Gather FAQ

User Questions

Where do I enable/disable Gather?	Note: Gather is included as part of the SafeSend Premium package. It cannot be purchased separately. Administrators can give users access to Gather in the Account Management > User Management dashboard.
What tax software types are supported?	CCH Axcess™ and ProSystem fx®, UltraTax CS®, Lacerte®, and GoSystem® Tax RS.
What organizer types are supported?	1040 organizers are supported. See Supported Organizer Types for Gather for more information.
Which tax years are supported?	2020 and later.
Do all pages need to be in the organizer?	No, you can select specific pages in print settings. Personal information pages are not required.
What types of organizers can be uploaded?	Most organizer pages are recognized. This includes lite organizers, classic, and full versions. Fillable fields appear green in the Taxpayer Preview.
What document types are not recognized/fillable?	Due Diligence letters are not currently recognized for all tax software types. Condensed organizers for Lacerte® are not currently recognized. Summary organizers for GoSystem® are not currently recognized.
Can the default questionnaire be customized?	The default questionnaire generated by your tax software should not be edited. We recommend you use the Custom Questions feature instead.
Do organizers comply with optical character recognition (OCR)?	Yes.
Can I turn off source document gathering?	In Gather, go to Settings > General > Gather Source Document.
Where can I see my delivered Gather requests?	The Delivered section in the left-hand panel.
How do I know if a taxpayer edited existing text?	The text will be a different color on the completed organizer PDF. Taxpayer text appears blue, while information entered by the spouse is magenta.
Can I use the integration in my tax software to upload organizers?	Integrations are not compatible with Gather. A PDF copy of the organizer must be uploaded manually.

Engagement Letters

For batch Gather requests, do all of the engagement letters need to be the same?	All engagement letters included in a batch should be formatted the same way; any signature/date lines should be in the same position on the same page.
Are engagement letters required?	No, engagement letters are optional.
Can engagement letters be sent without a signature control for a second recipient?	Yes.
How do I add a standard or customized engagement letter?	Engagement letters are added and customized in your tax software.
Can signatures be applied to pages other than the engagement letter?	During processing, signatures can be added in the Organizer or  E-Sign Documents section.
If some signature blocks are marked as required and some are not, what happens on the taxpayer side?	The taxpayer will be forced to sign the required boxes. After that is completed, they can choose to mark the other pages as reviewed.
If the taxpayer marks the document as reviewed, can they go back and sign it later?	No, the taxpayer will not be able to go back and sign if they marked the document as reviewed. They can download the unsigned document.

Client Questions

Which file types can the client upload?	The client can upload .pdf, .doc, .xls, .txt, .png, .jpeg, QBX, QBY, QBA, and QBB files. Only PDF and image files go through document recognition with Gather AI.
Can the client edit an organizer after it's been submitted as complete?	Yes, the firm would need to unlock the Gather request for editing using the Reopen Gather option in the action menu.
When can the client upload additional documents?	If the client marked the document uploads as complete, additional documents cannot be uploaded. The firm can allow uploads again by using the Reopen Document Upload option in the action menu.
Can I fill out my Gather request on a tablet?	Yes, the Gather request can be completed on a tablet. This includes signing, completing the questionnaire, filling out the organizer, and uploading documents.
Can I fill out my Gather request on a phone?	Gather requests can be partially completed on a phone. You can sign and upload documents, but you cannot complete the questionnaire or fill out the organizer. See our Gather on Mobile article for more information.
Why are the options to Get Started, sign, and fill grayed out?	This indicates that your spouse must sign the engagement letter before you can continue.

Batch Processing Specific

How is batch Gather information provided?	By downloading and filling out the Gather CSV Template found in the help center.
Are there any requirements for the .CSV template?	Client ID must be in text format, see Excel Tip. The mobile number field is digits only. Do not delete any columns in the .CSV file. See the Uploading Batch Gather Requests article for a full list of .CSV requirements.
In a batch, can I have different engagement letters?	No, all engagement letters in a batch must be formatted exactly the same to ensure correct signature placement.
Do I have to do a separate batch for every Electronic Return Originator (ERO)?	Yes.
How many Organizers can be sent in a batch?	There is a size limit of 1 GB for the .ZIP file, this is roughly 1,000 organizers.
I received a committable or uncommittable error, what do I do?	Committable will be delivered, uncommittable will not and is removed from the batch process.