What’s New in Lacerte® 2016

Intuit® ProConnect™ Lacerte® has added several new features to the 2016 release, and improved several existing features. Here’s an overview of the major changes you can expect.

Improved Trial Balance Utility

In 2016, we’ve made changes to improve the user experience and performance of the Trial Balance Utility so you can more easily go from books to tax. Now, SmartMap uses machine learning to auto-assign after a single mapping, leading to sub-second response times. There’s now also no need to classify accounts into account types. The Trial Balance Utility is included with your Lacerte license.

Enhanced In-Product Help

In the newest version of Lacerte, we’re offering Point-of-Need Guidance—on-screen hyperlinks to KnowledgeBase articles that provide detailed descriptions for important input fields to help you answer your questions when and where you have them.

We’ve also enhanced the “Ask Lacerte” feature to link to KnowledgeBase articles that may help you quickly find answers to your questions and find related input fields. In-product chat access has been improved by placing it on the main toolbar.

Autofill for Corporate Amended Returns

Also new this year is the ability to autofill corporate amended returns from original return. With this new feature, you can check a box, and Lacerte will import data from the original return. You can then go back to the input screens and enter correct data. The new functionality is intended to help you save time and reduce errors when filing amended returns.

Support for Dual Monitors

Lacerte now supports dual monitors to enable detail view and form view for the same client to be displayed on two separate monitors, enabling you to review the data before you sync the changes on the detail view to the form view. You can find this functionality in “View” menu under “Detail/Forms View.”

Other updates and improvements to Lacerte 2016 include:

• A simplified and personalized installer that will now propagate your settings and preferences from the previous year to ensure a smooth installation experience.
• Real-time status of form availability: Easy access to form availability from IRS and state agencies.
• Support for Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), in the client organizer.
• Prior year amounts available on business and fiduciary returns.
• Easier access to My Account in order to manage pay-per-return (REP) account.
• The option to pro forma / transfer Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exemption Certificate Number from prior year.
• Auto-generation and attachment of PDFs to e-files.
• The ability to self-report a delayed acknowledgement without leaving your workflow.
• F10 as a shortcut key to license and antivirus information, which may be key during a Customer Care call.
• Form 114 (FBAR) e-file checkbox added to client information screen.
• Various new state-tax-related forms, e-file and barcode functionality.

Want to learn more about ProConnect Lacerte? Check out other articles about Lacerte, or take advantage of our season readiness training this fall, including webinars and online training on topics such as what’s new and improved in Lacerte the upcoming login requirements and how they will impact Lacerte, security and identity theft, and more.