HowardSoft
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7852 Ivanhoe Avenue
La Jolla, California 92037
phone: (858) 454-0121
fax: 1-800-24-TAXES
e-mail: support@howardsoft.com
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e-file: You must register first!

e-file available. e-file transmission software is available at a nominal fee for all Standard Level and Premium Level CD-ROMs for Tax Preparer (1040) and California Supplement (540). It allows you to e-file an unlimited number of returns for a nominal per-return transmission fee. However, you won't be able to use it until you register with HowardSoft.

Don't have an EFIN?

Before you can use our e-file software you must have an EFIN (Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN), which you can only get from the IRS. An IRS-issued EFIN indicates that your are approved 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 you must complete and file IRS Form 8633, which you can download by clicking here. (Note that you do not have to reapply each year as long as your EFIN is in good standing with the IRS. The same EFIN is valid for your California Form 540 returns.)

Ready to register? You can register on-line with our secure secure e-file Registration Form. If you prefer to mail or fax the form to us, you can access the same form to print, or do it all over the phone at 1-858-454-0121.

... or read on for more details. Registration is required for each new filing season. It helps you give us the information required to activate your transmission software:

  • Provide contact information, plus your EFIN and SSN. The SSN must match IRS records for your EFIN. You can register with us without the EFIN, but you must have it before your first transmission.
  • Specify how you will pay for any applicable transmission fees. Transmission fees depend on the level of e-file transmission software you purchase. For Form 1040 returns, the fees for the 2010 filing season are $5.95 per return for e-file 1040 Silver, $2 per return for e-file 1040 Gold, and NO per return fee for e-file 1040 Platinum. (Fees for California Form 540 returns are $3.95 for e-file 540 Silver, $2 for e-file 540 Gold, and zero for e-file 540 Platinum.)
  • Sign-up for bank products. For a $49 annual fee you can offer bank products to your clients (RALs and QIK Funds), which can make it easy to collect your fees and make extra money through commissions. Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) let clients get their refunds in days rather than weeks by borrowing against the expected refund. For the 2009 filing season, bank fees to the client ranged from $37 to $135 depending on the size of the refund, and are automatically deducted from the refund along with your fees to the client. For clients who do not qualify for or do not want a RAL, QIK Funds provide another means for your fees to be deducted from the client's refund before it is distributed to the client (for a $28.95 service charge for the 2009 filing season). Fees for the 2010 filing season may be higher.
  • Specify how you want commissions distributed to you. If you are a high-volume e-filer, you earn commissions on bank services you provide to your clients. You can choose whether you want to receive the commissions through weekly direct deposit or biweekly cashier's checks.

Once your registration is complete and you receive the e-file transmission software you purchase, you will be given the code and password necessary to activate the software.