How to use the prior year data transfer in the Information Return System

This article will help with how to transfer data from the prior year to the current year in the Information Return System (IRS).

Before you start:

• If the company doesn't show up in the Company Selection or is listed twice, use ALT-B to rebuild the list.
  • Never delete one of the multiple companies on the Company Selection display, as the additional is a ghost, and deleting one deletes them both.
• This utility can only be used between consecutive year programs.
  • For example, the prior year data utility in the 2024 IRS program only transfers from the 2023 IRS program.
• The Prior Year Transfer utility transfers 1099 recipient and employee information, such as SSNs, federal ID's, names, addresses, and phone numbers.
  • Amounts are not transferred.

Follow these steps to transfer data:

1. Open the IRS program.
2. At the System Navigator, select Prior Year Utilities.
3. In the Current Data Path field, enter the location of the prior year returns (for example C:\IRS2023\DATA).
4. Select the company (or companies) to transfer.
   • To select and transfer all companies, go to Edit > Select All
5. Select Transfer Data from the top right.
6. In the Destination field, input the location to store the current year data (for example C:\IRS2024\DATA).
7. Select OK to start the transfer.
   • You may print a list of the companies transferred.
8. To begin processing returns, select Go to > Company Selection and select a company.
   • The Current Data Path after the transfer should display the current year.