| 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. |
 |
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
| When I try to import my file I am told it is not a valid CLIENT import file. Why? |
|
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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| I used The Import Mapping Utility to import a W2 text file but Local wages and withholding did not import. Why? |
|
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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| I am trying to export data from my host system for importing into Account Ability. Where can I find the file layout to be used? |
File layouts, also known as schema, can be accessed from the 'Help' menu.
1) Select 'Help Topics' from Account Ability's 'Help' menu
2) Click on the 'Contents' page
3) Open the Account Ability User's Guide
4) Open Importing Information Returns
5) Open Importing ASCII text files
6) Click on the Schema link
Pick the tax form whose schema you want to display. Account Ability also includes sample text files for your review. These files can be accessed from the 'Help' menu (see Sample ASCII Import Files).
NOTE: You may want to download the Import Mapping Utility from the 'Download' link. This utility facilitates mapping a comma, tab, or pipe delimited text file to one which can be imported into Account Ability. |
|
| Is there a specific order to follow when rolling up returns? |
|
Yes. Always rollup the demographics first! See the Multiple Import Rollup Strategy tip in the 'Tips Knowledgebase'. |
|
| Is there a way to import my information from an Excel® spreadsheet? |
|
Yes. 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, open the 'Help' selection of the Import Mapping Utility for instructions on how to map your spreadsheet to Account Ability. The Import Mapping Utility can be downloaded from the Download page. |
|
| Is there a way to import payroll information from PeachTree® Accounting software? |
|
PeachTree® can export information to a comma separated text file. With the aid of the Import Mapping Utility, you can map this text file to one that Account Ability can import. The Import Mapping Utility can be downloaded from the Download page. |
|
| Is there a way to import payroll information from QuickBooks®? |
|
Account Ability can import payroll information from QuickBooks® in two steps. First, the employee register is extracted and imported into Account Ability. Second, the payroll register is extracted and imported into Account Ability. The second import, however, is rolled up resulting in a W2 for each employee. For detailed instructions, see the 'Documentation' section on the Download page. |
|
| 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. |
|
| Is it possible to import different client's 1099s from a single text file? |
|
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. |
|
| How can I compute FICA for all of the W2s I have imported? |
|
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. |
|
| Why are the 'Import ASCII Text File' and 'Import IRSTAX File' selections disabled (grayed out) on the 'File' menu? |
|
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. |
|
| Every time I save my Excel® spreadsheet to a text file I lose the leading zero of a taxpayer id and/or zip code. Is there a way to avoid this? |
|
Use Excel's 'Format Cells' function to format the columns as text. 'Format Cells' also contains a 'Special' category that enables you to format an entire column as ZIP Codes or Social Security Numbers. |
|
| 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? |
|
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. |
|
| I imported a W2REPORT file but State and Local information did not import. Why? |
|
Your W2REPORT file is probably lacking the appropriate RS records. |
|
