The 1099 Package ™ and Electronic Filer

Now there is a quick, easy and lasting solution for your information return processing. Announcing The 1099 Package™. This easy-to-use software helps you process your Forms 1099, 1096, 1098 and 5498 this year and in the years to come.

The 1099 Package™ has two versions. The first is a core version that collects and prints paper information returns. The other is an Electronic version that includes the core version plus the ability to create electronic files per IRS Publication 1220.

Robust Database

The 1099 Package™ is built on an industry-standard SQL Relational Database Server. This database technology provides you with a robust, secure, reliable and scalable environment to protect your data.

Single-user versions come complete with a single-user license and a desktop database engine.

Multi-user versions are sold by the seat and come with the necessary components to run The 1099 Package™ from your network server.

Multiple client capabilities

The 1099 Package™ is a multi-company processor. It manages an unlimited number of Client Companies. Client companies, called Issuers, can have an unlimited number of branch offices. Each branch office can issue its own forms. Each Client can issue an unlimited number of every supported form.

Client selection and retrieval could not be easier. For instance, to change between clients you choose the client's name from a drop-down list, and press <Tab>. The client loads immediately.

The 1099 Package’s™ built-in company management facilities make installing a new client quick, easy and convenient. Each Client company is identified by its TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number), usually a Federal Employer Identification Number. Sole proprietorships using Social Security Numbers or ITINs are also supported. Issuers do always require a US TIN in order to properly report to the IRS. Branch offices of Client companies with multiple branches are further identified by a separate 4-character code of your choosing.

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Superior data validation

The 1099 Package™ has many features to help ensure complete accuracy. For instance, the IRS requires you to use accurate Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN's). Invalid numbers can result in penalties. To help protect you, The 1099 Package™ checks each TIN, whether it is a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), Social Security Number (SSN), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, (ITIN) against standards published by the IRS.

The 1099 Package™ will not accept a TIN that does not meet these standards. It uses special codes to allow for those cases where a TIN is missing or applied for. These situations are still considered invalid by the IRS.

The 1099 Package™ also comes complete with US Postal codes. This feature automatically associates the City and State for the Zip Code you enter, thereby assuring correct mailing information.

The 1099 Package™ also checks dates, numeric values for range, proper coding (on Form lO99-R, for example) and other values.

Reports are available to help you proof your entries.

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Quick and easy input

Rapid data entry is a major strength of The 1099 Package™. Recipient information is keyed to their Social Security Number or other TIN. When adding forms for a Recipient, The 1099 Package™ retrieves the addressing information you entered the last time that you processed that recipient.

It automatically retrieves City and State from the Zip Code.

It formats FEIN's, SSN's, ITIN's, zip codes, and telephone numbers for you.

Furthermore, the screens resemble the actual form. Descriptions and box numbers are the same as the forms.

You can add recipients, edit their data or delete them any time.

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Reports that increase Productivity and provide Quality Control

The 1099 Package™ has a number of reports and checklists, all designed to help you be more productive and to increase accuracy.

There is the Audit Trail. Available during data entry, this report shows recipient and dollar amount boxes for each return you work on. Totals print at the end of the report. This report provides a means of checking your input against your controls.

The Register Report provides similar information with much greater filtering. You can choose to report on all forms entered in a specific time frame, for example. You may also choose to omit any records that fail to meet the IRS’ threshold for that particular return.

For a quick overview, The 1099 Package™ has the Summary Report. It summarizes all dollar boxes for all forms issued for the current year. This report is also available during preparation of electronic files.

Controlling workflow can be a challenge, especially when many Clients are involved. The 1099 Package™ has a Filing Checklist report to help you manage the work efficiently.

The 1099 Package™ helps manage Clients with 3 reports, an address book, a telephone book, and a mailing list that uses Avery 5160 labels.

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Import your data

To save you time and money, The 1099 Package™ imports data in the 3 most common file formats: tab-delimited (.txt), comma-delimited (.csv) and fixed record length.

Tab- and comma-delimited files are easily produced from data in Excel^® and most other spreadsheets. Many commercial accounting packages such as QuickBooks^® and Microsoft Money^® can export their data to spreadsheets. These are then saved in either a .csv or .txt format for import into The 1099 Package™. Each field in these files is separated by a character called a “delimiter”. Each record has exactly the same number of fields, even if some are empty. The 1099 Package™ selects the information to use according to a sequence that you enter.

Fixed record length files are sometimes referred to as “flat” files. They are generally available from mainframes and minicomputers. Each record is a fixed length, and each field occupies a specific position in that record. The 1099 Package™ uses the beginning and ending values you enter to retrieve fields from the record.

The file specification can be saved as a template for future use or for use with other Issuers. There is 1 specification for each supported information return.

The 1099 Package™ checks for errors while you import your data. An error report prints if any errors are found. Records with errors are not imported.

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Enter foreign addresses

The 1099 Package™ accepts addresses for any country. Simply select the country from the drop-down list of the IRS official list of every country on the planet and enter the addressing information free-form. Both Issuers and Recipients can be foreign.

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Use The 1099 Package™ year after year

The 1099 Package™ separates data in the database by the year and has a facility that permits data entry one year ahead of the current year. This allows you to begin keying information without having to wait for an update. Recipient data is separate from the individual return and is available at any time, saving you the labor of re-keying all your recipient data.

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Handy audit trail

The 1099 Package™ enables you to print a listing of the date, reference, payee name, TIN, account number and the box contents of each transaction. It also prints a comment that shows whether the record has been added, changed or deleted; a total of all numeric fields added or changed; and a summary showing the number of records added, changed or deleted.

You can print this convenient audit trail as you enter or change the transactions.

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Flexible printing capabilities

Whether you use a laser, ink-jet or dot matrix printer, The 1099 Package™ comes ready to produce Forms 1099, 1096, 1098 and 5498 on preprinted paper forms. You can obtain these paper forms from Phoenix Phive or from other commercial suppliers.

If you do not want to put preprinted forms in your laser printer, there is an attractive alternative. We call it Forms on a Disk™. {link}

The IRS sets thresholds to determine when a specific 1099 must be submitted. Some people prefer to submit all 1099's of a given type, even those that are under the IRS threshold. The 1099 Package™ has the flexibility to print all your forms or just those that meet the IRS requirements. It can also print a single form.

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Annual Maintenance Service

Phoenix Phive updates The 1099 Package™ each year to include all the latest IRS standards for selection and the newest changes in forms. Updates are part of the Annual Maintenance Service {link}.

In order to ensure that your valuable data is reported using the correct IRS specifications, The 1099 Package™ requires The Annual Maintenance Service each year.

The 1099 Package™ continues to accept data for 1 filing year after the most recent update but will not print any forms until updated. If The 1099 Package™ is not updated for 2 years, it stops accepting new data. All historical data is not affected.

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Optional Forms on a Disk™

The 1099 Package™ comes ready to use preprinted forms in your laser, ink-jet or dot matrix printer. You can also produce Copies B, C, 1 and 2 of Forms 1099, 1098 and 5498 another way using products we call Forms on a Disk™. To do this you need a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet compatible laser printer.

Forms on a Disk™ are images of a given form in the current year. The 1099 Package™ reads this image from the disk. The image is then put, along with all other pertinent information, onto the paper in your laser tray. There are Forms on a Disk™ available for each Form 1099, the 1098 and the 5498. Forms on a Disk™ must be updated every year as the forms change.

Forms on a Disk™ are convenient, timesaving products. They allow you to use perforated, plain white paper instead of preprinted forms.

Moreover, using Forms on a Disk™ speeds up the printing process because you don't have to change the paper in your laser printer. Another advantage is that you are always certain to have the form you need when you want it. You cannot "run out". This means you can easily process last minute changes, additions and walk-in business.

Using Forms on a Disk™ can also be more economical than preprinted forms. Generally speaking, savings realized from Forms on a Disk™ are most attractive to people processing several client/form sets, or those preparing several hundred of a given form. Many people use a combination of Forms on a Disk™ and preprinted forms.

Phoenix Phive Software offers a special Forms on a Disk™ to The 1099 Package™ users. It has every supported form for the low price of $85.00.

Note that IRS copies must either be preprinted in red ink or filed on electronically using The Electronic Filer option.

File electronically and save hours of time

There are two reasons to file electronically. Passing the IRS threshold is the first. The second is to save time and money.

Whenever you have more than a specific number of recipients of any given information return, the IRS requires you to submit these information returns electronically on their F.I.R.E. system over the internet. The IRS sets this specific number of recipients (or threshold) from time to time.

However, most people are unaware that there is no lower limit for a disk file. Files can contain as few as one recipient! You can also put many different forms and filers on the same disk. The IRS will even send certain 1099 information to participating states for you (certain conditions apply), saving you the cost and effort of sending paper copies to the state.

Electronic filing is also remarkably faster than filing by paper because you write to a disk instead of printing out forms. This means there are no forms to change in your printer and no special forms to buy. There is no 1096 to prepare and no other documentation required. Indeed, filing electronically is the best way to go, providing you have the right tools.

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The 1099 Package™ with Electronic Filer is the perfect tool for the job. The Electronic Filer produces Original, Test and Correction ($ value only) files that you submit to the IRS using the F.I.R.E. system.

For those of you who want to see the data the way the IRS computers will, The Electronic Filer comes with a utility that prints the file. This enables you to verify the data against your controls and the IRS specifications in Publication 1220.

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Annual Maintenance Service

Each year we update The Electronic Filer to include all the latest IRS standards as published in IRS Publication 1220 for the filing year.

The Electronic filing option requires maintenance updates every year. It ceases to function if not maintained. The cost of Electronic filing maintenance includes maintenance for The 1099 Package™ core unit.

We stand behind our products

The 1099 Package™ and The Electronic Filer come with Phoenix Phive’s money-back guarantee and helpful support services.

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