Desktop: Editing The Detailed Business Letter

The Detailed Business Letter is the cover letter that accompanies Corporation, S Corporation, Partnership, Fiduciary, Exempt Organization, Estate, and Gift returns. 

To edit the business client letter, from the main menu of TaxSlayer Pro select:

• Business
• Business Utilities
• Edit Detailed Business Client Letter

If you aren't familiar with the editing process, select View/Print Instructions for the Client Letter so that you better understand which parts of the letter you can change and which parts pull from a program database.

Select Edit Detailed Business Letter to open the Business Client Letter Editor. Data Tags and Section Tags contained within the "< >" and "[  ]" symbols, respectively, are inserted from the Menu as needed. Anything not between those symbols can be changed to suit your needs.

Working with sections

Sections are paragraphs or sentences that print on the business client letter. Section titles are contained within [  ] symbols in the Business Client Letter Editor. Section titles are stored in a database and their associated paragraphs or sentences will appear on the business client letter if they are needed depending on what is contained in the tax return. Section titles within the [  ] symbols should not be changed, however the text that appears between the opening section title and the closing section title can be changed to suit your needs.

For example, the [FDAMENDED] [\FDAMENDED] section stating that the return has been amended will only be present in the client letter for returns that have been marked as amended. To edit what prints in the letter, edit the text between the [FDAMENDED] and [\FDAMENDED] section tags:

Sections can be moved to a different part of the client letter by cutting and pasting the opening section title, the text within, and closing section title. For example, to move the amended return section to a different area of the business client letter, cut (Shift + Delete or Ctrl + X)

[FDAMENDED]
This return has been amended.
[\FDAMENDED]

and paste (Ctrl + V) it to the place in the letter where you would like the sentence to appear.

Working with data tags

Data tags are bits of tax return information that pull to the client letter based on what is entered in a business tax return (for example, Dates, Firm Information, and Heading Information). Data tags are contained within "< >" symbols in the Business Client Letter Editor. Data tags are stored in a database and the associated information will appear on the business client letter if it is needed depending on what is contained in the tax return. Data tag titles contained within the < > symbols should not be changed.

Data tags can be moved to a different part of the business client letter by cutting the data tag (Shift + Delete or Ctrl + X) and pasting it (Ctrl + V) to the place in the letter you would like it to appear.

To view a list of available data tags and their descriptions, select 

• Edit
• Insert Data Tag
• Add Federal Tag or Add State Tag

Previewing and saving

To preview the letter, select File in the top left corner of the editor, then select Preview. Choose the client whose letter you wish to preview, and click the Preview button.

When you are finished editing the letter and are satisfied with the changes, click the Save icon on the left-hand side of the toolbar at the top of the editor. Note that once the letter is changed, it will be the default letter for all of your clients.

Resetting the letter

If you wish to start over with the original letter, you can revert the letter back to its initial state by selecting Reset Detailed Business Letter from the Business Client Letter Menu.

Editing the letter for one client

To edit the letter for a particular client, open that client's return and select Client Letter under View Results. The letter will open in your computer's own word processing program for you to edit and print. It isn't saved in TaxSlayer Pro; the default letter opens each time you select it, so if you wish to save a copy do so within the word processor.

Note: Logos and small images can be added to the letter. Recommended file types are .jpg and .png.