5500 filing method Ft William to Relius

[pmacduff]

Ok - this question is directed toward those who used Ft William 5500 software for the 2009 filings (Mr. Poje?)

Anyway - we use RGF but did not use the Relius Web Client. We prepared the forms in RGF, exported the *.xml file and downloaded that to EFAST@ (IFILE). The form could then be signed by the client or we could sign and file after obtaining authorization and signature pages from the client. This actually went pretty smooth, all things considered.

What is the procedure for Ft William 5500 filing and signing? Most of my clients obtained their filing credentials and signed the form on EFAST2 by signing on to the EBSA website. If we switch to Ft William 5500 software for 2010 does that mean I have to give my clients yet another website instead of having them sign on to the EBSA website to sign and file the form?

any info appreciated!

[A Shot in the Dark]

I am not Tom. Sorry for the disapointment.

The answer to your question is, when you use the FT William 5500 software, the client logs onto the DOL website to gain their user ID and PIN Code. They can then exit the DOL website.

The client is then redirected to a link for the FT William website to complete the filing and acceptance.

The process seemed to work easily for about 90% of our client base. The other 10% had problems initially following the directions. But, we were able to help them throught the process.

[Bill Presson]

Ok - this question is directed toward those who used Ft William 5500 software for the 2009 filings (Mr. Poje?)

Anyway - we use RGF but did not use the Relius Web Client. We prepared the forms in RGF, exported the *.xml file and downloaded that to EFAST@ (IFILE). The form could then be signed by the client or we could sign and file after obtaining authorization and signature pages from the client. This actually went pretty smooth, all things considered.

What is the procedure for Ft William 5500 filing and signing? Most of my clients obtained their filing credentials and signed the form on EFAST2 by signing on to the EBSA website. If we switch to Ft William 5500 software for 2010 does that mean I have to give my clients yet another website instead of having them sign on to the EBSA website to sign and file the form?

any info appreciated!

This is what we did. After some initial bumps, it went pretty smoothly and we're going to do the same thing again next year.

[austin3515]

I have to say every EFAST/IFILE experience I had went VERY smooth. The system simply worked the way it was supposed to. Plus, it was a single web-site which is inherrently simpler. I filed with about a dozen clients on it, and the invitiation system went very very smoothly. The emails always went out immediately. The filing received came back consistently AND immediately, even on October 14.

The one thing I struggle with is managing the filing status of all of our plans. The single reason I'm torn from leaving a Relius Web Client type of platform is the report I get with the filing statuses. The only way it works is to print out the confirmation email for each one, and match it up against our client list for extensions, final checks, etc. Not totally out of the question, but still a good deal of extra work.

The last downside is that when we are doing the filing for the clients, our owner's name shows up as the plan administrator in both columns so it looks like we're the plan administrator. No work around as of yet (per the DOL), but if they fix this, one more hurdle will be removed.

[Tom Poje]

sorry to disappoint you, this is me!

of course everyone had to sign up with the DOL, so that is a step that doesn't matter what software you use. we modified the DOL instructions a little (e.g. instead of showing all items checked, our screen print only showed the box 'filing signer' checked along with a message 'check only this one', so I think we eliminated some of the problems others had.

my initial biggest concern was the concept of not 'rolling one set of 5500s from one year to the next, and therefore how much time would it take to re-enter the basic data - plan name, address, etc'

that was easy - all you do is type in the EIN number and the info is there.

There is a report you can generate in FT William that lists all the 5500s you are working on, along with the status - Accepted, not accepted, not done, etc. along with the plan name, the date invite sent out, the date file accepted, the form (EZ, SF, etc) whether it is on extension, etc. if you have a number of different people working on the forms you can even indicate who is doing whhich plan. since it is an excel file you can sort it anyway you please.

[pmacduff]

ok - so from what "A Shot in the Dark" says - my clients (who are already registered with the EBSA from this year) WILL have to go to a different website (Ft William) to file the return?

I guess that means more work for me next year advising them of the new website for filing. I was hoping that wasn't the case

Or does the Ft William software notify them via email where to log on?

[Tom Poje]

its automatic with what you set up, you can modify the message any way you wish. this is a sample:

................................................

Your 5500 is ready for a signature. You can log on at:

https followed by the rest of the link (so all you do is click and go)

You can log in using the following credentials:

Username: name or whatever

Password: whatever

Thank You

...once entering the site, they print a copy of the form for their records, enter their User ID and their pin number and its done.

[chc93]

I agree with Tom. Also, my experience with support from FTwilliam has been excellent. Emails have been answered well within an hour each time, even through the beginning of October. One time, I even got a call back from support to make sure that I understood the answers in the email. The actual electronic filing process was always "immediate" (within seconds) without problems (except for the clients who didn't quite follow instructions). FTwilliam also had a "notification" email sent automatically whenever a filing status has changed (like from "submitted" to "accepted" when the clients sign the form).

p.s. One other thing I like is that the FTwilliam 5500 software system is entirely web-based. There is no software that needs to be downloaded to your computer, and all data are stored on their system. In fact, I had a problem once, emailed them, they fixed it in 15 minutes and let me know, and I could then continue. I was skeptical at first with the web-based nature, but got used to it and now really like it. Also because of this, you can work on forms, or view forms from any computer connected to the internet.

[Bill Presson]

I'm going to stick with filing directly on the EFAST2 site. Actually stunned that I can write that.

But I'll be very curious to see how FT William handles a much larger clientele when dealing with service issues assuming that many Relius users switch.

[12AX7]

Does the FT William system store the Filing Signer's User ID and PIN?

[chc93]

Does the FT William system store the Filing Signer's User ID and PIN?

FTWilliam can store the DOL UserID (optional). But I don't think the DOL PIN can be stored, since it can't be shared?

[nancy]

We also had a very positive experience using FT William. I too was a bit skeptical about the web based nature. The system is very easy to use and the status reports were invaluable.

[imchipbrown]

I used FT William for 2009. I'm struggling to see why I can't "roll my own" for 2010.

I uploaded a 5500 or two to the DOL site with an error here or there and was able to fix the entries directly on the DOL site. If I can roll data 2009->2010 on the DOL site, why pay FT William (now CCH)? (If not, ignore the rest of the rant).

I'm kind of put-off getting the new (higher) invoices from CCH months in advance. I liked FT Williams' smallishness. CCH, not so much.

[chc93]

I used FT William for 2009. I'm struggling to see why I can't "roll my own" for 2010.

I got this from the EFAST2 website.

http://www.efast.dol.gov/fip/forms_pubs.html

Near the bottom under Publications, the EFAST2 IFile User Guide.

**************

6.5.2.4 Create a New Filing by Replicating an Existing Filing

A new filing can be created based on a previously submitted filing or an existing unsubmitted filing (i.e., a filing that was started in EFAST2 but not submitted). This is usually done to provide a starting point for the next year’s filing. Data is copied from the original filing based on the year of the new filing.

If the replication is to the same year as the original filing, all data will be pre-populated.

If the replication is to the next year, only demographic data will be pre-populated (see section 6.5.2 for a list of the demographic fields).

Only the author of the original filing may replicate data from a previous filing.

Only active, current year filings may be replicated; there is no replication of filings from an inactive year or prior year filings, even if they are an active year.

For information concerning replication versus amendments, see the inset box in section 6.5, Creating a New or Amended Filing.

**************

Hope this helps...

[imchipbrown]

Thanks for the link. Doesn't look like replication on EFAST will do what I hoped (bring data forward).

As for FTWilliam's process, hey, my plans are all submitted and approved, on time. Good enough.