ProSeries Support

What is product licensing?

ProSeries product licensing is a system that licenses your ProSeries tax software to your firm. Product licensing no longer requires access codes for most tax software. (An access code is only required during installation for Research Library.)

Product licensing is required before you can print returns or file returns electronically. Products that aren't licensed for unlimited use can be used on a Pay-Per-Return basis.

Product licensing can be performed using the online method or the manual method. For most ProSeries users, product licensing occurs online automatically.

Here's how the ProSeries product licensing system works:

1. When you place your order for ProSeries tax products, information about the products you've ordered is included with your customer number, zip code, and firm information in our customer database. Product licensing uses this information to deliver the following to your ProSeries tax software:
   • An unlimited-use license for each ProSeries tax product and ProSeries electronic filing product that you've purchased for unlimited use.
   • Your firm's name and address.
2. Online Method - If your computer has an Internet connection, the Connected Customer Wizard in the ProSeries program downloads your firm's product licensing information. This occurs when you start the ProSeries program for the first time. The online method is the fastest and easiest method to use.

   Note: The Connected Customer Wizard downloads product licensing information about all the ProSeries products you've ordered, whether or not those products have been installed yet.

3. Manual Method - If your computer doesn't have an Internet connection, you will need to call ProSeries Automated Customer Support or Customer Service to complete your firm's product licensing for the ProSeries products that you've ordered. You do this after you start the ProSeries program the first time.

   Note: Before you call, go to the Tools menu, choose License Products, then select Manual, and click OK to open the License Products dialog box. Follow the on-screen instructions. When you receive your Activation Code, enter it in the Enter Activation Code field, then click OK.

4. If you install additional products as they become available, you don't have to do anything to update your firm's product licensing information for those products unless you decide that you want to use them on an Unlimited basis and you didn't originally order them on an Unlimited basis. Under these circumstances, follow the instructions in step 5.
5. If you want to use a ProSeries tax product on an Unlimited basis and you didn't originally order that product on an Unlimited basis, here's how to update your firm's ProSeries product licensing information. First, go to the Tools menu and choose License Products. Next, select Manual and click OK to open the License Products dialog box. When you call Customer Service, identify yourself and the products that you want to license for use on an Unlimited basis. When you receive your Activation Code, enter it in the Enter Activation Code field, then press OK.

Note: If you install ProSeries tax software for stand-alone use on multiple computers that don't have an Internet connection and you'd rather not perform product licensing for each computer using the Manual method, here's a convenient way to copy your firm's product licensing information from one computer to the other computers.

1. From the computer with your firm's product licensing information, go to the File menu, choose Copy Product License, then use the dialog box to save the product license file to a network location or removable media (such as a 3.5-inch disk).
2. From each computer that requires product licensing, go to the File menu, choose Retrieve Product License, then use the dialog box to retrieve the product license file that you copied to the network location or removable media.
You will need to repeat this procedure if you update your firm's product licensing information.

Additional Information

• How do I enter or edit my firm's name and address?