TaxWise Collaboration

Andy sent the following message to the webmaster at www.vita-volunteers.org

------------------------------------------
Hello,

I am working with our local folks to configure TaxWise in the most reliable and easy to maintain manner. I was wondering whether anyone at your organization has implemented TaxWise using Windows Terminal Services… it would certainly simplify the process and allow use of additional computers with ease.

Do you or someone you know have any insight into this?

Sincerely,

Andy xxxxx
----------------------------------------

Answers:

Dear Andy,

1. No, we haven't tried using TaxWise with Windows Terminal Services, and do not know if it is supported. That is something that TaxWise support should be able to answer.
2. There are cases when a networked version of TaxWise can be installed on a central server which exports the volume on which TaxWise is installed, and client computers can then connect to it across a LAN. In fact, in one of the sites, that is the arrangement for a network that is set up and taken apart each session.
3. At one time, I personally set up a network behind a firewall to which people could log in and see the screen but the Taxwise ran as a client machine on the internal LAN. I have used logmein successfully for this purpose.
4. Another option for what you are trying to do (which I think is being able to connect remotely) is to use TaxWise Online so that users can use the UTS servers to save their returns. However, this has all the advantages and disadvantages of a browser based application.

Hope this helps. Further comments may be added to the end of this posting and will be answered.

Problems logging in to LinkLearn website

Valerie sent the following message to the webmaster of http://www.vita-volunteers.org


I received the following e-mail from your office:
Valerie xxxxx,

Your account has been created in the LMS.

Login: Kxxxxxx3
Password: Sxxxxxx

Please save this message.http://linklearn.webtechteam.com/

I am still unable to log in. What do I need to do?

Valerie xxxxx


------------------
Answer:

1. Valerie, sorry to hear you are having troubles. I can sense the frustration you are having, but unfortunately the link and learn site is not under the control of the vita-volunteers.org webmaster. Vita-volunteers.org was put up because the webmaster was having the kinds of difficulties you and others are having when trying to volunteer!
2. However, just to check it out, I tried logging in with your login and password at 11:42 pm Pacific Time on Jan 7, 2009, and was successful.
3. One thing to check would be to make sure that your web browser has javascript enables and has cookies enabled. That should be fairly easy to do.
4. If you still cannot get it to work, here are some places to try getting help:

a) find your local IRS office and contact the SPEC Relationship manager or the Territory manager and ask for help
b) call the IRS Toll-Free, 1-800-829-1040 Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time)
c) if you need help in locating the local IRS office, you may be able to get help from the search engine at http://www.vita-volunteers.org/custom_search_engine_ii.htm
d) a final option is to fill in the registration form at http://www.vita-volunteers.org/2009_Online/2009_OnlineReg_nonSCC.htm as best as you can, and put in the problems you are having in the comment section. That information will get e-mailed to VITA headquarters and then forwarded to the appropriate Territory Manager.

Hope this helps! If there are any further questions, or if you find the answer, please add it to the comments at the end of the post. You do not need to provide an email address to post if you do not wish to do so.

Re: VITA Intro and Intermediate course

This was an email message received by the webmaster of http://www.vita-volunteers.org
---------------

I did the beginers course self study using thetext books and completed the test. Should ISend in the hardcopy for evaluation or could Iuse the online test. What I'm asking are theOnline test questions the same as the textbook questions? It is a very interesting course. I Especially enjoy the book keeping work.

----------------
Answer:

1. The online test questions are close to and similar to the paper test but not the same.
2. You can do either one. However, if you sign up online and take the exam on-line you can get the results right away, and get a certificate printout right away and have yourself registered is some database. Not clear who has access to the database since so far the local IRS Relationship Manager does not seems to have access to it, and volunteers have to take their certifications to the Site Coordinator anyway.
3. If you do the paper test and send it in, then you need to figure out where to send it and wait for the grade. This works best if you are in classroom training and take a test at the end.
4. Hope this answers your questions. If you need to continue this conversation, you can add to this post by clicking on the Comment below this message.

question about the VITA online certification tests

Email from Angela..

Hello,
I found this e-mail address at http://vita-volunteers.org after having called the IRS and having had no luck finding an answer to this question. I'm a 2nd year VITA volunteer who passed the basic online test last year when I was an Americorps volunteer in Burlington, VT. This year I'm in North Carolina and would like to volunteer again. However, I can't sign in to retrieve the test results from last year because I forgot the login information. The program tells me to enter in my business e-mail address so as to reset my password, but that e-mail account no longer exists. What should I do, or whom should I contact?

Thank you for any help you can provide,
Angela xxxxx
--------

Answer:

1. Congratulations on wanting to volunteer again. Your effort and enthusiasm is what makes it worthwhile maintaining the web.
2. Yet, it seems almost impossible to find out information about what to do and who to contact with questions even from the IRS.
3. The practical solution is to re-register again with your current email and new password and not worry about last year's results - which would keep track of your scores only, and not the test answers.
4. If it is important to get access to your previous year's results, then it may be necessary to pursue this further. Some avenues to try include the Territory Manager in your area or the Relationship Manager.

College Credit for passing tax certification?

I am helping recruite volunteers as an AmericorpsVISTA.

Can volunteers get college credit for passing the courses?

Would you recommend usingboth the workbook and Link and Learn or both?

Personally I would recommend studying the bookand using link and learn to review and codify the learning experience.

Dave xxxxxx

---------------------
Answers:

1. Whether volunteers get college credit for passing the courses would depend on the college where credit is sought. There does not appear to be any mechanism announced through the IRS that grants college credit.
2. The certification tests may have questions designed to force you to refer to the reference materials such as Pub 17 and Pub 4012; however, pdf versions of those documents and other material may help you get where you need to go even if hard copy paper documentation is not available
3. There are alternative methods to get the training and certification needed depending on your circumstances, and what you have access to, and the knowledge level of the volunteer. Testing and certification to prepare taxes differ from taking a college course in that ultimately what is required is properly filling out tax returns for the community that is served.
4. Hope this helps. Further comments may be added to the appropriate section at the end of this posting.

Pub 4491-W TaxWise 2008 Answers

Answers for the IRS Link and Learn tests or tests in the workbook to obtain certifications are available through the local IRS office through the local IRS Relationship Manager.

For obvious reasons, it is not provided on-line or in the test booklet.

If you are grading the paper tests and need the answer sheets, you should be able to obtain them from the source described above.

If you are a potential volunteer trying to find out the answers, please note that the test is open book, without strict time limits, and is designed to make you think about the situations enountered in a filling tax returns. The situations you encounter when doing taxes may be more complicated than those in the test. If you are unable, unwilling, or do not have the time to look up the answers to questions in the available training material and reference documents, but pass the exam by using the answer sheet, how confident and comfortable would you feel when working with a taxpayer? You may want to rethink your decision to volunteer and the time commitment required.

Online course study guide

e-mail from David

Dear Sir,

    Iam a VITA volunteer with Americorps and Iam
Doing the online Intro course. Is there a workbook
To go along with the course. I would find it easier to learn with a
study guide. The IRS courses are
Good but I would like a study guide. How many
Times can you repeat the test if you aren't successful the first time.

         David xxxxxx  
--

Answer

• Congratulations on taking the initiative to find the study guide
• The material that comes along with both in-class and online training are produced in hardcopy format and available from local office in charge of VITA
• However, copies of the material are available in pdf format by searching in the IRS web site, calling the IRS toll-free number at 1-800-829-1040, going to http://www.vita-volunteers.org/Training_Material/Tax_Preparation_Volunteer_Training.htm
• Hope this helps!