Updates for 2026 Editions of Tax Preparer

Tax Preparer 2026.01f NOW AVAILABLE!

If you already ordered Tax Preparer 1040 for the current filing season, you should have received an email from us with the link for your download of the software, so that you can get started preparing tax returns. But if you didn't receivd the link, Let us know with your name, serial number, current email address, and which version you ordered (Economy, Standard, or Premium), and we will email your link to you as long as we can confirm your order.

ATTENTION! If you already installed the complete program for the 2026 filing season (release 2026.01), scroll down to update that release to the newest version (release 2026.01f).

For step-by-step instructions, with pictures, for downloading and installing the complete program from the link we send you, see our 12 steps for Downloading and Installing the complete Tax Preparer program.

BUT ... for Windows 11: You'll need to first get past a number of new protections introduced in Windows 11 that arise because we are an unknown publisher in the eyes of MicroSoft. See our detailed step-by-step instructions in How to download and install or update Tax Preparer using Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge browser.

But... if you haven't yet placed your order,
NOW is the time ... quickly and securely online!

After last year's expansion of Schedules 1, 2, and 3, you may have thought Form 1040 returns couldn't get any more complex. But the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has led to a major expansion of Form 1040 and another new schedule to support its retroactive provisions for tax-free tips, tax-free overtime, tax-free car loan interest, and an extra $6,000 deduction for seniors, all of which have special requirements that must be met. And the new Form 1040 requires you to supply much more information on dependents, children's income, EIC claims, and more. In addition, some clean energy credits expired at the end of 2024 and others expired retroactively to the last quarter of 2025.

But you'll be ready for anything with the help of Tax Preparer ... if you order NOW. Just click the starburst to the left to get started. It's secure and fast, and you'll get instant feedback that your order is received.

TIPS on moving Tax Preparer to a new computer or upgrading an old one.

Moving to a new computer? If you bought a new computer and want to copy your prior-year data to that computer for translation, see the last few pages of Chapter 14 of the new User's Guide (pages 14-13 through 14-18). It provides useful information and tips on moving Tax Preparer data from one computer to another, backed by examples for four common scenarios.

NEW: Upgrading old computer to Windows 10? If you upgrade an existing computer to Windows 10, you may encounter printing or start-up problems:

Printing: You may have to update the driver for your printer if graphic forms in Tax Preparer do not print properly. While the Windows 10 upgrade automatically installs the required new drivers for most popular printers of recent vintage, it does not update drivers for older or less popular printers, many of which did not yet have Windows 10 drivers available when Windows 10 was first released. You may therefore have to install a new driver from the website for the manufacturer of the printer, if available.
Start-up (32-bit only): Tax Preparer may not start because of a change in settings that Microsoft's upgrade to Windows 10 imposes automatically for 32-bit versions of Windows 10. To change the settings back to the ones required by Tax Preparer, see Customer Service Memo CSTP1503. (No such problem exists for 64-bit versions of Windows 10, which are generally installed when you upgrade a 64-bit computer to Windows 10.)

Additional help. Some people have had perplexing problems this year for which there were not immediate solutions. These include failure of the installation programs, failure of Tax Preparer to start, inability to access tax data, and inability for e-file transmission software to find e-file output to transmit. All of the problems are caused by either aggressive anti-virus software or non-standard computer setups. However, convenient solutions for all problems are available and are described in two memos on our Bulletins page:

CSTP1501: How to ensure proper installation and updating of Tax Preparer.
CSTP1502: How to avert inability to run Tax Preparer's start-up .vbs file.

32-bit and 64-bit compatibility!

Since shortly before the 2015 filing season, Tax Preparer has been compatible with all versions of Windows 8, 8.1, and 10, including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and all other Windows versions as far back as Windows XP, whether 32-bit or 64-bit. Although greatly modified for 64-bit Windows, the familiar look and feel of Tax Preparer remains the same. You will have no problem installing or running our software on a new Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 computer, most of which are preloaded with a 64-bit version of Windows. However, Windows 10 may require an updated print driver or, for 32-bit versions, a change in default settings as detailed in Customer Service Memo CSTP1503. (Prior to this time, in order to use Tax Preparer on a 64-bit machine you had to install additional software that created a virtual 32-bit machine and then install Tax Preparer within that virtual machine, which could sometimes be difficult and costly.)

TIPS for paid preparers: Don't forget the mandatory annual registration of your PTIN. You must register with the IRS to practice in 2019 as a paid preparer. REMEMBER, you must renew your PTIN annually each year you want to prepare returns for clients. And don't forget about mandatory e-file. (See our 2011 HowardNews for information on both mandatory registration and mandatory e-file.) You are now required to e-file your clients' returns except for returns that cannot be handled by your e-file software or returns that your clients do not want to be e-filed. However, even if you find that you are not required to e-file many of your returns, there are plenty of reasons for adding e-file to your practice anyway. Read Why e-file? on our home page for details.

ON-LINE UPDATES for 2026 Edition

These on-line updates can be used only by those who have already installed a prior release of the same program for the same filing season. (For the last on-line updates for the prior tax season, click the 2025 EDITIONS button near the top of this page.)

Tax Preparer
(Form 1040)

CLICK HERE
for updates

Release 2026.01f now available.

(Updated 3/8/2026.)

Partnership Edition
(Form 1065)

No update yet available.

Not yet released for 2026.

California Supplement
(Form 540)

No update yet available.

Not yet released for 2026.

Manuals
(Tax Forms Guides and User's Guide)

CLICK HERE
for manuals

The latest on-screen manuals are also included with all updates.

IMPORTANT NEWS

3/8/2026 Release 2026.01f of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Forms 5329 and 8606. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

3/5/2026 Release 2026.01e of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Forms 2210, 2210-F, 8824, and 8839, and revises Form 1040 to correct a problem with line 4a of the form. It also adds recently released or revised IRS documentation: Pubs. 463, 523, 560, 561, 570, and 587, revised instructions for Form 1040 (including Schedules 1 through 3) and Form 8829, revised Form 8880 and its instructions, and new instructions for Form 1040-X. It also adds IRS documentation for Form 172 and its instructions. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

3/1/2026 NEW instructions for installing or updating Tax Preparer under Windows 11.

If your computer uses the Windows 11 operating system, you may find the installation or updating of Tax Preparer challenging because of the incessant Unknown publisher warnings from various Windows processes like Windows Defender and Windows Smart Screen. As a result, we have written a new document that addresses the issue and provides step-by-step instructions for installing or updating Tax Preparer under these circumstances. To see this new document, which is one of the helpful documents on our Bulletins web page, click How to download and install or update Tax Preparer using Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge browser.

2/26/2026 Release 2026.01d of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Forms 1116, 6251, and 8801, and revises Form 1040 and Schedule 8812 for more automation and better clarity. It also adds recently released or revised IRS documentation: Pubs. 515, 517, 525, 537, and 925, revised instructions for Form 2210, and Form 941 with its instructions. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

2/22/2026 Release 2026.01c of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Forms 2106 and 4562, with updated depreciation calculations. It also adds recently released or revised IRS documentation: Pubs. 3, 5, 502, 519, 908, and 974 as well as Form 1040-X (without instructions) and revised instructions for Form 2210-F. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

2/16/2026 Release 2026.01b of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Schedule EIC and Forms 2120, 2350, 2555, 4684, 4868, 4972, 6781, 8332, 8396, 8815, and 8853. It also adds recently released or revised IRS documentation: Pubs. 334, 526, 721, and 969, as well as instructions for Form 4562 and a revised Form 1040-ES and its instructions. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

2/11/2026 Release 2026.01a of Tax Preparer 1040 now available.

This update adds to the software Schedule 1-A and Forms 1310, 2848, 4137, 6198, and 8829, and corrects certain omissions in the translating of prior-year returns, including a failure to automatically advance taxpayers' ages by one year. It also adds recently released IRS documentation: Pubs. 501, 510, 514, 530, 544, 547, 554, 559, 584, 939, and 970, as well as Form 1040-ES and its instructions, plus instructions for Forms 6765 and 8960. To get the new update and more details on the changes, go to the Downloads Page.

1/8/2026 IRS announces first day of 2026 filing season.

The IRS has set Monday, January 26, 2026, as the first day that they will accept returns for tax year 2025. They will reject any e-file returns they receive before this date and will hold for later processing any paper returns they received before this date. During that week, we also plan to issue our first release of Tax Preparer for the new tax season. So, if you haven't yet ordered your Tax Preparer update for the new tax season, NOW is the time to do so securely at our Ordering Page, so that you can download the new Tax Preparer update as soon as it is released. We will email to you your link for the download of the program(s) you ordered shortly before its release.

Prior releases. For details on prior-year changes throughout the tax season, see Changes in Recent Releases for the respective software:

What are the changes?

Because of the convenience of the web, we issue new releases frequently, even when most of the changes are relatively insignificant. Changes are highlighted in the bottom half of the respective download pages. However, if you want more detail about the most significant changes, there are two other places to look:

E-FILE ALERTS. Changes that are of consequence ONLY to e-file returns are documented here. The changes typically avert specific Reject Codes for the e-file return, so if your return is rejected, check this list first to see if you need to update your software and take particular steps to repair your data.
BULLETINS. Changes that are significant for both paper and e-file returns are documented here. Technical Change Notices are issued for each significant change, including the steps you may have to take to repair a return prepared with an earlier release.

Changes that are not documented on either of these pages are less serious in nature, including rewording on some on-screen lines to make entries more understandable, correction of spelling errors, correction of line number references on printouts, and technical changes that have no affect on calculations.

IMPORTANT TIP: After you translate a prior-year return to the current-year format, be sure to VIEW ALL TRANSLATED WORKSHEETS to ensure that the worksheets are recalculated under their new format, and to verify that all entries are proper for the current return. This step is especially necessary this year because of major changes in several worksheets.

This website last updated March 8, 2026.

	TEXT SIZE:	P.O. Box 87551 Vancouver, WA 98687 phone: (858) 454-0121 e-mail: support@howardsoft.com