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Tax return PDF extraction

You can automate the process of adding DRL and proforma data for a new client by uploading a prior year's federal tax return PDF to SurePrep. Eliminating the need to manually enter prior year information into the current year's tax return. You only need to submit the federal tax return PDF and no other source documents.
note
To utilize PDF Extraction, you do not have to purchase specific units, this feature works with the existing units you have already purchased. To extract data from a prior year return, you can use your existing 1040SCANverify or 1040SCAN PRO units to process these binders. To enable the Tax Return PDF Extraction feature, contact SurePrep Support.
Example:
 A 1040SCAN PRO or 1040SCANverify unit can be used to create a prior year binder to export the prior year tax return data to your tax application.
When you upload a prior year's federal tax return to the same year's binder, SurePrep will extract the information and help you export it to the tax application, you can then roll over the information to the current year.
Tax Return PDF graphic.
You can upload a 1040 tax return PDF and SurePrep will extract the data (that is, Form 1040, Schedule B, and Statements) and export it to the tax application. The PDF should be uploaded by itself to the tax year that the tax return belongs to. 
Example
: If you are uploading a prior year's tax return PDF, then select the prior year's template on the
Create New Binder
 window in SurePrep FileRoom. 
See a complete list of all the captured forms.

Capturing tax return data

Follow these steps to capture tax return data:
  1. Create a new client in the tax application. The tax year must match your client's tax return PDF.
    Example
    : If your tax application is UltraTax CS, you'll create a new 2024 Client ID for UltraTax CS with the minimum required information. The previous tax year should match the PDF you are extracting the proforma from.
  2. In FileRoom, open the 
    Create New Binder
     window, select the
    SurePrep Predefined
     template for the same tax year as your client's tax return PDF. Don’t submit tax returns from different tax years. Next, select
    Browse
     to upload the tax return PDF.
    Select tax year template
    Enter the required client details (such as
    Client ID
    ,
    Account Number
    , or
    Locator Number
    ) for the new client that you created in the tax application.
    Enter tax return information
  3. SurePrep will extract the data and verify it (if the 1040SCANverify service is selected).
  4. In SPbinder, you can open the
    Binder Information
     window to check if the tax return draft was captured.
    Checkbox showing tax return draft captured
  5. Once the binder is verified export data to the tax application.
    SPbinder window.
    Select Export to Tax Software.
  6. After the data is exported, go to your tax application, then roll over the tax return ID to the current tax year and use it to create the current year binder and the DRL in TaxCaddy.
    The client's proforma data that SurePrep was able to capture will be available automatically for the current tax year.
If you upload a 2024 tax return draft in a 2024 tax year binder, all the accepted forms will be processed by SurePrep and exported to the 2024 tax year in the tax application. You can then roll over your 2024 tax application to 2025, all the proforma’d information will then be available in the tax application, eliminating the need for you to enter the proforma data manually. You will also be able to create 2024 DRL using TaxCaddy. 

Forms captured

If this feature is enabled at the domain level, then data from the following forms will be captured:
  • 1040 (including schedules 1 - 3)
  • 1040NR - Pages 1 - 2
  • Schedule A
  • Schedule B (K-1 will be ignored)
  • Schedule C
  • Schedule D - for Carryovers only
  • Schedule E - Pages 1 and 2
  • Form 1116 - Foreign Tax Credit (including Carryovers)
  • Form 2555 - Foreign Earned Income
  • Form 4562 - Depreciation & Amortization/Schedules
    • UltraTax CS and UltraTax CS (Virtual Office CS or SaaS) - the form will be bookmarked only.
    • Lacerte - the form won’t be captured or bookmarked.
  • Form 8283 - If a Tax Return Draft has Schedule A as well as Form 8283, then OCR will always capture data from Form 8283 instead of Schedule A
  • Form 8582 - Passive Activity Loss Limitations carryovers
    • Lacerte - Bookmark only
  • Form 8938 - Foreign Financial Assets
  • FinCEN Form 114 - Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts
  • State Refund
  • Qualified Dividends
  • Estimate Tax Payments and Extension Payments (Federal)
  • W-2 Box 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (statement page)
  • 1099-R (Federal tax withheld of IRA/Pension from statement page)
  • Schedule F (Output Form) Gross Receipts, Other Income, Other Expenses - Cash basis and Gross Receipts, Other Expenses - Accrual basis
  • Form 2441
  • Form 8863 - Education Credits
note
Only submit a federal tax return PDF and no other source documents (for example, W-2). When you submit a federal tax return PDF along with source documents, data is
not
 extracted from the source documents. Instead, they are automatically indexed with generic names under their respective folders in the SPbinder Index Tree. If you want data extracted from both the tax return and the source documents, please submit them separately in different submissions, and the data will be processed accordingly.

Requirements

To capture data for a draft of the tax return, the binder must meet the following criteria: 
Requirements
Specification
Details
Firm Setting
Enabled by default
Tax Year
All tax years (up to 2024 tax year tax returns currently)
Services
All services except SPbinder and 1040SCAN Organize
Leadsheet
  • None (Without Leadsheets)
  • Classic Simplified Leadsheets binders
  • Simplified Leadsheet binders
Binder Type
1040 binder type
Tax application
  • GoSystem Tax RS
  • UltraTax CS
  • Lacerte
  • CCH Axcess Tax
note
You can use any of these tax applications (listed earlier) to submit a new binder (via the
Create New Binder
 window). The prior-year tax return you get from your clients can be from another tax application. For example, if your firm uses GoSystem Tax RS, you can still submit your client's prior year tax return even if it was printed in CCH Axcess Tax.

Identify tax application

When your client brings you a printed copy of their tax return, OCR only recognizes tax returns based on the supported tax application they were created in (see the following list). OCR uses the tax application code on the document to identify the tax return. If you are not sure which tax application the tax return belongs to, then review these tips:
You can identify the tax return by locating one of the three-letter IDs at the bottom of the page:
Tax application
Code ID
CCH Axcess Tax
LHA
GoSystem Tax RS
JSA
ProSystem fx Tax
LHA
IRS
No code
TurboTax
BAA (appears in the middle)
UltraTax CS
DAA
Lacerte
BAA (appears on the Left)
CCH Axcess Tax and ProSystem fx Tax
CCH Axcess Tax and ProSystem fx Tax will show LHA.
LHA on document.
Tax returns created in ProSystem fx Tax will also have
ProSystem fx
 stamped on the 1st page.
ProSystem on first page.
GoSystem Tax RS
GoSystem Tax RS will show JSA.
JSA on document.
Tax returns created in GoSystem Tax RS will also have the locator number stamped on the bottom of the page.
Locator number stamped on document.
TurboTax
TurboTax will show BAA in the bottom middle.
BAA on a document
The 1st page of the tax return will have the TurboTax logo on it.
TurboTax logo on the document
UltraTax CS
UltraTax CS will show DAA.
DAA stamped on document.
Lacerte
Lacerte will show BAA.
BAA stamped on document.

This article applies to:

  • PRODUCT: SurePrep

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