8879 ERO's Signature Date

[Maxine]

I was assembling a stack of folders for pick up this morning and noticed that date after the ERO's signature is not printing this year.  Is there a reason for this or just another glitch?

[IRonMaN]

Which would make you feel better ------------------- there is a reason or there is a glitch :smile:

[Maxine]

You are just trying to humor me out of my crabbiness........

[IRonMaN]

I take it that I wasn't successful? :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

Ive always had to put the date along with my signature on the 8879...I didn't know you could make the date show up on the 8879 automatically.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I was wrong...I'm looking at last years 8879s and the date IS inserted automatically...this year, nothing!

[The-Tax-Lady]

Mine is the opposite, last year I had to enter the date on the 8879, this year there is a box to click on the 8879 to enter "Today's" date. Liking that!

[jmurray]

I have same issue, last year the date was automatically inserted for the ERO date, this year it is not.  Anyone have a solution?

[IRonMaN]

Switch to Drake?

[Maxine]

I just had a signing on one I checked the box in the middle of the form for.  Then it also puts the date on the taxpayers signature line.  So, that's not going to work, sometimes they will sit for a week before they actually make it in to sign.

[IRonMaN]

Maybe it would be easier just to paper file the returns :grin:

[rbynaker]

"Switch to Drake?"

Ironically, I had to call Drake Support to get them to tell me how to turn OFF the automatic printing of the date on the 8879!

[abctax55]

toma'toe',  toma'tah'

[IRonMaN]

But you got through to Drake support?

[rbynaker]

Yeah, they always answer by the third ring.

Supposedly, during high call volumes, the phone on Phil Drake's desk rings for calls to support.

[rbynaker · Accepted solution]

Pull down Tools; Options.  Then go to Firm/Preparer Info.  Scroll down under ERO info and there's a checkbox for "Print date on return?" right about the CAF#.  Is that it?  (I dunno, I always sign & date in ink).

Rick

[tilt53]

That puts the date on the "return" but not on the 8879.  I've always had to do that manually.

[rbynaker]

Okay, I tried.  Thanks for the clarification.  I'd report myself as not helpful but it won't let me. 🙂

[TAXOH]

Don't report yourself please.  :smile:

[IRonMaN]

I reported you.  Do the police come and take you away now?
Speaking of police, I have the client sign the 8879s but I never have signed or dated them.  I had a mentor on here who taught me the philosophy of CAGMC.

[rbynaker]

I started that way when I first started efiling.  Seemed silly to sign a form so I could stick it in a filing cabinet and then shred it 3 years later.  A lot of clients mail them back so now I sign them when they're received just so I know what date they came back. 🙂

[Maxine]

Okay I see the enter date check box in the middle of the 8879,  Since I never look at the 8879 until it is printed that is annoying.  Maybe checking one will make it global but probably not.  I do have the one Rick mentioned that prints on page 2 of the 1040 checked.  Probably just a dehancement.  Just like they have the expiration date on the driver's license info set so that you have to enter  xx/xx/xxxx.  If you use xx/xx/xx like everyother entry it enters 19xx.  Come on, do you know anyone who has a driver's licence that expires in the 20th century.  I am in Iowa, one of three states that will not transfer the info forward.  I mean how hard can that be for a progammer to fix?

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

Checking one doesn't make it global.  
Editing the Client Template to add a checkmark in the box, only makes it show up on NEW clients,  not existing ones.

[garman22]

One of my employee's just pointed out to me that the date is not printing on the 8879's like prior years. Unless there is a legal reason, how does this get missed. Do the techs go willy nilly unchecking boxes and giggling like school children? :smile:

[IRonMaN]

The 8879 date thing was brought up a few days ago.  Some people want it printed, some don't and some would rather spend their day giggling like school children.

[garman22]

hmmmmm.....is there a reason why one would not want it printed already? It takes us 1.4421 seconds to do so and as you once stated @IRonMaN we are like dogs.......1.4421 seconds is like 13.5 minutes for us during tax season! I guess the giggling wins out.

[IRonMaN]

But my dog doesn't sign 8879s and neither do I :dog:

[garman22]

Well, honestly neither do i. But my employee does. I guess I need to train my lazy dog to sign. She needs more responsibilities.

[The-Tax-Lady]

This is the first year for the Date check box on the 8879, prior years you had to enter the date unless I missed something in the set-up.

[garman22]

@The Tax Lady Within the options and firm/preparer info you could check the box and it would populate the date  on 8879. The box is still checked for me but the date does not populate.

[The-Tax-Lady]

I thought that was just to put the date on the 1040, I've never had it date the 8879.

[garman22]

Interesting....and I thought the box being checked populated the date on the 1040 and the 8879.

[bruce1]

In years past the date for the preparer would populate,  I don't see any reason to check the box to put the date in the customer signed as that cannot be correct unless they are sitting in front of you when you print it out.

[rbynaker]

Okay, let's try again.  If you pull up Form 8879 there's a checkbox in the middle of the form "Check here to generate today's date on the date fields below"

Is that it?  If not I give up.

[tilt53]

I'm blind even with my bifocals.  Never even saw that date.  But I do as the Yote does.  I file them away and save them.  If I were to get notified of an EF audit, I'd pull out that box and sign them all with a name and/or date stamp.

[IRonMaN]

 "Come on, do you know anyone who has a driver's licence that expires in the 20th century"

Yes I do.  .

[Maxine]

Is that one your clients?

[IRonMaN]

Yes, he is one of my better clients.

[abctax55]

".....hmmmmm.....is there a reason why one would not want it printed already?"

I use it (the fact that the date DOESN'T print) as a control mechanism to make sure a return isn't processed as *final* by the front office if the F 8879 doesn't have a *wet* signature on it.  YMMV

[garman22]

okay, that makes sense to me. what is "YMMV"?

[abctax55]

Your Mileage May Vary...  
You really need to spend more time on-line

I actually just initial it, using my *magic* pen that I've had for over fifteen years.

[garman22]

hahaha!! I've never seen that one abbreviated before. My people were complaining about writing out the date and after i looked at firm/preparer info......i figured it for a glitch.:smile:

[Eltonfan]

Has anything been done to make it possible to automatically insert the system date on the "date signed by ERO" box on all Form 8879 series, mainly 1040.  It weems the date is automatic on the business modules, why not individual?

[SusanLDiscountCPA]

I have this same question in Lacerte right now. It never dates the page. I usually sign & date it and then send it to my client.  Maybe it does not have to be the same date as the date I finished?  Maybe it is the date I signed.  I will ask this in the Lacerte community and Lacerte rescuers group also.