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HandiTax - ELS

Australian Taxation

Australia's most widely used professional tax package

When it comes to creating, lodging and tracking returns quickly and accurately, HandiTax has a distinguished track record. HandiTax offers an outstanding range of features that makes it easy for your practice to process clients' returns more productively than ever. What's more, new HandiTax users tell us that they can enter a client's details and complete and lodge their first return in just 10 minutes.

Generating more than a third of all electronic lodgements, HandiTax is the most widely used taxation and ELS software package in Australia for all major form types. Naturally, it supports the lodging of ELS returns via the ATO's Virtual Private Network (VPN).

So what makes HandiTax so popular? The answer is simple: accuracy, reliability, ease of use, power and value.

FORM TYPES

HandiTax supports all major ELS form types including the Standalone Family Trust
Entity Election and the Standalone Interposed Entity Election.
 

Our taxation team leader is very pleased with it.

Hamilton Hume, Partner - McDonnell Hume Partners

MORE RELIABLE MEANS MORE PROFITABLE

With an acceptance rate exceeding 99% (excluding user errors), HandiTax is one of the most accurate products of its type. It includes numerous features that make it even easier for you to make sure that your work is always on the mark:

  • Tax estimates are updated dynamically with every data entry item within EI or AI forms - ideal for "what-if" calculations.
  • Fields are configured to accept valid values only, reducing the likelihood of errors. Data fields also display hints at the bottom of the screen.
  • Comprehensive error reporting by the Error Navigator highlights ATO ELS errors in all schedules "on the fly".
  • Error reports include extended information from the ELS Tax Agents' Guide - just click the "Goto" button to navigate directly to the item so that the error can be resolved.
  • Warnings alert you to possible error situations.
       

EASY TO USE, MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY

  • Click to email a tax return or estimate to a client as a PDF attachment.
  • HandiTax includes a wide range of standard reports, or you can create your own customised reports to list clients with certain tax return characteristics. For example, you could produce a list of business clients with a turnover of more than $500,000.
  • View an outline of the data held in a return for fast and easy navigation.
  • The summary report displays both current and prior year's figures for all items, making it easy to check that all items previously  entered are being claimed and that claims are consistent and logical.
  • Split income and dividend amounts between multiple taxpayers.
  • HandiTax provides estimates of Family Tax benefits and PAYG instalments.
  • Lodgement of BAS/IAS from prior periods (as far back as 2000) without having to open previous years' versions.
  • The "Go To" function lets you navigate instantly to a particular item on any form.
  • Jump to any schedule from the master list with a single keystroke.
  • Perform specific actions when returns are completed (e.g. generate a letter to your client advising the anticipated refund amount).
  • Set default front cover details for use in all returns.
  • Record keystrokes to speed up entry of repetitive text items, or to "replay" commonly used command sequences.
  • Easy access to a history of most recently entered text.
  • Support for preparation and lodgement of the "Tax Agent / Intermediary Update of Correspondence Preferences" form.
  • All ATO ELS-generated reports are neatly formatted and can be viewed or printed in HandiTax - the Report Navigator provides one-click access to all reports.
  • Copies of ELS tax forms and scanned assessment notices can be saved in Document Manager. 
      

NO NEED TO RE-KEY YOUR DATA

Because it is an integral part of the HandiSoft suite, HandiTax can receive data seamlessly from other modules (such as BAS details from HandiLedger) without ever having to re-key it. Our Import function also makes it a snap to import data from ELS files, ASCII files or the ATO's Client List - and the export features are just as powerful.

HandiTax also works directly with your existing HandiSoft client database, so that all of your client information is easily accessed. Not only is this more convenient, but more accurate.
 

OTHER HANDITAX TIMESAVERS

  • Report Navigator allows you to search for a specific client in all transmission and validation reports.
  • HandiTax allows you to edit returns in ATO pre-printed or logical order.
  • Customisable status levels can be created to correspond to your practice workflow.
  • Multiple returns can be attached to clients.
  • Easy access to supporting worksheets from within forms so you can instantly drop into a more detailed view.
  • Business worksheet totals transfer immediately into the main form, saving unnecessary re-keying.
  • HandiTax allows you to roll over data from previous years' returns (this is particularly helpful for rentals and depreciation).
  • Copy schedules or items between returns, or even duplicate entire returns
  • Transfer depreciation schedules to HandiLedger.
  • HandiTax exports ATO receipt information to the HandiTrust trust accounting module when assessments are received from ATO.
  • You can import information from the ATO Client List report - this makes it easy to keep your client database up to date at all times.
  • Like all Sage HandiSoft products, HandiTax updates are available on CD or you can download them from our website at no charge. (Charges from your Internet Service Provider may apply.)
     

For more details, have a look at the documents below:

 HandiTax Brochure (2.6MB)

 ATO Validation Statistics 
 

For more information