Organizer cover letter

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The client organizer cover letter contains standard text that you can modify if necessary. When you print the cover letter, it includes text variables that UltraTax CS replaces with the client's name and address, the name of your firm, tax year, and last tax year.

See also: Editing text for a header or footer.

Modifying the cover letter

If desired, you can modify the cover letter before printing it. For example, you can change the font, use a different border, edit the header or footer, add or delete text, or insert your firm's logo at the top of the page. To modify the cover letter, complete these steps.

The same cover letter prints for all clients, so any edits you make to the cover letter affect all client organizer packages.

  1. Choose Setup > 1040 Individual.

    Note: Depending on your security configuration, you might be prompted to enter the master password and click OK before you can continue.

  2. Click the Organizer tab.
  3. Click the Letters & Emails button to open the Letters & Emails dialog.
  4. If it is not already highlighted, highlight the Organizer Cover Letter, and click the Open button to open the Document Editing window.
  5. Edit the cover letter as desired.
  6. Save changes by choosing Document > Save.
  7. Choose Document > Exit when finished.

Notes

  • The default cover letter is available in both English and Spanish.
  • To restore the default cover letter, choose Setup > 1040 Individual > Organizer tab. Click the Letters & Emails button, highlight the Organizer Cover Letter, and then click the Properties button. In the Document Properties dialog, click the Restore Default button, then click OK. A prompt will remind you that restoring default documentation will overwrite any changes. Click Yes to restore the default document.
  • UltraTax CS displays an X in the Edited column of the Transmittal Letters dialog to help you distinguish edited documents.

Creating a new organizer cover letter

If you want to create additional cover letters, follow these steps.

  1. Choose Setup > 1040 Individual.
  2. Click the Organizer tab.
  3. Click the Letters & Emails button to open the Letters & Emails dialog.
  4. Click the New button to open the New Document dialog.
  5. In the Document name field, enter the name of the new cover letter.
  6. Click the desired options in the Header > Footer group box.
  7. If desired, select a border for this letter from the field in the Border group box.
  8. Click OK.
  9. The Document Editing window opens. Edit the cover letter as desired, save your changes by choosing Document > Save, and then choose Document > Exit when you are finished.

UltraTax CS creates a new custom letter based on the standard cover letter. If you previously modified the standard cover letter, your modifications also appear in the new cover letter. You can add up to five custom cover letters.

To print this custom letter instead of the standard cover letter, you must select it on the client's organizer Screen Letter. To choose this custom letter, open the client. Choose View > Client Organizer to open organizer data entry, click the General folder, and then click the tab for Screen Letter. Select this cover letter from the Select the client organizer cover letter version to print for this client field. If you do not perform this step, the standard cover letter prints for the client by default. (If the Select the client organizer cover letter version to print for this client field is disabled, no custom cover letters have been created or proforma'd from the prior-year application.) 

Changing the salutation on organizer cover letters

Client Organizer automatically generates a customized salutation of "Dear" followed by the client's first name as it is entered in the client's Screen 1040. To print the client's last name or some other variation of the client's name in the letter's salutation, follow these steps.

  1. Choose File > Open Client and select the client.
  2. Choose View > Client Organizer to open the organizer input screens.
  3. In the folders block on the left side of the screen, click the General folder.
  4. Click the tab for Screen 1040.
  5. At the top of Screen 1040, click the Personal Info section button to move to the Personal Information section of the screen.
  6. Enter a salutation (without the word "Dear" included) in the Cover letter salutation field.

Notes

  • Any changes you make to the organizer salutation also transfer to the tax salutation.
  • If the cover letter is intended for the address included in the personal representative information on Screen Info, enter the personal representative's name in the Cover letter salutation field. UltraTax CS defaults to using the personal representative information when the filing status is not married filing jointly and a date of death is entered in the taxpayer's Screen 1040.

You can also use custom paragraphs in the organizer cover letter. You can either select a predefined custom paragraph or create a user-defined custom paragraph. For more information, see Customizing client documents: custom paragraphs.

Related topics

Determining organizer content

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