AFR Frequently Asked Questions

When I click on the AFR Table, a message appears that the AFR Rate Table is not available or is out of date. What can be the issue?
There are several reasons why you might see this message, and usually one of the following options resolves AFR display issues:

1. Make sure you have a live internet connection
2. At program startup, a threaded process is requested to our server to fetch the AFRDataPackage XML file that is used with several programs. It could be that the download, usually instantaneous, is still in progress by the time you clicked on a screen that uses the AFR information. If this is the case, waiting a few seconds usually renders the AFR table to display.
3. The program requires that the current users has full read/write permissions to the location where the AFRDataPackage is downloaded. In most cases, this will be ProgramData\Leimberg\AFR (or for older versions, ProgramData\Brentmark\AFR). If the user does not have full permissions to this location, then the automatic download feature will not work, and you will need to manually move in the files once a month (usually posted around the 20th)
4. Since the program interacts with files on our server, make sure your company firewall allows for *.leimberg.com. Most of the programs need to access brentmark.com and, in this case, a subdomain on ports 80 and 443.
5. If none of the above resolve your issue, it's likely that one of the data files that are downloaded (and then created) could be damaged. Navigate to ProgramData\Leimberg\AFR (or for older versions, ProgramData\Brentmark\AFR) - there should be two files located here. a) AFR.xml b) AFRDataPackage.xml. In most cases, the timestamps should be the same - if they are not, then the AFRDataPackage.XML file did not create the AFR.xml for some reason. With the program not running, delete both of these files. After deletion, restart the program. At startup, the program should download and create the necessary files. You can also manually download the files by going to the 'Edit' menu -> AFR Rates -> Download AFR Data Package. If it's successful, you should now have current rate table

When I click on the AFR Table, it shows the current table. However, when I am on a screen that uses the AFR, it does not pull in the rate. What can be the issue?
There are several reasons why you might see this message, and usually one of the following options resolves AFR display issues:

1. Each calculation screen has the ability to modify the AFR rate based on their own needs. By default, the program will use the transfer date to match up the §7520 rate used for the screen. If you have already saved data, or been on a screen, it will default to the value that was in memory, before the AFR file transfer occurred. However, any time you change the transfer date, it will force the program to retrieve the §7520 rate that goes with that transfer date. So, if you change the transfer date by a month, it should pull in a §7520 rate. Then switch it back to the original month you wish to use, and it should pull in that §7520 rate.
2. If the problem still occurs, it's likely that your AFR.XML file is damaged. See question above, solution #5.

Older versions of the program used to allow me to designate a folder where the AFR file was to be stored. Why can't I do this anymore?
With recent releases of Windows updates, it became harder to identify which file locations are allowed for users to access. The result is Microsft Windows has put heavy restrictions on file locations, and this feature stopped working if there was not a valid file path allowed from Windows. Common practice is to put supplemental files in the ProgramData location, so this was adopted.

When I try to change the §7520 rate on a screen, why does it always seem to round?
The table that is shown in the program represents the 120% Mid-term Applicable Federal Rates. Most calculations in this program use the §7520 rate for the month, which is calculated by rounding the Annual 120% Rate to the nearest 2 tenths.

Why are the limits for §7520 rates 0.2% to 30%
When you see 30% returned for the §7520 rate, that is because there is no rate data for the transfer date entered. In most instances, this will be a "future" calculation. The user would enter a rational number for the §7520 rate. The IRS provides tables for calculations with the §7520 rate between 0.2% and 20%. The rates have never reached 20%, and only recently dipped below 1%. The 30% is an indicator to the user that they need to use their own rate (or that there is a problem with the AFR File as mentioned in the first 2 FAQs).

Why aren't there additional rate tables, such as the short-term and long-term AFRs?
Currently, those rate tables are outside the scope of this program. We will look to incorporate such tables at some time in the future.