the included transmission software and the returns are transmitted securely through the internet for a low per-return fee.

Other options. The basic package provides the most cost-effective solution for small tax practices. However, if you expect to file more than a dozen returns electronically, you may benefit from the e-file upgrades we offer that will save you money in the long-run by reducing or eliminating the per-return fee. Our e-file For pricing of these upgrades, see our current Order Form.