Uploading Batch Gather Requests

This article describes the process for uploading batch Gather requests. 

Important

• 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. 
• For UltraTax CS®, Lacerte®, and GoSystem® Tax RS, a client's engagement letter must be printed in one PDF file and their organizer must be printed in a separate PDF file. You must print these files directly from the tax software.
• CCH Axcess™ and ProSystem fx® must have a client's engagement letter and organizer printed in one PDF file. You must print this file directly from the tax software.

Before you begin:

• Make sure your organizers and engagement letters (optional) are named properly for the tax software you are using (see the file name format instructions below). An incorrect file name results in an error status.
• Download a blank CSV template and fill out the CSV to include client information. The Client ID column in the CSV file must match a corresponding Client ID in the organizer and engagement letter file names. 
• Have a ZIP archive that contains the batch's organizers and engagement letters. 
  • There is a size limit of 1 GB for the ZIP file.  

Additional CSV requirements

• Make sure that the organizer data is placed in the proper column.
• Make sure that cells in the Client ID column are formatted as text before you enter data. This prevents Excel from inadvertently truncating numbers. 
  • To prevent Excel from truncating Client IDs, see our Leading Zeros in CSV Template article.
• Do not add or delete any columns in the provided CSV template.
  • Client ID, Taxpayer First Name, Taxpayer Last Name, and Taxpayer Email Address are required fields. Other columns can be left empty. 
• Do not have text in any cells other than the columns provided.
• Do not change the names of any headers in the CSV template.
• Make sure that the number of organizers listed in the CSV file matches the number of organizers in the ZIP archive.
• Make sure that the sort order of organizers in the CSV file matches the sort order of the organizers in the ZIP archive.
• If a spouse is included in an organizer, Spouse First Name, Spouse Last Name, and Spouse Email Address are also required and must be filled out.
• The Mobile Number field should contain numbers only, no dashes, letters, or other symbols. 
• Country Code must be entered if Mobile Number is present. This field should contain numbers only, no dashes, letters, or other symbols.
• After saving the CSV file, do not reopen it prior to uploading it to Gather.

File name requirements for supported tax software

CCH Axcess™

Note: A client's organizer and engagement letter must be printed in one PDF file directly from the tax software. 

Organizer name format:

<YYYY><US><System Letter> <Client Name> Organizer <Client ID> <V#>
Example: 2015USI Smith, John Organizer ABC123 V1

See the CCH Axcess™ Best Practices for Printing Organizers for Gather article for additional guidance. 

Engagement letter name format:

Not applicable. The engagement letter must be included in the organizer PDF.

CCH ProSystem fx®

Note: A client's organizer and engagement letter must be printed in one PDF file directly from the tax software.

Organizer name format:

YYI_<Last name>_<First Initial>_Organizer_V#_<ClientID>
Example: 15I_Smith_J_Organizer_V1_ABC123

See the CCH® ProSystem fx® Best Practices for Printing Organizers for Gather article for additional guidance. 

Engagement letter name format:

Not applicable. The engagement letter must be included in the organizer PDF.

UltraTax CS®

A client's organizer and engagement letter must be printed into separate PDF files directly from the tax software.

Important

UltraTax recognizes 9-digit client IDs as SSNs and only displays 4 digits. The full client ID is required for batch uploads to function correctly. 

Organizer name format:

<Document Name>_<Client ID>
Example: Organizer_ABC123

Engagement letter name format:

<Engagement Letter>_<Client ID>
Example: Engagement Letter_ABC123

See the UltraTax CS® Print Settings for Organizers and Engagement Letters for Gather article for additional guidance. 

Lacerte®

Note: A client's organizer and engagement letter must be printed into separate PDF files directly from the tax software.

Organizer name format:

Organizer Forms–<Client ID>
Example: Organizer Forms-ABC123

See the Lacerte® Print Settings for Organizers and Engagement Letters for Gather article for additional guidance. 

Engagement letter name format:

<Engagement Letter>_<Client ID>
Example: Engagement Letter_ABC123

GoSystem® Tax RS

Note: A client's organizer and engagement letter must be printed into separate PDF files directly from the tax software.

Organizer name format:

<Taxpayer Last Name><Taxpayer First Name>&<Spouse Last Name>_<Spouse First Name>_<Client ID>_<Tax Year>
Example: Smith_John&Smith_Jane_ABC123_2020

See the GoSystem Tax RS® Best Practices for Printing Organizers for Gather article for additional guidance. 

Engagement letter name format:

<Engagement Letter>_<Client ID>
Example: Engagement Letter_ABC123

Submitting your batch

1. Click the Batch option in the top left corner.
2. Click the New Gather button.
3. Select a Template OR
4. Select Task Options. 
5. Click Get Started.
6. In the batch upload screen, fill out the necessary information:
   • Select your Tax Software from the drop-down. 
   • The Batch Name can be anything you choose to identify the batch in your firm's processing.
   • Select the ERO from the drop-down.
   • Select the Tax Year from the drop-down. 
   • Select the Office Location from the drop-down. 
7. Select whether or not to include engagement letters with the organizers (UltraTax CS®, Lacerte®, and GoSystem® Tax RS only). 
8. Drag and Drop Or click Choose File in the Select Zip File area to upload your Zip file. 
9. Drag and Drop Or click Choose File in the Select CSV File area to upload your CSV file. 
10. Click Submit.

Processing a Batch

When a batch upload is successful and is ready for processing, Gather sends a notification email to the uploader. The batch appears on the screen with a + button next to the Batch Name.

1. Click the Batch option in the top left corner.
2. Click the + button to see the contents of the batch.
   
   1. Click the Eyeball to preview the Gather request. 
   2. Click Delete to delete the Gather request from the batch. 
   3. Click the More option to see additional options. 
   4. Click View Client Information to view the client information for that Gather request. 
   5. Click Report a Problem to submit a ticket to our Support team related to that Gather request. 
3.  Click the Rocket icon to open and process the batch.
   • See our Processing a Gather Request article for more information. 

Info

If you see an Errors tab while processing your batch, it means that Gather encountered some problems during upload. You can try to correct each error by using the icon in the Action column. Some errors such as unrecognized file names (or that require corrections to the batch CSV file or ZIP file) require you to upload the batch again.