Drake Tax Screen Codes for Business Returns
Drake uses letter and number codes rather than screen numbers. The ones a business return needs: INC income, DED deductions, A for Form 1125-A cost of goods sold, E for Form 1125-E officer information, K for Schedule K, K1E or K1 for shareholder and partner detail, DIST for distributions, L for the balance sheet, SCH2 for the balance sheet subsidiary schedule, M1 and M2, 4562 for depreciation, and PRNT for print options.
- Open the return
- Data entry
- Type the screen code
| Trial balance account | Drake Tax screen and field | Lands on |
|---|---|---|
| Income | Screen INC | Page 1 income lines |
| Deductions | Screen DED. Taxes and licenses via its Detail link | Page 1 deductions |
| Cost of goods sold | Screen A | Form 1125-A, then page 1 line 2 |
| Officer information | Screen E, and the K1E screen on an 1120-S | Form 1125-E and page 1 line 7 |
| Schedule K items | Screen K | Schedule K and the K-1s |
| Shareholder or partner detail | Screen K1E (1120-S) or K1 (1065) | Schedule K-1, item L on a 1065 |
| Distributions | Screen DIST (1120-S), screen K line 19a (1065) | Schedule K line 16d or 19a |
| Balance sheet | Screen L | Schedule L |
| Balance sheet other detail | Screen SCH2 | Schedule L other lines |
| Schedule M-1 and M-2 | Screens M1 and M2, with M33 and 8916 for M-3 | Schedules M-1, M-2, M-3 |
| Depreciation | Screen 4562, with screens 6 through 10 | Form 4562 |
| Print and autobalance options | Screen PRNT | Forces schedules, reverses autobalance |
| Special allocations | The SA link beside the applicable line | Each K-1 |
| Short year elections | Screen YEAR | Short period return |
Skip the spreadsheet template. Get a Drake ready import file in minutes.
Try it freeDrake Tax Screen Codes for Business Returns on a trial balance
| Acct # | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Cash (the account this page is about) | 42,800.00 | |
| 1200 | Accounts receivable | 68,500.00 | |
| 1300 | Inventory | 55,000.00 | |
| 1500 | Equipment | 145,000.00 | |
| 1510 | Accumulated depreciation | 47,500.00 | |
| 2000 | Accounts payable | 28,400.00 | |
| 2100 | Accrued expenses | 9,200.00 | |
| 2400 | Notes payable | 92,000.00 | |
| 2450 | Due to shareholder | 15,000.00 | |
| 3000 | Common stock | 10,000.00 | |
| 3900 | Retained earnings | 86,300.00 | |
| 3950 | Shareholder distributions | 52,000.00 | |
| 4000 | Gross receipts | 612,000.00 | |
| 5000 | Cost of goods sold | 318,000.00 | |
| 6000 | Salaries and wages | 88,000.00 | |
| 6050 | Officer compensation | 72,000.00 | |
| 6300 | Depreciation expense | 21,500.00 | |
| 6900 | Other operating expenses | 37,600.00 | |
| Total | 900,400.00 | 900,400.00 |
Codes, not numbers
Drake names screens with mnemonics. Once they are familiar this is faster than numbered screens, because the code is the subject: L is the balance sheet, A is Form 1125-A, E is Form 1125-E.
Drake publishes a full screen list per package, and the table above is the subset a trial balance touches.
The ones that are not where you would guess
Taxes and licenses is not its own screen. It is reached through the Detail link on the DED screen.
Distributions on an 1120-S are on the DIST screen, not on M2. They flow from there to Schedule K line 16d, to the K-1s on each shareholder's pro rata share, and to Schedule M-2 line 7.
Distributions on a 1065 are somewhere different again: the K screen, under the AMT and Other Information tab, with a direct entry on line 19a for cash and marketable securities, and links to property distribution screens for lines 19b and 19c.
Officer information appears in two places in Drake's own documentation. The 1120-S article points to screen K1E, while the 1120-S screen list labels screen E as Officer Information. Check both in your version.
Depreciation is screen 4562, and screens 6 through 10 relate to it as well.
Other balance sheet detail is SCH2, which is also where the Schedule L items that do not come through a trial balance import have to be entered.
PRNT is worth learning first
Three settings on one screen change how auditable a business return is:
- Reverse autobalance setup option, so a balance sheet that does not tie says so instead of being plugged into retained earnings
- Force-print Schedules L and M-1, so you can see the balance sheet on a client under the threshold
- Force-print Form 1125-E, so the officer detail is in the file copy
SA, for anything that is not pro rata
Special allocations are made through the SA link beside the applicable line rather than on a separate screen. That is the mechanism for a guaranteed payment that went to one partner, or income allocated other than by percentage.
Tax return treatment
| Form | Line |
|---|---|
| Form 1120S | INC, DED, A, E, K, K1E, DIST, L, SCH2, M1, M2 |
| Form 1065 | INC, DED, A, K, K1, L, SCH2, M1, M2, 8825 |
| Form 1120 | INC, DED, A, E, L, SCH2, M1, M2 |
Common questions
What is the balance sheet screen in Drake Tax?
Screen L. Other balance sheet detail that the trial balance import does not bring in goes on screen SCH2, and partner capital on a 1065 is entered in section L of each partner K1 screen.
What screen are distributions in Drake?
On an 1120-S, the DIST screen, which flows to Schedule K line 16d, to the K-1s pro rata and to Schedule M-2 line 7. On a 1065, the K screen under the AMT and Other Information tab, with line 19a for cash and marketable securities.
Where are taxes and licenses in Drake?
Through the Detail link on the DED screen rather than on a screen of its own. Drake produces a Wks Tax/Lic worksheet from those entries.
What does the PRNT screen do?
It holds print and calculation options for the return, including reversing autobalance, force printing Schedules L and M-1, and force printing Form 1125-E. Those three settings make the difference between a business return you can check and one you cannot.
Related answers
Go deeper
This page is the short answer. These articles work through the same ground in detail.
Last reviewed October 18, 2026.