As is the case (almost) every month, there’s plenty of exciting news again in April about Opti.Tax and hsp. On „hsp live at 11“, hsp captain Paul Liese presented the latest update. This time, the focus is on the Opti.Tax Update 22.0.4, which introduces new features to the programme. Over the past four weeks, a total of 48 items have been addressed. Paul doesn’t go into all of them, but he does want to explain a few in more detail.

First of all, there is some news regarding the hsp.community. The hsp’s in-house community has just surpassed 1,000 members. However, many people simply consume the content passively, which is why Paul has issued this request and invitation: Get involved, join the groups, and make the most of the opportunities on offer. For many, the opportunity to join individual groups should prove useful. At this point, Paul recommends joining the „Property Tax“ group. That way, you’ll be notified as soon as there’s new information in the group.

It was recently posted that hsp had received a message from the ELSTER development team and that a new version of ERiC is now available. This is because the data set contained errors, which have now been rectified. This has been incorporated into the latest Opti.Tax update. Things are constantly changing, particularly with regard to the currently highly dynamic topic of property tax and property tax reform. Anyone wishing to stay informed about both this topic and the latest developments concerning the Opti.Tax Property Tax software should click on the „Become a member“ button.

The team is continuing to improve efficiency

Another point: the Excel template that clients can use to record a property. This template is already complete and will be available for use with the upcoming update 22.0.5. Work on such templates is ongoing. These templates always reflect the latest regulatory requirements. With version 22.0.5, it will also be possible to specify a primary data source. It will be possible to work with multiple data sources.

Next point: Some law firms were unable to find any data via DATEVconnect. This issue was resolved following extensive testing. All users should now be able to find and retrieve existing data via DATEVconnect. Another useful feature is the ability to create surveys for several properties at once and send them to the client.

Another new feature is the option „Create a declaration for determining the property tax value“, i.e. the creation of the valuation declaration. At present, however, this is only possible and practical for the federal model, as this is the only system where all the necessary documents are available from the tax authorities. The process itself is incredibly simple, requiring just a few clicks, and includes the digital option for the client to approve the document, etc. Furthermore, hsp is working to ensure that any data entered once does not have to be re-entered at a later date should the authorities’ requirements or templates change.

Fewer media breaks, step by step

Anyone wishing to save time can use DocEstate’s services to have administrative procedures carried out entirely digitally. It is now possible to create a new account directly within Opti.Tax. Using this method, DocEstate is notified that the person registering is using an Opti.Tax licence. Of course, each individual can decide for themselves whether to contact DocEstate directly instead, for example to discuss special terms and individual billing models.

All other changes, new features and improvements can be found on hsp.community under the ‘Forum’ section. Julian from our development team has posted a thread there listing all the key points regarding update 22.0.4. Everyone can look forward to the next update, 22.0.5, which will bring further useful features. Among other things, we’re working on a feature that will allow a document to be signed and approved by several people.