Drake Tax – Update Clients from Prior Year
Article #: 10867
Last Updated: October 21, 2024
If your firm used Drake Tax last year, you can save time by updating prior-year returns from the prior year (2022) of Drake Tax.
Caution Before updating, back up your Drake Tax files and check that your program’s prior year data path points to your firm’s prior year data files. (To check the prior year data path, see Troubleshooting below.)
Updating Client Returns
By default, the following information from a return is brought forward from the prior-year program:
-
Names and Addresses
-
Depreciation
-
Birth Dates
-
Filing Statuses
-
Occupations
-
Dependent Names
-
Business Names
-
Installment Sales
-
ID Numbers
Certain information and screens are not brought forward through the update process:
-
Screen 99G is never updated.
-
Bank account and routing numbers are not updated unless the option Update DD (Direct Deposit) Information if allowed by the state is marked on the additional update options window. This is subject to state limitations.
-
Screens C, E, or F are not updated when the check box taxpayer disposed of business during 2022 or Property/Farm was disposed of in 2022 was checked in the prior year.
-
Screen 2 Dependents is not updated if the box Do NOT update to next year is marked in 2022.
-
The return will not update if the primary taxpayer is deceased. See Drake Tax – Updating Deceased Taxpayer for details.
-
The return will not update if the box Do NOT update client to next year is marked on the MISC screen.
-
If the return is marked as a final return in the prior year, it will not be updated.
-
Screen 99R does not update if the Total Distribution box is checked.
-
Form 706 cannot be updated from one year to another. This is because they are closed out the same year that they were filed.
Caution Some states have specific requirements that prevent updating (or require flagging) some taxpayer data. See Drake Tax – State Update Limitations for details.
You have the option of manually selecting other data to bring forward during the update process.
To ensure that files are updated according to your clients’ needs, update returns individually as you meet with your clients throughout tax season.
Note Drake Software does not recommend updating all returns in a package at the same time.
Update Returns Individually
-
Attempt to open the return in Drake Tax 2023.
-
If the return does not exist in Drake Tax 2023 (it hasn't been updated or created yet), an Update Options dialog box appears listing all options for updating.
-
If the client's return opens without an Update Option window, see Troubleshooting below.
-
-
Select additional items to be updated or click Select All to choose all.
Note The Update Options that you choose will be saved and will be selected the next time you update a return, but you can always change the selection on a return-by-return basis.
-
Click Update 1040 (or other return type).
-
If a return is password protected, you will be prompted to enter the password before updating will continue.
-
Once the program has updated the return, it opens the return to the main Data Entry Menu.
Update Returns Globally
Caution Updating all returns in a batch is not recommended. Password protected returns will not be updated during the batch update process. If you do not want a particular return to be updated during the batch process, check the box Do NOT update client to next year on the MISC screen in the prior year program.
This feature is not available in the December release of the software (first software release).
This process does not update existing returns (does not overwrite returns that were already updated).
-
From the Home window, select Last Year Data > Update Clients 2022 to 2023.
-
Click Next.
-
Select filters (optional) and then click Continue.
-
Select additional items to bring forward (optional).
-
Click Update 1040 (selection of update options and this step are repeated for each return type).
-
Once the program has updated the returns, it displays a report listing the returns that were updated. Click Exit to close the Report Viewer.
All returns are updated according to selections in the Update Options box. Once returns have been updated, the updates cannot be reversed. To avoid oversights, update each return individually.
Troubleshooting
Data Path
To check your program's 2022 data path:
-
Log in to Drake Tax as Admin.
-
From the Home window, select Setup > Data Locations.
-
Look at the Location for 2022 client files field.
-
If the correct path is not displayed, make the necessary changes and click OK.
No Update Option
If the return opens instead, it already exists in Drake Tax 2023.
If you want to re-update the existing return:
-
Exit the return and go to Last Year Data > Update Clients 2022 to 2023 from the Home screen.
-
Enter the SSN or EIN in the individual return window, click Add Client and Next.
-
A warning screen appears advising you that the return already exists. The warning provides information about the return and the software version used to update or create it. Click Yes to confirm an update and to proceed. You will be asked again to confirm that you want to delete all data in the existing return and update it.
-
Click Yes to the final confirmation to open the Individual Update Options dialog box.
-
Select additional items to be updated or click Select All to choose all.
-
Click Update 1040 (or other return type).
Important You can bring information from the prior year forward, but you cannot move current year information to a prior year.
Names Missing
If taxpayer names are not showing in the Last Year Data Menu, but you can update the return when typing in the full SSN under Open/Create, you need to build and repair index files.
-
Go to Last Year Data and select Build EIN/Name from 2022. This will allow the prior year names to be shown under the Last Year Data > Update Clients menu.
-
You may want to also go to Tools > Repair index Files > Repair All > Continue > check Include Prior year clients in the name index. This will repair and update the index files to show the file names from the prior year software.