Get started with SPbinder

A brief tour (getting started)

SPbinder is a paperless source document preparation tool that makes it easy to organize, bookmark, annotate, and review electronic source documents. It also provides collaboration tools that allow preparers and reviewers to create, respond to, and clear review notes. When source document preparation is complete, SPbinder allows you to create a bookmarked and organized PDF that reflects all the work done in the application.

Opening a binder

To open a binder, mouse over the 
Options
 column next to the
Client ID
column. You will see 2 icons and a dropdown arrow appear. Select on the folder icon to open SPbinder.
note
Icons in the
OPTIONS
column are only visible when you point to the empty cell.
SPbinder allows you to create and view documents. It also allows you to create Indexes for those documents.
You should see the SPbinder open with the following default components:
  • INDEX TREE/REVIEW TREE
  • Document Viewer
  • Forms/Leads/Notes
INDEX TREE / REVIEW TREE (Upper left panel)
  • INDEX TREE
    (tab) allows you to organize workpapers (like documents) in their respective folders.
  • REVIEW TREE
    (tab) allows you to review binder documents based on various stages of the review process. You can see which documents are:
    • Missing
    • Appear to be blank
    • Have an unreviewed field(s)
    • Uncleared notes
    • And much more
Document Viewer
Document Viewer
window (contains Thumbnail & Annotations as well) – shows you the workpapers you selected in the
THUMBNAIL
or
INDEX TREE
.
THUMBNAIL
The
THUMBNAIL
section allows you to view workpapers that haven’t been organized into a folder (like
Not Indexed
). Additionally, you can also use the filter to view workpapers that firm users haven’t signed off, marked to roll forward, or modified after sign-off.
ANNOTATE
The
ANNOTATE
section allows you to add highlights, stamps, and text to the workpaper you are viewing in the
Document Viewer
window.
FORMS/LEADS/NOTES
Forms/Leads/Notes
(lower panel) – Your binder may show different tabs depending on the type of Leadsheet your binder was created with.
Tab
Leadsheet type
Description
FORMS
  • Classic Leadsheets
Allows you to add, edit, and delete information captured by OCR or the preparer. By updating the
FORMS
tab, you also update Leadsheets and the information exported to the tax software.
LEADS
  • Classic Leadsheets
  • Simplified Leadsheets
Allows you to review tax document data. Shows you a holistic view of the binder amounts and their totals. 
NOTES
  • Classic Leadsheets
  • Simplified Leadsheets
  • None (No Leadsheets)
Allows you to add notes to the binder that can help reviewers and preparers. You can also associate notes with specific workpapers.
In comparison to Custom Binders, the predefined binders have the following extra features:
  • SPbinder Toolbar
    : View Diagnostics, Tax-Exempt Interest, Export Leadsheets to Excel, Import, and Export to Tax
  • Forms
  • Leads
Firms also have the option to enable the
K-1 RECLASS
tab. By enabling this feature, firms can read K-1 supplemental pages to automate tax return data entry and help users reconcile K-1 workpapers and their supplemental pages.

Dockable sections in SPbinder

This feature allows you to drag any window to any place on the screen. You can also drag windows to different screens when using dual monitors.
To relocate a window, drag the
Dock
icon on the title bar to a new location.
While you drag the window, the picklist arrow icons will be displayed on all 4 corners indicating where you can place the window.
Select the
Dock
icon and place it on the desired arrow icon. 
This moves the window to the area of the selected arrow.
note
When you move 1 docked section, it will affect the location and size of other sections in the SPbinder.
note
To revert changes back to the default view, select the
View
menu and then select
Reset View
 from the dropdown.
Additional Links:
  • Installing SPbinder
  • System Requirements
  • INDEX TREE
  • REVIEW TREE
  • Working with Source Documents
  • Exporting data to tax software