TaxFolder Status in Client Manager

Updated: 2024-04-04

Since TaxFolder launched, we have received requests to add the status of TaxFolder electronic signatures to the TaxCycle Client Manager. This topic explains our plan for that enhancement.

The idea makes sense…

We understand why tax preparers want to see e-signature status in the list of returns in the Client Manager. Currently, you have to open a file for TaxCycle to query the notification service for signatures in a file. Wouldn’t it be nice if that just happened automatically in the Client Manager?

But it would cause other problems.

The Client Manager runs on your desktop. To update the status in the desktop database, it would need to open each return, talk to the notification service, then record the result. And, to be most useful, it would need to do this each time the view changed in the Client Manager.

Open, request, record. Open, request, record. Open, request, record…

Given the number of files that TaxCycle needs to open to display a view in the Client Manager, we know this would create significant processing overhead and slow down both the Client Manager and preparing returns in TaxCycle.

The additional traffic to the notification service would also cause performance issues and possibly delay updates back to TaxCycle, even when querying the signature status for just one open file.

What’s the solution?

Client Manager in the cloud. Real-time connection to TaxFolder. It’s on our roadmap. 

What can you do in the meantime?

You have two options:

1. Keep an eye on the Preparer Dashboard in TaxFolder. Use it to find engagements where all the documents are signed.
2. Use rules in your email client to filter email notifications from TaxFolder and stay on top of when documents are signed.