Drake Tax 25 Macros: 16 Time-Saving Shortcuts

Stop clicking through the same screens hundreds of times per tax season. These 16 Drake macros automate your most repetitive tasks—from due diligence checkboxes to extension filing. Every macro has been tested and verified working in Drake Tax 25.

Quick Reference Table

Hotkey	Name	What It Does
Alt-A	AOTC Education	Fills 8863 education credit questions
Alt-B	Direct Deposit	Sets up checking account refund
Alt-D	Due Diligence	Marks all 8867 questions Yes
Alt-E	Zero Extension	Files extension with $0 balance
Alt-F	Foreign + Preparer	Foreign accounts No + preparer code
Alt-H	HOH Due Diligence	HOH-specific 8867 questions
Alt-I	Clear Invoice	Clears prior year prep fee
Alt-M	8949 Statement	Attaches multiple transaction PDF
Alt-O	Ohio Address	Ohio address verification
Alt-P	Enter PIN	ERO PIN + Ohio perjury
Alt-R	Ready After Ext	Marks return ready after extension
Alt-S	8821 Spouse	Tax info authorization for spouse
Alt-T	8821 Taxpayer	Tax info authorization for taxpayer
Alt-U	IDs Not Provided	Marks both IDs not provided
Alt-V	E-file 1040	Marks Ready + selects 1040
Alt-Z	Don’t Roll	Prevents rollover to next year

Due Diligence & Compliance

Alt-D: 8867 Due Diligence – All Yes

8867>#1>X>3>X>5>X>7>X>9>X>11>X>13>TP SIGNED DUE DILIGENCE>14>X>16>X>19>X>22>X>25>X>27>X>29>X>32>X>34>X>36>X>38>X>40>X>42>X>44>X>#~

Marks Yes on all due diligence questions and enters “TP SIGNED DUE DILIGENCE” as the note. Replaces 20+ manual clicks.

Alt-H: HOH Due Diligence

8867>#29>X>32>X>34>X>#~

Marks the Head of Household specific questions on Form 8867. Use after Alt-D for HOH returns.

E-file & Extensions

Alt-V: E-file Federal 1040

EF>#1>X>2>X>#~

Marks Ready for EF and selects 1040. Quick way to mark a return ready to transmit.

Alt-E: Zero Balance Extension

EF>#1>X>6>X>#~EXT>#1>X>3>0>6>0>7>0>8>0>9>0>#~STEX>#2>X>#~

Multi-screen macro: marks Ready + 4868 on EF, enters zeros on EXT, marks state extension. Perfect for extensions with no balance due.

Alt-R: Ready After Extension

EF>#1> >6> >#~EXT>#5>X>#~STX2>#1>X>#~

Clears Ready/4868 flags, marks “extension was previously filed”, marks state ready. Use when filing a return after an extension was already transmitted.

Client Setup & Data Entry

Alt-F: Foreign Accounts No + Preparer

1>[FJ:64]N[FJ:66]X[FJ:68]PREP~

Opens Screen 1, enters N for foreign accounts question, checks No, and enters your preparer code. Change PREP to your code.

Alt-B: Direct Deposit – Checking

DD>[FJ:1]A[FJ:9]X[FJ:6][?]

Opens DD screen, selects Federal (A), checks Checking, then pauses at the bank name field for you to enter account details.

Alt-U: IDs Not Provided

IDS>[FJ:24]X[FJ:26]X~

Marks both taxpayer and spouse as “did not provide ID” on the IDS screen.

Tax Info Authorization (8821)

Alt-T: 8821 Taxpayer

8821>T>#5>X>27>INCOME>28>1040>29>2020-2029>40>X>52>PREP1>53>X>57>PREP2>#~

Creates Form 8821 for taxpayer with standard settings: INCOME description, 1040 form type, years 2020-2029, and two preparer codes.

Alt-S: 8821 Spouse

8821>S>#5>X>27>INCOME>28>1040>29>2020-2029>40>X>52>PREP1>53>X>57>PREP2>#~

Same as Alt-T but for spouse. Creates Form 8821 with identical standard settings.

Education Credits

Alt-A: AOTC Education Credit

8863>#7>X>9>X>11>X>13>X>22>X>34>X>36>X>#~

Opens Form 8863, answers Yes to questions 23-26, checks AOTC, and answers the 1098-T questions.

Miscellaneous

Alt-I: Clear Invoice Flag

MISC>#3> >#~

Clears the prior year prep fee/invoice field on the MISC screen.

Alt-Z: Don’t Roll to Next Year

MISC>#20>X>#~

Checks “Do NOT update client to next year” on the MISC screen. Use for one-time clients or deceased taxpayers.

Alt-M: 8949 Multiple Transaction Statement

PDF>SCH D,FORM 8949 INST>FORM 8949 EXCEPTION TO REPORTING>FORM8949EXCEPTIONREPORTINGSTMT.PDF~

Sets up the PDF attachment for Form 8949 exception statement when reporting multiple transactions.

State-Specific (Ohio)

Alt-O: Ohio Address Verify

OH>1>[FJ:47]X[FJ:5]~COMP> >[FJ:23] ~

Checks the Ohio address verification box and clears the comparison flag.

Alt-P: Enter PIN + Ohio

PIN>[D]>11111>[NEXTTAB][FJ:7]X~

Opens PIN dropdown, enters your ERO PIN, and checks the Ohio perjury statement box. Change 11111 to your PIN.

How to Install Macros

1. Open Drake Tax and go to Setup > Macros
2. Select the hotkey you want to use (Alt-A through Alt-Z)
3. Paste or type the macro string exactly as shown
4. Click Save
5. Test on a sample return before using in production

Download the Complete Guide

Want a printable reference? Download the complete Drake 25 Macros as a PDF with all 16 verified macros, installation instructions, and quick reference table.