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Negative Entries not allowed in selected areas of Lacerte

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
January 22, 2021
4 replies
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I use negative entries a lot when entering data in numerous areas of the return. For example, for auto mileage, I ask the client for their ending odometer reading each year. As the appointment occurs around the same time, it give me a good idea of their annual mileage by subtracting the prior year odometer reading from the current year. The total mileage for vehicles in the depreciation schedule allow this, but the total mileage on the Vehicle/Employee Business Expense (2106) does not allow it.

I do similar thing throughout the return and leave notes to allow me to understand how I arrived at a total. This year I am finding that Personal Property Tax box on Sch A does not allow negative entries. I use negative entries here because clients can remember their total vehicle fees, but don't know the non-deductible amount.

I also found this year the entry field for repairs on the rental schedule does not allow negative entries. I have a situation where the client provided a number for total repairs, but I wanted to leave tracks as to the amount moved to other lines, such as painting, plumbing, maintenance.

If this is a trend to move toward not allowing negative entries on the form, please, please reverse this. It is our responsibility to review the return to make sure that it is correct, not the software's responsibility to limit us to only positive entries. Does any one else have similar thoughts?

This topic has been closed for replies.

Best answer by PhoebeRoberts

I agree with the original poster. It's not unusual for me to put notes into the Ctrl+E detail fields, some of which are subtractions. For instance, real estate taxes might have a line item for taxes paid through escrow, and an offsetting line item for the portion reimbursed at closing. Yes, my workpapers have the net, but they also have a billion other entries (and the more line-items in the workpapers, the more important it is to have independent entry of the source numbers).

And then there are oddball situations where you have to make an apparently-random entry in order to force the right tax return presentation, and sometimes it's a negative amount. (See also, schedules that don't foot because some sub-calculated number that doesn't even appear on the schedule is a -1, and everyone knows that's zero, so let's just ignore the dollar of loss...)

itonewbie

Level 15

These negative entries belong to your workpaper, not input screens of a tax return. That's part of the safeguard that's built into tax preparation software to help avoid inadvertent mistakes and to weed out entries that don't make sense.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Still an AllStar

T

Tom57

Level 2

This is a worksheet!!! So yes negative numbers are used for adjustments to the larger number that might be split out to a different line. It is hard to put a negative number by mistake but very useful to use negative numbers on worksheet. If you did it my mistake it would be no different than any other mistake, it would not balance. But please bring back our ability to use negative numbers on worksheets!

qbteachmt

Level 15

"not the software's responsibility to limit us to only positive entries. Does any one else have similar thoughts?"

Your role also is to use the proper tools for their specific function and need. Mileage math is done in spreadsheets and calculators. Stated Values would be put into tax forms. You simply fill in what is being asked for. And not putting in negative, does not mean it won't do math. If you see Beginning and Ending, did you see if it then "does the math" for you? You might simply be overthinking some of this.

I see this often: just because a Form accepts numbers doesn't mean it works the same as a spreadsheet program. You need to follow the instructions.

Don't yell at us; we're volunteers

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Tom57

Level 2

The worksheets previously did the math and gave the correct answer when using negative numbers and adding them together. Now the program requires us to make a separate worksheet in our workpapers and use a calculator to calculate the answer. Previously, the program would do the math for us and we had our notes in the program and did not need to pull out our original paperwork to to see why the number was adjusted.

qbteachmt

Level 15

Some of the fields are input and some allow for details to include negatives and some are already going to do the math, as has been discussed.

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Don't yell at us; we're volunteers

PhoebeRoberts

Answer

Intuit Community Champion

I agree with the original poster. It's not unusual for me to put notes into the Ctrl+E detail fields, some of which are subtractions. For instance, real estate taxes might have a line item for taxes paid through escrow, and an offsetting line item for the portion reimbursed at closing. Yes, my workpapers have the net, but they also have a billion other entries (and the more line-items in the workpapers, the more important it is to have independent entry of the source numbers).

And then there are oddball situations where you have to make an apparently-random entry in order to force the right tax return presentation, and sometimes it's a negative amount. (See also, schedules that don't foot because some sub-calculated number that doesn't even appear on the schedule is a -1, and everyone knows that's zero, so let's just ignore the dollar of loss...)

rbynaker

Level 13

While I don't use Lacerte, I do frequently use negative numbers in a detail list for a whole host of reasons (many of which are already mentioned here). It's very convenient to have those details in the tax return software. If this were tax filing software provided by the IRS for free, sure, suck it up and deal with it. But you folks pay thousands of dollars for a product that should make your life easier, not more difficult.

Sounds like Intuit has come up with a Lacerte dehancement. They've been dehancing ProSeries for years.

A

akap

Level 2

So did we ever get a solution to this? It is very frustrating on how some input boxes you can put negative numbers but not others. On Sch F I can input negative numbers into Freight and trucking but not Gasoline, fuel, oil. It makes no sense which ones you can and cannot have negative numbers in.

itonewbie

Level 15

Don't expect a change from these discussions. This is the peer-to-peer support part of the Community only. If you'd like to make a product enhancement suggestion, you can create an entry in the Lacerte Idea Exchange instead:

https://proconnect.intuit.com/community/lacerte-tax-idea-exchange/idb-p/604

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Still an AllStar

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