System requirements for the Client Organizer

Transcription

1 2017 ULTRATAX/1040 CLIENT ORGANIZER, v User Bulletin 1040US : Client Organizer Procedures November 20, 2017 This user bulletin provides an overview of the processing steps for the Client Organizer feature of UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer. After installing the software, review the online UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer help for more information. The online help covers topics such as creating passwords for organizers and customizing the organizer greeting. In addition, all the processing steps explained in this user bulletin are covered in full detail in the Client Organizer help topics. For information on using the Client Organizer, see the client organizer overview topic in the Help & How-To Center. For easy access to all Client Organizer help, see the 1040 Client Organizer Help Center. CLIENT ORGANIZER The 2017 UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer application includes the Client Organizer, a powerful feature that enables you to create professional client organizers and send them to your clients via . This is an alternative to traditional paper client organizers. The Client Organizer feature enables you to do the following: Customize the greeting. Include the engagement letter, IRC 7216 consents, bank account verification, and privacy policy information. Use the Classic Client Organizer, Organizer Checklist, or the Lite Client Organizer format. Offer your clients the ability to edit proforma d data, add new data on organizer pages, complete the organizer questionnaire, include notes and questions for you, and then mail the client organizer pages back to your office or bring it in on their appointment date. If you are licensed for NetClient CS, clients may prefer to deliver the client organizer pages to you via the portal because it is more secure than sending the PDF via . In addition to added security, a client can access the PDF version of their client organizer pages throughout the season and will not need to ask your firm to send them a new version if they misplace their copy. Important! Only Web Client Organizer enables your clients to enter data in online organizers via NetClient CS portals, and your staff to import that information directly into. Refer to the Web Client Organizer section below if you are interested in electronic client data-entry and retrieval. System requirements for the Client Organizer Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 1

2 System requirements for the preparer The preparer s system requirements for Client Organizer are the same as those needed for installing and running. The latest system requirements are on our website at CS.ThomsonReuters.com. An program that supports Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) protocol, such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Messaging, and Microsoft Exchange, is recommended. If your does not support MAPI, you can still create organizers in Portable Document Format (PDF) and manually attach them to an message. Important! Webmail accounts such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! do not support a MAPI client interface. If you are unsure if your service supports MAPI protocol, contact your service provider. System requirements for the client A Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 8, or Microsoft Windows 7 Professional operating system. An service capable of receiving file attachments. Adobe Reader X or higher. A link is provided in the greeting so your clients can easily download the latest version, if needed. Client Organizer processing procedures Setting a password for the Client Organizer Program-generated password: In the Setup > Client Communications dialog, click the Password button in the Options group box, and mark up to three of the available checkboxes in the PDF / XLS Delivery Password Options dialog to select the desired password options. By default, the password setting from 2016 is used in 2017 as well. For first-time users, the Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN/EIN) is used by default. Custom password: In the Setup > Client Communications dialog, enter the desired password in the Password field. displays custom passwords in red text. Important! If you customized electronic delivery passwords in 2016, mark the Custom PDF delivery passwords from the Client Communications dialog checkbox on the Setup > 1040 Individual > Other Return Options > Proforma tab. Entering firm and client addresses 1. Choose Setup > Client Communications. 2. Enter your firm s address in the Firm address field. 3. Enter the client s addresses in the Address column. If applicable, enter the spouse address by selecting Sp from the drop-down list to the left of the Address column. The client addresses entered here will automatically update the Taxpayer address and Spouse address fields in Screen Contact in the General folder in UltraTax/1040 the next time the client is opened. Note: If you entered client addresses in 2016, the application will automatically proforma taxpayer and spouse addresses from Screen Contact in the General folder in UltraTax/1040. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 2

3 4. Select Taxpayer, Spouse, or Both in the To column to determine who will receive the organizer. 5. Select (PDF) in the Organizer Delivery field for those clients to whom you wish to deliver organizers via . Setting additional organizer configuration options 1. Choose Setup > 1040 Individual, then click the Organizer tab. 2. In the Organizer Presentation options group box, click the Modify button and select the desired presentation method. You can choose between Classic Client Organizer, Client Organizer Checklist, Lite Client Organizer pages plus other pages in classic format, and Lite Client Organizer pages for clients who meet Lite Criteria. Note: You can click the Did you know button for more information about the Client Organizer printing criteria. 3. In the Other return options group box, you can mark the applicable checkboxes to mask all the Social Security numbers, driver s licenses and state issued ID numbers, Employer Identification numbers, dates of birth, and/or bank account numbers in the organizer pages with asterisks (*). 4 Mark the Print Individual Engagement Letter checkbox to send out an engagement letter with your client organizers. This will create a second PDF attachment as an actionable item. 5. If you do not typically use (or proforma) custom cover letters or organizer questionnaires, you should clear the Proforma custom questionnaire and cover letter selection (Screen Letter) checkbox. By default, the selection will proforma to corresponding fields in Screen Letter in the General folder. 6. To include the information entered in Screen Info in the organizer Form InfoD, mark the Print Screen Info Record of stock purchases on Organizer checkbox. By default, this information is not included in the organizer. 7. Mark the Do not print a blank Sch D Organizer form (unless marked Always in Collation) checkbox to exclude a blank Organizer Form D. By default, if the client included a Schedule D in 2016 UltraTax/1040, the 2017 client organizer will contain a blank Organizer Form D. If the Print Screen Info Record of stock purchases on Organizer checkbox is marked, the organizer will contain Form InfoD as well as a blank Form D. 8. Mark the Print the Lite Client Organizer Itemized page even if no amounts exist checkbox if you want this page to print when no amounts are present. By default, this page will only print when amounts are present. 9. Mark the applicable checkboxes for those items you want to include in an Income Summary instead of separate organizer pages in Classic or Lite format. Notes: Consolidated Broker Statements will always print on the Income Summary In the Lite format, if any of the forms are marked to include on the Income Summary, all of the forms will be reported on the Income Summary. 10. Mark the Interest or Dividends checkboxes to include these items in an Interest / Dividend Summary Report instead of printing separate organizer pages in the Classic format. 11. If desired, specify a due date for organizers from the calendar in the Due date for taxpayer to return completed client organizer field. This option works in conjunction with the Organizer due date custom paragraph. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 3

4 Note: This due date will print for all clients. To change the due date on a per client basis, enter the applicable date in the Due date of completed organizer field on Screen Contact (General folder). 12. Click the Consent button to print as well as enter applicable consent information, and mark the checkbox on either tab to print the consent to use and consent to disclose letters. This will create a second PDF attachment as an actionable item. 13. Use the fields in the New client options group box to choose the organizer delivery method and mark the Print blank Client Organizer checkbox for new clients as desired. Determining client organizer content 1. Choose Setup > 1040 Individual, then click the Organizer tab. 2. Click the Organizer button in the Collation group box to modify the collation. 3. Mark or clear the Include in Electronic Org checkbox for each organizer form as desired. 4. Mark or clear the Action Items PDF checkbox for each organizer form as desired. By default, Consent to Use, Consent to Disclose, and Individual Engagement Letter are marked as actionable items since they require taxpayer signature(s). 5. If you plan to print blank organizers, mark or clear the Include in blank Organizer checkbox for each organizer form as needed. Notes If you want to use the default Client Organizer or blank organizer collations, these steps are not necessary. You can proforma the customized print collations from the prior-year application. The print collations proforma into 2017 exactly as they appeared in You can proforma the print collations either by using the Utilities > Proforma dialog and selecting Return Collations from the drop-down list, or by using the Return Collation dialog on Setup > 1040 Individual > Organizer > Organizer button in the Collation group box and selecting Prior Year Collation from the Restore Default drop-down list. If you plan to send a blank organizer, mark the Print blank Client Organizer field for the applicable clients in Screen Contact in the General folder in UltraTax/1040. By default, the Classic Client Organizer pages print for the blank organizer package. If you use the Lite Client Organizer package, you must mark Include in blank Organizer checkbox for the Lite Client Organizer pages and clear the equivalent Classic Client Organizer pages. Access the Include in blank Organizer checkbox on Setup > 1040 Individual > Organizer > Organizer button in the Collation group box. To print the Appointment custom paragraph for the cover letter and greeting, enter the applicable information in the Appointment date, time, and duration fields in Organizer Screen Contact in the General folder for those clients for whom you want to include appointment information. The application automatically prints appointment information in the cover letter when the appointment date and appointment time fields both have data. Data-entry fields are also available for next year s appointment information, and the information you enter will proforma to You can schedule client appointments via the status system for use with Client Organizer processing. The appointment information entered in Screen Contact (Tax and Organizer data entry) transfers to the status system and vice versa. Once you create the Appointment Event in the Setup > Office Configuration > Status tab in 2017, the appointment information entered in 2016 UltraTax/1040 is automatically imported into the status system when you proforma information in Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 4

5 The Data Mining feature in 2016 includes a predefined appointment list custom report. Access Data Mining by choosing Utilities > Data Mining in Sending client organizers to clients 1. Choose File > Print Organizers to open the Print Organizers dialog. 2. Do one of the following: If your program supports MAPI, click the PDF option in the Print what group box. If your program does not support MAPI, click the PDF to file in option in the Print what group box to create a PDF file of the organizer package and save it to a specified location on your hard drive. This option allows you to manually attach the organizer package PDF to an message. 3. Next, click the Clients button to open the Select Clients to Print dialog. This dialog enables you to select the clients to whom you want to Client Organizers. Note: Clients with addresses present in are automatically included in the Clients to print pane unless you have a client s return open. When a return is open, only that client appears in the Clients to print pane. Use the Remove, Select, or Select All button to modify the list. 4. Click OK to close the Select Clients to Print dialog, and then click the button. (Depending on the options and clients selected, the button may change to Assemble or Print). WEB CLIENT ORGANIZER The 2017 UltraTax/1040 Client Organizer application also includes a powerful feature that enables you to create and send professional-looking client organizers for your clients using a secure, personalized NetClient CS web portal, so your clients can enter more information in their online organizers and your staff can retrieve that information from the web organizer directly into the client s return in. Web Client Organizer enables you to do the following: Customize the greeting. Include the customizable Organizer Cover Letter in the Client Organizer when you transmit it to NetClient CS. When you choose Setup > 1040 Individual > Organizer and click Options in the NetClient group box, you can include the Cover Letter text in the Net Client Organizer Greeting . Customize the default web organizer questionnaire and create new questionnaires. Include actionable items like engagement letters or IRC 7216 consent letters. Use either the Classic Client Organizer, Client Organizer Checklist, or Lite Client Organizer format. Enable your clients to edit proforma d data, enter new data on organizer screens, complete the organizer questionnaire, and include notes and questions for you. Enable your clients to include certain attachments in their web organizer, which you can retrieve and save to FileCabinet CS, if licensed, or another location that you specify. The client can attach the following types of files to their web organizer: Quicken tax exchange format (.txf), Microsoft Excel (.xls, xlsx), Microsoft Word (.doc,.docx,.rtf), Adobe Reader (.pdf), image files (.jpg,.bmp,.tif,.png) and web pages (.html). Include a custom document as a Web Organizer attachment in the Client External Documents dialog which can be accessed through Edit > Client External Documents > Add/Edit Links when a client is open. Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Word documents, and Adobe PDFs can be selected for Organizer attachment in the new Organizer Attachment column. When a Web Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 5

6 Organizer is generated through File > Print Organizers, the files marked as Organizer attachments will be assembled and included as part of the Web Organizer upon transmission. Receive an notification when a client has completed their data entry. Retrieve client data directly into the client organizer input screens or discard the client data entry. Offer your clients a print only version on the portal. In this scenario, clients will download and print the organizer. Once it is printed, they will manually edit proforma d data, add new data on organizer pages, complete the organizer questionnaire, include notes and questions for you, and then return the client organizer pages to you via mail, or in person on their appointment date. HELP & HOW-TO CENTER The Help & How-To Center provides one-stop access to the information you need while using UltraTax CS. We ve combined all content from the help topics and our Support knowledgebase into a single repository that is hosted on our website and accessible from within. To learn more, see Finding answers to your questions. Copyright by Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Page 6