Approved Software for PA Inheritance Tax Filings

On December 3, 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Inheritance Tax Division, updated its list of "Inheritance Tax Approved Software Vendors" that was sent to the Commonwealth's Registers of Wills.

The listed vendors, in their software packages, offer a form of the REV-1500 ("Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return -- Resident Decedent") that meets "the current standards" required by the Department. Some, but not all, of those same vendors also offer an approved form of the REV-346 ("Estate Information Sheet").

Following is the chart provided by the Department:

Company Name and REV-1500 software	REV-346 software
ATX
REV-1500	REV-346
CCH
REV-1500	REV-346
Data Tech Software Solutions
REV-1500	REV-346
Faster systems, LLC
REV-1500	Not included
Fast-Tax
REV-1500	Not included
GEMS
REV-1500	Not included
The Lackner Group, Inc.
REV-1500	REV-346
RIA
REV-1500	Not included
STF Services Group
REV-1500	REV-346
TaxWise
REV-1500	Not included
TAXWORKS
REV-1500	Not included

THORPE
REV-1500	Pending

The Department itself offers, online, both a standard PDF form of the REV-1500 and a "fill in" PDF form of the REV-1500 (June, 2005 revisions), along with related schedules, instructions, and other Inheritance Tax forms, on its Forms and Publications web page.

But, interestingly, the Department does not offer its own form REV-346 in the long list of forms posted on its Forms and Publication web page.

Instead, this form is found on the website of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, as posted in PDF format by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

REV-346 is RW-01 in the list of the court-approved, standardized Register of Wills forms:

• RW-01: Estate Infomation Sheet

• RW-01: Estate Information Sheet (Fill-In)

As you can see from the chart, presently there are twelve vendors offering software printing Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax returns for filing with the Department. You can automate production of PA Inheritance Tax Returns by choosing and using such software.

But, whatever you do, don't staple the return intended for the Department! Deadly, unpredictable delay might be your penalty.