With tax season about to start, practitioners should be aware of the various electronic payment options the IRS has introduced in recent years. EFTPS The IRS’ free Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) allows businesses and individuals to pay federal taxes via the Internet or over the phone. Tax payments
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Information management and technology assurance
Create Keyboard Shortcuts to Insert Symbols in Word and Excel
Q I’m beginning to handle international business, which means I need to be able to use foreign currency symbols in both Word and Excel. How do I create a shortcut for various symbols? A Let’s start with Word, which is the easiest. In Word 2003, press Insert, Symbol, which
Hide Excel’s Sheet Tabs in Order to Expand Worksheet Display
Q I want my screen to display as much as possible of an Excel worksheet. I’ve gotten rid of my Ruler, Message Bar and Formula Bar. Now if I can only hide the tabs on the bottom of the page. Any ideas? A Excel displays the tabs by default, but
Protect Your E-Mailing and Internet Surfing When You Travel
Q My tech-savvy friends warn me about computer-privacy risks when I travel. They say that checking my e-mail while in a Wi-Fi-equipped coffeehouse or an airport is practically an invitation for an unscrupulous person to monitor my messages and even steal my data. Are there any practical ways to protect
Several Ways to Fix a Corrupt Word Document
Q I’ve got a Word document that appears to be corrupt. I suspect there’s a problem because, although I can open the file, it will not respond to several commands, such as Ctrl+F (Find and Replace). Is there some way I can repair it? A This is a tricky
Tax Court Amends Rules to Allow Electronic Filing
The Tax Court has amended its procedural rules, effective Jan. 1, 2010, to allow electronic filing of documents submitted to the court (Tax Court Rule 26). The court set up a pilot electronic filing program in 2005. In 2008, the court added an electronic document access system to its Web
Panelists Advise Companies to Take Responsibility for XBRL Tagging—Even When Outsourcing
When reporting financials in XBRL, companies need to take responsibility by documenting the reasons items are tagged the way they are and allocating ample time for management review—even if they outsource the data tagging to a third party, according to panelists at the 2009 XBRL US National Conference that took
IRS Pilot Program Will Allow Truncated Social Security Numbers on Information Returns
The IRS on Thursday announced a pilot program aimed at deterring identity theft (Notice 2009-93). Under the program, filers of certain paper information returns will be allowed to truncate the payee’s Social Security number on the payee statement. The change affects statements for 2009 and 2010. Only paper payee statements
CPAs on the Go Embrace Mobile Technology
CPAs who find themselves on the go are turning to some of the latest phones and mobile applications to do much more than just stay connected to their clients. A CPA Trendlines survey by Bay Street Group LLC conducted for the AICPA during the summer and still open to respondents,
AICPA Files Suit Challenging Identity Theft Rule
The AICPA filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to bar the Federal Trade Commission from applying its so-called Red Flags Rule to CPAs. The Institute says the rule, which is designed to help prevent identity theft, would “impose onerous and unnecessary requirements on AICPA members.” The lawsuit, filed in U.S.
Stop the Letter Designation of a Remote Drive From Arbitrarily Migrating to a Different Letter
Q: I use memory sticks frequently because they’re so handy for quick backups and copying or moving files to another computer. Also, I have a remote hard drive for regular backups that is designated my F drive. The memory sticks and the remote drive connect to the computer via USB
Uncover Strategic Value
Strategic value is not the same as fair market value, where a “hypothetical” buyer and seller have access to all relevant data. Strategic value includes synergies and special features, usually hidden, that give the buyer a quicker, less costly and lower risk way to achieve goals. Look for the following
Indexing, While Helpful as a Search Tool, Puts a Drag on a Computer
Q: My two partners and I use the same make and style of computer, the same XP operating system and pretty much the same application software, plus we maintain the computers with the same antivirus, junk-cleaning and performance-enhancing software. Yet one partner’s computer runs significantly faster than the other two.
Shortcuts
EXCEL To add a line break inside an individual cell, position your cursor at the place you want the break and press Alt+Enter. To synchronize data from one cell to another (even in another worksheet), go to the source cell, press =, then go to the target
A Reader Suggests a Shortcut
If you have a file or folder that you use fairly often but you do not want to clutter your desktop or your Start menu with shortcut icons, consider this method suggested by Paul McClain, controller at the Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla.: In Office 2003’s Word or Excel,
Windows 7: Is It Right for You?
Windows 7, the newest version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system, comes with numerous functional improvements over its widely used predecessors, Vista and XP. Some of these enhancements—such as more powerful hard drive search and data encryption capabilities—will save time and boost security; others, including 64-bit application support and Apple-like multifinger
XBRL Functionality Added to FASB Codification
FASB on Monday announced that it has added new XBRL functionality to its Accounting Standards Codification Web site. “The new XBRL functionality provided by the Codification Web site will help entities as they prepare or plan to prepare XBRL financial statements using the U.S. Financial Reporting Taxonomy,” said FASB Chairman
An Outlook-Improvement Idea for the Low-Tech Crowd
Q: I get loads of e-mails, and while I appreciate your suggestions, I’m just a low-tech guy and would like to remain low-tech—if you get my meaning. So, is there some easy way to bring more order to my inflow of e-mails without making my life more complicated by loading
Toggle Between Relative and Absolute Cell References in Excel With F4
Q: My partner says there’s an F4 shortcut to creating absolute cell references in Excel formulas, but for the life of me I can’t make it work. What am I doing wrong? A: Your partner is right, but while I can’t tell you what you’re doing wrong, I can
Keeping Them Satisfied
Fifty-seven percent of accountants in a recent survey said they plan to stay with their current employer once the economy improves. But almost one-quarter (23%) plan to look for a new job. The survey, by Ajilon Finance, also found that less than 2% of accounting jobs nationwide have been cut
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