2012 Review of BNA Income Tax Planner

BNA Software — BNA Income Tax Planner
800-424-2938
www.bnasoftware.com

From the 2012 review of professional tax planning systems.

Best Fit

Firms with clients across the spectrum, including high net worth individuals, serial entrepreneurs, ex pats and others with increasingly complex planning and compliance requirements.

Strengths

• Simple interface and navigation
• Exhaustive calculations and analysis functions
• Side-by-side comparisons of up to 20 plans
• Strong reporting with graphical elements
• Integration with several tax compliance systems
• Web-based version

Potential Limitations

• BNA does not offer a preparation system

BNA is a familiar name to tax and accounting professionals, and since last year has become a part of Bloomberg LP, the globally recognized business information publisher and media outlet. In addition to producing original regulatory analysis and insight, the company develops technology for corporate tax audits, fixed asset management, sales and use tax management and rates, income tax planning, and estate and gift tax planning and compliance.

Basic System Functions: 5 Stars

The system is available in a traditional, installed version, or as an online program called BNA Income Tax Planner Web. Installation and initial setup of BNA Income Tax Planner is simple and offers basic user guides. The main interface offers a spreadsheet-based worksheet view of a client tax plan with users able to up to 20 columns of data. Users can quickly change data in the rows for filing status, exemptions, deductions, income types, AMT capital gains and other details, making it easy to quickly compare the effects of changes to these variables.

Detailed worksheets are available for greater control over very specific aspects of planning, including various types of income, deductions and credits. Client selection lists are fairly limited, using the generic Windows file management structure.

BNA Income Tax Planner includes planning for all states and can be used on even the most complex taxation scenarios for any number of clients, and supports any number of users within the same firm. It offers quick calculation of prior and future liabilities, and includes formulas for AMT, inflation, phase-ins and phase-outs.

Core Tax Planning Features: 5 Stars

Users can create plans that extend up to 20 years future and past, and the system includes seven modes of analysis. These include years within cases, cases within years, adjustments, differences, taxpayer-spouse, minor child and annualization. For clients with several scenarios, users can view them all on the same screen, displayed side-by-side, with data changes occurring in real-time as users enter information. Users can also drill-down into supporting worksheets.

Additional advanced planning features include options for combined parent and minor child calculations, AMT, special AMT rules for children, alternative capital gains taxes and farm income averaging, underpayment penalties, retirement contributions, lump sum taxes with five and ten year averaging. Users can print estimated payment vouchers directly from the program. Selection lists for filing status, income types and other entry fields allow quick toggling between such options.

As noted previously, BNA Income Tax Planner includes calculations and support for all states that tax individual income, plus local income taxes for NYC and DC. It also includes non-resident state planning tools and calculations for the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MS, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, VT and WV.

Reporting: 4.75 Stars

All of BNA Income Tax Planner’s reporting options can be viewed on-screen prior to printing, and can be customized to client or firm preferences. This includes the ability to include charts and graphs that provide visual assistance in explaining tax scenarios to clients. The system also includes worksheets and client letters. All reports, worksheets and letters can be emailed to clients from within the program, as a PDF document. Users can also further customize reports using Word or Excel.