Overview of CS Connect

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Warning

Product support for the Creative Solutions Accounting platform ended on September 30, 2020.

Help & How-To Center content for the Creative Solutions Accounting platform may be outdated and is used at your own risk.

CS Connect provides Creative Solutions Accounting users with a convenient and economical way to download and apply licenses and application updates for all CSA applications and to send or retrieve other important data. Using the CS Connect dialog, you can place an immediate call to the servers at our network of secure data centers, and you can opt to apply any downloaded updates immediately or at a later time.

Notes

  • CS Connect installs automatically when you install any application from the CS Professional Suite Accounting Products CD.
  • The Internet does not always operate at peak speed. If you use an Internet connection, you may at times experience slower performance than you would if connected directly to our servers.
  • CS Connect encrypts all sensitive transactions involving monetary funds or client information using an industry-standard encryption system, thus keeping your data safe.

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CS Connect operating hours

The servers at our network of secure data centers are scheduled to be available for CS Connect calls during all hours of the week. In the rare event that system maintenance is required, it will be performed between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. eastern time.

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CS Connect features

For all users of CSA

  • Download and apply license files for your CS Professional Suite Accounting Products applications as well as for any of your Client Bookkeeping Solution (CBS) clients.
  • Download and apply application updates and user bulletins via modem or other standard Internet connection.
  • Apply the application updates downloaded via CS Connect to a CSA installation on a different computer or network from the one to which they have been downloaded. See Backing up and restoring application updates.
  • For e-filing users, transmit or recall payroll tax forms and retrieve acknowledgements.
  • For users of third-party workers' compensation insurance service, retrieve consent files and transmit setup or payroll files. InsurePay users can also retrieve acknowledgement files that confirm whether or not transmitted files have been accepted.
  • For user of the federal E-Verify application for SSN verifications, retrieve or transmit electronic files.
  • Receive other timely information from us.

For users of Payroll CS with Remote Payroll Entry or Remote Check Printing clients

  • Transmit payroll information to and from NetClient CS portals.

See also: Viewing electronic filing (ELF) reports

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Setting up and using CS Connect

To enable CS Connect to function correctly, you must complete the following steps.

  1. Ensure you have the necessary equipment and system requirements to use CS Connect.(One-time setup task.)
  2. Set the communication options for using CS Connect. (Once-time setup task.)

    Note: The default communication settings are correct for most connection types; however, users who connect to our servers using a dial-up Internet service provider or a proxy server should review the communication settings.

  3. Test your connection in CS Connect

Related topics

Troubleshooting connection issues

Placing an immediate call via CS Connect

Recalling transmitted returns

Retrieving CS Connect updates in Engagement CS

Applying application updates to non-network workstations

Viewing and printing user bulletins

Frequently asked questions (CS Connect)

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