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 is now built-in. e-file is now built into 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 (at the bottom of this page).

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.)

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. The standard transmission fee for the next filing season (for tax year 2005 returns) will be $5.95 per federal return (down from $9.95 for the current filing season). You can reduce or eliminate the transmission fee by purchasing an e-file special: Upgrade to Gold for a $2 per return fee, or Upgrade to Platinum for a ZERO per-return fee. (Fees for state returns are considerably lower.)
  • Sign-up for bank products. For a $49 annual fee you can offer bank products to your clients, 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. Bank fees to the client range from $34 to $95 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 (subject to a $28.95 service charge for the next filing season).
  • Specify how you want commissions distributed to you. You earn commissions on any bank services you provide to your clients. For the next filing season, your commission will be $5 for each RAL or QIK Funds service. Furthermore, 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 your e-file transmission software, you will be given the code and password necessary to activate the software.