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Professional Editions - Latest News and Updates
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4/24/2018 – Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.16, Federal 1041, 1120S, 1120, and 990: 1.10, Federal 1065: 1.09)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Added keyboard shortcuts to Master Forms
    • You can now copy calculated values from Master Forms using Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V.
  • Added option to work offline if MyAccount is down
    • If the website for TaxActprofessional.com Account sign in is down for maintenance, you can now choose to work offline.
  • Client Xchange: Improvements to sorting function.
    • Columns can now be sorted in ascending o descending order.

3/27/2018 – Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.12 & Federal 1041: 1.08, Federal 990, 1041, 1065, 1120, & 1120S: 1.07)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Add status to PDF import UI
    • You can now see a reason/status when PDF import fails to help pinpoint the issue.

  • Online Back-up - Fixed the "not responding" message that displays at the top of the processing window
    • Fixed the issue where the Backup Wizard would display "(Not Responding)" at the top of the window.
  • Fixed a bug in the “Add State” dialog window causing a program crash
    • Fixed an issue where states were installed and added/removed a few times which caused a string to get too long due to a bug in the dialog and cause the program to crash.

3/13/2018 – Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.09 & Federal 1041: 1.07, Federal 990, 1041, 1065, 1120, & 1120S: 1.06)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Updated Fed EF Status column for Extensions
    • From this update forward, any federal extension returns will display in the Fed EF Status column in Client Manager with an “Ext:” in front of the status to better differentiate them from the filing of the full return.
    • We continue to check for updated status on extensions until there's a new status for the full return being filed.
    • This will only affect extensions filed after this update - extensions filed previously will show as "accepted" and will not be updated.


  • Reformatted Line Item Details screen
    • We minimized the number of lines displayed by default to 5 since a new line is added automatically when you click the last line shown.
    • The bottom buttons for “Save and Close” are always visible on screen no matter how many lines are included
    • We included an FAQ for information on what data can be attached to a return transmitted to the IRS (Line Item Details are NOT transmitted).


  • Removed reference to efstatus.taxact.com in Fed EF Status popup
    • On accepted returns, we no longer include this text for those who wish to print and give clients a copy of the EF Status without reference to taxact.com: "You can check your status anytime at efstatus.taxact.com"
  • Made several software efficiency improvements
    • “Refund Change Report” after installing updates now runs ~20% faster
    • “Rebuild Client Manager” (for Local Storage users) now runs ~40% faster
    • Other general efficiency improvements should be noticeable (such as when checking in/out returns)
  • Fixed an issue where new returns were defaulting to incorrect status
    • New returns will default to a return status of “new” instead of the first status in the list that some users were experiencing.

02/28/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.08 & Federal 1041: 1.06, Federal 990, 1041, 1065, 1120, & 1120S: 1.05)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • New! Link to pop up EF Status in Fed EF Status column of Client Manager
    • For any clients with a status in the EF Status column, you can now click on the status to view more information (similar to what is sent in the e-file emails).
    • You will not only see the federal status, but also the information for any states that were filed for that client.
    • There's also a print option on this page if you'd like to print a copy of this information.
  • Unlimited e-file and pre-paid e-file information available in Practice Manager
    • You can now see which tax forms and years your practice has unlimited e-filing in Practice Manager under the Practice Administration tile.
    • There's a 3 year history shown so any tax year that's still available for e-file will be visible.
    • The practice's pre-paid e-file balance is also available in this same location.
  • Reset button added to Master Charge by Form
    • A reset button now appears in bottom left corner - opposite of Print button - on every charge by form option in drop down menu.
    • Hitting the reset button changes all values on current charge by form to "0".
  • Bug fix for Federal Instruction Letter
    • We corrected an issue with the federal instruction letter not defaulting to "e-filed" after the return has been submitted.
    • This fix should also correct previously submitted returns.

02/20/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal 1040 Edition (Federal 1040: 1.07)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal 1040 Edition includes changes related to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (aka "Extenders") signed by the President on February 9, 2018. Division D, Title I of this Act details which expired provisions were extended through the 2017 tax year. Once the bill passed, the IRS updated related tax forms and we've been working hard to get those changes incorporated into TaxAct.

The following provisions are included in this update:

  • Qualified Mortgage Premiums Deduction
  • Tuition and Fees Deduction
  • Cancellation of Mortgage Debt

Look for the following to be included in a future update of TaxAct:

  • Residential energy credit

02/02/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions

Federal 1040 1.05 & Federal 1041 1.04 includes:

An issue existed where data entered on Federal Schedule C was being cleared when you got the latest program update. This would happen when a Form 1099-MISC was attached to a Schedule C.

The fix in this update was to stop that data loss from occurring. If you have not opened and saved your return after a Federal update prior to this, you should not see a loss of tax return information. However, if you opened and saved one of these affected returns since updating to any version since 1.00 (prior to this update), you will need to re-enter this data into the tax return.

01/29/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.03 & Federal 990, 1041, 1065, 1120, & 1120S: 1.02)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Professional Reports enhancements based on customer feedback:
    • You can now opt to view more than 20 returns per page. Just select any number between 1 and however many returns you have available to view them on one page.
    • We've added sorting to the column headers so you can short each column alphabetically or numerically, depending on column. This will sort the entire list, not just what's visible on the current page.
  • Enhancements to our new Notes feature including:
    • Adding a search function so you can search for specific notes by their content
    • Allowing the user to adjust the separating bar between the list of notes and currently selected note
    • Allowing you to select multiple notes to delete by holding shift and making a selection
  • EF Logging for Online storage users to keep track of E-file events and errors by user
    • To access: Tools -> View Activity Logs -> Electronic Filing Logs
  • Fixed an issue in Client Notes where the "City" field was missing if selecting that your client has a foreign address.

01/26/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional State Editions

We have noticed intermittent issues as it relates to crashes in our 1040, 1065, 1120 and 1120S state products released the morning of January 24th (full list shown below). These issues have been corrected as of the morning of January 26th. In order to correct any issues, you will need to get the latest version of the products shown below.

  • MA (1.01) – 1040
  • OH (1.01) – 1040
  • WI (1.02) – 1040
  • CO (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • FL (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • TX (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • MI (1.01) – 1120
  • WI (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • GA (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • OK (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • MO (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • NJ (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • IN (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • MD (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • KY (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • UT (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • LA (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • MN (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S
  • VA (1.01) – 1065, 1120, 1120S

01/16/2018 - Update to TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions (Federal 1040: 1.02 & Federal 990, 1041, 1065, 1120, & 1120S: 1.01)

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Added new status for "PDF imported"
    • We added a new status for "PDF import" so users would know which were imported from prior year TaxAct (status = imported) vs. from prior year PDF (status = PDF imported).
  • Updated system requirements
    • For security reasons, IE 10 is no longer a supported browser.
  • Added a "Clear Copies" option in Print Center
    • Print Center now has option to "Clear Copies" to change all pre-set numbers to "0".
  • Enabled forms notification email sign up
    • With several forms still awaiting IRS and State final versions and approvals, you can sign for forms notification emails.
    • You will need to attempt to print or e-file a return with unavailable forms to get the option to receive an email when those forms are available.
  • Several bug fixes, including:
    • The selection in the drop down box for forms view filtering is now saved until the user changes the selection.
    • OL storage users sorting by Amount Paid or Invoice columns would see no data until sorting by different column – these column sorts are now available to use.
    • The program is no longer "not responding" when performing updates.
    • After a non-default directory is selected during the first TaxAct federal product install, all other federal product installs now default to the same directory.
    • Preparer labels now populate the preparer address for the default or active preparer automatically.

01/04/2018 — Version 1.0 of TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Print and e-filing are now available
    • Keep in mind, not all federal forms are finalized yet, so not all returns can be filed.
    • The IRS won't be processing e-filed returns until mid-January (Date: TBA), so you won't yet see a status on pending returns.
  • We've enhanced the Side-by-Side year-over-year comparison base on your feedback:
    • Once you've selected a 2016 return, that return will remain available the next time you view that comparison feature (even after closing the return).
    • If you imported your last year TaxAct returns, we'll select the file for 2016 automatically for those clients.
  • We've added a new column to Client Manager for showing the "locked" status of returns. If you previously installed TaxAct 2017, you will need to add this new column to your Client Manager.
  • For MN state preparers, we added a "Preparer Type" you'll want to select in Master Information, as this is required on MN returns. That selection will flow automatically to all your MN returns, so you won't have to make the selection on each return.

12/19/2017 — Version .93 of TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • Added NEW Locked Returns feature so that returns can be locked for editing
    • Users can now set a preference to "Automatically lock returns after E-filing" but you will need to check this for it to take effect.


    • You can also manually lock/unlock returns from Client Manager through the right click menu – even holding CTRL or SHIFT keys to select multiple returns to lock/unlock at once.


  • Fixed an issue where Document Manager was slow or unresponsive after a period of time.
  • Fixed an issue where the dependent was being duplicated in the 2016 return when using the side-by-side comparison.

12/05/2017 - Version .92 of TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions.

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes:

  • We added a checkbox in Preparer Preferences for "Print in Duplex" to have your printed tax documents default to printing on both sides of the paper (assuming this is supported by your printer).



    NOTE: Colorado state is requesting that separate forms are printed independently of one another - so a new form won't start on the back of the previous form when printing duplex.

  • Fixed an issue where Document Manager was slow or unresponsive after a period of time.
  • Fixed an issue where the dependent was being duplicated in the 2016 return when using the side-by-side comparison.

11/21/2017 — Version .91 of TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions

This update to the TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions includes a major update to our Notes feature:

  • Notes are now accessible from Client Manager (same location as previous years) and additionally from within the client return
  • To access through Client Manager, you'll right click on the client name and select "Edit Client Notes" from the menu


  • When accessing from Client Manager, the focus will remain on the notes until you close the window.
  • To access Notes through the return, we added a new "Notes" button to the tool bar. This is accessible in both Forms and Q&A views.


  • When accessing from within the return, the preparer can keep the notes window up while they are focused on other areas of the return.
  • The preparer can also re-size the notes window, making it larger or smaller. When sizing down, the window changes from a horizontal layout to vertical layout.

11/07/2017 — Version .90 of TaxAct 2017 Professional Federal Editions

The initial release of the 2017 Federal Editions includes the following enhancements:

  • Year-over-year side-by-side comparison of client returns in forms view.
  • Search capability added to forms view to quickly filter the folder tree.
  • ZIP code lookup auto-populates city, state and county information throughout the returns.
  • Capture additional client information upfront, including driver's license number and multiple email addresses.
  • Federal EF Status now available for all users in Client Manager.
  • Easily identify the Practice Owner and filter inactive Preparers for (online storage users).
  • Plus dozens more improvements to help streamline your tax preparation.