With Drake software, the timeout period for a preparer with full rights is 10 minutes of inactivity in the tax program. For a preparer without full rights, its 15 minutes. This is proving to be a real annoyance. Tying to have a phone conversation with a client while accessing data from their return is difficult, particularly for clients that have a lot to say. (Hold that thought while I log into my software for the 3rd time). I have to remember to keep moving my mouse.
Last year, the timeout period was 20/25 minutes. That was workable. A colleague who uses Lacerte says her timeout period is still more like 20-25 minutes. Can anyone confirm that? If you use something other than Lacerte, what is the timeout period for your software?
I asked Drake Support about the 10 minute timeout and they insist that the IRS mandates a 10/15 minute timeout period for this tax season. They could not point to any documentation that support that (other than the 2016 Security Protocols which require timeouts but do not appear to specify a time period). Do you know of any?
Drake Support is always pleasant and answers the phone quickly, but I am wondering how they score on transparency.
I understand security is important. But, in my opinion, there needs to be a balance between security and usability.