About Tax Return Import/Export
Tax Return Import/Export is a Thomson Reuters productivity tool that lets you import data into and export data from tax returns for all major tax applications using comma-delimited or JSON files.
About Tax Return Import/Export
Tax Return Import/Export reduces manual data entry by letting you import tax information from text or JSON files into a
binder
, and export tax information from a binder
to text or JSON files. Tax Return Import/Export supports all tax types: 1040, 1041, 1065, 1120, 990, 5500, 706, and 709.
Tax information can exist in 3 places in a tax return:
- Organizer screens, where you enter client data
- Tax Forms screens, which display finalized tax information
- Workpaper screens, which perform calculations between the Organizer and tax forms
You can export data from all 3 locations, but you can only import data into Organizer screens.
note
Close the
binder
and check its data back into storage before you import or export. If the locator is open, you will receive an error.File sets
Thomson Reuters enables most fields for Tax Return Import/Export. For each tax type, an Excel workbook called a file set lists the enabled fields and provides information about them. To find current and past file sets, go to your product page on the Help and Support site and select
Data imports and exports
.You can also find the current file set while in a locator by going to (choose tax app).
Tax return import
Most Organizer fields are available for import. The following fields are not available for import: protected Organizer fields, certain computed Organizer fields, Tax Form fields, and Workpaper fields.
In the import file, you define the form and field name combinations and associated data field values. The application processes the file record by record against the tax application File Set data dictionary. If the form and field name combination exists in the File Set, the application inserts the data field value into the corresponding location in the tax return database. If the combination doesn’t exist in the File Set data dictionary, the application ignores that data field value.
After import, fields display in the
binder
with blue text. You can import data into fields that are normally computed or carried from another source. This results in an override on that field, shown by a red circle. The override symbol from a Tax Return Import/Export import looks the same as the override symbol from manually entering an override value.When you use Tax Return Import/Export with a proprietary data entry Organizer, verify through testing that the proprietary Organizer is programmed correctly for the structure and content of Tax Return Import/Export import files. Verify the following:
- Header record codification and data elements
- Data record codification of activity, group, and subgroup data levels
- Data record form and field names used to identify tax return data fields
- Data record field value specifications and limits for tax return data fields
Tax return export
During an export, Tax Return Import/Export exports the value of every area, screen, and field defined in the corresponding tax application File Set data dictionary, as long as the data field is populated by active data — that is, a data value that is not a constant or a carried value. Fields on screens that don’t contain active data won’t export. For example, the partnership name transfers to the top of nearly every tax form regardless of whether that tax form is being filed. Those tax forms may otherwise not contain active data and won’t export.
Data elements classified as Organizer, Tax Forms, and Workpapers are all enabled for export.
Importing large returns
The import size limit depends on the size of the return and the size of the import file. The larger a return is, the smaller the import file needs to be. For large returns, divide the import into multiple smaller import files. Don’t select more than 200 import files per import.
To reduce file size when using an export file as a starting point for an import file, remove the T and W data record lines. Those lines are export-only and the application doesn’t import them.
