Communicating within TaxSlayer

On the Client Search (Office Client List) page and the final page of the E-file section, returns can be marked with tags, such as “Waiting on Signature”; TaxSlayer refers to these as “return tags.”

On the client list page, when you’re looking at a row of information for a specific return, the icon for return tags is immediately left of the printer icon. It is grayed out unless a tag has been created; click on it to add a return tag or delete (uncheck) an existing return tag.

In Practice Lab, TaxSlayer provides a very limited set of return tags. In production, LCs can add desired return tags.
The Client Search (Office Client List) page has a “Filter by Return Tag” field, which can be used, for example, to list all returns that have a return tag of “Need More Info.”
Notes can be used to expand on a return tag. For example, for a return with the “Need More Info” tag, a note would specify which information is missing.

Within a return, TaxSlayer has a standard way to record free-form information: notes (also referred to as “personal notes” or “sticky notes”).

After the Basic Information section is completed, the taxpayer name appears at upper right of the screen.
Clicking on the taxpayer’s name, or the downward-pointing symbol to its right, displays a drop-down list, which includes “Notes.”
Clicking on “Notes” opens a pop-up where notes can be added, and existing notes can be seen.

Notes are limited to 200 characters, so give a Note a useful name, such as “City Pension” or “DMV Fees”.
Notes do carry forward to the next year’s return.

Carryforward notes are visible as part of the Carryforward process, at the beginning of the process of creating a new return.

If a Carryforward note is not applicable to the tax year being prepared or a future return, delete it.

Creating or editing a note automatically includes the tax preparer’s name and a date/time stamp.

That information is visible when the note is opened after initially saving it, but only from the Client Search (Office Client List) page.
If the note is edited after being created, the note shows information about the most recent tax preparer who edited the note, and the date/time of that (most recent) edit, not when the note was created or previously edited. For this reason, it is helpful to initial notes (for example, “2/24 KJ”).

You can paste the contents of a group of spreadsheet cells to a note (such as where you’ve added some dollar amounts together), but only the cell values are copied, not the cell structure. So, for example, information in second and subsequent columns won’t be aligned.
You can change the color of the notes, but any change is made to all notes.
If you want to look at existing notes when within a return, follow the same process (see above) for creating a note; you’ll then see a pop-up window, “Found notes”, which lists the title of each existing note.

To view the content of a note, double-click the title of that note. Notes can’t be deleted here.

On the Client Search (Office Client List) page, tax returns with notes have a blue flag, rather than a grayed-out flag, in the column to the right of the STATUS column.

Notes can also be added from this page; the user interface is better than when adding notes within a return.

Notes can be included as part of a print package if the LC or another administrator, in the Advanced Print Setup Menu, selects “Print Supporting Notes with Tax Return.”
If notes exist for a return, and aren’t included in the print packet, the notes can be printed from the Client Search (Office Client List) page: once notes are opened, click “Print PDF” to create, then print, a PDF for all notes.

In general, a preparer shouldn’t delete a note that reminds the preparer of something that needs to be done. Instead, the note should be changed to indicate something was DONE. Retaining notes can be very helpful to the person doing the quality review. They can also be useful carryforward for future returns.