IDMS Inc. — Account Ability Tax Form Preparation

From the Oct. 2007 Review of W-2/1099 Systems

The Account Ability system is designed for preparers who handle the annual wage statements and information returns for multiple clients. It also offers support for any number of payer companies and payees and offers compliance functions for all versions of forms 1099, 1098 and W-2, W-2c, along with W-3, W-3c, 1096, 5498, 5498-ESA and 5498-SA. The network-ready program allows printing to plain, pre-printed paper or pressure seal forms and includes unlimited e-filing and magnetic media filing to the IRS and SSA, as well as to states supporting the MMREF-1 format. Account Ability costs $154.95 per year for a single-user network-ready license; additional users can be added for $35 each. An optional add-on e-filing service through which IDMS submits and tracks returns for the user costs $50 per year. As well, the vendor extends a 10 percent volume discount on all tax forms and envelopes to subscribers of The CPA Technology Advisor, which is obtained by entering the reseller code CPATECH on the shopping cart when checking out at www.idmsinc.com/1099Forms.php.

Usability/Navigation – 5 Stars
Account Ability installs quickly and opens to a mostly blank primary window with pull-down menus across the top for Module, Preferences, Forms, Window and task-related Help functions. Most tasks are accessed either via the Module or Forms windows. Working within client data files is performed by selecting the Client Management option from the Module menu, which provides a spreadsheet client selection list that includes search and sort functions. The window also offers icons for creating new clients or copying existing ones, displaying all active forms for a selected client, activity reports and printing options. When within a program module, the system maintains a system menu on the right side of the master screen, which includes options for adding new forms, navigation, searching, printing, electronic and magnetic filing, saving, and closing out of the module.

Working within forms is intuitive since the program utilizes form replicas for data entry, automatically populating all payer information and making overrideable calculations for various fields such as FICA and Medicare taxes as data is entered. Data is not automatically saved, and the right-side menu with the save button is a little odd at first. However, the form-based data entry is otherwise very simple to understand and navigate, and most users should grow accustomed to the program quickly and with no training. Account Ability watches for duplicate taxpayer IDs and includes a U.S. Postal Service address verification function as well as password security at the payer level. Backup and restore functions are easily accessible, and the user is prompted to backup each time the program is closed. The system uses the SSA’s AccuWage and AccuW2c tools to identify file errors prior to transmission. Users can customize the system desktop and navigation features, as well as font and color options.