Import new clients (standard & offline)

Import new clients

In TaxCaddy, select
Administrative
, then
Client Management
.

Select
Import Multiple Clients
.

You may also see the
Import Multiple Clients
icon appear with the following indicators:
Indicates the client import is running in the background.
Indicates there's an exception report available for previously failed imports.
When the Import Clients window appears, select
Download Template
to download the Excel template.

Once the template download completes, go to your downloads folder then open the Excel template file.
note
The Excel template file is not compatible with the online version of Microsoft Excel.
If the template opens in
Protected View
, select
Enable Editing
to let edits.
Select and delete the
READ ME
reminder note. The tax software information (Tax software, Tax Client ID, Tax Software Account Number) is required to create custom Document Request Lists (DRL) and binders.
To view the full column width, select the
Select All
icon to select all fields. Once selected, move the cursor between 2-column headers, double-click when the
Column Width
cursor appears. All columns will be expanded completely.
To upload a client as an offline client, select the
Is Offline
column in a new row, then select your option from the dropdown. The option to select
Yes
only appears if your firm has the offline clients feature enabled.
note
Certain fields may require you to select an option from a dropdown. Select
Menu
to select an option.
Follow the template guidelines and fill out the template accordingly.
Enter the following required fields to successfully import the Excel file:
Taxpayer's first name
Taxpayer's last name
Owner
Office Location
The following fields are only required if your firm intends to create and send a custom DRL or create or link a binder:
Tax Software ‡
Tax Software Account number ‡
Tax Client ID ‡
Tax Software Password ‡
Tax Version ‡
If your firm intends to send clients an invite (leave the fields blank if you want to use the client as an offline client) you need the email address also.
The following field is only required for your client to verify themselves upon their first login:
Taxpayer Mobile Number
Taxpayer SSN
If your firm currently has a custom field enabled in FileRoom, download an updated Client Import Template to reflect that. Once downloaded, your firm's custom field will be a mandatory column for each client being imported.
note
‡
Tax Software ID
,
Tax Software Account number
,
Tax Client ID
,
Tax Software Password
, and
Tax Version
are only required if your firm intends to create and send custom DRL or create or link a binder.
Rows that are missing required fields/cells or have an error will be highlighted (in peach color). You can go to the last column to see why the row is flagged as an error. Resolving the issue will automatically remove the select and the comment.
When the file is ready for import, select the
Import Clients
tab, then drag the Excel file and place it in the drop zone (
Drag and drop completed import client template here
).

You can select the drop zone
Drag and drop completed import client template here
, then select the Excel file.
To initiate the import, select
Import Clients
.

To remove the file, select the
Close
icon .

Once you've uploaded the file, you can continue to wait for the import process to complete or select
Check Back Later
.

The
Import Clients
icon will appear while the import process runs in the background.

If you waited for the client import process to complete, then the
Import Clients
window will display
Client Import Complete
.

When the import completes, the window checkbox displays the number of clients that passed and failed the import process.

To view a report of failed imports, select
DOWNLOAD EXCEPTION REPORT
.
note
The Exception Report only reflects the most recent upload attempt. Previously uploaded attempts don’t accumulate to the new Exception Report.

Exception report

After importing clients, the Exception Report lets firms see which clients failed the import process. To download the most recent Exception report made on your domain. Select

Client Management

, then the

Import Clients

icon.

Guidelines for completing client import template

Select
Yes
from the dropdown if this client is Offline or
No
if this client is Standard Online. The
Is Offline
column won’t show the option to select
Yes
if the offline client feature isn't available for your firm.
Enter
*
Taxpayer first name and last name.
There shouldn't be leading or trailing spaces on any fields/data entered.
Don’t add the client's middle name or initials.
†
Each taxpayer's email address needs to be unique. This field is optional when adding a client, however, the email address is required for sending invites. Don’t enter a duplicate Taxpayer's email address that is already in use by an existing Taxpayer, or an Owner.
Enter a taxpayer's SSN. Each taxpayer's SSN is unique. This field is optional.
Select the country's prefix associated with the client's mobile phone number..
note
If you don't intend to include a client's mobile number, leave this field blank. Records including a country code without a mobile number won't be eligible for import.
Enter the taxpayer mobile number in only numeric digits. Don’t include special characters. You can manually enter this data in
Settings
at a later date if you initially decide to exclude this record.
Select the
Owner
from the dropdown.
note
An exception file might be created if the Owner doesn’t have proper permissions set. Fix the Owner's permission and re-upload the client import template.
*
Select an office location from the dropdown. If you don't see an office location then check your firm setting to make sure you have the office location added then download a new copy of the template.
‡‡
Select the tax software client is added to from the dropdown.
‡‡
First select information in the
Tax Software
column then you will see options available in this column. This field only applies to GoSystem Tax RS and CCH Axcess Tax.
‡‡
Enter the client ID used to identify the client in the tax software. This is required to create or link a binder; or create DRL and send DRL.
‡‡
If a password exists on a client’s tax file, enter the password. This field is required if you intend to create and send custom DRLs. Include this field when it applies.
‡‡
This field only applies to CCH Axcess Tax version numbers. Include this field when it applies. Include the version number in the format V#.
Enter the spouse's first name. There should be no leading or trailing spaces on any fields/data entered.
note
Don't list the spouse's information on a separate row. Don’t add the clients' spouse's middle name or initials.
Enter the spouse's last name.
Enter the client's spouse's email address.
‡‡
This field only applies if your firm's custom field is enabled in FileRoom. If your firm currently has a custom field created and enabled in FileRoom, the custom field (for example "Project ID", "Firm ID", etc.) will be a mandatory column when completing your Client Import Template.
note
You can add Standard clients without an email address and use the client's profile as an alternative to the traditional Offline account.

Tax Software specific requirements

Tax Client ID
: This field is called Client ID in CCH Axcess
Tax Software Account #
: Required*
Tax Software Password
: This is only required if the Tax Client ID requires a password to access the client's tax return from last year.
Tax Software Version
: Use V1, V2,.
note
You can only enter V1 - V9. - Version 1 will be used by default if no version is provided. - Version number greater than 9 will be considered version 1

Tax Client ID
: This is called
LocatorNumber
in GoSystem Tax RS
Tax Software Account #
: Required*
Tax Software Password
: This is only required if the Tax Client ID requires a password to access the client's tax return from last year.
Tax Software Version
: Leave blank

Tax Client ID
: This field is called Client Number in Lacerte
Tax Software Account #
: Leave blank
Tax Software Password
: Leave blank
Tax Software Version
: Leave blank

Alternative to offline clients

Recommended Best practices

Import a small batch of clients at first, this will help you make sure if you have entered the information in the correct format.
If you have thousands of clients, we recommend bulk importing a maximum of 5,000 clients per batch. However, you can exceed that amount if needed.