2012 ProSeries/Massachusetts Readme
Release 2012.01f / April 19, 2013
Contents
Items addressed in this release
Items addressed in previous releases
What's new for ProSeries/Massachusetts
Forms
Electronic filing
Additional Information
Items addressed in this release
The following forms and worksheets have been addressed in this release:
- Schedule DI, Massachusetts Dependent Information. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations to correct the issue of non-dependents with a federal code Q and age 65 or older to receive a dependent deduction.
- Form CA-6, Massachusetts Application for Abatement/Amended Return. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the print functions for Line Item Information.
Items addressed in previous releases
The following forms and worksheets have been addressed in previous releases:
- Schedules X&Y, Massachusetts Other Income and Other Deductions. ProSeries/Massachusetts has made an enhancement to line A of the Taxable IRA/Keogh Plan Distributions Smart Worksheet. This will allow the user to enter the amounts from box 1 of the 1099-R if applicable.
- Schedule HC, Massachusetts Health Care Information. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations that were incorrectly calculating a penalty, incorrectly processing the form with incomplete insurance information and validation of Certification of Exemption number.
- Schedule HC Worksheet, Massachusetts Health Care Information Worksheet. ProSeries/Massachusetts corrected spelling errors found within the instructions.
- Form M-2210, Underpayment of Massachusetts Estimated Income Tax. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations and instructions for
Massachusetts personal income tax purposes, the due date for the 2012 tax year is April 16, 2013. For the 2012 tax year, farmers or fishermen who miss the March 1 deadline will not be subject to the penalty if they file and pay by April 16, 2013.
- Schedule E-1, Massachusetts Rental Real Estate and Royalty Income and (Loss). ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations that were incorrectly giving some users of Schedule E-1 a wrong amount on Line 24.
- Form 1 & Form 1 NR/PY, Massachusetts Main Individual Income Tax Forms. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations for the printing of the 2d barcode requirements.
- Schedules X&Y, Massachusetts Other Income and Other Deductions. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the instructions on line a of the Taxable IRA/Keogh Plan Distributions Smart Worksheet.
- Schedule HC, Massachusetts Health Care Information Worksheet. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations that were incorrectly giving non-residents and error message to enter special months.
- Schedule DI, Massachusetts Dependent Information. ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations for electronic filing error being generated by some year-to-year filers.
- Schedule E-1, Rental Real Estate and Royalty Income and (Loss). ProSeries/Massachusetts updated the calculations for the rents received if the customer is less than 100% ownership.
What's new for ProSeries/Massachusetts
The following items are new for tax year 2012:
- Form 1, Filing Due Date The filing due date
for Massachusetts returns normally due on April
15 will therefore be April 16, 2012. This is due to Patriot's Day falling on April 15, a legal holiday for the Commonwealth.
- Personal Income Tax Rate Reduction for Taxable Years Beginning with 2012 Effective for tax years beginning on
or after January 1, 2012, the 5.3% tax rate on most classes of taxable income is decreased to 5.25%.
- Form 1, line 32, Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund Contributions will help animals by reducing
the number of homeless cats and dogs by spaying, neutering and vaccinating animals in shelters and animal control
facilities and assisting families who would not otherwise be able to afford
these services for their pets..
- Form 1, line 41, Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Increased A credit is allowed to an owner or tenant of residential
property located in Massachusetts equal to
the amount by which the real estate tax payment
or 25% of the rent constituting real estate tax payment
exceeds 10% of the taxpayer's total income,
not to exceed $1,000.
- Form 1, line 40, Earned Income Credit Changes: Temporary Increase in
Earned Income Credit Massachusetts will allow taxpayers who qualify for and
claim the federal earned income credit are allowed
a refundable credit equal to 15% of the federal
amount.
- Federal/Massachusetts Depreciation Differences. Due to current
and past year Massachusetts depreciation and amortization deductions that
do not conform to federal law, you may need to make adjustments to the
taxpayer's 2012 Massachusetts income tax return. Please see the Massachusetts
tax help in the program for these adjustments.
Forms
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has approved for filing all forms and schedules included in ProSeries/Massachusetts.
Electronic filing
General information for electronic filing:
You can file returns electronically with this version of ProSeries/Massachusetts.
For a list of forms that can be e-filed, go to the What's New for Massachusetts.
Additional information
Check all returns after printing
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue scans computer-generated forms to quickly
process the income tax returns it receives. To meet the requirements for producing
computer-generated forms, ProSeries is required to limit the width of the tax information
printed on forms that are scanned. In certain cases, data you entered may be truncated.
After completing a tax return, review the information that prints (for example, mailing
address information), make any necessary changes, and reprint the return before mailing it.
About bar codes on printed state returns
Some states use bar codes on computer-printed tax forms. This special formatting allows
the state taxing authorities to process returns more quickly and efficiently. On-screen,
you'll see only a small representation of the bar code on the lower-left side of the form.
This image is static and does not change based on the information in the return. However,
when you print the return, the bar code appears as a large rectangular box on the first page
of the form. The width of the bar code is constant; the height varies according to the data
in the return. In general, the more complex the return, the larger the printed bar code.
Returns that contain special formatting may be processed at a different location than manually
prepared returns. Therefore, the filing instructions that print with the state return may contain
a mailing address that's different from the mailing address in the package that is sent to taxpayers.
Be sure to have your clients mail their returns to the address in the filing instructions that
print with the return.
Important: Because the bar code image is a function of the data in the tax return,
it's important that you reprint the page with the bar code if changes are made to any part of
the return. Also, do not print blank copies of the main form and prepare them manually.
The Massachusetts taxing authority may attempt to scan the form and reject it.
Use a recommended printer
We recommend you use a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Series 4 or later (or 100% compatible printer).
The minimum requirement is a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet or PCL compatible printer with 2MB of
printer memory.
If you do not use a recommended printer, the two-dimensional bar codes on some state
returns do not print properly. The states still accept the returns, but they might take longer to
process.
End of ReadMe file for ProSeries/Massachusetts