2009 Income Tax Software Review: ATX Max

ATX Max is a highly inclusive program that sells for $1,110 and includes all the tax forms and specialty forms needed for a small to medium accounting practice. This package includes 1040 and related forms plus all state and local individual income tax forms, electronic filing where supported, 1041, 1120 1120S, 1065, 706, 709, 990, 5500, registrations and elections and more. Training and online CCH U.S. Master Tax Guide and CCH 1040 Express Answers are included with the ATX Max package.

Designed for the small tax professional, it is a complete and comprehensive program with significant support options to help every tax professional in your firm maximize their ability to prepare returns. From the new customer orientation to the ATX University classes, ATX TV, and the “Good Morning SFS” daily programming during tax season, CCH Small Firm Services ensures that their customers’ tax preparers have access to convenient and timely tax season updates and helpful program usage tidbits. While the ATX University classes are free to customers for their own usage and education, for a fee they offer classes for CPE credit as well.

 One thing that really sets the ATX packages apart is their over 10,000 federal, state, and local forms, including the hard-to-find local tax forms. With ATX, tax practitioners no longer have to find and fill out by hand less common local tax forms, they are already included in the tax package. CCH Small Firm Services knows that not all small tax firms are looking for the same solution. They have packages that start as low at $410 that include all of the federal 1040 forms and supporting schedules, up to 3 states, $200 unlimited electronic filing, or individually priced e-filing for $3 federal and $2 per state state, and free training. They also offer a small firm turnkey solution of their Total Tax & Accounting Office package for $2295 which includes everything from the ATX Max package plus ATX Fixed Asset Manager, ATX Trial Balance, ATX Document Manager, ATX Client Write-Up with Payroll, and CCH Express Answers for all of the included tax returns.

• Enhancements for 2009 include:
• Automated form and program updating, keeping your tax package up-to-date
• Automatic import of brokerage statements from Excel and .csv sheets, eliminating miskeying errors and speeding up data entry
• Expanded diagnostic testing
• Context sensitive help
• Expanded organizer options: In addition to the standard comprehensive organizer, you could choose a mini-organizer or a tax questionnaire.
• Windows 7 and 64 bit operating system compatible.
• CCH’s IntelliConnect, allowing research directly from the lines of the 1040 while it is being prepared, is available as an add-on for $229 for the 1040 version or $515 for the 1040, 1065, 1120, and 1120S versions. 

When talking about what makes the product special, Bowden Brown, product manager at CCH Small Firm Services, summed it up by saying, “ATX provides the best value product in the market for the small professional tax office by providing the greatest number of forms and features at the best price.”