What’s new in Lacerte® Tax 2020

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve made Inuit® Lacerte® Tax better than ever. From smart authentication features to all new e-file capabilities, you can count on Lacerte to help make this tax year the best it can be.

Installation instructions

Existing customers: Once you start installation, select your firm on the pop-up screen. If you don’t see your firm information, download your prep file from My Account to complete the installation.

New customers: Log in to My Account and accept the End User License Agreement to get your prep file. You can use the default options, including the destination location, to complete the installation process.

Customers with Hosting for Lacerte:

Log in to My Account. Select Users under Account Name, then click on the user’s name to access applications. Select 2020 Lacerte Tax, then click Install App. See instructions. 

Important note: Please read the information below carefully. Your software will not install if these requirements are not met.

• Microsoft .NET framework 4.8: If you have not updated your .NET to 4.8, the Lacerte installer will do it for you automatically. However, we encourage you to update .NET prior to installation, as it will require a restart before Lacerte can install. Download .NET 4.8 Web installer
• Windows 10: Please ensure that you are running version 1607 or later of Windows 10.
• Additional system requirements: View all Lacerte 2020 system requirements. 

Product enhancements: Helping save you time

Streamline document collection and collaboration: For tax years 2020 and 2021, we’re reviewing all of the existing collection and input tools, and making meaningful improvements to collection and collaboration to keep preparers moving quickly. For example, we will enhance the Intuit Link client login experience with options in addition to a password. These include one-time passwords (OTP) using authentication identifiers, such as their email address or phone number to seamlessly access their account. This reduces your need to provide IT support to clients.

Automatically track time by return for all tax types: You can quickly assess how much time has been spent to make better decisions calculating billing, return on investment, and time allocation by staff. Learn more

Multiple performance upgrades: Platform enhancements and database upgrades help ensure higher quality, reliability, and alerts to help preparers stay on track.

New e-file capabilities boost your efficiency

New e-file is now available for the following:

Returns:

• Indiana Corporate (1)
• Kentucky Individual, Single Member LLC (1)
• Rhode Island Fiduciary (1)

Extensions:

• Virginia Individual (1)

Estimates (31):

• Alaska Corporate and S-Corporation (2)
• Arkansas Individual, Corporate, S-Corporation, and Fiduciary (4)
• Colorado Individual (1)
• District of Columbia Individual, Corporate, S-Corporation, Partnership, and Fiduciary (5)
• Kansas Corporate (1)
• Kentucky Individual (1)
• Nebraska Individual, Corporate, S-Corporation, and Partnership (4)
• North Carolina Individual & Corporate (2)
• North Dakota Individual, Corporate, and Fiduciary (3)
• Ohio Individual (1)
• Oklahoma Individual, Corporate, S-Corporation, Partnership, and Fiduciary (5)
• Oregon Individual (1)
• Vermont Individual (1)

Amended returns:

• Indiana Corporate, S-Corporation, and Partnership (3)
• Maryland Individual (1)
• Massachusetts Individual (1)
• New Mexico Corporate (1)
• Ohio Individual (1)
• Pennsylvania Individual (1)

Customer support: Providing one-on-one and self-serve assistance

Intelligent voice assistant: When you call us for help, a new listening tool will be able to route your call to the right agent much more quickly. Learn more

Optional workflow tools: Helping you do even more

Intuit Practice Management*: Intuit Practice Management powered by Karbon gives you confidence that everyone in your firm is working on the right projects so nothing falls through the cracks. You get real-time visibility to progress across your practice, all from one place.

eSignature*: New 1-click functionality lets you quickly send 8878 and 8879 requests from inside Lacerte.

Hosting*: Get up and running with updated software as soon as it is released through Hosting for Lacerte. No need to download and install using traditional methods. In addition, the improved onboarding experience get your whole firm up in running in just days.

The available business application add-on (additional cost) allows you to house over 50 supported apps along with Lacerte, so you can move your entire office to the cloud, all in one convenient place. We recently added Citrix Sharefile and looking to continue to add more in the future. In addition, EasyACCT is now supported in the hosting environment.

Pay-by-Refund*: To make it easier to get started, enrollment forms for new and returning customers are now pre-filled. For added convenience, you can enroll through My Account or within your Lacerte software. Enrollment for all products and banks is already open.

Firm-level Audit Assistance*. We are partnering with Tax Protection Plus to launch a firm-level option for Audit Assistance, giving you the option to add Audit Assistance and ID Theft Protection to every single 1040 client. Enrolled firms simply pay $10 for every filed 1040 return.

*Additional terms, conditions and fees apply with these optional add-on services.

Training: Keeping you up to date

Free, live and pre-recorded webinars: Attend live and pre-recorded webinars on topics that matter most to you, at times that work best with your schedule. More than 30,000 pros signed up for webinars last year. New sessions on tax law, ethics, product courses, and more are continually added.

Personalized training portal. Access bite-sized training modules with content that’s recommended just for you.

COVID-19 resources. Quickly find the latest information you and your clients need on our newly redesigned COVID-19 resource center.