| Is there a way to import my information from an Excel spreadsheet? |
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Make sure your spreadsheet contains at most one line of column headings, no blank lines between the column headings and your first row of data, no totals at the end, and exactly one worksheet. Then, see the Import Mapping Utility on the Module menu. |
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| When trying to import a W2REPORT (EFW2) transmittal, no employees are found. Why? |
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If you are sure your transmittal contains employees for the selected filer, download and run the RL512 Utility and try again. If the problem still persists, your W2REPORT transmittal may have been prepared for a common paymaster or agent (see the W-2 Setup page of Client (Filer) Management). |
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| When trying to import an IRSTAX (Pub. 1220) transmittal, no recipients are found. Why? |
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If you are sure your transmittal contains recipients for the selected filer, download and run the RL750 Utility and try again. |
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| Is there a way to export 1099 and W-2 information to a spreadsheet? |
Yes. The 'File' menu of each form contains an 'Export' selection that will launch an 'Export Options Dialog'.
A list of 'Available Fields' displays fields you can export.
A list of 'Selected Fields' displays the fields to be exported.
Drag and drop (or double-click) desired fields to the 'Selected Fields' side of the dialog. 'Selected Fields' can be deselected in the same way. You can rearrange the 'Selected Fields' to any desired order either by using the UP and DOWN arrows in the center of the dialog, or by dragging and dropping the fields.
Once all fields have been selected and arranged to your liking, click the 'Begin' button.
TIP: When the export is complete, select 'Explore' from the 'Module' menu to easily access your export file. |
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| I imported a W2REPORT file but State and Local information did not import. Why? |
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Your W2REPORT file is probably lacking the appropriate RS records. RS records, which are not required by SSA, contain state wages and withholding. Although optional, Account Ability will import RS records if they exist within your W2REPORT transmittal. |
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| How do you import zip code extensions on 1099 forms? |
You need to import the zip code and zip code extension as a single field. For example, if you desire to import zip code 11234 and zip code extension 0012, you would import the single zip code 11234-0012 (or 112340012).
If you are using the Import Mapping Utility, there is an easy way to merge these fields.
Here's the procedure:
1. Click on the source field containing the zip code extension.
2. Drag the zip code extension and drop it onto the source field containing the zip code.
3. If you do this correctly, the zip code extension will be merged with the zip code and should now read zip code + zip code extension.
4. The zip code + zip code extension should now be mapped to the destination zip code field.
If successful, the destination field for the zip code should now read zip code + zip code extension, the results of the merge.
When importing, Account Ability automatically splits the field into distinct fields for zip and zip extension.
NOTE:
1. Merging the same source field twice will undo the merge, if necessary.
2. For details on merging source fields, click the Help button located at the bottom of the Import Mapping Utility and see the section on Merging Source Fields in the chapter entitled Your First Mapping. |
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| I created a text file that Notepad reads without a problem. Why does the Import Mapping Utility display garbage when opening the same file? |
Although Microsoft's Notepad opens text files encoded for UNICODE, UTF-8, UNICODE BIG-ENDIAN, and ANSI, the Import Mapping Utility demands an ANSI encoded source file.
In order to save your text file as ANSI encoded,
a) Open it in NOTEPAD
b) From Notepad's 'File' menu, select 'Save As...'
c) Select ANSI encoding from the 'Encoding' drop down list
d) Click the 'Save' button.
Try opening the source file again in the Import Mapping Utility. |
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| How can I create a delimited text file from Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics software? |
The best way to accomplish this is to establish an ODBC connection to Dynamics' SQL database and use Microsoft Access to create a query to extract the data.
We know of a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) who is extremely familiar with this process and may be able to help you. His contact information is
David Hatfield (dhatfield@vitalpartners.net)
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
Master Certified Dynamics GP Specialist
4805 S. Terrace Rd
Tempe, AZ 85282
Phone: 480-993-5512 |
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| What are the 'Type of Wager Codes (1-9)' for Form W-2G? |
1 = Horse race track (or OTB)
2 = Dog race track (or OTB)
3 = Jai-alai
4 = State-conducted lottery
5 = Keno
6 = Bingo
7 = Slots
8 = Poker
9 = All other type of gambling winnings |
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| When I try to import my file I am told it is not a valid CLIENT import file. Why? |
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You are probably trying to import your returns into the client register. Double-click the client to be used and select a tax form from the drop down menu of available forms. From the 'File' menu of the selected form, select 'Import -> ASCII Text File' and try again. |
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| I used The Import Mapping Utility to import a W2 text file but State wages and withholding did not import. Why? |
You failed to map a state identifier to the appropriate state field. Mapping only state wages and withholding is not enough. You must map a state identifier (e.g. NY, NJ,...) to the 'State 1' field for State 1 wages and withholding, or, 'State 2' field for State 2 wages and withholding. After doing so, execute your mapping and try importing again.
TIP: If all wages and withholding are for a single state and you do not have a field for the state in your source file, you can override the 'State 1' or 'State 2' field by right-clicking on the appropriate destination field and specifying the value to be used for all employees. |
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| I used The Import Mapping Utility to import a W2 text file but Local wages and withholding did not import. Why? |
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Either you failed to map a locality name to the appropriate local field or you failed to map a state identifier (e.g. NY, NJ,...) to the appropriate state field. In order to import local wages and withholding, you must map a state identifier as well as a locality name. After mapping these fields, execute your mapping and try importing again. |
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| Is there a quick way to roll-forward all of my client's returns at one time? |
If you have many clients and desire to roll-forward all of their returns at one time, think about what you are trying to do for a moment. You will find that you are creating too much work for yourself! In other words, why must you roll forward each of your client's returns prior to working on them? You'll agree that you only have to return to each client's returns eventually in order to edit, add, delete, print, and possibly file them electronically. So, why not roll them forward as you work on the client for the first time this year?
NOTE: Account Ability does not roll forward prior year returns automatically since many users prefer not to do so. That is, they issue new returns each year (e.g. 1099-S, W-2G, 1099-C, etc.) for each of their existing clients. That is why Account Ability leaves the roll-forward option up to the user. |
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| Is there a specific order to follow when rolling up returns? |
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Yes. Always rollup the demographics first! See the Multiple Import Rollup Strategy tip in the 'Tips Knowledgebase'. |
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| Why does The Import Mapping Utility display 'NOT ALLOCATED' on some records? |
The Import Mapping Utility assumes that each record of your source file contains the same number of fields. That is, the number of fields in the first record must equal the number of fields in each subsequent record. If a record is encountered in which the number of fields differs, Account Ability inserts a 'NOT ALLOCATED' field in order to maintain uniformity.
NOTE: Such discrepancies generally result from blank records or total records in the source file. One can easily rid their source file of these types of records using WordPad or any other text editor. |
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| Is it possible to import different client's 1099s from a single text file? |
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Yes. Account Ability's file schema allows for an optional 'Client ID' field that can be used as a filter when importing. The 'Client ID' field appears as the last field in the 'Destination View' of The Import Mapping Utility. |
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| How can I compute FICA for all of the W2s I have imported? |
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After importing all of your W2s, select 'Compute FICA for All Employees' from the 'Tools' menu of Form W2. This will compute FICA wages and withholding for each employee in the file. |
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| Why are the 'Import ASCII Text File' and 'Import IRSTAX File' selections disabled (grayed out) on the 'File' menu? |
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The most probable cause is that the 'Corrected Returns Only' indicator, found on the 'General' page of the client's master record (see 'Client Management' on the 'Module' menu), is checked. |
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| I mapped a comma separated value (CSV) file to a text file. Why do I get the message 'WARNING: Invalid taxpayer id: SS NUM' (which is the column heading in my CSV file) every time I try to import this text file? |
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You are attempting to import the column heading 'SS NUM' as a taxpayer id. The solution here is to SKIP the header prior to executing your mapping. This is accomplished by selecting Skip in the 'Header' group at the top of the Import Mapping Utility. |
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