Drake Tax – Pricing, Print Order, Sets Setup, and Fee Settings

Article #: 18337

Last Updated: October 18, 2024

 

Tags: Drake Tax13126 10929 10803 10465 10473

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Note  This article comprises former KB articles 13126, 10929, 10803, 10465, 10473, and 18337. It is herein referred to as KB 18337.

Overview

The Pricing Setup menu has been streamlined starting with Drake Tax 2023. Pricing Setup is the central location for modifying billing and printing details, including the price of forms, form print order, and forms to be included on bills. Overrides for pricing are available on a return-by-return basis as well.

Updates from Prior Year

Prior-year pricing setup options can be automatically updated to the current-year version of Drake Tax through the Last Year Data > Update Settings process. Drake Software recommends verifying pricing details each year to ensure that all forms are configured as expected and to set pricing for new forms and worksheets.

Setup

To begin using Pricing Setup, choose the applicable Return Type and use the Fed/State drop list to filter by federal, state, and city forms. Double-click any field to adjust a variety of details, including form descriptions, global prices, and the quantity and type of copies in specific sets. All changes are saved automatically.

To filter the current list view, choose an option from the Category and Sets drop lists.

Print Order and Sets Setup

You can modify the order in which forms appear in View/Print mode. The current order is displayed when you first open Setup > Pricing and do not click any column headers to sort. To edit a particular set, choose it from the Sets drop list, then

  • Highlight the form row in the table.

  • Click and hold the mouse click to drag and drop it to the desired location.

  • Once all changes have been made, click the Exit button to save the changes.

To move multiple forms at once, either:

  • Click a form and drag your cursor to highlight the desired forms, then click and drag the highlighted form block to the desired location.

  • Hold Ctrl and select the desired forms. Release Ctrl and drag the highlighted form block to the desired location.

Change printing for one return

In Enhanced View you can remove a form from a set before printing the set. Do this by clearing the selection box for the form in the set you have selected for printing:

In Basic Print Mode, you cannot remove a form from a set for a single print job. You must change the occurrence of the form in the print set before you print the set.

Change occurrence

To add, remove or change the number of copies of a form in a set, you can use either the

  • Copies Per Set screen. Use this to change the occurrence of any form in the various sets, much like the Pricing Setup screen.

  • Form Properties dialog box. Use this to change the occurrence of a selected form in the various sets.

Copies per set screen

To access the Copies Per Set screen, use any of these methods:

  • From the Drake Tax Home window - go to Setup > Printing > Printer Setup. Select the (F6) 'Sets' Setup tab. Click the Sets button at the bottom of the tab.

  • In a return, from Enhanced View

  • Click the Setup icon at the top of the screen and select Sets, or

  • Right-click any form and select Setup > Sets from the drop menu.

  • In a return, from Basic Print Mode - click the Sets icon at the top of the screen to open the Print Sets screen, and click Sets Setup at the bottom of that screen.

To use the Copies Per Set screen, select the return type from Form Categories and double-click a form to enable the sets editing fields. Enter the number of copies to include in each set. Click Update and Save to save changes.

Note  Implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has eliminated some forms, such as Forms 1040-NR, 1040-A, and 1040-EZ. In Drake Tax 2018, the lines previously containing those, and other removed or modified forms are reserved for future use.

The Properties Dialog Box

Access the Properties dialog box. In View or Print Mode in a return, select a form, click the Setup icon at the top of the screen and select Form Properties, or

  • In Enhanced View, right-click a form and select Setup > Form Properties from the drop menus.

  • In Basic View or Basic Print Mode, right-click a form and select Properties from the drop menu.

Use the Properties dialog box to enter the number of form copies desired in a set, and click Save.

Restore Form Order

To reset the form order of all Sets within the selected package (Return Type and Fed/State combination), choose the Restore icon. Click Yes, then OK. Exit to save changes.

Other Options

  • Filter forms, worksheets, and statements – To filter the current list view, choose an option from the Category and Sets drop lists.

  • Sort forms – Use the column headers to sort forms. To reset the current view (unsort by column headers), exit and reopen Pricing Setup.

  • Copy Sets – Choose a current set to copy over sets of your choice.

  • Search the current list for desired forms – Click the corresponding icon or press F3 to initiate the search. Use the arrow keys to navigate through the search (or, alternatively, use F3 and SHIFT + F3).

  • Change Bill Options – Quickly indicate what types of documents to include on client bills.

  • Print current pricing settings – Save your settings as a text (.txt), CSV (.csv), or Excel (.xls) file.

  • Exit without saving – By default, all changes are saved automatically. To disregard all changes made during your current Pricing Setup session, click the arrow beside Exit and select Exit without saving.

Bank Product Fees

On the BILL, fees display as follows:

  • "Preparer Fees to be withheld from bank product" consist of your tax preparation fee, which you set.

  • "Miscellaneous Fees to be withheld from bank product" consist of

    • Your Franchise/Network fee (if any), entered on the ERO screen

    • Audit protection fees (the cost of the product, and the Audit protection document prep fee and franchise/network fee, if any)

If you do not want bank product withholding to appear on the bill, go to Setup > Options > Billing tab, and clear the option box for Show preparer fees withheld from bank product. Deselecting the option results in a balance due, since the bill does not show the fees to be withheld from the bank product.

Franchise/Network

The Franchise/Network Fee (a multi-site fee indicated on the ERO screen) is charged if there is a bank product. It appears in View on the BILL, the Bill Summary (if enabled) and bank INFO page.

The BILL must be set to show form details. Select an option on the Billing tab at Setup > Options to display form details, such as Show forms, form prices and total.

The Bill Summary must be enabled on the Optional Documents tab at Setup > Options.

Amount withheld or deposited

To see the amount that will be withheld from the bank product, or total deposited after fees, in View/Print mode, look at the bank INFO sheet:

  • EPS_INFO

  • RB_INFO

  • TPG_INFO

  • RA_INFO

  • RF_INFO

Note the tax preparation fee amount. Your normal tax preparation fee may be modified using overrides (see below).

Custom Fees

Yes, you can configure a custom fee to be applied to all individual returns, the steps vary slightly depending on which year of Drake Tax is being used.

  • Go to Setup > Pricing.

  • Select Return Type: Individual.

  • Locate row 387 - Custom Fee.

  • Click in the box under the Form Price column and set the fee amount.

  • Check the box under the Bill column (optional).

  • Exit to save changes.

  • Go to Setup > Pricing.

  • Select 1040 forms.

  • Scroll down to locate item 0387, and double click it to enable editing.

  • In the editing fields in the upper-right corner of the Pricing Setup dialog box:

    • Enter a Per form fee

    • Modify the Form description, if desired (the description appears on the bill)

    • Select Include on Bill

    • Click Update when editing is complete

  • Click Save (at the bottom of the dialog box). You're notified that the change has been successfully saved.

  • View the return and confirm that the Custom Fee appears on the bill in the Federal and Supplemental Forms section.

Min or Max Fee

Setup

You can set a minimum and a maximum global preparer fee at Setup > Pricing, using lines 255 Minimum and 256 Maximum. You may set the min/max for each return type. The same line entries are used in all but the 990 (which uses lines 247 and 248).

Any Form Price entries for Minimum and Maximum become the lower and upper limits for the total preparer fee on the bill for form preparation as follows (the actual bill display dependent on options selected on Setup > Options > Billing).

The limits work against the total cost per form, per item, or for the time you are charging to prepare forms, depending on what billing and pricing options you have selected.

The limitation is not stated on the bill. Whether you bill per form or by time, the forms or time and the associated charges display if that option is set, but if their sum crosses the max/min limit, the limit is shown on the bill as Revised Charge.

Bank product fees are not affected. If you bill by form, bank product fees are shown on the bill separately from the form fees. If you bill by time, bank product fees are not shown on the bill at all. Either way, bank product fees remain as they were on the bank info sheet.

Per Form Pricing Difference

When you have a pricing entry for line 255 Minimum Preparer Fee or 256 Maximum Fee applied to the bill, these items limit the total preparer charges to that amount, and the limitation is stated on the bill as "Revised Charge." As a result, the fees for preparing the forms (per form, per item or time) are displayed on the bill, but if their sum is less than or exceeds the min/max limit, the limit is shown on the bill as the Revised Charge.

Fee Overrides

BILL screen

Use the BILL screen to make adjustments to the bill.

Screen 1

The Fee Override on screen 1 overrides the Forms Subtotal on the bill.

Bank Screen

The field Override Tax Preparation Fees to be withheld is available on bank screens (if partnered with a bank). This override only affects the amount withheld from a bank product. It does not affect the amount billed to the taxpayer. If both the total fee and bank fee withheld need to be changed, use the overrides on screens 1 and BANK.

Caution  Audit protection fees are not affected by the bank screen override.

If the override exceeds Forms Subtotal and Miscellaneous fees, there is no balance due on the bill, but the override amount is withheld and shown in bank documents.