Level 3

Question

When are the Louisiana Non-Resident forms going to ready......this is ridiculous! Intuit needs to support their professional products better than this....

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
February 14, 2020
7 replies
26 views

I just did the latest update and the LA Non-Resident forms are still saying "unavailable" until it has been released by the State and Lacerte.... and the next Lacerte 2019 program update per the schedule is on 2/20... that is a whole week away...the LA Dept of Revenue website shows the forms are available so seems like a Lacerte issue, not the State . This is ridiculous! Our firm has been using Lacerte for 20+ years and have been happy with the product but they are obviously more focused on their consumer products and leaving their professionals behind to be sitting here 2 weeks into February and having to tell our clients for yet another week that the forms are still not available so we cannot file your returns yet and in response they tell us that they can get online and file using the Turbo Tax product line. So we have already completed the returns and we are supposed to be the professionals but are sitting here with our 'hands tied' because the forms are unavailable for Lacerte users.....Lacerte will not even allow us to print the draft version of the forms to be able to attach it to the clients resident tax return as required for the credit for tax paid to another State.....a little aggravated this morning is a understatement. I tried to call customer service this morning to complain, instead of making this post, but they are not open yet so here it is...

Lacerte Tax

This topic has been closed for replies.

T

tpherson

Level 3

I'd like to know this also. Forms availability issues with Lacerte is making us look bad with our clients. This is supposed to be professional software, makes us look anything but professional when we are sitting on returns for a month because we don't have the appropriate forms.

K

KTMPPAuthor

Level 3

Did my 02/20 update last night and STILL CANNOT FILE LA Non-Resident Returns...... Intuit, come on I want to hear your excuse for why your cheapest consumer product Turbo Tax users can file but your professional users are sitting here looking extremely UN-professional......maybe I need to learn how to use that product instead of renewing Lacerte for next year or maybe, after 25+ years, it is time to completely end our firms relationship with Intuit products all together!

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RossOInToIt

Level 5

Hello! Apologies for delays.

We are working with the states to get final approval on certain forms.

Final approval does not mean you can’t go online to find the forms- it means that we cannot file them because the state or federal agency has not approved these forms for filing yet with a specific software.

Each year we recreate every form, even though they look just like the forms the state/federal agencies release. We then have to get each form approved by the state/federal agencies. If there are any discrepancies we have to make corrections and re-submit for approval by the state/federal agency. This back and forth can create delays. It is also why certain forms get delayed but not all forms for a specific state.

Again, we don’t blame the states or federal agencies, but this back and forth creates delays. These delays exist with ALL tax software providers [but where we have the LA forms delayed, another provider may have GA, NY, AZ, etc. form(s) delayed]. This can also make some forms available with TurboTax or ProSeries but not Lacerte (and vice-versa) as the software is different and the approvals are unique to the software.

Updates usually occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and typically we work especially quick to add these “missing” forms once approval is confirmed by the state or IRS to have it ready for the next update.

I apologize for not having a definitive date, but I hope this helps provide some context!

M

mscpa30

Level 3

What is the release date for LA Non-Resident Form LA IT-540B-2D? As you are aware, we are well into March. This is completely UNACCEPTABLE!! I fail to understand how this issue was not resolved in the first two weeks of February. My clients do not understand why I cannot efile or print their LA Non-Resident returns when other tax preparers have no such problem. Further, I cannot efile their resident state because a copy of LA Non-Resident return is required to be attached in the efile. Intuit's incompetence is about to cost me clients!!! I am completely dissatisfied!! I have called support since February 13 regarding this issue. I have heard all the "reasons" and read your last post about the process. At this point, there are no acceptable reasons. I have been a Lacerte customer for 20+ years and am currently researching other options for next tax season. Whatever it takes, release the form ASAP.

H

HalH

Level 3

I agree. I just loaded an update this morning hoping this would finally be resolved, but I still cannot print these returns. There is absolutely no valid reason that can be given for this at this point. I have listened to and read all the excuses, but competitor products have had these forms available for about 2 weeks, maybe longer. You can print an Alabama non-resident return with the watermark "E-file only", why can't you print Louisiana with the same watermark?

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Caroline11

Level 3

Same with S-corporate returns, the last form needed is the payment voucher which Louisiana has not changed since 2017. Absolutely no reason the form should be holding up the efile. The form list shows it to be ready March 3rd! I have a call in to Lacerte.

K

KTMPPAuthor

Level 3

Where did you find a listing that provides the Forms with specific dates they are to be ready? I just downloaded the 02/25 update and the LA Non-Res. still isn't ready...... At this point, I thought if I could at least tell my clients a specific date we expect it instead of thinking it will be on the next general update that is scheduled and being incorrect yet another week, maybe I won't look quite as d*mn incompetent....

M

mscpa30

Level 3

I agree with all of you. The LA Non-Resident forms that are not released is not acceptable! I have contacted Lacerte customer support since Feb 13 regarding this matter. I have asked to speak to supervisors. I talked with one yesterday whom I did not find genuinely sympathetic to the fact that our clients are not happy with us because we don't have their returns ready and in turn we are extremely dissatisfied. She explained that LA did not approve Lacerte's first draft of the form. They submitted another draft for approval and are waiting for LA to approve. In my opinion, it really doesn't matter why the form is not available. This should have been resolved by the 2nd week of February. I feel as though I paid a premium price for a premium product, but am now getting a sub-standard product. I too have been a Lacerte customer for 20+ years and am very disappointed and dissatisfied. Their lack of performance on this issue is unacceptable. FYI, I contacted one of their competitors to see if this is an issue for all software providers or just Lacerte. The competitor has the form released and available for efile.

R

RossOInToIt

Level 5

Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide a specific date for final approval.

Final approval does not mean you cannot go online to find the forms- it means that we cannot file them because the state has not approved these forms for filing yet with a specific software.

Each year we recreate each and every form, even though they look just like the forms the states/IRS releases. We then have to get these forms approved by the state/federal agencies. If there are any discrepancies we have to make corrections and re-submit for approval by the state/IRS. This back and forth can create delays. It is also why certain forms get delayed but not all forms for a specific state.

Again, we don’t blame the states or IRS, but this back and forth creates delays. These delays exist with ALL tax software providers [but where we have the LA forms delayed another provider may have GA, NY, AZ, etc. form(s) delayed]. This can also make some forms available with TurboTax or ProSeries but not Lacerte (and vice-versa) as the software is different and the approvals are unique to the software.

Updates occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and typical we work especially quick to add these “missing” forms once approval is confirmed by the state or IRS to have it ready for the next update.

We feel it is worse to guess a date that something may be available. We prefer to have a more definitive date when it is announced.

We are in communication with the states each day, requesting updates, but until we have approval we cannot proceed with releasing the forms (doing so would risk our ability to eFile or paper file any form with them in the future). And for good reason- we do want the states’ approval to ensure that what we are transmitting and recreating conforms to their laws.

The bottom line is that the established process leaves everyone guessing and for that I do, sincerely, apologize.

K

KTMPPAuthor

Level 3

Ross,

Based on your post, I guess I can hold off on asking all of our personnel to stop working mid-day today when the 02/27 update is released and assume the forms must still not be included in this release either?

I completely understand your explanation in the response below and appreciate you replying to the post, however as you have seen by others that have commented, Lacerte users pay the premium price for Intuit's tax software and in return Lacerte should be Intuit's # 1 priority. If the Company's software engineers were able to develop and draft an acceptable LA NR form that was accepted by the State in their other (free and cheap) versions of tax software products but the same form drafted for Lacerte was not accepted, sounds to me like the team of Lacerte engineers needs to be demoted and the Turbo Tax engineers promoted.....

R

RossOInToIt

Level 5

Hello KTMPP and tpherson!

It does not look like it will be included in the release this week as the date has not been added to https://lfs.intuit.com/#/s/LA/I.

Without getting into specifics (because I do not know exactly what was incorrect on this specific document or transmission information), we do typically create these forms simultaneously and submit them. It can occur, however, that one program gets a rejection while others do not.

I do know definitively that we want to have these forms available as badly as you and your clients do. As tpherson points out, we do not benefit from delays. The only promise I can make is that we do learn from these delays- specifically why they occurred and what was incorrect- so as to avoid them in the future (which is evident by this being a problem for this form in tax year 2020 and not occurring, to my memory, in any prior tax year).

As an aside, I did post this last week but it was somehow removed. I copied from that original version. I've also shared this response with my team so that they can provide more context than "it is not available yet" when asked. I think that information is key but I do apologize again that you and your clients are being affected by this delay.

R

RossOInToIt

Level 5

As of this morning, IT-540B for LA has received final approval. It will be available this week for print and e-file.

~~It should be available, at latest, in Thursday's release.~~

~~We are making every effort to have it available for today's release, however.~~

It is being included with today's release (3/10/2020)

H

HalH

Level 3

I see no release for yesterday. Program is telling me I am on the latest program. Lacerte Update Scheduler downloaded nothing and is also telling me "No new updates". ????????????????