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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.
Two icons appear in the OPTIONS column
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.
SPbinder screen view
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
INDEX TREE panel
Document Viewer
Document Viewer
 window (contains Thumbnail & Annotations as well) – shows you the workpapers you selected in the
THUMBNAIL
 or
INDEX TREE
.
Thumbnail panel
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.
Expanded thumbnail panel
ANNOTATE
The
ANNOTATE
 section allows you to add highlights, stamps, and text to the workpaper you are viewing in the
Document Viewer
 window.
Annotate panel
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.
Forms/Leads/Notes panel
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.
K-1 RECLASS tab

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
 Dock icon icon on the title bar to a new location.
Dock icon appearing on each panel
While you drag the window, the picklist arrow Picklist icon icons will be displayed on all 4 corners indicating where you can place the window.
Picklist icon appearing on all four sides of SPbinder
Select the
Dock
 Dock icon icon and place it on the desired arrow Picklist icon 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.
Updated location of the panel after selecting an arrow
note
To revert changes back to the default view, select the
View
 menu and then select
Reset View
 from the dropdown.

Additional features to explore in SPbinder

Feature highlight
Description
Cross-references
Save valuable time throughout tax reviews with cross-references. This feature enables users to hyperlink two figures on any work paper in the binder, allowing reviewers to draw connections and reference other annotations.
Notes
  • Communicate with colleagues using threaded responses
  • Reference specific workpapers
Annotations
Use four different annotation tools to emphasize certain calls to action, next steps, or pressing concerns throughout a work paper. Implement highlights, markups, work-paper tools, and stamps.
Leadsheets
Gather all final amounts in one place to facilitate a high-level, materiality-based review. Use cross-referenced source documents, change tracking, and variance detection to get the whole picture of a review.
Calculator Tape
Replace your desktop 10-key calculator and cumbersome bulk orders of tape rolls with Calculator Tape, a calculator you manage and place directly on workpapers. Use it to cross-reference any amounts on the work paper captured with optical character recognition (OCR).
Auto-indexing
Leverage AI and machine learning to auto-index non-standard documents. This technology allows the user to reference how similar documents were indexed in the prior year and applies that action to the current year.
Multi-level Sign-off
Supports up to four levels of sign-off for compliance and accountability
Export data to the tax software
Seamlessly transfers data to tax preparation platforms

This article applies to:

  • PRODUCT: SurePrep
  • Sub-Product: SPbinder

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