Category : Financial and Statistics
Archive   : TAX92.ZIP
Filename : STAX92.MAN

 
Output of file : STAX92.MAN contained in archive : TAX92.ZIP
1239






Share-TAX/1040 (tm)

for 1992




U S E R ' S M A N U A L










Bammel Software
P.O. Box 382194
Duncanville, TX 75138-2194
214-296-8518 (voice and FAX)
(for FAX press your SEND key)







DISCLAIMER

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND IN NO EVENT WILL BAMMEL SOFTWARE OR ANY
INDIVIDUAL CONNECTED WITH BAMMEL SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE
USE OF THIS PROGRAM.

BAMMEL SOFTWARE, AND ALL INDIVIDUALS CONNECTED WITH BAMMEL
SOFTWARE, SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM THE ROLE OF TAX ADVISER. THIS
PROGRAM ONLY PERFORMS THE MECHANICS OF TAX PREPARATION IN STRICT
ACCORDANCE WITH IRS FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE USER MUST
EXERCISE JUDGEMENT AS TO THE CORRECTNESS AND APPROPRIATENESS OF
ANY AND ALL AMOUNTS ENTERED USING THIS PROGRAM, JUST THE SAME AS
IN FILLING OUT THE IRS FORMS MANUALLY.


C O N T E N T S


1. FEATURES and BENEFITS
1.1. What it Does
1.2. Ease of Use
1.3. Forms not Provided by the Program
1.4. Getting an Early Start on your Tax Return
1.5. Dollars and Cents, versus Whole-dollar Amounts
1.6. Next Year's Version

2. PRODUCT SUPPORT

3. SOFTWARE LICENSE

4. DUPLICATION and DISTRIBUTION of Share-TAX/1040

5. INSTALLATION and RUNNING THE PROGRAM
5.1. Machine Requirements
5.2. Using the INSTALL Program
5.3. Installing Upgrades
5.4. Running the Program from Diskette
5.5. Running the Program from Hard Disk
5.6. Exiting from the Program
5.7. Setting Screen Options
5.8. Setting Printer Options

6. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
6.1. Pull-Down Menu
6.2. Taxpayer Lookup
6.3. Keyboarding Conventions
6.4. Screen Selectors and Multiple-instance Screens
6.5. Data Entry Fields
6.6. Calculated Data Fields
6.7. Calculations
6.8. Data Records
6.9. Multiple Versions of Data
6.10. Order of Screens

7. SCREEN-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
7.1. Form 1040 - U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
7.2. Schedule A - Itemized Deductions
7.3. Schedule B - Interest and Dividend Income
7.4. Schedule C - Profit(Loss) from Business/Profession
7.5. Schedule D - Capital Gains and Losses
7.6. Schedule E - Supplemental Income Schedule
7.7. Schedule F - Farm Income and Expenses
7.8. Schedule R - Credit for Elderly and Disabled
7.9. Schedule SE - Social Security Self-Employment Tax
7.10. Form 2106 - Employee Business Expenses
7.11. Form 2119 - Sale/Exchange of Principal Residence
7.12. Form 2210 - Underpayment of Estimated Tax
7.13. Form 2441 - Child/Dependent Care Expense Credit
7.14. Form 3903 - Moving Expense
7.15. Form 4137 - S.S. Tax on Unreported Tip Income
7.16. Form 4562 - Depreciation and Amortization
7.17. Form 6251 - Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals
7.18. Form 8606 - Non-deductible IRA Contributions
7.19. Form 8615 - Under 14, Investmt Income over $1100
7.20. Worksheet - W-2 Forms Wage Information
7.21. Worksheet - Schedule of Other Income
7.22. Schedule EIC - Earned Income Credit
7.23. Worksheet - Taxable Part of Pensions/Annuities
7.24. Worksheet - Taxable Social Security Benefits
7.25. Worksheet - IRA Contributions
7.26. Supplemental Schedules
7.27. Client Invoice

8. PRINTING
8.1. Printing Individual Forms
8.2. Graphic Form 1040
8.3. Precautions for printing Graphic 1040 to a file
8.4. IRS Approval of Substitute Forms
8.5. IRS Requirements for Computer-Generated Forms
8.6. Calculation Before Printing
8.7. Previewing Printouts on the Screen
8.8. Printing to a File

9. TAX PREPARER INFORMATION

10. EXCEPTION REPORT MESSAGES


1. FEATURES and BENEFITS

1.1. What it Does

Using the data you enter, Share-TAX/1040 does all computations
and prints out your complete tax return ready to submit to the
IRS. If you have a compatible LASER or dot-matrix printer, you
can print a graphic image of the official Form 1040 which is IRS
approved for inclusion in your tax return. For all schedules and
forms other than Form 1040, it prints IRS-approved non-graphic
substitute forms.

It frees you from the drudgery of manually filling in the forms
and manual calculations. The ease with which you can try out
various combinations and situations adds a new dimension to tax
preparation as compared to manual methods.

1.2. Ease of Use

You need only enter the correct numbers, and Share-TAX/1040 will
do all computations for you, forwarding amounts from one form to
another as necessary. It displays and follows IRS forms as
closely as possible so that you can see and understand clearly
what is happening and so that you can make the proper
judgements.

The order in which you enter your data is completely arbitrary,
and you can at any time suspend your data entry to work on a
different tax return or exit the program. Then later you can
resume where you left off. Data is always automatically saved on
disk.

1.3. Forms not Provided by the Program

If you need additional forms not provided by the program, simply
fill out these forms manually and enter the total(s) to the
proper form in the program. Then submit the manually prepared
forms along with those produced by the program.

1.4. Getting an Early Start on your Tax Return

As you begin receiving your tax information, you can get an early
start on your taxes by entering it as soon as you receive it. At
that point, by estimating the numbers you don't have yet, you can
get an early idea of what your tax bite is going to be. Later,
when you receive those last few missing numbers, you can enter
them and in a few moments have your complete tax return ready to
submit to the IRS.


1.5. Dollars and Cents, versus Whole-dollar Amounts

The IRS allows you to enter your money amounts either as dollars
and cents, or as rounded whole-dollar amounts, but whichever you
choose, you must use it consistently throughout your return.
However, they prefer whole dollars, and that is how
Share-TAX/1040 is designed to operate.

The IRS requires that when adding up amounts for a single entry
on a form, that dollars and cents be used, and that rounding to
whole dollars be done only after the addition. That is the
reason why a few forms in Share-TAX/1040 have dollars and cents,
in particular the individual W-2 Forms and the Supplemental
Schedule. But you will notice that the totals are shown in whole
dollars.

1.6. Next Year's Version

Next year's version is not expected to be ready before early
January, 1994. This is due to the fact that final IRS forms are
usually released late. However, the IRS usually releases
preliminary forms in June or July. Therefore, we expect to have
a PRELIMINARY version of the program ready in July or August,
1993.

Even though you will not be able to use the preliminary version
to file your 1993 tax, it should be very useful for tax planning
because it will utilize the 1993 tax rates.


2. PRODUCT SUPPORT

Voice and FAX is provided at 214-296-8518.

The voice system will guide you through placing an order or
leaving a message.

To send a FAX, just press the SEND key on your FAX. If for some
reason that does not work, you can also press "77#" anytime after
the voice answer to activate our FAX.

The latest version of Share-TAX/1040 will always be uploaded
(under file name "STAX92.ZIP") to Compuserve, GENIE and America
OnLine. It will also be distributed via the SDNet/Works!, a
nationwide network of BBSs. Therefore, it is likely that you can
download the latest version from a BBS local to you.


3. SOFTWARE LICENSE

Share-TAX/1040 (tm) software and reference materials are the sole
property of Bammel Software and are protected by U.S. Copyright
Law. Share-TAX/1040 is a trademark of Bammel Software.

You are granted permission to copy Share-TAX/1040 for use in
preparing and reviewing actual tax returns and for tax planning
and estimating only if you pay promptly as follows:

Right to use Share-TAX/1040 on one computer..... $15.00
Add $2.00 S/H to automatically get next year's version.
(Texas residents please add 7.25% ($1.23) sales tax)

This fee is due when you start using it, and payable to:

Bammel Software
P.O. Box 382194
Duncanville, TX 75138-2194

214/296-8518 (Automated voice & FAX)
(For FAX, press your SEND key)
MasterCard/VISA

Use the convenient order form built into Share-TAX/1040 to pay
your shareware fee, or call the above number and use your credit
card.

TO EVERYONE WHO PAYS THE SHAREWARE FEE AND THE $2.00
SHIPPING/HANDLING, WE WILL SEND THE 1993 Share-TAX/1040 AS A FREE
THANK-YOU BONUS IN EARLY JANUARY 1994.


4. DUPLICATION and DISTRIBUTION of Share-TAX/1040

Share-TAX/1040 is provided on the basis of the "Shareware"
concept, and you are granted permission to copy it freely for
evaluation and distribution purposes without paying a fee under
the following conditions, but it is not free nor is it in the
public domain.

You are encouraged to make copies of Share-TAX/1040 for your
friends and acquaintences. Shareware distributors are encouraged
to distribute this program. Operators of electronic bulletin
board systems are encouraged to post this program for downloading
by their users. Permission is hereby granted to copy and
distribute Share-TAX/1040, for profit or otherwise, provided all
the following conditions are met:

1) Share-TAX/1040 must be copied and distributed in
unmodified form, complete with copyright notices, licensing
information and all documentation.

2) A reasonable fee may be charged for duplication and
distribution services, but no fee may be charged for use of
the program. (Fees for the use of the program are payable
only to the copyright owner, Bammel Software.)

3) Share-TAX/1040 may not be distributed in conjunction with
any other product.

Copying for any other purpose without the prior written consent
of Bammel Software is expressly prohibited.

The files which must be included for a complete copy are:

READ.ME Information file and order blank
INSTALL.EXE The installation program
STAX92.EXE The executable program
STAX92.MAN The User's Manual
SAMPLE.T92 Sample tax return
TOPTN.DAT Program options
TPREP.DAT Preparers database


5. INSTALLATION and RUNNING THE PROGRAM

5.1. Machine Requirements

Share-TAX/1040 needs approximataely 370K of free memory (that is
memory remaining after subtracting that used by DOS and any
resident utilities), and an additional 30K if you print the
graphic Form 1040. It also requires at least one diskette drive
with a minimum capacity of 360K. A hard disk is of course nice,
but operation is quite acceptable on diskette.

It is not expected that there be any problem in operating the
program with any of the commonly used resident utilities.
However if you have any difficulties in running the program with
any such utilities installed, you should de-install them while
running this program.

5.2. Using the INSTALL Program

Place the original diskette in drive "A:" or "B:". Then at the
DOS prompt, type "A:INSTALL" or "B:INSTALL", respectively. The
installation program will ask you if you are installing on a hard
disk or not. If to a hard disk, it will create the necessary
directory. If to a diskette, it will simply make a duplicate
with the DOS DISKCOPY program.

To prevent accidental erasure of your original diskette, be sure
it has a write-protect tab on it before inserting it into the
diskette drive. It is NOT recommended that you run
Share-TAX/1040 from the original diskette. Always run the
program from a copy.
5.3. Installing Upgrades

Use the INSTALL program as described in the previous section. It
will check for previously installed versions and prevent
accidental erasure of data files.

5.4. Running the Program from Diskette

Put the diskette made by the Installation Program in drive "A:"
or "B:". Then at the DOS prompt type "A:" or "B:" to make the
diskette the current drive. Then type "STAX92" at the DOS prompt
to run Share-TAX/1040.

To obtain maximum working space on the run diskette, delete all
files BUT:
STAX92.EXE
TPREP.DAT
TOPTN.DAT
*.T92 (tax return files)
For even more diskette work space, place STAX92.EXE on another
diskette drive if available.

WARNING: If while running the program, the diskette fills up and
runs out of space, the current tax-return file may possibly be
DAMAGED or DESTROYED. Therefore, it is important to backup
regularly and to check from time to time how much space is left,
and to limit the number of tax returns per diskette to a safe
margin. As a rule of thumb, a very complicated tax return will
take on the order of 20K of disk space.

5.5. Running the Program from Hard Disk

Make the drive and directory where you installed Share-TAX/1040
your default. (example: Type "C:", and then "CD \STAX92").
Then run the program by typing: "STAX92".

The same warning about disk space applies to hard disks as well
as diskettes, but usually there will be much more free space on a
hard drive, with little likelihood of running out from the
operation of the program.

5.6. Exiting from the Program

It is very IMPORTANT that you exit from the program through the
EXIT screen BEFORE powering down or re-booting (using
CTRL-ALT-DEL or otherwise). If you fail to exit properly, your
current tax return file may be damaged.

5.7. Setting Screen Options

To select the colors you want, go to the COLOR screen. Then use
the cursor keys to position to the desired item, and press the F
and B keys to change foreground and background colors,
respectively. The colors selected will be automatically stored
on disk in the current directory so that you will get them next
time you run the program.

The COLOR screen also allows you to select the method for
displaying data on the screen. The default screen output is via
BIOS which is the most compatible with different types of
hardware, but is also the slowest. The next option is faster and
is designed for use on CGA adapters prone to "snow". The last
option is the fastest, and it writes directly to screen memory at
maximum speed with no waits.

The COLOR screen also has a color/monochrome selection. This is
actually implemented by simply providing two sets of colors, and
you can change either or both as you like.

IF YOU HAVE A MONOCHROME SCREEN, in order to read the screen
clearly, you can start up the program in monochrome mode by
running with the /B option (run it by typing "STAX92 /B" at the
DOS prompt). This may not be necessary with all monochrome CRTs,
but is likely to be quite necessary with some laptops. You
should then select "monochrome" on the COLOR screen, and next
time you run the program it will remember your preferences.

If you ever mess up the colors so badly that you cannot read the
screen well enough to correct it (this is not an entirely
unlikely possibility with some laptops), you can recover by
copying ONLY the file TOPTN.DAT from your distribution diskette
to your working diskette/directory. If you have altered other
options, they will be reset also, and you will have to re-enter
them. However, your tax-return data will not be affected.

5.8. Setting Printer Options

To select the printer options you want, go to the Printer Setup
screen and press the F2 key and select your printer type. As
delivered, the printer control sequences are set up for the IBM
ProPrinter.

If your printer is not included in the list, you will need to
enter the appropriate sequences as defined in your printer's
manual. If your printer does not have a bold printing
capability, the program can simulate it by overstriking. To
activate this option, answer "Y" to the bold question and leave
the control sequences blank. If your printer does not have an
underlining capability, you must use ruled or color-barred
paper. Without an underlining capability, answering "Y" to the
underling question has no effect.

Note that for printer control sequences, NON-DISPLAYING ASCII
characters must be entered as a two-character sequence where the
first character is always a "^". For example, a control-C is
entered as "^C", an escape followed by the character 0 as "^[0".
This two-character notation is shown on the screen along with the
decimal equivalents in parentheses. The decimal equivalents are
given only for your information and are not entered as such in
the control sequences. They are the values you would use with
the CHR$ function of BASIC and are given in many printer
manuals.


6. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

6.1. Pull-Down Menu

All functions of the program can be accessed via the pull-down
menu. Use your mouse to click on the desired items, or press F10
to activate the menu bar. Then use the left and right arrow keys
or the highlighted character to select the heading and "pull"
down the menu. Use the up and down arrows to select the item you
want and press the ENTER key, or press the highlighted character
to make your selection.

All screens are also accessible with the PGUP and PGDN keys. The
pull-down menu is usually most convenient for getting to the
general area desired, and then PGUP and PGDN are convenient for
accessing nearby screens. The order of accessing the screens
when using PGUP and PGDN is shown below.

6.2. Taxpayer Lookup

As delivered, the data files contain a sample tax return. You
probably will not want to enter data into this tax return, but
will want to create new ones for your use. You can also erase it
entirely if you choose.

Each tax return is stored in a separate file, with a file name of
the form .T92. Only tax return files in the current
directory are accessible. When specifying a tax return file from
in the program, do not specify either a path or the ".T92" file
name extension. You can use any file name which is acceptable to
DOS, consisting of 1 to 8 letters, numerals and certain special
characters.

When you need to select a tax return, a window will pop up on the
screen. Use the arrow keys to select the desired tax return or
type in the file name directly. When you have made your
selection, press the ENTER key to complete it. If you do not
wish to select a tax return at that time, press the ESC key. In
this case, the program will enter a display-only mode and will
just display the text of the screens with no data. To select a
tax return after entering this mode, just press F10 for the
pull-down menu again.


6.3. Keyboarding Conventions

Normally a field is cleared when you type the first character.
However, you can edit the previous contents of any field by
making the first character you type an editing key (identified
below with an asterisk). The function and editing keys normally
act as follows (the notation "^" means hold down the Control key,
then press the specified key):

F2 Generally, this key is used to search for something,
such as a tax return or a particular instance of a
screen. Follow prompts on screen for instructions.
F3 Allows erasing a "record" (see below).
F4 Prints a form or complete tax return.
PGUP Go to previous screen.
PGDN Go to next screen.
Shift-TAB Move to data-entry field to left.
TAB Move to data-entry field to right.
F9 Go back to previous data-entry screen.
F10 Access the Pull-down menu. Use the cursor keys to
select the item you want, or type the highlighted
character.
^HOME Go to the first data-entry field on the screen.
^END Go to the last data-entry field on the screen.
* Left-Arrow Move one colum to the left.
* Right-Arrow Move one column to the right.
* ^Left-Arrow Move to beginning of the word to left.
* ^Right-Arrow Move to beginning of the word to right.
* HOME Go to beginning of the data-entry field.
* END Go to end of the data-entry field.
* INSERT Toggle between insert and overstrike mode.
* DELETE Delete the key under the cursor.
* BACKSPACE Delete the key to the left of the cursor and
move the cursor one to the left.
* ^BACKSPACE Clear the data-entry field.
ESC Cancel changes keyed before pressing ENTER.
ENTER Enter changes keyed. In most cases it sequences
through the fields the same as the TAB key, but in some
cases it follows a more natural order.
(* Field editing keys are indicated with an asterisk.)


6.4. Screen Selectors and Multiple-instance Screens

Certain IRS forms may need to be filed more than once in a single
tax return. There are two basic classes of these forms, namely
those which have no fixed number (such as W-2's and Schedule C),
and those which must be filed separately for Taxpayer and Spouse
in joint returns (such as Schedule SE). Those with no fixed
number are selected with letters "A" thru "Z", giving a maximum
of 26. Those for taxpayer/spouse are selected with "T" or "S".
To re-select with a different letter, use the "SEARCH" function,
F2.
6.5. Data Entry Fields

There are two types of data-entry fields, numeric and text. If
you try to enter text in a numeric field, the program will
complain and not accept it.

Most single-character text fields are "YES"/"NO" fields. Enter
"Y", "y" or "1" for "Yes", and "N", "n" or "2" for "No". A Few
single-character text fields are "Taxpayer"/"Spouse" fields.
Enter "T", "t" (or sometimes blank) for "Taxpayer", and "S" or
"s" for "Spouse". The few other types of single character fields
are identified as such on the screen.

Dates can be entered with or without the slashes, for example
"10188" or "01/01/88" or "1/1/88", and the program will then
enter the slashes correctly. Date fields will also accept
arbitrary text which does not look like a date such as
"VARIOUS".

The philosophy used throughout the program is that data entry
fields are never changed by the calculations. A minor exception
to this is a few fields which must always be positive or
negative. In most of these cases, the program forces the
necessary polarity.

6.6. Calculated Data Fields

Data in these fields are calculated by the program and you cannot
position the cursor to these fields. If you have chosen colors
properly, these fields will have a different color (or shading
with some monochrome monitors) from the data entry fields, and
the background text.

6.7. Calculations

Every effort is made to keep values passed from one form to
another current. However, in the interest of efficiency, this
cannot always be done. To bring all values up to date at any
time, just select the Complete Calculation function. This takes
just a few seconds with a hard disk, and something like 30
seconds on diskette for a large return.

During the calculations, an "Exception Report" is displayed on
the screen warning you of any obvious problems. This report can
also be printed.

6.8. Data Records

Data is organized in the files as "records". In some cases one
screen constitutes one record, whereas in other cases a number of
screens constitute one record. The Erase Current Record function
erases records, not screens. Therefore, it will first inform you
of the scope of the proposed erasure before asking you to
confirm.

In order to conserve disk space, data is organized so that
zero-valued numeric amounts and blank-valued text do not occupy
space in the file. Furthermore, records are not created until
data has been entered, or in a few cases where the calculations
automatically create records when necessary. At the upper-right
corner of the screen, you will at times see and "R" and a "M".
The "R" means that the record has been created. The "M" means
that the screen has been modified with new data, and if the
record has not been created yet, it will be created when you
leave the screen.

6.9. Multiple Versions of Data

Sometimes you might want to try out several situations for a
given tax return. The "Save As" function allows you to do this
easily. It merely copys the current tax return to a new file
with a different file name which you must type in. You then can
continue accessing the first file or the new file.

6.10. Order of Screens

Using the menu, you can go directly to the desired form. Then
use PGUP and PGDN to access individual screens of the form. The
screens are in the following order when accessing them with the
PGUP and PGDN keys:

SIGN Sign-on Message
DISCL Disclaimer
DIST Distribution of Program
SUPP Product Support
INSTR General Instructions
INST2 (continued)
COLOR Screen Color Setup
PRSU Printer Selection
PRSU2 Custom Printer Setup
ORDER Order Blank
ORD2 (continued)
Preparer Setup
W-2 Forms
Other Income
Schedule EIC - Earned Income Credit
Pension/Annuity Worksheet
Social Security Worksheet
IRA Worksheet
Form 1040
Schedule A - Itemized Deductions
Schedule B - Interest and Divident Income
Schedule C - Profit or Loss From Business
Schedule D - Capital Gains and Losses
Schedule E - Supplemental Income and Loss
Schedule F - Farm Profit (Loss)
Schedule R - Credit for the Elderly/Disabled
Schedule SE - Self-Employment Tax
Form 2106 - Employee Business Expense
Form 2119 - Sale/Exchange of Residence
Form 2210 - Underpayment of Estimated Tax
Form 2441 - Child/Dependent Care Expenses
Form 3903 - Moving Expenses
Form 4137 - SS Tax on Unreported Tips
Form 4562 - Depreciation and Amortization
Form 6251 - Alternative Minimum Tax
Form 8606 - Nondeductible IRA Contrib
Form 8615 - Under 14, over $1000 Invest Inc
Supplemental Schedule
Client Invoice
Complete Tax Return Calculation
Exit to DOS


7. SCREEN-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

The following is specific instructions for individual screens.
Explanation will be given only for items which are not
self-explanatory, and only with the purpose of helping you
understand the mechanics of data entry. No attempt will be made
to explain or analyze the IRS regulations; such information is
available directly from IRS publications and other sources.

7.1. Form 1040 - U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

The Taxpayer Information screen (TPI) must be filled out first to
setup the tax return. Some fields on this screen do not apply to
all types of filing status; just leave those fields blank.

Be sure to enter your basic exemptions and dependents on the
front of Form 1040 (screen E). Then be sure to check any boxes
on the back which apply to you (screen T). Most numbers on Form
1040 come automatically from other forms. For the few which
don't come from other forms, it is a very good idea to step
through all 1040 screens to be sure that you have entered all
necessary amounts.

The line 30 writein amount is tagged onto the end of the
description for that item in preparation for printing it out.
You should make any necessary adjustments to the description at
the time of data entry.

The tax computation (screen T) will automatically choose the
larger of your itemized deductions from Schedule A, or the
Standard Deduction so that your taxable income will be minimum.
The value chosen is displayed on the right. You can also
override the automatic selection and choose Schedule A even if
less than the Standard Deduction.

7.2. Schedule A - Itemized Deductions

If you have filled in Schedule A it will always print whether it
or the Standard Deduction is chosen. If you do not want it to
print, erase it, or else simply do not submit it with your return
if it does not apply.

The charitable contributions section has a worksheet to provide
convenient data entry and to limit the deduction to the amount
allowed by the IRS. Usually the deductible amount is 50% of your
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), and therefore that is the default if
you don't enter a different value, but in certain cases the limit
is 30% or 20%. In figuring the limitation, first the 50%
deductible amounts are computed, then the 30% and and last the
20% ones. Then the allowable deductions are first applied to
contributions made in cash or by check, next to contributions
other than cash, and finally to carryovers from prior years.

7.3. Schedule B - Interest and Dividend Income

The IRS instructions say that if you had over $400 in TAXABLE
interest income, then you must list ALL interest you received,
and to include on Form 1040, line 8a only the taxable interest,
and on line 8b tax-exempt interest. Usually most interest will
be taxable, and for taxable interest you can just skip through
(i.e. leave zero) the column "Amount tax-exempt". If some or all
of the interest is tax-exempt, enter that amount in the "Amount
tax-exempt" column. Similarly, the dividend screen has a
"non-taxable" column.

7.4. Schedule C - Profit(Loss) from Business/Profession

You can have up to 26 Schedules C, one for each letter of the
alphabet. Note that each Schedule C pertains to only one
individual, even if you are filing a joint return. If both you
and your spouse have income from the same business, you should
file a separate Schedule C for each person.

You generally may deduct only 80% of your business-related meal
and entertainment expenses; however, there are exceptions.
Therefore line 24b is entered as two amounts. The first amount,
"Meals not subj 80%", is the portion which is not subject to the
80% limitation. The second amount, "Amt subj 80% limit", is that
amount which is subject to the 80% limitation.

7.5. Schedule D - Capital Gains and Losses

This year, there is a new section on the back of Schedule D for
computing tax when the Maximum Capital Gains Tax rate applies.
The program will use this automatically if you have sufficient
capital gains.


7.6. Schedule E - Supplemental Income Schedule

Schedule E allows up to three properties per front page. If you
enter more than three, then additional front pages will be
printed, with totals for all front pages only on the last front
page. Each side of Schedule E can stand alone, so that if only
the front is needed, the back will not be printed, and vice
versa.

The way Schedule E is designed, the descriptions of "Other" on
each front page apply to three properties. The screen only shows
one property at a time. Therefore, in order to prevent you from
entering conflicting descriptions, the descriptions if any, from
the other two properties are displayed for you in their proper
place, and you are not permitted to change them. The only way to
change them is to (re)select the screen where you originally
typed them in.

7.7. Schedule F - Farm Income and Expenses

This schedule is analogous to Schedule C, except that it is for
farm income and expenses. As with Schedule C, you can have up to
26 Schedules F, one for each letter of the alphabet. Note that
each Schedule F pertains to only one individual, even if you are
filing a joint return. If both you and your spouse have income
from the same farm, you should file a separate Schedule F for
each person.

If the back of Schedule F is not needed, it will not be printed
as per IRS instructions.

7.8. Schedule R - Credit for Elderly and Disabled

Under certain circumstances, you must complete Form 6251 for the
Schedule R worksheet. If this is necessary and you have not
already done so, you will be warned on the Exception Report that
you need to fill in Form 6251.

7.9. Schedule SE - Social Security Self-Employment Tax

This form is created automatically if you have self-employment
income. You need fill it in only if you have partnership (Form
1065) self-employment income, if you use the optional method, or
if you need to make adjustments to lines 1 and/or 2 (seldom
needed). Only the Long Schedule SE is programmed, which will
serve in all cases; just don't fill out the parts which don't
apply.

7.10. Form 2106 - Employee Business Expenses

Data-entry is self-explanatory.


7.11. Form 2119 - Sale/Exchange of Principal Residence

The reason you are asked to indicate whether this transaction is
short-term or not is so that the program will know which section
of Schedule D to put the result. If you indicate that you have
filled out a Form 6252 for this transaction, then the result will
not be passed to Schedule D or anywhere else, and you will need
to fill out Form 6252 (Form 6252 is not in the program and must
be filled out manually, and any amounts will need to be entered
manually on Schedule D on the appropriate line for Form 6252).

If you need to file this form separately (not attached to your
tax return) so that you need to sign it, use an original form
from the IRS.

7.12. Form 2210 - Underpayment of Estimated Tax

The second screen is data entry of amounts from your 1991 tax
return, and does not print. DO NOT ENTER YOUR 1992 DATA ON THIS
SCREEN, as it only computes a value for your last year's tax.

The third screen starts the form proper. Most values are
obtained from elsewhere on your tax return. Be sure to enter the
missing values if necessary. Be sure to enter on the fourth
screen your estimated tax payments. Include as one of these
payments any overpayment from your 1991 return that you elected
to apply to your 1992 estimated tax.

If you believe you qualify for a waiver, enter the amount of the
penalty to be waved on the last screen and attach an
explanation.

If you file your return on or before 1/31/93 and pay all tax due,
there is no penalty charged for the period 1/16/93 thru 1/31/93.
In such a case enter your data as if your last installment was
paid on 1/15/93 so that the program will not compute a penalty
for this period.

Only the long method has been programmed, which will serve in all
cases.

7.13. Form 2441 - Child/Dependent Care Expense Credit

Under certain conditions, you must fill in Form 6251 to complete
the worksheet for this form. In such a case, you will be warned
on the Exception Report to complete Form 6251 if you have not
done so already.

7.14. Form 3903 - Moving Expense

Data-entry is self-explanatory.


7.15. Form 4137 - S.S. Tax on Unreported Tip Income

Data-entry is self-explanatory.

7.16. Form 4562 - Depreciation and Amortization

You can have up to 26 Forms 4562 (one for each letter of the
alphabet) since each business or activity needs a separate form.
THE TOTALS FROM THESE FORMS DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY CARRY TO ANY
OTHER FORM. Therefore, you must enter the totals to the
appropriate forms.

7.17. Form 6251 - Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals

This form will be automatically computed whether you have filled
it in or not. If you have not filled it in, and the calculations
show that tax is due from the form, you will be advised on the
Exception Report that "You may need to file Form 6251,
Alternative Minimum Tax." You must then complete this form to see
how much, if any, Alternative Minimum Tax you owe.

Under certain conditions, line 18 of this form is needed for the
Schedule R Worksheet and the Form 2441 Worksheet. If needed, and
you have not filled it in, you will be so notified on the
Exception Report.

7.18. Form 8606 - Non-deductible IRA Contributions

This form will be automatically created and printed whenever
nondeductible IRA contributions are calculated by the IRA
Worksheet ("WI"). If you made contributions in 1993, you will
need to fill in line 5 to indicate what part of your 1993
contributions, if any, you want to be nondeductible.

IRA rollovers, if any, are also entered on this form.

If you need to file this form separately (not attached to your
tax return) so that you need to sign it, use an original form
from the IRS.

7.19. Form 8615 - Under 14, Investmt Income over $1100

Be sure to keep the child's and parent's numbers straight. If
this form is filled in, the tax on Form 1040, line 38 will be
taken from it instead of being calculated in the normal manner.

7.20. Worksheet - W-2 Forms Wage Information

Enter each individual W-2 on a separate screen using a different
screen selector. The totals for all W-2s will be shown on screen
W2T.


These worksheets need not be submitted to the IRS since you
should have Forms W-2 for each. Keep them for your records. If
you leave the "Taxpayer/Spouse" entry blank, then that W-2 will
be assumed to be for the "Taxpayer".

7.21. Worksheet - Schedule of Other Income

Enter here all amounts for Form 1040, line 22. If there is just
one line entered, and if the description is short enough to fit
directly on Form 1040, then it will be printed on the 1040 and
this schedule will not be printed. If it won't fit, then the
total is printed on Form 1040, the description on Form 1040 is
printed as "SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULE", and this schedule is printed
on a separate page. This schedule should then be submitted to
the IRS with the rest of the return.

7.22. Schedule EIC - Earned Income Credit

If it appears that you might qualify for this credit, and you
have not answered the questions necessary on it, the Exception
Report will notify you that you might qualify.

7.23. Worksheet - Taxable Part of Pensions/Annuities

Data-entry is self-explanatory.

7.24. Worksheet - Taxable Social Security Benefits

Data-entry is self-explanatory.

7.25. Worksheet - IRA Contributions

This worksheet obscures a fairly simple thing. Everyone is
entitled to contribute to his IRA the smaller of 1) his earned
income, or 2) $2000; or with a non-working spouse the smaller of
1) earned income, or 2) $2250, but a maximum of $2000 per
individual. The difference is in whether any or all of it is
tax-deductible. Any non-deductible contributions must be
reported on Form 8606.

Just fill in the numbers on the first screen and everything else
will be taken care of for you. If any of it is non-deductible,
then you must complete Form 8606, and you will be warned by the
Exception Report to do so if you haven't already. You will also
need to fill in Form 8606 if you have any IRA rollovers.

7.26. Supplemental Schedules

These schedules may be used to report detail which will not fit
on the forms themselves. On the Form itself, enter "SEE SCHEDULE
ATTACHED" and enter the total. Then on the supplemental
schedule, enter the detail and in the title say what form it
pertains to. NOTE: TOTALS FROM THESE SCHEDULES DO NOT
AUTOMATICALLY GO ANYWHERE, and you must enter the totals where
they belong. Submit these schedules to the IRS with your
return.


7.27. Client Invoice

This was designed for use by the paid tax preparer.


8. PRINTING

8.1. Printing Individual Forms

You can print individual forms without printing the whole return
by going to a screen pertaining to the form in question, and
accessing the Print Current Form Only item from the pull-down
menu, or by pressing the F4 key.

8.2. Graphic Form 1040

This prints an exact duplicate of the Official Form 1040. This
capability is available only for the following printers and
compatibles:

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet+, II, III, etc.
Hewlett-Packard InkJet/DeskJet, etc.
IBM ProPrinter and Epson FX series. (216 x 240 dots/inch)
Epson LQ series. (180 x 240 dots/inch)

The graphic Form 1040 is the default for Laser and Ink Jet
printers, and may be accessed for the impact dot-matrix printers
with the Print Graphic Form 1040 menu item.

For the impact dot-matrix printers, because the dots are so dense
and overlap, you will probably get better results with an OLD
ribbon. Expect it to take at least 30 minutes on an
average-speed dot-matrix printer. If your result is too long or
too short, select the other Epson series.

8.3. Precautions for printing Graphic 1040 to a file

If you print to a file first, note that the file size is over one
megabyte in some cases, so be sure you have sufficient disk space
before doing it.

The Graphic 1040 for all supported printers produces binary
data. The DOS PRINT command will not correctly print such a file
because it mis-interprets binary data as TABs, etc. Instead, to
print the file, you will need to execute the following DOS
command: "COPY/B file-name PRN", or you will need a print
spooler which will faithfully copy binary data to your printer.
The "/B" selects binary mode and insures that the data is
transferred unchanged to the printer.

Networks may present other problems. However, the objective is
always to get the data from Share-TAX/1040 to the printer with no
alterations of any kind.

8.4. IRS Approval of Substitute Forms

Substitute forms are computer generated forms with
typewriter-style characters used in place of the IRS official
forms. All substitute forms and schedules printed by this
program have been approved by the IRS. However, there are
factors under your control which must meet requirements also,
which are explained below.

8.5. IRS Requirements for Computer-Generated Forms

Your printer must be set to 6 lines per inch vertically and 10
characters per inch horizontally. These are the normal (default)
values for almost all printers.

Form 1040 itself MUST be submitted using the IRS pre-printed form
or a high-quality duplicate (offset press, photocopy, etc.)
thereof. As stated earlier, the Graphic Forms 1040 produced by
this program are approved by the IRS for inclusion in your tax
return. If you do not use either of these, you can order
continuous pre-printed Forms 1040 from:

Nelco Tax Forms
P.O. Box 10208
Green Bay, WI 54307-0208
414-337-1000

Be sure to get the "1040 Official Edition"

Tell them Bammel Software referred you. They accept telephone
orders with credit cards as payment and will sell you as few as
100 sets. There are other sources of continuous forms, but note
that many commercially available continuous Forms 1040 are not
exact copies of the IRS Official Form 1040, but have had some of
the data positions altered, and so are not suitable for use by
Share-TAX/1040.

You can also print your 1040 by selecting the Print IRS Form 1040
option and simply placing single-sheet blank IRS Forms 1040 in
your computer printer. In this case, the program will always
pause for you to put the blank form in the printer. The tricky
part is getting the Form 1040 positioned correctly at the
beginning of printing. If you have plenty of blank 1040's, just
experiment with them until you get it right. Otherwise, one way
of doing it is to print the 1040 data on blank continuous paper.
Then fasten the actual 1040 over the continuous paper in the
proper position and re-run the paper through the printer without
altering the top of form position.

Another way to meet IRS requirements for Form 1040 is to use a
copier and overlays which you can purchase or make yourself. To
make your own, you will need to use a copier which does not
significantly shrink or enlarge the copy. First make an
"overlay" of a blank IRS Form 1040 on transparent plastic of the
type designed for use in a copier. Then print the Form 1040 on
blank paper, position the overlay correctly over the printout,
and then make a copy of the combination. Overlays for Form 1040
can be purchased from Nelco Tax Forms mentioned above. Be sure
to order the "1040 Official Edition".

A "Proof" printout for the 1040 is provided which is similar to
the substitute forms, but it is for your own use and review, and
it SHOULD NOT BE SUBMITTED TO THE IRS.

The forms and schedules other than Form 1040 may be fully
computer generated with the following requirements:

1) A high standard of legibility is required. Low quality
printers should not be used (good dot matrix is OK). The
originals must be filed, NOT carbon copies.

2) Paper must be at least 18 lb. weight, be 8" x 11" or 8.5"
X 11" in size, and must have 1/4" to 1/2" margins on all
sides after removal of pin-feed holes.

3) Paper color must be white or cream colored, and either it
must be ruled every other line or be color-barred, or the
computer printer must underline every other line.

4) Black ink must be used for printing.

5) Printing must be 6 lines per inch vertically, and 10
chars per inch horizontally.

6) Forms must be assembled with Form 1040 first, then the
schedules and forms in their sequence number order (the
sequence number is given after the "1992 *" at the top
right), then supporting schedules in the order of the forms
they refer to. When you select the "print all forms"
option, they will automatically be printed in the correct
order.

7) Social security numbers must be printed in the format:
000-00-0000, thus you must key them in in that form.

8.6. Calculation Before Printing

Most forms require that a Complete Calculation be current. That
is, no data should have been changed since the last Complete
Calculation. The print program checks to be sure that this is
so, and if so, it will print. If not, it warns you and will not
print, until you have done a Complete Calculation.

8.7. Previewing Printouts on the Screen

You can conveniently preview the printout by looking at it on the
screen. Just select the "S" printer output option.

8.8. Printing to a File

In addition to printing to the printer and to the screen, the
program has two options for printing to files. The first option,
overwrite "O", will erase any data that was in the file and
overwrite it. This option will prompt you if the file already
exists to be sure you want to over-write it. The other option,
append "A", will add the data at the end of what is already in
the file, if anything. This option will prompt you if the file
does not already exist.


9. TAX PREPARER INFORMATION

If you use this program as a paid tax-preparer, your name and
address, etc. must be entered at the bottom of the back of the
1040. The Preparer Setup allows you to enter this information
into the database, and then prints it. There is space on the
database for 20 preparers, numbered 1 through 20.

If you are using this program only for your own use, or for
family members and friends where you receive no remuneration, you
should not enter any preparer information. Select preparer
number 0 when you setup your return. Then these fields will be
left blank on the 1040 printout.


10. EXCEPTION REPORT MESSAGES

"No room for 'Form 2106' description on Form 1040, line 30"

This message occurs when you enter a description on Form 1040,
line 30 and there is also a value from Form 2106 for the same
line. In this case you will need to use a separate schedule to
list all the necessary information and carry the total from it to
Form 1040, line 30.

"Excess FICA withheld by one employer, obtain refund from
employer."

If one employer withholds more than the maximum, you cannot
obtain a refund for the excess on your tax return. You can only
obtain a refund from the employer. This message will continue to
display even though your tax return is correct.

"Form 1040: May not exempt self on line 6a if line 33b checked"

"Schedule A, line 14 is over $500, be sure to file Form 8283"
"Schedule A contributions reduced by AGI limitation"

"Must answer Sch B, part III since more than $400
interest/dividends"

"You may owe a penalty, complete Form 2210 to find out."
"On screen 2210D, must enter date final amount due to be paid"
"On screen 2210D, date amount due paid before today (OK if you
want that)"

"You may need to file Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax."

"Form 6251 Lines 4b, 4c & 4d set to zero since Sch A not
applicable"

This message occurs when you have filled out Form 6251 and
Schedule A, and your schedule A deductions are less than the
Standard Deduction. Therefore, the return is calculated as if
you had not filled out Schedule A. The presence of this message
does not necessarily indicate an error.

"You need to complete Form 6251 for Form 2441 Worksheet."
"You need to complete Form 6251 for Schedule R Worksheet."

Even if you don't otherwise need Form 6251, you must fill it out
for these worksheets and forms.

"Filing status must be "Single" (1) for Form 8615"
"Must enter PARENT's filing status on Form 8615"
"You must complete Form 8606."

This message occurs when your IRA worksheet results in
non-deductible IRA contributions. Go to Form 8606 and fill it
out for taxpayer and/or spouse as needed.

"You may qualify for Earned Income Credit. Go to screen EIC."

"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on screen W2"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Schedule C"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Schedule F"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Schedule SE"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Form 2106"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Form 4137"
"Not joint return, but "S" (spouse) selected on Form 8606"

One of these errors is likely to occur if you start entering your
tax return as a joint return, but then later change it to an
individual return. Normally, these errors must be corrected to
get correct results.


  3 Responses to “Category : Financial and Statistics
Archive   : TAX92.ZIP
Filename : STAX92.MAN

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