Frequently Asked Questions on
Using the "The Internet Tax Helper"
PRO version
Please review the list of the most commonly asked
questions below for the answer to your question. If you still have
a question or need support,
please go to the Contact
& Support page.
These are instructions specific to
the PRO version of the Internet Tax Helper.
List of Questions:
Before you Download Questions:
Using the Software Questions (PRO
version):
Before you download Questions:
Q) Is this program
designed for users outside of the United
States?
A) This program was first
designed for home-based and small internet
business owners in the United States,
following US tax law. However, it has been tested by individuals
in over 13 countries such as Canada and Australia.
They all say that is still very helpful and the
customization features make it very usable for their
country.
Q) What do I need
on my computer to use the Internet Tax Helper software?
Is it available for Mac users?
A) The software is modeled after
a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, BUT you do not need
Excel in order to run the application. The
software uses JAVA programming which
means it works on most recent computers (Windows, Mac OS X,
Unix, Linux, etc).
It includes all the files
necessary so you will be able to use the software no
matter which of these operating systems you are using.
It is recommended that you have a minimum of 64 Megs of RAM,
7.5MB of available disk space and a Pentium processor
or its equivalent.
Using the software questions (PRO version):
Q) I previously used
the Tax Helper Basic version. How do I import
my old data into the PRO version?
A) Please refer to the How to
Upgrade part of the Getting
Started section of the website.
Q) I have it open,
now what?
A) Refer to our Getting Started
section of the website. It walks you through the
software step-by-step so you can become a pro in
30 minutes or less.
Q) What is the #add#
for?
A) Where you see #add#, this
represents a field where you can add in
information. This field is used for adding new
income and expense categories. Once you
enter in some text, it will create another #add# field
below it.
Q) I try and enter
something in a field and it will not let me enter
any text. What is this about?
A) The Internet Tax Helper PRO is
designed so you can enter everything
directly in the Transactions tab without needing to change any of the complex formulas.
The Transactions area is the only place that you can (and need
to) enter information. By entering the proper information in
this area,
everything else is done for you.
When you try and enter information in any other
area, protected and will not let you overwrite the
existing text. Just ignore it and realize that is
not an area you need to enter information. This
is done so the important formulas that calculate
everything are not changed and cause major problems
for you.
Q) What are "Processing
Fees"?
A) If any of your income
sources are provided by a company that automatically
deducts fees from your check before you receive
it, such as "processing fees" you can enter the
amount here.
Q) I accidentally deleted
some information or entered information on top of
existing info. How can I undo this?
A) Be very careful when
deleting information. If you delete a
transaction, and click OK on the confirmation
window, then that transaction is gone for
good. The only way to get it back is to either
re-enter it, or you can go to File -> Exit, and
choose to NOT save changes. However, if you do
this, you will also lose any other data you may have
entered since the last time you
saved.
If you simply mistyped something as you were
entering a transaction, you can edit it at
anytime. Click on the transaction you
want to edit so that it is highlighted. Then click on Edit. Make your
desired changes and click on Save. Your
transaction will now be updated.
Q) I want to start a
new tax year without deleting my previous year's
information. How do I do this?
A) What you'll want to do is...
1) First, make sure you have your original
data open. Use File -> Open to access the
correct file.
2) Save this file with a year at the end of
it. For example 'MyBusiness2006.xml'
3) To start a new year, you can do one of two
things. To start with the default settings,
simply click on File -> New. If you'd like
to start a new file with all of the same income and
expense categories that you used in the previous
year, you will simply need to copy them into the
file for the new year. To do this, have the
Internet Tax Helper open with your previous year's
information. Then go to the Start menu and
Programs to launch a SECOND Internet Tax Helper
window. In the second window, save your file
with a new file name. For example,
'MyBusiness2007.xml'. Now, you can copy and
paste any customized categories you had from the
previous year into the new year's file.
Q) What is the
Percentage column on the monthly tabs?
A) The percentage column
automatically calculates for you what percentage
each individual income and expense category is
compared to your total revenue and expenses.
This helps you analyze your business to see the real
breakdown of what percentage of your income comes
from each income source, and what percentage you are
spending on each of your expenses. This can
help you either make sure that you are spending
money on the right things, and if not, then alert
you to get back on track to investing in the right
things that will help you reach your goals.
Q) What is the
"Restore Default" button on the Get
Started tab?
A) On the Get Started tab, in the
very lower right side of the screen you will see a
button labeled 'Restore Default'. Be VERY
careful using this button. It will reset your
income and expense categories to the default
settings that the software came with.
Q) When I try to
select an Income/Expense Category on the
transactions tab, I can not find the category that I
need. What do I do?
A) You can add in a new income or
expense category (or modify an existing one) on the
Get Started page in the software. As soon as
you add a new category, it will appear as an option
when you click on Category in the transactions
tab. A word of warning - be very careful when
removing or changing the name of an existing
category. This also will automatically be
removed or changed throughout the whole
software.
Q) I do a search, but
the software says "No matches were
found!". What does this mean?
A) This means that, for some reason,
the software could not find any transactions
matching your search criteria. Please modify
one or more of your search criteria and try your
search again.
