Frequently Asked Questions

Please review the E-File Magic FAQs listed below. If your question is not listed , feel free to open a support ticket by e-mailing support@efilemagic.com, or posting a question to one of our forums.

E-File Magic 2.0 Desktop FAQ (16)

Listed below you will find questions and answers pertaining to the E-File Magic 2.0 desktop software. If you are looking for questions and answers pertaining to the E-File Magic website, please visit the E-File Magic Website FAQ.

When I enter my registration details and click save, nothing happens?

If you do not receive an error message when you click the 'Save' button on the Registration screen, it's safe to assume your registration details were commited to the database. 

How do I manually add recipient records?

Manually adding recipient records is a simple process.

1) Create a new Company/Filer, by navigating to the Company/Filer screen. This company will be set as the 'Active Company'.

2) Navigate to the 'Manage Recipients' screen, by clicking on the 'Manage Recipients' item, on the left hand navigation menu.

3) Select the form you wish to create a recipient for, and click the 'New' button.

4) Enter the recipients detail in the form section below.

5) Save the recipient record, by clicking on the 'Save' button located below the 'New' button.

Your finished. You can navigate to the 'Validate Recipients' screen and check your entry for errors and/or navigate to the 'Print Recipients' screen to print your entered form. If you just want to 'Quick Print' your recipient form, you can click the 'Print Recipient Form' button, on the 'Manage Recipients' screen. The software will print 'Copy B' for the selected recipient.

 

How do I generate a 1096?

E-File Magic requires that your information is e-filed electronically with the IRS through our processing bureau. The E-File transmittal takes the place of the 1096. Thus, you are not required to submit a 1096 form to the IRS.

How does E-File Magic handle IRS Corrections?

The IRS defines corrections into two distinct categories. 1) Corrections that involve a mistake with a form amount field and/or description, etc and 2) Corrections that involve a mistake with the Recipients Name, Address, or TaxID.

Depending on the correction type that is outlined above, the IRS requires either an Identifying and Correcting transaction to be issued, or just a Correction transaction to be issued. When you click the ‘Mark Corrected' button on the ‘Manage Recipient' screen in  E-File Magic 2.0, for a record that has already been transmitted for processing, E-File Magic will review the adjustments you make and determine the appropriate transactions to issue for you. This simplifies the process of issuing corrections and helps mitigate any potential errors.

What type of envelope are the E-File Magic recipient forms designed for, and how do I fold the pages?

First, our forms have all been intentionally designed to be mailed in double windowed Number 9 (3 7/8 x 8 7x8) envelopes. If you like to purchase your office supplies from Staples, you can buy/order Item Number: 266759.

Second, we print fold lines on all recipient forms to simplify your job of folding. Simply fold using the 'Z Fold' layout and stuff in the envelopes. We also print a PostNet barcode on each recipient form to help ensure a clean and consitent mailing process with the post office.

Don't forget, for a very reasonable cost E-File Magic can print and mail your forms for you! Simply check the 'Print and Mail' check box when transmitting your order file, or select 'Y' when uploading your Excel/CSV file, and we'll take care of the rest!

Can multiple users use E-File Magic at once and if so does this cost extra?

E-File Magic is multi user aware. Select ‘Setup Multi User Environment' from the database menu and follow the on screen instructions. The E-File Magic software is free whether you use it in a multi user network environment or on a single workstation.

How can I safely generate a backup of the E-File Magic Database?

E-File Magic 2.0 includes a software feature designed to securely backup your data. You can access this feature from the ‘Database' menu, by clicking on the ‘Backup/Encrypt' database option.

In order to perform the backup, you MUST enter a password. This is required because E-File Magic will generate a backup database file that is encrypted using the NSA recommended AES algorithm. Because of this WE CANNOT HELP YOU RECOVER YOUR DATABASE IF YOU LOOSE YOUR PASSWORD! So please make sure you use a password that is easy to remember, because you will be unable to recover your data if you forget.

Once the database has been backed up, it will be located in the E-File Magic 2.0 installation directory, under the ‘Backups' folder. You can copy this file wherever you like. As long as nobody else knows your password, the information contained within the backup database should remain safe and secure.

If at some point you wish use your backup database, simple select the ‘Decrypt Backup Database' option from the ‘Database' menu and follow the onscreen directions.

How do I know you encrypt my data when I transmit it to your website?

The answer to this question is two fold:

1) As a security precaution, when you generate the order transmittal file from E-File Magic 2.0, we encrypt this data using both symmetric and asymmetric encryption techniques utilizing two separate encryption algorithms. The first encryption technique utilizes key pairs. This ensures that even if our software was decompiled, it would be impossible to discover a *secret key* to unlock the transmittal data. Second, the actual bulk data is encrypted utilizing a randomly generated key, that is only known to somebody(us) that can decrypt the first message.

2) When you actually transmit the data to us, your web browser will encrypt the data transfer utilizing SSL.

We believe this multi-tiered approach helps ensure the utmost care is taken in securing your information.

You can verify that we are in fact encrypting your data by navigating to the E-File Magic installation directory, opening the ‘XMLTrans' folder, and reviewing one of the generated XML files(You must first have generated a file for transmission to us, via the Transmit screen.). You can also review a secure transmittal file example screenshot which details what an encrypted transmittal file looks like.

What is Misc. Data?

The E-File Magic software and our print/mail facilities will accept and process miscellaneous information to be printed on your recipient forms. You can customize up to 12 individual lines of data containing dates, content, and amount information. This is useful if you wish to print a history of payments, add a customized thank you note to your recipients, or input special instructions for them to follow once they’ve received your forms.

Where do I put my TCC number?

When you transmit your data to our servers, we automatically transmit that information to the IRS using OUR TCC Number. You DO NOT need a TCC Number in order to use our service.

Why can't I print Copy A from E-File Magic?

E-File Magic requires that you transmit your e-file data through our online processing servers.

What version of Microsoft Windows does E-File Magic run on?

E-File Magic officially supports Windows 2000, XP, and VISTA. However, it will likely run on Windows 98/ME, though we do not provide support for those versions of Windows.

Will E-File Magic conflict with SQL?

SQL stands for “Structured Query Language” and is a language that provides an interface to relational database systems. SQL is not an application. E-File Magic will not conflict with any of your existing applications that use SQL on your hard drive.

Can I import data from Microsoft Excel?

E-File Magic supports importing from Excel in both the native XLS format AND CSV format. In general, most proprietary software applications you might use to generate your filing information support exporting into a CSV or XLS file.

How much does E-File Magic cost?

The software and e-mail based technical support are completely free. The E-File Magic software will NOT print IRS copy A, and requires that you e-file your recipient data with our online e-file processing system. There is a fee associated with e-filing your data, however, we designed our pricing structure to help ensure you receive the highest quality of service while incurring a low out of pocket expense. Please click the price quote button on our website to get of an idea of your end to end cost. We're confident you'll be happy with the results.

What IRS Forms does E-File Magic Support?

Currently E-File Magic 2.0 Supports the following forms:

  • 1098
  • 1098C
  • 1098E
  • 1098T
  • 1099A
  • 1099B
  • 1099C
  • 1099CAP
  • 1099DIV
  • 1099G
  • 1099H
  • 1099INT
  • 1099LTC
  • 1099MISC
  • 1099OID
  • 1099PATR
  • 1099Q
  • 1099R
  • 1099S
  • 1099SA
  • 5498
  • 5498ESA
  • 5498SA
  • W2G
E-File Magic Website FAQ (5)

Listed below you will find questions and answers pertaining to the E-File Magic Website software. If you are looking for questions and answers pertaining to the E-File Magic 2.0 Desktop Software, please visit the E-File Magic 2.0 Desktop FAQ.

What is the deadline for submitting my data to you, in order to have you print and mail it by January 31st?

If you intend to have our service bureau print and mail your forms, for 2007, the deadline for having your data to us is January 23rd. If we receive your data after the 23rd, we cannot guarantee we will have your forms dispatched by the 31st, however, we will still process them.

What is a 'Recipient Bank' and why is it a good thing?

The first order you submit to us requires a minimum charge to be met. The minimum charge, allows you to submit up to 75 recipients. Because many of our customers are CPA's and other tax professionals, we provide you with a "Recipient Bank" in order to keep the cost associated with multiple company e-file submissions to a minimum. Here's how it works:

  • If the total recipients you submit, regardless of the number of companies/filers, is less than the minimum 75 recipients, you won't be charged more than the minimum fee. E.G., if you had 4 companies/filers, and each company/filer had 10 recipients, your total cost would be equal to the minimum charge.
  • If these same 4 companies had a combined recipient count of 100 recipients, you would be charged the minimum charge, plus the cost for the additional 25 recipients.
  • The 75 recipients allowed with the minimum charge, is yours to use how you see fit. As long as the total number of recipients you submit is less than 75 you can continue to submit companies/filers for processing without incurring an additional charge above the minimum.

Many of our competitors charge you a 'Per File' charge, regardless of the quantity of recipients you submit in each file. In this case, the costs can quickly add up. If you're a CPA and are preparing to file for 10 different companies/filers and a total of 50 recipients, you might be charged the per file fee for EACH company/filer. If the per file charge was 75 dollars, filing would cost you $750.00 dollars! With E-File Magic, you'd only pay $68.75.

This is just one example of the many ways E-File Magic has designed it's software and services to support the diverse needs of our customers.

What states participate in the Combined/Federal State e-File Program?

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin

I received a notice from the IRS saying I didn't transmit anything?

When processing your recipients E-File Magic uses OUR TCC Number. If your company also has a TCC number, it's possible the notice you received pertains to this TCC Number. Before contacting support, please ensure you have checked to see if this might be the case.

How do your printing and mailing services work?

When you transmit your order data to us, you can elect to optionally have us print and mail your IRS forms for you, for an added fee. Once we have received your data our processing center will get to work. First they will securely print laser generated copies of the relevant forms for your recipients, ensuring an accurate audit trail is in place for EACH recipient. Once they have completed the print process, they will be sorted and mailed. Once mailing is complete, we will automatically dispatch an e-mail to you notifying you accordingly.

Our Print/Mailing facilities are located in a secure keycard access building. Only authorized employees and personnel are allowed entrance.

 

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