Overview of the Tax Suite

Tax Tasks

Tax tasks are any tasks you do as part of the annual tax return preparation process, from sending out initial information requests to reviewing and filing the return.

Assigning tasks and due dates / how tax tasks repeat

All assignees and due dates will repeat when you start new tax returns.

For example, if you're working on the 2024 tax return, and you've assigned a task to User A and made it due on April 15th, 2025 when you start the 2025 tax return, that task will be assigned to User A and due on April 15th, 2026.

You can assign tasks and due dates in two ways.

You can manually choose a due date or assignee for each task by clicking the pickers on the task.

Or, you can bulk-add tasks or assignees to all tasks in a particular section by clicking the (...) menu on the right side of a section.

You can enable Tax Preparer, Reviewer, and Manager assignees in your Practice Settings:

Go to Practice Settings
Select Practice Management > Workflows
Scroll to Tax Return Settings

Sections

The tax suite comes with pre-defined sections:

General (a custom task section).	See Custom Tasks
Gather information	Work you need to do leading up to kicking off the tax prep work, including sending out engagement letters, sending out organizers, reviewing prior year tax returns, etc.
Financial review	Where you can review your client's Trial Balance, Profit & Loss, and Balance Sheet - See Financial Statements.
Prepare tax return	For tasks encompassing the preparation and review of the tax return.
File tax return	For tasks related to filing and completing the return project.

You can also rename, reorder, delete, and create new sections from your section manager in your settings.

To get there, click the gear icon in the top right corner (⚙️), then click the Sections tab.

Creating new tasks

You can create a new task by clicking the Add Task button below each section. Clicking Add task will allow you to create custom tasks with custom names, descriptions, and subtasks.

You can reorder all tasks by dragging and dropping them.

E-Signatures (Plus optional KBA verification) ✍️

Our new E-Signature feature streamlines the process of sending, signing, and verifying documents electronically. In addition, you can optionally enable Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) for enhanced signer identity verification. This guide walks you through the steps to create and send an e-signature request.

Accessing the E-Signature Feature

First, ensure that your Tax Suite is enabled. Need help with this? Reach out to sales@keeper.app

From a client's tax return page, go to the Client Questions area and click the new Signatures tab to access e-signature functionality.

Creating a Signature Request

Starting a Request: Click on Add Signature Request. (Note: Soon, you will have the option to create a request from a template.)
Name Your Request: Provide a clear title for the signature request.
Upload a Document: Choose the file you wish to have signed.
Review Fields: Certain fields will be pre-detected in your pdf. You will be able to verify the pre-detected fields and add new ones when you customize your document. Pro tip: Add your signers before customizing the document fields so you can specify who should complete the various fields.

Adding Recipients and Setting Signing Order

You can add as many signers as needed. For each recipient, enter their email address and full name.

If the signing order matters, check the box to "Set signing order" and drag and drop the recipients to set the proper sequence.

Customizing Document Fields

Select the recipient for which you'd like to customize. You can switch between signers without losing your work, but you will need to click the Save button before returning to the Signature request screen. Closing the pdf editor without saving may cause your fields to be reset.

Field Types and Customizations:

Customize fields to be required or read-only.
For read-only fields, you can pre-fill text (e.g., for a signer’s contact info, EIN, email, URL, zip code, etc.).
Supported field types include:
- Text Box
- Signature
- Initials
- Date
- Number
- Requested Image
- Checkbox & Multiple Checkboxes
- File Upload
- Radio Button
- Drop Down Menus
- Stamp
- Phone Number

Field validation:

Set validations such as numbers only, letters only, or custom rules to ensure accurate data entry.

Saving your pdf edits

Click the Save button to save your fields and return to the signature request page.
Clicking out of the pdf editor without saving may result in the reset of fields.

Finalizing and Sending the Request

After you've added your recipient(s) and customized your document(s), add an optional message to appear in the e-signature request email sent to your recipients.
Ensure all required fields are filled out.
Choose to either Send the signature request to the listed recipients or Delete the request if needed.
Recipients will receive an email with a link to open the signature request. If they have KBA verification enabled, they will follow the prompts listed below. If KBA verification is not required, they will be taken directly to the document.
If your recipients are also client contacts with portal access, they will see signature requests as an action item in their portal.
Once the request has been sent, you can revert to draft by clicking the three dots [...] next to the Send button. This will remove any signatures or fields completed by your recipients. You will need to resend the request if you need the document to be signed.
After the document has been signed by all parties, each recipient and the sender will receive an email letting them know the document is complete.
- Client contacts can view completed requests in the Files tab of their portal.
- Users can view completed requests in Files --> Auto-organized folders --> Signatures.
Note: Soon, you’ll be able to save as a template, which allows you to save a signature request layout and reuse it for similar documents across multiple clients.

Enabling KBA Verification (Optional)

Admin users can enable KBA to verify signer identity for an extra layer of security. To enable:

Select KBA signature required from the Role drop-down for each recipient you need to add KBA verification to.
Pricing for each KBA request is as follows and helps cover our cost of providing the verification:
- US: $1 USD per signature
- Canada: $1.40 CAD per signature
- Australia: $1.60 AUD per signature

Ensure that each recipient’s email address is provided. You have the option to pre-fill the following details for each recipient following the KBA process. If not pre-filled, the signer will be prompted to provide these details during the KBA verification:

First Name & Last Name
Street Address, City, State, Zip Code
Date of Birth
Social Security Number

Once a signer successfully completes the KBA process, they will be redirected to the document to complete the required fields and sign.

Organizers

Using the Organizers Tool for Efficient Tax Information Requests

1. Introduction to the Organizers Tool 0:00

The Organizers tool allows for automated, user-friendly requests for tax information from clients.
Replaces manual PDFs and email follow-ups.

2. Accessing the Organizers Tool 0:16

Access from:
- Tax project within a client (click on Organizers section).
- Create organizers from pre-built templates or from scratch.

3. Creating an Organizer 0:47

Click on the Organizers badge to enter the draft section or go to Templates to create an organizer template and apply to your client once built.
Once in Organizers, click 'Add Organizer' - choose between creating a draft from scratch or browsing templates.
Note: Keeper has pre-built templates for certain return types - to save time, apply a Keeper default template and tweak from there!

5. Creating an organizer from a template 1:34

Once you've selected your template, click Apply to client to apply to an individual client or bulk select multiple clients.
You have the option to apply the organizer as a draft for further editing or publish directly to the client portal if your template is reviewed and ready to be worked on.

6. Building the Organizer 2:08

If you've applied the organizer template as a draft or are building an organizer from scratch, give the organizer a name and review or add new slides.
Slide types are as follows:
- Short answer
  - Text box for client responses
  - Best for questions requiring open-ended responses
- Number input
  - Validates the response to ensure clients are entering a number
  - Best for questions about specific values (estimated tax payments, account numbers, etc.)
- Dropdown
  - Define custom options for clients to select from a drop-down
  - Best for questions where there is only one correct answer (ie. filing status). For yes/no questions (ie. Do you have dependents?) use the Yes/No question type below.
- Multiple choice
  - Define custom options that can all be selected
  - Best for "select all that apply" type questions (ie. What types of income did you have this year?)
- Address
- Date picker
- Multi-input question
  - Allows multiple fields within the same question grouping
  - Best for questions where you're gathering different types of information that are related (ie. Dependent name, DOB, SSN, etc.)
- File upload
- Section header
  - Allows you to create groupings of questions and organize your organizer into different sections (ie. General Information, Income, Deductions, etc.)
- Yes/No
  - Best for questions where yes or no are the only options (ie. Are you filing with a spouse?)

7. Setting Slide Requirements 3:03

Actions you can take on slides:
- Delete a slide.
- Duplicate a slide.
- Allow multiple entries for certain questions (e.g., dependents).

In each slide you have settings, which include the following options:
- Allow the client to mark a slide as not applicable.
- Set questions as required to ensure completion.
  - Clients cannot complete (submit) an organizer until all required slides have been filled out.

8. Previewing the Organizer 4:02

Preview how slides will appear to clients by toggling the Preview button on each slide.

9. Finalizing the Organizer 4:14

Actions you can take on an organizer in draft state:
- Duplicate the organizer.
- Create a template from the organizer.
- Change access permissions for responses.
  - Unrestricted - all firm users with access to the client can see organizer responses.
  - Tax users and above - standard and manager bookkeeping users cannot see responses.
  - Admins and above.
  - Super Admins and above.
- Publish the organizer to the client portal.

10. Monitoring Client Responses 5:01

Responses can be viewed in real-time as clients fill out the organizer by viewing the "In progress" organizers by client.
Completed organizers will show a timestamp of the completion date and all responses.
Uploaded files can be accessed by navigating to Files -> Auto-organized Folders -> Organizers -> Organizer name

11. Reverting and Marking Organizers as Complete 5:43

You have the option to revert a published organizer to draft if changes are needed.
You can also mark the organizer as complete on behalf of the client.

12. Client Experience with the Organizer 6:16

Clients see open organizers in their action required area of the portal.
They can fill out information, navigate forward and backward through the organizer, and and mark it as complete once all required slides have been completed.

13. Completion Requirements for Clients 6:56