Unlock an In-Use Return

A return becomes locked when a user opens a return for processing or exits out of it without saving and closing. If another User in the firm tries to access the locked return, they will get a Return In-Use error message and cannot open it.

Locked returns appear on the Locked Returns page. All Users can unlock an in-use return, but this feature should only be used if:

• It is necessary for another user to access the return immediately OR
• It is clear that the original user is not actively processing the return.

If you are trying to unlock a Taxpayer's return that has already been delivered, please visit our article Unlocking a Delivered Return for assistance.

 Important

Do not unlock a return that is being actively processed by another User. This creates a condition for two users to be editing a return at the same time. In this instance, the last User to save and close will overwrite the other User's changes.

If one of the Users delivers the return to a Taxpayer, SafeSend Returns will prevent the other active User from delivering the return again and show an error message. Changes made by the first User are the ones shown to the client.

Unlocking an In-Use Return

1. Select Locked Returns from navigation menu.
2. Click the Unlock Return button on the desired return OR
3. To unlock multiple returns, click the checkbox next to the returns and click Unlock Return.
4. A message will warn the user to make sure that the original user is not actively processing the return. Click Unlock Return to proceed. 

Once this is complete you can return to Send Tax Returns and process them normally.