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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. Thus, 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.
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.
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 tax return ID in the tax application for the tax year the tax return belongs to.
    Example
    : If your tax application is CCH Axcess Tax, you'll create a new 2020 Client ID for CCH Axcess Tax 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, upload the tax return PDF, then select the SurePrep template for the tax year the tax return PDF belongs to. Don’t submit tax returns from different tax years.
    Enter the required client details (that is,
    Client ID
    ) for the new client that you created in the tax application.
  3. SurePrep will extract the data and verify it (if the 1040SCANverify service is selected).
  4. Once the binder is verified export data to the tax application.
  5. 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.
    CCH Axcess Tax Example
    :
    The client's proforma data that SurePrep was able to capture will be available automatically for the current tax year.
If you upload a 2021 tax return draft in a 2021 tax year binder, all the accepted forms will be processed by SurePrep and exported to the 2021 tax year in the tax application. You can then roll over your 2021 tax application to 2022, 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 2021 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

Requirements

To capture data for a draft of the tax return, the binder must meet the following criteria: 
  • Firm Setting
    • Enabled by default
  • Tax Year
    • 2018 - 2023 (latest)
  • Services
    • All services are supported except for spbinder and 1040SCAN Organize
  • Leadsheet
    • None (Without Leadsheets)
    • Classic
    • Simplified Leadsheets binders
  • Binder Type
    • 1040 binder type
  • Tax application
    • GoSystem Tax RS
    • CCH Axcess Tax
    • UltraTax CS
    • Lacerte
    • * ProSystem fx Tax (Tax year 2022 and earlier)

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.
Tax returns created in ProSystem fx Tax will also have
ProSystem fx
 stamped on the 1st page.
GoSystem Tax RS
GoSystem Tax RS will show JSA.
Tax returns created in GoSystem Tax RS will also have the locator number stamped on the bottom of the page.
TurboTax
TurboTax will show BAA in the bottom middle.
The 1st page of the tax return will have the TurboTax logo on it.
UltraTax CS
UltraTax CS will show DAA.
Lacerte
Lacerte will show BAA.

This article applies to:

  • Product: SurePrep
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