The video below outlines the basics of processing returns.
Please note:
If you do not see all of the options available in this video, like the Paper File and Invoices tabs, this indicates they are disabled in your firm settings.
When uploading entity returns, multiple PDFs need to be uploaded (1 return PDF and 1 additional PDF for each K-1 package). CCH returns include all of this information in 1 PDF.
This video does not cover using integrations to upload your tax returns.
92 STEPS
1. Welcome to Processing a Return in SafeSend!
2. If you use an integration with your tax software, visit the Integrations section of our Help Center for upload steps. To manually upload a return, click your tax software button in the top right hand corner.
3. Click the upload box to open a file browser or drag and drop the appropriate document to upload.
4. Edit the Client ID as needed. If the return is part of a group, you can enter a Group Name but this is not a required field.
5. Click Submit.
6. The return is now in your In-Process dashboard. Click the Process icon to begin.
7. The return opens on the Client Info Tab. During processing, you can ensure that all client information, amounts due, refunds and signature pages are correct.
8. In the left panel, Refunds are shown in green, and Payments Due are shown in red. Estimated Payments are not displayed in this tab, but can be viewed in the Transmittals or Vouchers tab.
9. Click the authority in the left panel to view the page the refund was calculated from and open the Refunds & Payments due panel on the right.
10. You can edit the overpayment or applied amounts to adjust the total refund amount. Click Update to save any changes made.
11. You can also add refunds manually by clicking the green and white plus button in the left panel.
12. Select an Authority from the drop-down, enter an Overpayment and Applied amount, then click Add.
13. In the right panel you'll see the Return Information.
14. If the ERO/Signer and Office Location are not auto-populated, you will be prompted to select from the drop-down.
15. Taxpayer information can be viewed and edited. For Married Filing Joint returns you can scroll down to see Spouse information. Any changes to taxpayer or spouse information are only reflected in SafeSend and do not edit the uploaded PDF.
16. The Date of Birth and Mobile Number are not required and can be left blank.
17. An Email address is required. This will either auto-populate from Client Management, or you may need to enter it manually if this is your client's first year using SafeSend.
18. For joint returns, the taxpayer and spouse are required to authenticate through separate email notifications, but they can share an email address.
19. Marking a taxpayer or spouse Deceased removes them from the signing process. If there is no spouse, the return is set to a manual signing process. See our Client Info Tab article for more information.
20. The Group tab provides an overview of the pages and sections of the return.
21. Click on any of the folders here to isolate pages in a specific category.
22. You can move or delete pages by using the Move To drop down in the center of the page.
23. You can restore deleted items from the Deleted section. See our Group Tab article for more information.
24. The Transmittals Tab is where you’ll review all Filing Instructions and Transmittals. You can also compare your transmittal letters to the vouchers in the return.
25. The left panel displays recognized vouchers and estimated payments.
26. Click a voucher on the left to open the editing panel on the right.
27. You can edit Voucher Details as needed. We recommend you double-check that the amounts due and due dates are correct.
28. Click Update to save any changes.
29. To add a voucher manually, click the green and white plus button.
30. Select the taxing Authority.
31. Enter the Form Name.
32. Enter the Amount due.
33. Select a Watermark option. Online Payment Required will allow the taxpayer to pay online.
34. Alternatively, you can choose DO NOT PAY if the voucher is scheduled for automatic withdrawal or Add Custom to write custom instructions for your taxpayer.
35. When finished, click Add.
36. The voucher is now listed on the left-hand side with the Form Name that was entered.
37. The manually added voucher appears in the Vouchers tab as well. The watermark image here is what the client will see on their end. See our Transmittals Tab article for more information.
38. The Tax Returns tab stores any unrecognized pages and does not require any action. See our Tax Returns Tab article for more information.
39. The E-File tab displays all e-file forms, including FBARS.
40. Select a taxpayer name from the drop-down to highlight or place signature controls for the selected signer.
41. You can drag-and-drop any of the additional fields if needed. For more information see our E-File Tab article.
42. Use the Paper File tab for your clients that have local returns that cannot be electronically signed. This option may or may not be available based on your firm's settings.
43. Click the green and white plus button to upload your paper file returns.
44. Click the upload box to open a file browser or drag and drop the appropriate document to upload.
45. Select the Authority and add the mailing address.
46. Click Submit.
47. You can edit the Form Name, Authority, or Mailing Address in the right panel. See our Paper File Returns article for more information.
48. The Additional E-Sign Documents tab allows you to upload additional documents that require signature fields.
49. Click the green and white plus button.
50. Click the upload box to open a file browser or drag and drop the appropriate document to upload.
51. Select the appropriate document type from the drop-down.
52. Click Submit.
53. Locate the page that needs signature controls using the navigation options at the top of the section.
54. Now drag and drop a signature block onto the page.
55. Double check that the fields are assigned to the appropriate signer. Use the signer drop-down to select a different signer. See our Additional E-Sign Documents Tab article for more information.
56. The Vouchers tab displays all payment and estimated vouchers included in the return. Click a voucher in the left panel to open the editing panel on the right. These options are the same as those in the Transmittals tab.
57. If there are $0.00 vouchers, you'll see an orange box on the Vouchers Tab.
58. Click the box to remove them. See our Vouchers Tab article for more information.
59. Entity returns will have a K-1s tab that displays all pages in the return that were recognized as K-1s.
60. The K-1 packages are separated and displayed in the left panel. Click a K-1 recipient name to open the Partner Information panel on the right.
61. If the SSN or EIN was not printed on the K-1, you will be prompted to select a Partner Type from the drop-down and enter an SSN or EIN.
62. You can add a mobile number and email address for the K-1 recipient, but this is not required. The taxpayer can enter this information when they distribute the packages.
63. Depending on your firm's settings, you can turn SSN and EIN masking on or off using the toggle button. This masks the information on the PDF as well as in SafeSend. See our K-1s Tab article for more information.
64. The Invoices tab displays any pages that were recognized as invoices. This section may or may not be available based on your firm's settings.
65. Enter the amount due in the Invoice Amount box.
66. If an Invoice was printed, but you do not want it sent with the return, simply mark the 'Do not send' box.
67. The Require payment checkbox is only available for firms using the Stripe integration. For more information see our Stripe Integration for Client Invoicing article.
68. Click the Replace Invoice button to replace the existing one.
69. Add a Bookmark Name and Amount, then click Save. See our Invoices Tab article for more information.
70. The Attachments tab is used to manually add forms that were not included in the original return PDF, like source documents.
71. Click the upload box to open a file browser or drag and drop the appropriate document to upload.
72. You can add a note for the taxpayer or View templated Instructions. See our Attachments Tab article for more information.
73. The Delivery Options are default settings pulled from the firm settings or your My Settings menu.
74. Taxpayer Preview opens a new tab and allows you to view the return as the taxpayer will see it.
75. Choose a Contact Person who appears for the taxpayer. You may select any user in the drop-down.
76. Message From Preparer allows you to add a message that appears to the taxpayer after authentication.
77. The Email Notifications area allows you to choose who the return is delivered to first, what Sender Name appears on the client emails, and who will be notified once the return is signed.
78. In the SMS Text Notifications section, you can enable or disable text based signing reminder notifications for clients.
79. You can adjust the Voucher and Signing reminders frequency or turn the reminders on or off.
80. If your firm settings permit, this section allows you to modify how long SafeSend stores a return.
81. In the Signature Options section, you can choose whether the taxpayer will e-sign or manually sign. Depending on your firm settings, you can also disable KBA, allow signer delegation, and enable KBA for delegated signers.
82. This is the Mailing Address and fax number your client sees when they go through the manual signing process. You can choose a different office location from the drop-down.
83. Click the bull horn icon to report the return to our Support team if you experience any issues during processing.
84. Congratulations! You're ready to deliver the return. Click Finish.
85. You may receive a pop-up window with a prompt to either add this client to your Client Management records, or update any changed data. We recommend you click Yes, to add it.
86. Internal Routing allows you to send a return for review or approve it before it is delivered to the client.
87. To Send for Review, select the Reviewer from the drop-down, and click Send.
88. Use the Send to ERO / Signer option to send the return for review to the Signer whose PTIN is on the return.
89. Use the Approve for Delivery option to mark the return as approved.
90. To send the return to the client, click Deliver to Client.
91. For joint returns, select who will receive the return first and click Send. See our Delivery Options Tab article for more information.
92. This concludes our tutorial. Thank you for watching!
Here's an interactive tutorial
** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **
https://www.iorad.com/player/2410433/Processing-a-Return?iframeHash=watchsteps-1
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