An accounting practice needs fixed-asset software that holds every client as its own entity under one licence, keeps the client's four books, produces the Form 4562 worksheet and Form 4797 support in a form the preparer software takes, and converts client registers one at a time reconciled to the last return.
A firm keeps other people's registers, and the return is the deliverable.
An accounting practice with forty business clients keeps forty fixed-asset registers, produces forty Forms 4562, and answers forty sets of questions about bonus depreciation and the state addback. The software that suits a single company, one entity and one set of users, does not suit a firm unless it holds every client as its own entity under one licence, keeps the client's four books, and produces the return's figures in a form the preparer software takes. The alternative, a register inside the tax suite, works until the client leaves the firm or the firm changes suites.
| What a firm needs | How the register answers it |
|---|---|
| Many clients, kept apart | Each client is an entity with its own fiscal calendar, GL mapping, books and users; staff see the clients they are assigned to |
| Every treatment the return needs | Four books per asset (book, federal, state, AMT), with elections per asset and year |
| The return's figures without re-keying | Form 4562 worksheet by class and convention, the disposal report with recapture for Form 4797, the state difference report, exported for the preparer software |
| Clients that keep their own register | The same product in-house, sending the file; or the firm holds the register and gives the controller view access |
| Tax tables that are current before the season | Federal and state changes applied and dated in the changelog |
| A licence that does not charge per client | Priced by total asset records across clients, with a firm rate above 10,000; no per-client or per-preparer fee |
| Conversion of a client register | Per client, at a firm rate, from Fixed Assets CS, ProSystem fx, ProSeries, Sage or a spreadsheet, reconciled to the last return |
The workflow in the season.
The client's additions arrive as a file or an A/P export and are loaded with a saved map; disposals are entered as dated events; the year's depreciation is run in every book; the Form 4562 worksheet, the Form 4797 support and the state difference report are exported for the return. The firm's home page lists every client entity with its return type, record count and Form 4562 status, so the partner sees who is done. The Form 4562 article maps the worksheet to the form line by line.
Depreciation detail with remaining lifeSchedule: Book · As of 30 Sep 2026 · Grouped by class
| Asset | Description | In service | Method | Life | Cost | Prior | 2026 YTD | Accumulated | Net book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10120 | Nonresid. improvement, Bldg 2 | 06/2019 | SL | 39 | 312,000.00 | 52,666.67 | 6,000.00 | 58,666.67 | 253,333.33 |
| 10412 | Vertical machining center | 05/2023 | SL | 10 | 148,500.00 | 39,600.00 | 11,137.50 | 50,737.50 | 97,762.50 |
| 10577 | Delivery van, unit 7 | 09/2024 | SL | 5 | 58,900.00 | 15,706.67 | 8,835.00 | 24,541.67 | 34,358.33 |
| 10603 | Warehouse racking, aisle 3 | 01/2025 | SL | 7 | 24,300.00 | 3,471.43 | 2,603.57 | 6,075.00 | 18,225.00 |
| 10688 | Server cluster | 03/2026 | SL | 3 | 41,200.00 | 0.00 | 8,011.11 | 8,011.11 | 33,188.89 |
| 10240 | Office furniture, HQ 3rd floor | 06/2026 | SL | 7 | 9,600.00 | 0.00 | 457.14 | 457.14 | 9,142.86 |
| 09877 | Forklift, unit 3 | 04/2018 | SL | 7 | 31,750.00 | 31,750.00 | 0.00 | 31,750.00 | 0.00 |
| 10311 | Laptops (12), sales | 02/2024 | SL | 3 | 18,420.00 | 11,768.33 | 4,605.00 | 16,373.33 | 2,046.67 |
| Grand totals, 8 assets shown of 1,203 | 644,670.00 | 154,963.10 | 41,649.32 | 196,612.42 | 448,057.58 | ||||
Conversion, client by client.
A firm changing software converts registers one at a time, usually starting with the clients whose returns are next. Each is loaded with prior depreciation as filed and reconciled to the last return in a parallel run, at a firm rate per register; the conversion article describes the method and the Fixed Assets CS page the field map from the most common source. The CPA firms page states the licensing.
What to record on the asset.
- The client entity on every asset, with its calendar and GL mapping.
- The preparer and the preparer software for each client, so the export is in the right layout.
- The return type and the state books each client needs.
- Who at the firm is assigned to the client, for access.
- The conversion date and the reconciliation for each client register.
In Fixed Asset Desk: every client is an entity in one register under one firm licence, priced by total asset records, with the Form 4562 worksheet exported for whichever preparer software the return uses.
Sources: The company's product and licensing facts as stated on this site as of 20 September 2026; Form 4562 and Form 4797 instructions (2025). Checked 20 September 2026.