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Cover
PC-TAX84
Program Description and Operations Guide
Version 84.8C 15 January 1985
Copyright 1984, 1985 by James T. Demberger
7280 60th Avenue North
St Petersburg, FL 33709
813-546-1182
CompuServe 74425,1642
******************* WARNING ********************
Read the section Program Modifications before replacing any files from
prior versions of PC-TAX84. If you currently are using version 84.7
or 84.8 you can copy just those files on the version 84.8C PC-TAX84
distribution diskette that have a creation date of 12-20-84 or 1-15-85
to your work diskette. There has been no change in version 84.8 or
84.8C to those files with a creation date of 11-30-84. Files from
version 84.6 or earlier versions can not be used with version 84.7
later versions.
This is a user supported program. If you use PC-TAX84 and find it of
value, your contribution ($25 suggested) will be appreciated. You are
encouraged to copy and share this program with other users so long as
the program is not distributed in modified form and this notice is not
bypassed or removed.
DISCLAIMER
The author of this document and the associated programs is not liable
or responsible for any consequences which may result from the use of
the program or documentation. If there is any question regarding the
tax liability indicated on any of the forms or schedules produced by
the program advice should be obtained from a competent legal or
professional source.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Subject
1 Overview and Hardware
2 System Setup
3 Input Subroutine
4 Line Index Numbers
5 Initial Run Instructions
9 Routine Run Instructions
11 Common File
13 Copying MTX Files
14 Process Functions
15 Miscellaneous
17 Tax Planning - What If Style
18 Forms and Schedules for IRS Tax Returns
20 Program Modifications
Page 1
Overview and Hardware
PC-TAX84 does all the calculations for and prints forms and
schedules for IRS 1040 Income Tax Returns for 1984. The program will
process and print a Form 1040 and Schedules A, B, C, D, E, F, G, SE, and
W and Forms 2441 and 4562 that may be used as attachments to the Form
1040. Totals are transferred from form to form when required. Tax due
is computed based on a table that is a part of the PC-TAX84 system. The
program provides direct access to any line on any of the forms or
schedules for entry, change or deletion.
The PC-TAX84 program will run on a IBM PC, PC-XT or PC-AT with at
least 128K bytes of memory; a PCJr must have at least 196K. One diskette
drive, either a monochrome or color display, and an IBM or Epson printer
are required. See System Setup for information regarding use on a
system with only one diskette drive or with a fixed disk.
Please read all of the documentation for PC-TAX84 before running
PC-TAX84. PC-TAX84 differs significantly from PC-TAX83 as follows:
a. Simplified system setup; no need to run a file create program.
b. Program can be run from and use files on drives A, B or C.
The C drive may be a fixed or electronic (RAM) disk.
c. Line Index Lists are not required.
d. All forms and schedules may be used as attachments to the
Form 1040 tax return. There is no need to transfer entries
for forms and schedules printed by PC-TAX84 to printed IRS
forms and schedules.
e. Input subroutine has been improved. BEEP for input is a user
option.
f. Program prompts for entry of descriptive fields and amounts
only when and as required.
g. PC-TAX84 runs as compiled BASIC, source code is not available.
Should you, after trying out this pre-approval version of PC-TAX84,
decide to use PC-TAX84 to prepare your tax return, please order the
version that prints forms and schedules that have been approved by the
IRS. Select the 5 Order Form option of the Forms and Schedules Menu to
print an order form, fill out the form and mail it to the address shown
on the form.
Page 2
System Setup
The standard PC-TAX84 distribution diskette is formatted as a double
sided diskette with 80 tracks and 8 sectors per track (320 KB). For users
who have single-sided diskette drives, an alternate flippy-floppy
distribution diskette is available. The flippy-floppy diskette has both
sides of the diskette formatted as if they were separate single-sided
diskettes with 40 tracks of 8 sectors (2 x 160 KB). Either diskette will
work with DOS 1.1, 2.*, 3.* or later versions of DOS. The alternate
diskette has the files PC-TAX84.EXE and PC-TAX84.DOC on the B side;
all of the other PC-TAX84 files are on the A side.
All the files on the distribution diskette, except the documentation
file PC-TAX84.DOC, should be copied to a formatted work diskette. If you
have a two drive system, use the following copy commands to copy the files
from the distribution diskette in drive A to your work diskette in drive B.
COPY A:*.T84 B:
COPY A:*.M84 B:
COPY A:*.EXE B:
If you have a PCJr with a single diskette drive, use the same copy commands
except do not key B: for the copy to drive. If you have a system with a
fixed disk, key C: instead of B: for the copy to drive. In addition, you
should consider setting up a separate subdirectory for the PC-TAX84 files.
After making your work copy, put the distribution diskette in a safe
place for backup. Label your work diskette PC-TAX84 Work. Further
information regarding copying and renaming the PC-TAX84 files is covered in
the section Copying MTX Files.
A batch file with the statements shown below should be created to run
PC-TAX84 from an electronic or RAM disk. Use of the batch file RAMTAX84
to run PC-TAX84 will insure that any changed files are copied back to the
work diskette.
COPY CON: A:RAMTAX84.BAT
COPY A:*.T84 C:
COPY A:MTX*.* C:
A:PC-TAX84
COPY C:*.M84 A:
ERASE C:*.T84
ERASE C:MTX*.*
(Press F6 key)
There is no need to copy the *.T84 files back to the work diskette since
these files are not changed. Statements for the batch file assume that the
RAM disk is assigned as drive C and the work diskette is in drive A.
Note for PC-TAX84 Version 84.7 Users
If you are using Version 84.7 (preliminary version distributed thru
CRUG or CIS) and have entered data for forms and schedules, copy only
those files on the version 84.8 distribution diskette that have a
creation date of 12-20-84 to your work diskette. Files on the 84.8
version diskette with a creation date of 11-30-84 were not changed from
version 84.7 to 84.8. Changes to the documentation were made on the
following pages: Cover, 2, 7, 11, 15, 18 and 19 (added).
Page 3
Input Subroutine
PC-TAX84 uses an input subroutine that has some of the entry and edit
functions of a word processor or text editor. All keyboard input required
by prompts or for entry of data for all lines on forms and schedules uses
this special input subroutine. In most cases, a default option character
or field is displayed with prompts. The existing data or a blank line is
displayed for lines and amount fields for forms and schedules. Pressing
the Enter key is the only action required if the default value represents
the action to be taken or the line or amount field does not have to be
changed. To change the value of the displayed prompt, key in the desired
characters or digits at the flashing cursor. The keyboard is set to lower
case and numeric shift when a prompt is displayed. The Help Prompt option
displays and prints the information in this and the next paragraph.
Prompts and text lines displayed or entered for all forms and schedules
may be changed or edited by use of the following keys:
Control Keys for Edit or Input of Displayed Prompts
Tab (Left & Right Arrows) Pressing the tab key retains the character
at the cursor position and moves the cursor one position
to the right.
Backspace (Large Left Arrow) Moves the cursor one position to left.
Del + Shift Press the Del key while holding a shift key then press
one of the keys 1 thru 9 to enter the number of characters
to be deleted.
Ins + Shift Press the Ins key while holding a shift key to turn on or
to turn off insert mode.
Enter Key Enters the character or characters displayed by the prompt
including those to the right of the cursor.
Enter key + Shift Enters only those characters to the left of the
cursor position.
Escape Key The entry in progress is cancelled and the program
returns to the start of the function in progress or to
the last menu in use.
End + Shift Cancels any changes and displays the prompt as it was
prior to any changes.
Prompts for entry of most amount fields are displayed as if they are
dollar amount fields with a decimal point and two digits to the right of
the decimal point. You may enter dollar amounts with or without comma
punctuation for thousands of dollars. The decimal point and the zeros to
the right of the decimal point need not be entered for whole dollar
amounts.
The Escape key can be used at any time when input is expected. If
you should press the wrong key and get into a function where you don't
want to be, just press the Escape key to return to the Process Menu.
The program uses white letters on a blue background for prompts when
the color display is used. The cursor position is indicated by a flashing
character or by a flashing underscore. As characters or spaces are
entered, the blue background changes to the normal black background.
Page 4
Line Index Numbers
The key to the procedures that are used by PC-TAX84 to process IRS
forms and schedules is a line index number assigned to every line on
each of the IRS forms and schedules. The line index numbers have no
specific relationship to the actual IRS line numbers shown on forms and
schedules. More than one line index number may be used for a single
IRS line since some of the lines on forms and schedules require the
entry of more than one data field. Throughout these instructions, line
index numbers will be shown with square brackets, as an example, [14].
Line index numbers and change codes are shown on work copies of the
forms and schedules printed by the PC-TAX84 program. Since these line
index numbers and change codes have no meaning to the IRS, they are
omitted when printing the copies of the forms and schedules that you
send to the IRS.
Change codes are printed to the right of the line index numbers.
These codes and their meanings are:
B Both the description and amount fields may be entered or changed.
A Only the amount field may be changed.
D Only the description field may be changed.
N No changes to the line are permitted.
The prompts to change or enter a line that are displayed by PC-TAX84
follow the change codes so there is never any question as to whether you
can enter or change the data for a specific line. The N code is used for
lines where the amount field(s) are computed by the program. The line
that follows line 13 [26] of Schedule A is an example of a line with the
B code; PC-TAX84 will display prompts to change both the description and
amount fields for line [27]. Schedule A line 2a [5] has an A code and
the only prompt for entry or change will be for the amount field. The
name and address of the person that corresponds to the amount entry on
line 11b [22] is entered on line [24]; there will be a prompt for
changing only the description field since line [24] has D code.
Page 5
Initial Run Instructions
This section has the following objectives:
a. Demonstrate the operation and control of the PC-TAX84 program thru
the use of the Forms and Schedules Menu and the Process Menu.
b. Printing Work Copies of all the forms and schedules.
Your work diskette should have the following files:
Default Drive Files Option Drive Files
DTXSCHA .T84 MTXSCHA .M84
DTXSCHB .T84 MTXSCHB .M84
DTXSCHC .T84 MTXSCHC .M84
DTXSCHD .T84 MTXSCHD .M84
DTXSCHE .T84 MTXSCHE .M84
DTXSCHF .T84 MTXSCHF .M84
DTXSCHG .T84 MTXSCHG .M84
DTXSCHSE.T84 MTXSCHSE.M84
DTXSCHW .T84 MTXSCHW .M84
DTX1040 .T84 MTX1040 .M84
DTX2441 .T84 MTX2441 .M84
DTX4562 .T84 MTX4562 .M84
DTXCOMN .T84 MTXCOMN .M84
DTXWS17B.T84 MTXWS17B.M84
DTXWS20B.T84 MTXWS20B.M84
DTXWS21B.T84 MTXWS21B.M84
DTXAPVAL.T84 MTXAPVAL.M84
DTXORDRF.T84 MTXORDRF.M84
PC-TXTBL.T84 PC-TAX84.EXE
PC-TXHLP.T84
The DTX*****.T84 files contain codes that control the format of the
printed forms and schedules and the prompts that are displayed for entry
or change of the lines for the forms and schedules. The PC-TXTBL.T84
file has the amounts and the percentages that are used to compute taxes
due based on taxable income and filing status. The PC-TXHLP.T84 file
contains the Help Prompt instructions. All *.T84 files are read under
program control when and as required and are of no concern to a user of
PC-TAX84 except that their location on drive A, B or C must be specified
by selection of a default drive for these files when you start up the
program.
The MTX*****.M84 files are used to create an in memory image of the
lines for each form and schedule and the entries that are made for these
lines. You can read or write the MTX*.* files from or to any available
drive A, B or C. The program file, PC-TAX84.EXE, may be located on and
run from any drive. The DTX files must all be on the same drive however
these files may be on the same or a different drive than that used for
the MTX files and the .EXE program file.
The MTXCOMN.M84 file is referred to as the Common File. This file
has entries or records for names, addresses, etc. that are common to all
the forms and schedules and the totals from forms and schedules that are
transferred to other forms and schedules.
Page 6
Place the work diskette in drive A and from the DOS ready prompt
key PC-TAX84 and press the Enter key. After the program loads, a title
screen will be displayed with a "Press any key to continue" prompt.
Press any key and the title screen will be replaced by the following
message and prompt:
Instructions for PC-TAX84 are in the file PC-TAX84.DOC
Do you want BEEP to sound when input is required? Y/n Y
Press the Enter key to default to BEEP for input. If you find the BEEP
distracting, you can press the N key for subsequent runs. After pressing
the Enter key, the following prompt is displayed:
Enter default drive A/b/c for PC-TAX84 files. A
Since all the *.T84 files are on the work diskette in drive A, press the
Enter key to respond to this prompt. After becoming more familiar with
how PC-TAX84 manages files, you may need to press the B key or the C key
to tell the program to look for the *.T84 files on the B or C drive.
After pressing the Enter key, the following prompt is displayed:
Do you want to see Help Prompt display? y/N N
For the present, press the Enter key to respond to this prompt and the
following message will be displayed:
Reading Tax Table - Please Wait
PC-TAX84 uses two menus to control the processing for all forms
and schedules. The first of these menus is used to select a form or
schedule and is shown below:
FORMS and SCHEDULES MENU
Process Segment - Form **** Files in Memory MTX*****.*** MTX*****.***
Schedules Forms Functions
A Schedule A 1 Form 1040 M Common File
B Schedule B 2 Form 2441 X End Program
C Schedule C 4 Form 4562 H Help Prompt
D Schedule D
E Schedule E 5 Order Form
F Schedule F 6 Appr'l Form
G Schedule G 7 WS line 17b
S Schedule SE 8 WS line 20b
W Schedule W 9 WS line 21b
Press a letter/number key to select _
Page 7
The second menu controls the reading, writing, data entry (Change)
and processing of the files for each form and schedule and the Common
File:
PROCESS MENU
Process Segment - Form **** Files in Memory MTX*****.*** MTX*****.***
R Read
W Write
P Process
C Change
M Forms and Sch Menu
X End Program
Press a letter key for function _
After the tax table file has been read, the program displays the
Forms and Schedules Menu and then makes an automatic selection of the
Common File. The program will then display the Process Menu and make an
automatic selection of the Read function since the Common File must be
read into memory before any of the forms or schedules can be processed.
The Read function displays the following prompts; press the Enter key
for both of these prompts:
Enter drive A, B or C A
Enter File Extension M84
The message "Reading A:MTXCOMN .M84 file" will be displayed. After
the file is read, the Process Menu is displayed. Setup and ready the
printer with at least 25 sheets of 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper then press the
P key to select the Process function. The Process function displays the
following prompts:
Display or Printer? D/p P
Left margin spaces? 3
Work or IRS copy? W/i W
Use printed IRS form? y/N N (displayed for Form 1040 only)
Adjust tax amount? +/- (displayed for Form 1040 only)
Bypass tax calculation? y/N (displayed for Sch G only)
Press the P key for the Display or Printer prompt; press the Enter key
for the other prompts. After listing the Common File (one page) the
Process Menu will again be displayed. Press the M key to return to the
Forms and Schedule Menu. Anytime the M key is pressed from the Process
Menu, the following prompt will be displayed:
Did you write the ********* file back to diskette? y/N N
For the present, press the Y key and the Forms and Schedules Menu will be
displayed.
Page 8
Work copies of all the forms and schedules should be printed by
repeating the following steps for each form and schedule.
Step/Menu Prompt Action
1 Form & Sch Press letter/number key to select Press key (Note 1)
2 Process Enter drive A, B or C Press Enter key
3 Process Enter File Extension M84 Press Enter key
4 Process Press a letter key for function Press P key
5 Process Display or Printer? D/p P Press P key
6 Process Left margin spaces? 3 Press Enter key
7 Process Work or IRS copy? W/i W Press Enter key
8 Process Press a letter key for function Press M key
9 Process Did you write the ****** file.... Press Y key
10 Form & Sch Go back to Step 1 and press letter number for the
next form or schedule
Note 1 Press, in turn, the letters A,B,C,D,E,F,G,S and W, the numbers
2,4,7,8,9,1 and the letter M.
Press the X key for the End Program option when you reach Step 8 for
the Common File. Press the Y key for the "Did you write the Common File"
prompt to end the program and return to DOS. Keep the work copies of the
forms and schedules for reference when entering data during a routine run.
Some error messages will be displayed while the forms and schedules
are being processed. These messages are displayed when the program fails
to find required entries; for example, a filing status entry from Form
1040 must be in the Common File when processing Schedules A, D and G.
Page 9
Routine Run Instructions
Put the PC-TAX84 work diskette in drive A, key A:PC-TAX84 and press
the Enter key. Respond to the prompts displayed by the program thru the
point where the Common File has been read into memory.
If the Common File is a new file for which the names, addresses,
etc. have not been entered, press the C key for the Change function.
Press the 1 key when the "Enter Line Index Number" prompt is displayed.
As the prompts for names and social security numbers are displayed, key
the appropriate entries. If your filing status is 1, 4 or 5, enter
spaces for the second social security number and second occupation. If
you do not plan to use Schedules C, F or SE, press the Enter key when
the prompt for entry of names for these schedules is displayed.
Name(s) for Forms & Schedules except Sch C, F & SE
Street Address for Form 1040
City, State, ZIP
First Soc Sec Number 123-45-6789
Second Soc Sec Number 123-45-6789
First Occupation
Second Occupation
First P E Campaign? Y/n
Second P E Campaign? Y/n
Name(s) for Sch C 123-45-6789
Name(s) for Sch F SSN 123-45-6789
Use Cash or Accrual Method? C/a
Name(s) for Sch SE SSN 123-45-6789
Use Regular or Optional Method? R/o
Once the names, etc., have been entered, you will have no further
need to do anything to the Common File other than to read it into memory
at the start of a run and to write it back out to diskette at the end of
run. Press the Esc key when the enter line number prompt is displayed to
return to the Process Menu.
Press the M key to display the Forms and Schedules Menu then press
the 1 key for Form 1040. The initial display of the Process Menu after a
form or schedule is selected will automatically select the Read function.
Enter the drive letter and file extension or press the Enter key. After
the file has been read, press the C key and make changes where applicable
to line numbers 1 thru 6b ([2] thru [14]). Enter the the number of
dependent children on line 6c [15] and the children's names on lines [16]
and [17]. Enter the number of other dependents on line 6d [18] and the
information required for these dependents on lines [19] and [20]. Enter
your wages (or a reasonable estimate) for line 7 [23]. After these
entries have been made press the Escape key to display the Process Menu.
Press the P key then the Enter key. Your 1040 form will scroll up
the display. After the display of the 1040 has finished, press the P key
but this time take the printer option by changing the D default to a P.
After the form has been printed, you can enter additional data for the
Form 1040 or write the file out to diskette then return to Schedules and
Forms Menu and select some other form or schedule.
Page 10
ALWAYS SELECT THE W OPTION AND WRITE THE IN MEMORY FILE BEFORE
SELECTING THE M OPTION IF YOU HAVE MADE ANY CHANGES OR ENTRIES.
The following prompts will be displayed when you select the
write (W) option if there is a file with the same extension on the
selected drive:
Do you want this file to REPLACE the file on drive ? y/N y
AGAIN -
Do you want this file to REPLACE the file on drive ? y/N y
You must press the Y key in response to both prompts in order to
write the file since the file to be replaced might have entries that you
do not want to lose. If this is the case, press the N key or Enter key,
reselect the write option then use a different drive or file extension.
A message "NEW FILE WILL BE CREATED" will be displayed rather than the
two REPLACE prompts when there is no file with the same extension on the
selected drive.
There is no need to write the Common File to diskette until you have
completed all the processing of the files for forms and schedules.
Continue to experiment and practice with the various functions until you
are not surprised by what happens when you make some particular entry.
So long as you write the file for a form or schedule back out to diskette
before reading in another file, you will not lose any of the data that
you have keyed in.
Page 11
Common File
PC-TAX84 maintains a file of data that is used by all forms and
schedules. The Common File has names, Social Security numbers, etc.,
that are used in the heading of each form and schedule, the totals that
are transferred from one form or schedule to other forms or schedules.
The entries in the Common File for names, etc. should be made before
processing forms or schedules. The transfer totals are maintained by
PC-TAX84 as the forms and schedules are processed.
The following totals are transferred thru the Common File from
forms and schedules to other forms and schedules as shown in the
following table:
From Description To/Used at
Form 1040 line 32/33 Adjusted Gross Income Sch A line 4
Form 2441 line 6
Form 1040 line 37 Taxable Income Sch D line 25c
Sch G line 8
Form 1040 line 1-5 Filing Status Sch A line 25
Sch D line 25b
Form 2441 line 9 Credit for C/D Care Exp Form 1040 line 75
Sch A line 26 Itemized Deductions Form 1040 line 34a
Sch B line 3 Interest Income Form 1040 line 8
Sch B line 10 Dividend Income Form 1040 line 9a
Sch B line 11 Note 1 Capital Gain Distributions Sch D line 15
Form 1040 line 14
Sch D line 15 Note 1 Capital Gain Distributions Sch B line 11
Form 1040 line 14
Sch C line 32 Business Income Form 1040 line 12
Sch D line 23/25 Capital Gains/Losses Form 1040 line 13
Sch E line 25/39 Rent and Royalty Income Form 1040 line 18
Sch F line 56/89 Farm Income Form 1040 line 19
Sch G line 28 Tax on Averaged Income Form 1040 line 38
Sch SE line 14 Self-employment Tax Form 1040 line 51
Sch W line 8 Deduction joint/both work Form 1040 line 30
WS17b line 2 Other pensions, etc Form 1040 line 17a
WS17b line 2 Other pensions, etc Form 1040 line 17b
WS20b line 1 Unemployment Comp Total Form 1040 line 20a
WS20b line 2 Unemployment Comp Repaid Form 1040 line 20b
WS20b line 11 Unemployment Comp Taxable Form 1040 line 20b
1040 line 7-19/21 Gross Income WS20b line 4
1040 line 7-20b/22 Gross Income WS20b line 6
1040 line 24/29 Adjustments WS20b line 6 WS21b 6
WS21b line 1 Social Security Form 1040 line 21a
WS21b line 4 Soc Sec - Non-tax Int Inc Form 1040 line 21b
WS21b line 11 Social Security Taxable Form 1040 line 21b
Note 1 Sch B line 11 and Sch D line 15 must be the same if both Sch B
and Sch D are used. If Sch D is not used, 40% of Sch B line 11
is transferred to Form 1040 line 14.
Totals from the work sheets for lines 17a, 17b, 20a, 20b, 21a and
21b are transferred to the Form 1040 IF the work sheets are processed
AND the amounts to be transferred are greater than 0 (zero). If you
don't need the work sheets, you can enter the amounts on the appropriate
line of Form 1040 or the Common File.
Page 12
Totals are NOT transferred for the lines on the following forms
and schedules. Entries for the transfer to lines must be entered using
the Change option of the Process Menu.
From Description To
Sch C line 32 Business Income/Loss Sch SE line 2
Sch F line 56/89 Farm Income Sch SE line 1
Sch C line 32 Business Income Sch W line 2
Sch E Part V Depreciation Sch E line 18
Sch F line 56/89 Farm Income Sch W line 2
Form 1040 line 7 Wages, etc Sch W line 1
Form 1040 lines 25,26a,27,31 Adjustments Sch W line 4
Form 4562 line 7 Depreciation Note 1
Note 1 Depreciation from Form 4562 may have to be entered on
Schedule C line 12 [35], Schedule E line 18 [44] or
Schedule F line 53 [79].
Page 13
Copying MTX Files
The master MTX***** files have a file extension .M84. You can copy
these files using other file extensions to create a set of files for as
many returns as you should care to process. Initials may be used as an
easy-to-remember file extension. For example, the following copy
commands might be used if you are filing separate returns:
COPY A:*.M84 A:*.HIM
COPY A:*.M84 A:*.HER
The program will initially show .M84 as the file extension when the
prompt for entry of a file extension is displayed. After entering HIS or
HER, future displays will show the extension that was keyed.
Use a .HIM and a .HER extension for two MTXSCHSE files if you are
filing a joint return and both have self-employed income. After running
both of the files, add the amounts on line 14 [24] of both schedules and
use the change option to enter the total on line [22] of the Common File.
Each time either of the MTXSCHSE files are processed, the total in the
Common file will be reset and it will be necessary to reenter the total.
The name and SSN for each Schedule SE must be changed in the Common file
before processing the two files.
Two or more Schedules C, E and F may be required if you have two
businesses or farms or you have more than three rental or royalty
properties. If you require multiple forms for these Schedules, use the
procedure as outlined for Schedule SE for changing names and entering
totals in the Common file.
The number of sets of MTX files that you can use is limited only by
available diskette (or disk) space. In addition, you can copy or write
individual MTX files with different extensions and then select these
files for processing. The work copy of a Form 1040 shows the file
extension and the date and time that each of the other forms or schedules
was processed. See Tax Planning - What If? for additional information
regarding use of files with different extensions for tax planning.
You may not have any need for some of the forms and schedules. If
you do not have any farm income, you can erase both the MTXSCHF.M84 and
DTXSCHF.T84 files. Selection of a form or schedule for which the MTX file
has been deleted will result in the display of "No File MTX*****.*** on
drive *".
Page 14
Process Functions
R Read The program prompts for entry of a drive letter and file
extension. The program looks for the file on the drive specified;
if not found on that drive, a file not found message will be
displayed.
W Write The program prompts for entry of a drive and file extension.
If the specified drive already has a file with the same file
extension, the program will prompt twice for confirmation that
you want to replace the old file with the in-memory file.
P Process The option displays or prints a form or schedule after perform-
ing all of the calculations required for totals, table look-up, etc.
C Change This option displays prompts for entry of line index numbers
and the change or entry of the descriptive fields and amounts.
M Forms and Sch Menu This option displays the Forms and Schedules Menu
after a prompt is displayed reminding you to write the in-memory
file out to diskette.
X End Program This option will display messages and prompts that remind
you to write the last file processed and the Common File to diskette
before actually ending the program with a return to DOS.
Selection of the M and X options of the Process Menu and the X
option of the Forms and Schedules Menu will result in a display of
either one or both of the following prompts:
Did you write the Schedule - file back to diskette? y/N N
Did you write the Common File file back to diskette? y/N N
You must press the Y key in response to both of these prompts; pressing
any other key will result in the redisplay of the menu. In some cases,
there may not have been any changes made to the file and it will not be
necessary to write the file back to diskette; press the Y key to go on to
the Forms and Schedule Menu display. If you have not written the file(s)
back to diskette, press the Enter key and the program will redisplay the
Process Menu. Select the Write function to write the last file processed
and/or the Common File back to diskette.
The second line of both menus shows the program segment and the
data files currently in use. The program will display an error message
if program segment name does not match the in use data file name when
you attempt to write, process or change a file.
After selection of a form or schedule, the program displays the
Process Menu and makes an automatic selection of the Read function. This
automatic selection of the Read function is also made when the program
prompts for the initial Read of the Common File. Any subsequent selection
of the Common File does not result in the automatic selection of the Read
function. WARNING - do NOT select the Read function for a Common File
unless you have used the Write function to write the in memory Common File
back out to diskette. Should you do a Read of the Common file without
writing the in memory Common File to diskette, you may lose some new
transfer totals. These totals can be recalculated by reprocessing the
forms or schedule that generated the new totals.
Page 15
Miscellaneous
Correct totals for the Form 1040 require that process function be
performed in a certain sequence. Perform the process function for all
forms and schedules you need except 1040 and Schedule A. Perform a
preliminary process function for Form 1040 to get the totals from the
front of the Form 1040 into Common File. Process the Work Sheets (if
used) then make another process run of the Form 1040. Now process
Schedule A to get Itemized Deduction into the Common File. Now make a
final process run of the Form 1040.
If there is a possibility that you can use income averaging,
process all the other forms and schedules, including Form 1040, before
entering the data for and processing Schedule G. If you qualify for
income averaging and the tax amount on Schedule G is less than the tax
amount from the Tax Table or from Schedules X,Y & Z, the tax amount
from Schedule G will be transferred to line 75 [38] of Form 1040.
PC-TAX84 performs limit checking only for those lines where a form
or schedule has an explicit printed limit. You can enter some obviously
incorrect data that will not be rejected by the program. For example,
there is no warning if you enter an IRA deduction far in excess of the
permitted amount. Check the data on all your forms and schedules using
the printed IRS instructions for each form and schedule.
All forms and schedules permit entry and printing of dollar amounts
up to $999,999.99. The input subroutine will accept amount entries with
comma punctuation for thousands of dollars. Totals up to $999,999.99 are
printed correctly; larger totals will cause misalignment of the printed
amount columns.
Form 1040 Line 38 The program interpolates the tax amount from a
single table equivalent to both the Tax Table and Tax Rate
Schedules XYZ. This table has only 51 lines while the IRS table
has approximate 1000 lines. Taxes calculated by PC-TAX84 may not
agree with the taxes from the table since the program must
interpolate between brackets that are much larger than the $50.00
brackets used in the IRS table. The difference will probably not
exceed $2.00; you must check the calculated tax with the amount
from the IRS table and use the amount from the table for your
actual return. Should the computed tax differ from the tax from
the tables, subtract the computed tax from the tax from the table.
Process the 1040 and enter the plus or minus amount when the prompt
"Adjust tax amount? +/-" is displayed.
Schedule G Schedule G requires calculation of taxes using Tax Rate
Schedules XYZ even if your taxable income is below $50,000. Since
the table used by PC-TAX84 is based on the IRS tax table for
incomes below $50,000, tax calculations for Schedule G are only
valid if yourtaxable income exceeds $50,000. The IRS Tax Table and
Schedules XYZ do not agree for taxable income below $50,000. For
example, the tax on an income of $35,200 for filing status 2 is
$6,282 from the Tax Table and $6,274 from Schedules XYZ. If the
amount on line 8, 10, 16, 17 or 19 of Schedule G is less than
Page 16
$50,000, you will have to calculate the tax from Schedules XYZ for
the tax to be entered on lines 20, 21, 22, 25 and 26. After
entering the calculated tax amounts on these lines, process the
Schedule G and press the Y key for the "Bypass tax calculation? y/N"
prompt.
Schedule F Schedule F cannot be processed unless you have indicated
either the Cash or Accrual Method in response to the prompt dis-
played when entering names, etc. for the Common File. When using
the Cash method do not make any entries in Parts III or IV; when
using the Accrual Method do not make any entries for Part I.
Schedule SE Schedule SE cannot be processed unless you have indicated
either the Regular or Optional Method in response to the prompt
displayed when entering names, etc. for the Common File. The
program sets lines in Part II to zero if the Regular method is
used; it sets lines in Part I to zero if the Optional Method is
used.
Approval Form Some of the prompts displayed when processing other forms
and schedules are bypassed or modified when processing the Approval
Form. Since no entries are required for this form, there is no
Change processing and it follows that there is no need to write the
file back to diskette. Selection of the End program option while
this form is in memory results in passing control to the Common
File Process Menu. This form will not be required if you should
decide to copy the information from forms and schedules printed
by PC-TAX84 to printed forms and schedules provided by the IRS.
Order Form/Questionaire Comments regarding prompts, changes and
writing the Approval Form also apply to the Order Form/Questionaire.
Please return a copy of this form if you use (or attempt to use)
PC-TAX84 even if you do not order the program or choose to make a
contribution. Your comments regarding errors and bugs will be used
to prepare, if necessary, revised versions of PC-TAX84.
Page 17
Tax Planning - What If?
PC-TAX84 can be used for the "what if" style of tax planning since
reading, changing and processing files for forms and schedule takes
little time or effort. A new total for your taxes due can be obtained
in a few minutes if you want to see the effect of, for example, a
larger IRA deduction or an increase or decrease in capital gains or
losses.
You can set up tax planning files without having to enter any data
by reading in and then writing, with a new file extension, a set of your
existing MTX files. These new planning files can then be changed and
processed without messing up the entries and totals for your original
files. In most cases, after making planning or what if entries you will
process, with the display option, a Form 1040. If you like what is
displayed, use the print option to make a printed copy.
Processing each of the forms and schedules is the usual method of
getting transfer totals or amounts into the Common File. In addition,
you can enter totals or amounts into the Common File with the Change
option. Entering totals in the Common File without actually processing
each form or schedule represented by a total permits a "quick and dirty"
method for getting the "bottom line" for a Form 1040. Do not enter
totals in the Common File that has totals for your actual forms and
schedules; use a different file extension for the Common File with the
totals that you have entered with the Change option.
Page 18
Forms and Schedules for Your Tax Return
While the Form 1040 printed by PC-TAX84 is a very close facsimile
of the IRS Form 1040, this form CAN NOT be used as your return. PC-TAX84
has an option to print entries and amounts on the front and back of a
printed IRS Form 1040. Since overprinting on both the front and back
of the printed form requires very close alignment of the printed amount
fields, don't use the printed form option until you have completed all
the other forms and schedules and you are sure that the entries and
amounts for the Form 1040 are correct.
The following instructions assume that you have picked up several
of the printed IRS Form 1040's at the Post Office or some other source
for IRS forms. In addition to the forms, you will need some peelable
tape equivalent to 3M Scotch brand peelable transparent tape. This is
not the ordinary transparent tape that tears the paper when you try to
pull if off; you may have to go to an office supplies store to find the
peelable tape. Make sure you have the correct Common file in memory and
then read in the Form 1040 file. Ready your printer with four sheets of
continuous form 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper; doesn't matter whether it is
lined or blank. Run the paper thru the printer far enough to permit
taping the bottom of the fourth sheet to the top of the first sheet
making a continuous loop of paper. Restore the printer to top of form
then select the Process option. Press the P key for the Printer or
Display prompt and the Enter key for both the Left margin and Work or
IRS copy prompts. Press the F key for the Print front or back of Form
1040 prompt then enter the Adjust amount or press the Enter key. Press
the Enter key for the Press any key to continue prompt and the entries
and amounts for the front of a printed Form 1040 will be printed on the
loop of paper. After the front is printed, the Print front or back
prompt will be redisplayed; this time press the B key then the Enter key
to print the back of the form. Press the F key and then the B key to
print the front and back on the remaining two pages of the loop of paper.
An alignment line is printed at the top of each of the pages. Using
a ruler aligned with the decimal points in the right most amount column,
place a mark over the underscore on the alignment line that corresponds
to the column where the decimal points will print. Again using the
ruler aligned with the vertical line that corresponds to the decimal
column of the printed Form 1040, make a small mark at the top edge of
both the front and back of the Form 1040. Tape the Form 1040 to the
continuous loop of paper with the top edge even with the line of
underscores and with the marks for the decimal column aligned one above
the other. Press the S key to skip the taped on form into position to
be printed then press the F key to print the entries and amount fields
on the front of the printed Form 1040. Before removing the Form 1040
from the loop of paper, check to see if taping the form on the loop a
little higher or lower or a little more to the left or right will
produce a better alignment of the entries and amount fields. Note how
you want to move the form then print several more copies on the front
side of the forms. Now you can turn the forms over and press the B key
to print the back side of the forms. If any of the printed entries for
names, filing status or exemptions appear to have printed incorrectly,
Page 19
you may need to use the Change option to adjust these entries then run
several more sets of the printed Form 1040's to check the alignment.
Only those names for dependent children that are entered under line
index number 16 are printed; names entered under line index number 17
are not printed.
Pick out the form with the best alignment on both the front and
back for use as your return. If printing and aligning the forms on a
continuous loop of paper proves to be too tedious, you might try setting
your printer for friction feed and print directly on the printed Form
1040's without using the carrier loop. If neither method produces a
usable Form 1040, you can copy, by hand, the entries and amount fields
to a printed Form 1040.
Schedules A,B,C,D,E,F,G,SE and W and Forms 2441 and 4562 printed by
PC-TAX84 using the IRS print option may be used as your 1040 return.
These forms and schedules must be printed on a type of paper specified in
Revenue Procedure 84-9 (Publication 1167 (Rev 2-84)). This procedure
specifies use of 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper (9 1/2 by 11 before removing the
detachable pinfeed strips) with a thickness of at least .003 of an inch.
The paper must be lined, black or colored lines from margin to margin
every 1/3 of an inch; or color-barred paper, alternating 1/2 inch color
tinted stripes and 1/2 inch white stripes. The lined paper may be a
special order item, it is not available from any of the usual sources of
stock computer paper. 15 pound color-barred paper meets the specifica-
tions outlined in the Revenue Procedure. Radio Shack Computer Centers
can supply this 15 pound color-barred paper in boxes of 1500 sheets
(Catalog No 72-304, $24.95) or boxes of 3500 sheets (Catalog No 26-403,
$49.95); similar paper is available from other suppliers.
The Approval Form for the forms and schedules should be printed and
attached to the the forms and schedules you submit as your tax return.
There is a possibility that some of the IRS personnel who handle tax
returns may not be aware of the approval of these computer-generated
forms. The Approval Form references the IRS letter that approved use of
the forms and schedules printed by PC-TAX84.
Forms and schedules should be printed with a left and right margin
of .6 or .7 inch (6 or 7 spaces). The "Left margin spaces? 3" prompt
permits shifting the print line right by 1 to 5 spaces. The top line
for forms and schedules should be printed on the fourth line (1/2 inch)
down from the perforations between pages.
Since you can print draft copies of the forms and schedules using
the IRS print option on the same paper that you use for work copies, you
may need no more that 20 sheets of the color-barred paper. If you have
no use for color-barred paper other than for the sheets you use for your
IRS return, you might want to consider the following alternative to
spending $24.95 or $49.95 for a box of paper. Include a mailing label
with your name and address and a copy of the order form/questionaire with
your contribution of $25.00 for PC-TAX84 and I'll send 60 sheets of the
color-barred paper by return mail postage paid. Unless you circle Yes
for the paper on the questionaire, I'll assume you don't need the paper.
Page 20
Program Modifications
NOTE - Due to added forms, program modifications and display memory,
a PCJr must have at least 196K bytes of memory to run PC-TAX84.
Version 84.7 dated 30 November 1084
Version 84.7 dated 30 November 1984 is a preliminary version of
PC-TAX84 that was distributed by CRUG, Dana Point, California and that
was also available on CompuServe in the DL 6 library of the IBM Sig
with filename TAX84A.LBR. Version 84.7 was superceded by version 84.8
dated 15 December 1984.
Version 84.8 dated 15 December 1984
Version 84.8 was distributed by direct mail and was available
on CompuServe in the DL 6 library of the IBM SIG with the filename
TAX84B.LQR. The following new files with a creation date of 12-20-84
are a part of version 84.8 and supercede the corresponding files from
version 84.7.
PC-TAX84.EXE MTX1040.M84 DTX1040.T84
PC-TAX84.DOC MTXWS17B.M84 DTXWS17B.T84
MTXWS20B.M84 DTXWS17B.T84
MTXWS21B.M84 DTXWS21B.T84
MTXCOMN.M84 DTXCOMN.T84
MTXAPVAL.M84 DTXAPVAL.T84
MTXORDRF.M84 DTXORDRF.T84
There was no change in version 84.8 to those files with a creation
date of 11-30-84. Changes were made on the following pages of the
documentation: Cover, 2, 7, 11, 15, 18 and 19 (added).
Version 84.8C dated 15 January 1984
This version corrects an error in the calculation of capital losses
on line 24 of Schedule D. The calculated amount on line 24 is incorrect
IF there is zero entry on line 8 and there is a loss on line 19 OR there
is a loss on line 8 and there is a zero entry on line 19. If you are
using Schedule D or line 20 is a gain, you do NOT need version 84.8C.
The version 84.8C distribution diskette includes the new files that
are in version 84.8 and a new version of PC-TAX84.EXE dated 15 January
1985. If you are currently using version 84.8 dated 15 December 1984
and your Schedule D has entries as outlined in preceding paragraph, you
should do one of following:
a. Line out incorrect entries on lines 24,24a,24b,24c,25 and 25a and
write in the correct entries on these lines. Enter the amount
from line 25 on line 18 of the Common File. If you rerun Schedule
D you will have to reenter the amount from line 25 on line 18 of
the Common File.
b. Download the file TAX84C.LQR from DL 6 of the IBM SIG using DOW
TAX84C.LQR /proto:XMODEM/type:BIN. After downloading the file,
use NUSQ to unsqueeze the file to TAX84C.LBR. Use LU.EXE or LU.
COM to unlibrary to 40 files for PC-TAX84. Replace the files
PC-TAX84.EXE and PC-TAX84.DOC with a creation date of 12-20-84
on your work and distribution diskettes with the new PC-TAX84.EXE
and PC-TAX84.DOC files with a creation date of 01-15-85. The new
Page 21
.EXE and .DOC files, together with these Program Modification
pages, updates your copy of PC-TAX84 to version 84.8C.
NOTE: If you downloaded TAX84C.EQE and updated your copy of PC-TAX84
with the new PC-TAX84.EXE from TAX84C.EQE, you do NOT need to
download the TAX84C.LQR file. The TAX84C.LQR file replaced both
the TAX84B.LQR and TAX84C.EQE files.
c. If you sent me $5.00 for the PC-TAX84 version 84.8 distribution
diskette or you have sent me a contribution of $25.00 or more,
return the distribution diskette or a blank diskette to me for a
free postage paid copy of the version 84.8C distribution diskette.
d. If you sent me a diskette together with a self-address postage paid
mailer, you can use the same procedure for version 84.8C.
Version 84.8D
This version has not been distributed as of 8 February 1985 however
if and when it is distributed, it will cover the following problems:
The Form 1040 printed by PC-TAX84 can NOT be used as your return if
you must enter an amount on line 35 from the work sheet on page 13 of
Instructions for preparing Form 1040. Copy the figures from the front of
a work copy of the Form 1040 printed by PC-TAX84 to a printed IRS Form
1040. You will have to manually calculate and enter the amounts for
lines 33 thru 68 on back of printed IRS Form 1040. Since there are very
few users of PC-TAX84 who will have a need to use an amount from the
work sheet on page 13 of the instructions, PC-TAX84 will NOT be revised
to cover this situation.
The Change function for the Common file does not permit blanking
out the Spouse Social Security Number. The Spouse SSN is not used for
Filing Status 1, 4 or 5. Temporary fix for this problem is the entry of
eleven dashes (minus sign) in the place of a SSN. This problem will be
corrected in version 84.8D if and when it is released. The problem has
been corrected in distribution diskettes mailed out by me on/after 23
January 1985. The initial display for copies of PC-TAX84 that have this
correction display the following line:
Version 84.8C 15 January 1985 (rev 1/22/85)
The pattern for entry of name and Social Security Number on line
6 of the Common File is incorrect. The pattern, as displayed, does not
print the SSN correctly on Schedule C. The original pattern was:
12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789
Name for Schedule C SSN 123-45-6789
The correct pattern is:
Name for Schedule C 123-45-6789
This correction has been made in the Common File of diskettes shipped
after 29 January 1985. The initial display for copies of PC-TAX84 that
have this correction display the following line:
Version 84.8C 15 January 1985 (rev 1/29/85)
While the second screen displayed by PC-TAX84 has a prompt which
permits turning off the BEEP for input prompts, this prompt as well as
the "Press any key to continue" prompt for the first screen displayed
both sound a BEEP. Distribution diskettes mailed after 8 February 1985
Page 22
do not sound these two initial BEEPs. Change was made to correct BEEP
compatabily problem when running PC-TAX84 on a Sanyo. The initial
display for copies of PC-TAX84 that have this correction display the
following line:
Version 84.8C 15 January 1985 (rev 2/8/85)
If you want a copy of the revised version 84.8C, return your dist-
ribution or a blank diskette together with a self-address postage paid
mailer to me for the revision. You do NOT need this revision unless
you have a problem that is corrected by the minor changes made on 1/22/85,
1/29/85 or 2/8/85.
TAX84*.FIX
The Program Modification section of the documentation for PC-TAX84
will be uploaded to the DL 6 library of the IBM SIG of Compuserve as
TAX84*.FIX. A letter, currently C, will replace the * in the filename.
This file, when download, is pages 20, 21 and 22 of the documentation.
Any modifications or fixes to PC-TAX84 will be covered in this file.
NOTICE - PC CLUBS/USER GROUPS & BULLETIN BOARDS
If your club/user group is distributing PC-TAX84 or your local
bulletin board has PC-TAX84 available for downloading, send me a disk-
ette for a free postage paid copy of the latest version of PC-TAX84.
Jim Demberger,
7280 60th Avenue North
St Petersburg, FL 33709
813-546-1182
new 1/15/85, rev 1/16/85, 1/22/85, 1/29/85, 2/8/85