What's the deal with no final California forms?

I’m having to explain to clients why their friends using TurboTax, or preparers using Drake, are able to file California returns while I can not. Worse, I don’t have a clear answer to give them, because Intuit has been largely tight-lipped about what’s going on. This is reflecting poorly on my business, not on Intuit.

We’ve been a Lacerte firm for nearly 30 years, but these early-season delays seem to be getting worse each year. At this point, I’m being forced to seriously evaluate other options unless Intuit can provide some indication that this issue is being actively addressed.

If this is the level of support we can expect going forward, it’s difficult to justify continuing to pay roughly $17,000 per year when competitors are not putting their users in this position.

Loyalty only works when it’s mutual.

StarDate 2.3.2026

@Kathi_at_Intuit 

We really do need (and deserve) some info on this.  And not just "check the page" for Forms availability.  A large portion of Intuit's customers are based in CA.  TurdoooooTax has the forms (supposedly, I don't have verification of that) as do other software providers (again, I don't have 'proof'.

At LEAST, you owe us some real info as to what the problem is, why it's happening, and a date of the problem being resolved.

Intuit has no problem taking our money, in advance, then basically hog-tying up so we can't generate early cash flow from some simple returns this time of year.

Why am I hearing that everyone else has CA forms available except for us??? Just our little business pays almost $40K for this program. Times that by everyone else...I would think that would mean something...

Did anyone get an update on 02/04?  If not, I guess it won't be till tonight.  

This post from Ironman deserves a response: 

We really do need (and deserve) some info on this.  And not just "check the page" for Forms availability.  A large portion of Intuit's customers are based in CA.  TurdoooooTax has the forms (supposedly, I don't have verification of that) as do other software providers (again, I don't have 'proof'.

At LEAST, you owe us some real info as to what the problem is, why it's happening, and a date of the problem being resolved.

Intuit has no problem taking our money, in advance, then basically hog-tying up so we can't generate early cash flow from some simple returns this time of year.

Pro Series works fine.  I can have a client sign an e-file form for a BLANK return. That's useless. They should issue a refund as we paid for the top of the line program and the lower model works better.

AS OF 2/4/2026:  Lacerte, one of the highest priced softwares available, is seriously dropping the ball.  You still cannot file the Trump 4547, but all the other companies using other software have been able to do so, day one.  CA forms are still efile only as well.  We can efile, but can't get forms printed for clients, so we have a stack waiting to be printed, assembled and provided to clients.

I had a Spidell class Monday, and the other instructors in the live webinar were making fun of one of the instructors who uses Lacerte, as each year they are able to get complete forms well before he does.

They need to step up their game.  For the price, they need to do better.

The form availability tool now reads "The form is final and watermarked E-File Only. This form is available for E-File" 

I'm pretty sure the tool read before that the form would print unavailable, so maybe an update is pending? Hopefully they push it quickly. 

Today we were supposed to have a scheduled update.  Was really hoping they had finally finalized CA forms as well as some of the federal forms that other software's are already finalized.  NOPE.  NO UPDATE.  This will likely be the year, that we make a move to a better software as well.

Tired of getting the runaround and a subpar product for as much as we pay.

Would not surprise me if this is a ploy to get us to move to Proseries next year so they don't have to maintain so many different programs anymore.  Basically saying Lacerte has become too difficult to support anymore, we will get you on Proseries with a first year discount.