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General information

Please note that the payroll compliance features in Accounting CS and Accounting CS Payroll are licensed and renewable on an annual basis only. The application's payroll compliance features are not available with an expired license.

With the Standard license type, you can continue to use other features of the application even after the license expiration date. However, to continue receiving application updates and to have access to technical support, you need to renew and update your license files.

See also: Information about Expired Licenses for Accounting CS, Accounting CS Payroll, and Workpapers CS (PDF)

To view your firm's license information

Choose Help > About. The version numbers for all installed products applications are displayed in the licensed products list.

Some licenses have a specified number of seats and units.

• Seats: the number of concurrent users allowed in Accounting CS.
• Units:
  • For Accounting CS Payroll (live payroll), each unit is a client with the live payroll service enabled.
  • For Workpapers CS, each unit is a staff member who belongs to a security group with permissions granted to Workpapers CS.

    See also: The number of Workpapers CS users has exceeded the licensed amount

To renew your application licenses

1. To renew your application licenses via our website, see Renewing your CS Professional Suite applications.
2. If your application is installed locally or on a network in your own office, download the updated licenses via CS Connect, and then download and apply software updates via CS Connect.

   Notes

   • If you run the application in the Virtual Office CS or Software as a Service (SaaS) environment, both renewed and updated licenses and application updates are applied automatically.
   • Greater than 90 days – reinstatement: When a license has been expired for over 90 days, but less than four years, a reinstatement of the product is required.
   • Greater than 4 years – repurchase: When a license has been expired for more than four years, it must be repurchased.

Trial license versions

If you would like to evaluate the application or one or more Accounting CS services prior to purchasing a full license, you can activate a trial license.

If you already have a paid license version of Accounting CS installed: To evaluate the full calculating payroll features of Accounting CS Payroll and ensure the integrity of your firm's active license, you need to install the trial version of Accounting CS Payroll on a computer that does not have Accounting CS installed (either locally or a network installation).

If you already have a paid-license version of Accounting CS Payroll installed: To evaluate the Accounting service features and ensure the integrity of your firm's active license, you need to install the trial version of Accounting CS with the Accounting services on a computer that does not have Accounting CS Payroll installed (either locally or a network installation).

If you already have a paid license version of Accounting CS or Accounting CS Payroll installed, you can activate a trial license of the Workpapers CS service by the steps listed later in this section.

To install a trial license

1. In Accounting CS, choose Help > About.
2. In the About Accounting CS dialog, click the Trial Licenses button.
3. In the Trial Licenses dialog, mark the checkbox for the trial version of the services for each application that you would like to evaluate, and then click OK.
4. In the About Accounting CS dialog, click OK.
5. When the application re-opens, enter ADMIN in the Staff ID field. (If you previously opened this database and assigned a password, you will also need to enter that password.)

To remove a trial license

1. In Accounting CS, choose Help > About.
2. In the About Accounting CS dialog, click the Trial Licenses button.
3. In the Trial Licenses dialog, clear the checkbox for each service to remove, and then click OK.
4. In the About Accounting CS dialog, click OK.

Trial license limitations

Accounting CS

With a trial license:

• You can add no more than five clients, including client templates.
• You can convert client data from Creative Solutions Accounting (CSA), but those clients count toward the five-client limit.
• You can import client data into UltraTax CS.
• You can import client data from QuickBooks.
• You can print payroll checks, but the application watermarks them with the word VOID and displays a zero net amount. The application calculates all other items in the check correctly.
• The application watermarks all reports — including financial statements and invoices — with the word Trial.
• You can print reports to a PDF file but not to any other file types.
• You cannot advance the period.
• You cannot process direct deposits.
• You cannot export client data to other applications.

Accounting CS Payroll

With a trial license:

• You can add no more than five payroll clients, including client templates.
• When the application prints a payroll check, it watermarks it with the word VOID and displays a zero net amount; all other items in the check calculate correctly.
• The application watermarks all reports — including invoices — with the word Trial.
• You cannot process direct deposits.
• The impound feature is not available.
• Remote Payroll Data Entry is available if your firm is licensed for NetFirm CS, but you must also set up a client portal before an export can be transferred correctly.
• Employee Self-Service is not available.

Payroll Compliance

With a trial license:

• The application watermarks all payroll forms with the word Trial.
• Electronic filing enrollment and transmittal of payroll forms are not available.
• The Create Files button is disabled for the following screens.
  • Process Internet/Magnetic Files
  • FL e-Enrollment and MI e-Enrollment
  • Enroll EFTPS and Process EFTPS
  • Process New Hires (Employees and California Independent Contractors)
  • Verify SSN/TIN

Workpapers CS

With a trial license:

• You can convert client data from Creative Solutions Accounting (CSA), but those clients count toward the five-client limit.
• You can import account balances from QuickBooks.
• The application watermarks all reports with the word Trial.
• You can add no more than five clients, including client templates.
• You can add no more than four staff members.
• You can add no more than two engagement binders for each client.
• You cannot advance the period.
• You cannot roll forward any engagements.

Alternate preparer block feature (Alternate Firm license)

With the alternate preparer block feature, two firms with the same owner can access the application using different firm information, including firm name, address, and phone numbers. When you create electronic or internet files or print information on federal and state payroll tax forms, the application uses the appropriate firm information for each one. Note that the application changes the firm information for only those clients with the Payroll service enabled.

Example. Your firm's owner has two firms that use Accounting CS and Accounting CS Payroll, but the firms have different names - one for write-up work and one for payroll work. The alternate preparer block license feature (Alternate Firm license) enables you to process live payroll clients through the payroll firm and after-the-fact payroll clients through the write-up firm.

If you have an the alternate preparer block feature (Alternate Firm license), the Main tab of the Setup > Firm Information > Firm screen includes an Alternate firm field, and the drop-down list for the address, phone number, and fax number fields include an Alternate option. For more information, see Using the alternate preparer block feature.

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