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Account management for SurePrep customers

SurePrep Data common inquiries

What products and services are impacted by SurePrep’s data archival (data storage) policy?

All products and services are subject to SurePrep’s long-term data storage policy. All customers have two options:
Option #1 - Save SPbinder and DreamWorkpapers locally to PDF. Option #1 lets you open the local PDF in a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat. Option #1 is SurePrep’s recommended best practice for long-term storage for all finalized tax returns/engagements.
Option #2 - Pay to store SPbinder and DreamWorkpapers in their native SurePrep format.  Option #2 lets for continued access through the SurePrep platform for an additional year.
I outsource some of my 1040 tax returns to SurePrep. Do I need to pay for long term data storage?
SurePrep provides storage for tax returns/engagements during the calendar year in which they were submitted to SurePrep plus the following calendar year (as long as the domain remains an active account under contract with SurePrep). If you need to access data older than the prior year you should save locally to PDF and/or pay for annual storage. Refer to Option #1 and Option #2.
Is long term storage of SPbinder included in my original agreement?
No. SurePrep provides storage for tax returns/engagements (SPbinder) during the calendar year in which they were submitted to SurePrep plus the following calendar year (as long as the domain remains an active account under contract with SurePrep). Data storage is only provided to clients who have ran a current agreement with SurePrep.  If the agreement is terminated for any reason, as outlined in the Terms & Conditions of the agreement, SurePrep will delete all data within sixty (60) days per the Term and Termination section.  Upon termination of the agreement, SurePrep is not under any obligation to retain prior year data.
What data is being stored on SurePrep’s servers?
Examples of data which are stored include but is not limited to: Client name, engagement ID, index/forms tree structure, bookmark names, stamp type and page location, sign-off status of pages in the review tree (that is, reviewed, unreviewed).
What data is NOT being stored on SurePrep’s servers?
Scanned source document images (except for SurePrep’s outsourcing service and SPbinders that have been e-Accessed enabled). Your scanned source document images are stored on your local network.
How long will you store my data?
The data storage fees are annual and cover one calendar year. Example: If you pay to have SurePrep store your 2014 tax year SPbinders which were processed during calendar year 2015, the SPbinders will be stored through December 31, 2016. If you want to be able to access those 2014 tax year SPbinders after December 31, 2016, you would need to pay the annual storage fees for the 2017 calendar year upon receipt of the annual data storage notification. Otherwise, you can save your 2014 tax year SPbinders locally to PDF and access the PDF indefinitely.
I want to be able to open my client’s prior year SPbinder while I’m working on their current year tax return. Can I do that now or do I need to pay for data storage in order to access the prior year’s SPbinder?
You don’t need to pay for data storage to access your client’s SPbinder from the prior year. You only need to pay for data storage for SPbinders that are older than the prior year. Example: When on March 15, 2015 you prepare your client’s return for the 2014 tax year, you have access to that client’s 2013 tax year SPbinder. You can access the client's 2012 tax year SPbinder if you have paid for data storage for that year.
If I choose to save SPbinder to PDF for long term storage, does the PDF include all of my annotations?
Yes, when you create the SPbinder PDF you have the option of including all stamps and/or notes. If you select to include stamps and notes, the PDF will include your bookmarks, calculator tape totals, sticky notes, stamps, cross-references, highlights, call-outs, and all other annotations. As a best practice, we recommend that the SPbinder PDF file is saved locally for long-term storage.
If I’ve saved all of my SPbinders to PDF do I need to pay for data storage?
No, data storage is optional and only necessary if you want to be able to open older SPbinders in the native SPbinder format. Since saving SPbinder to PDF creates a static, local copy of the SPbinder, for most customers, saving SPbinder to PDF is sufficient.
Will I receive these data storage notifications each year?
Yes. All current clients will receive an annual data storage notification on or before November 1 of each year.

This article applies to:

  • Product: SurePrep