Set up your firm

Enter basic firm information

Select
Setup
,
Firm Information
, then
Firm
.
On the
Main
tab, the application automatically enters the firm name and EIN or SSN based on your license. However, you can override this information as needed.
By default, the application enters address information from your license as a business address. You can enter additional addresses if needed. Select the down arrow next to the Business field and select a different address type. The field name changes based on the type you select.
note
You can customize the options in the dropdowns for some of the data entry fields in several of the set up screens (
Firm
,
Staff
,
Clients
,
Vendors
, and
Customers
). Custom dropdowns are indicated by a vertical green line by the dropdown arrow.
When you enter data in those fields and press
CTRL+S
, the application saves that entry to the dropdown and makes it available in other data-entry screens throughout the application.
The application includes an address verification feature, which verifies that the addresses you enter are accurate and valid.
Enter other applicable firm information.

Add logo and signature images

In the
Firm
screen, select the
Images
tab.
Select the ellipsis next to the logo or signature field you want to select the image for.
In the
Insert Image
window, select
Insert
, find the image file you want, then select
Open
.
If the image is acceptable, select
Done
.

Set firm preferences

Security Options
:
Enable firm security
: Mark this checkbox to require passwords when a firm database is opened. Otherwise, firm staff can open and access all areas in the application without using a password.
note
Enable firm security to use the Workpapers service for any client or to enable Accounting CS Client Access for any client.
Exit the application and then reopen it for the new setting to take effect to enable firm security.
Firm security can't be disabled after it has been enabled.
Enable Remember login information
: Mark this checkbox to display the
Remember login information
checkbox in the sign-in screen. This provides staff with the option to sign in from their own computers without re-entering their user ID and password each time they attempt to sign in. Leave the checkbox cleared to require staff to sign in each time they open the application.
Data Entry Confirmation
:
Select fields that require confirmation
: To specify that a data entry confirmation prompt be displayed when changes are made to certain types of fields within the application, select the ellipsis button. In the
Data Entry Confirmation Entries
screen, mark the checkbox for each field that requires re-entry for data confirmation, then select
OK
.
Prompt to generate liabilities for handwritten payroll checks in Enter Transactions
: Mark this checkbox to prompt that handwritten payroll checks have been entered during this session that haven’t had liabilities generated yet. You can choose to generate the liabilities from here, or do so later.
Employee Requirements
:
Require Hire date.
Mark this checkbox to confirm that the hire date is entered for the current employee prior to saving the employee record. A warning will flash next to the
Hire date
field in the
Personal
tab of the Employees screen when you attempt to save the employee record without entering a hire date.
Require Birth date if active retirement plan deduction
: Mark this checkbox to require that a birth date be entered for any employees a retirement plan deduction is set up for. This ensures that the application can increase contribution limits for retirement plans when appropriate.
Prompt when EIN/SSN is blank or Applied For
: Mark this checkbox to verify and prompt that a EIN/SSN hasn't been entered or has been set to
Applied For
prior to saving the employee record in the Employees screen.
Event Tracking
: Event tracking is enabled as the default setting to monitor specific activities that affect your firm database, which are recorded in the Events tab of the Firm screen. Mark the
Disable event tracking
checkbox to discontinue event monitoring.
Transaction Entry
: Select either Bank Account or Journal as the default data-entry method to use when entering data.
note
You can select a different data-entry method on a client-by-client basis on the
Enter Transactions
screen, and that selection then becomes the default method for that client.
Data Sharing
: Data sharing is enabled by default with other applications in the CS Professional Suite.
Enable data sharing
: Mark this checkbox to show the Data Sharing toolbar button and enable data sharing for the application.
Synchronize pending updates upon opening the application
: Mark this checkbox to allow the application to check for data sharing updates for all clients while the application is opening.
Export W-2s
: The W-2 export feature lets you create an XML file of employee W-2 information that you can import into another application for client Form 1040 processing. Currently this feature supports import into UltraTax CS only.
note
Unlike data sharing with UltraTax CS, the W-2 export lets you export forms to other firm databases and to applications that aren't installed to the same environment as Accounting CS.
Payroll Tax Liabilities
:
Adjust due date for non-banking days to use previous banking day
: Mark this checkbox to move the due date for payroll tax liabilities to the previous banking day, if the due date falls on a weekend or holiday.
Payroll Tax Forms
:
Default settings for filing instructions
: Select the ellipsis to open the Default Filing Instructions Options screen, where you can specify (for both Paper and Non-paper filing methods) whether to print filing instructions by default with the filing copy, the client copy, all copies, or not at all.
Disable watermark on client copy forms
: Mark this checkbox to suppress the application's default behavior of printing a watermark on all client copy payroll tax forms (forms for which the
Client copy
checkbox is marked in the Print window).
Duplex printing of IRS instructions for employee W-2s
: Mark this checkbox to specify two-sided printing of W-2 instructions for recipients.
Separate internet/magnetic files by staff
: Mark this checkbox to assign all future internet or magnetic files to the staff ID of the staff member who creates them. Each staff member will have access only to the internet and magnetic files they’ve processed. Clear this checkbox to remove the staff ID from existing files.
note
Any
existing
internet and magnetic files are assigned to the staff ID of the staff member who marks this checkbox, making those existing files not available to all other staff.
Require electronic form transmission from file preview
: When this checkbox is marked, the
Transmit Forms
button within the Process Electronic Forms screen is made inactive, and transmission becomes available only from the File Preview screen (which is opened from the Process Electronic Forms screen).
Require internet/magnetic file creation from file preview
: When this checkbox is marked, the Create Files button within the Process Internet/Magnetic Files screen is made inactive, and file creation becomes available only from the File Preview screen (which is opened from the Process/Internet Magnetic Files screen).
Display all available clients for form processing
: When this checkbox is marked, the application displays all active clients in the Process Payroll Tax Forms screen for 1099 processing (except for clients that have the
Do Not File
checkbox marked for the federal form 1099 Copy A/1096). When the
Display all available clients for form processing
checkbox is unmarked (its default state), only the clients that will receive a 1099 form will display in the processing screen.
Disallow removal of restricted clients from internet/magnetic files
When this checkbox is marked, the application doesn’t allow staff members to remove restricted clients from files in the Process Internet/Magnetic Files screen if the staff member entering the screen is restricted from a particular client and that client is included in one of the files within the screen.

Payroll set up