UltraTax CS: Orphaned Folders

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New (tax) year, new help!

Fixed Assets and UltraTax CS 2023 help is now on Help and Support. We're still moving articles, but you can find most content for the 2023 tax year there. Continue using the Help & How-To Center for tax years 2022 and older.

Scenario

If data is coming into a return and the unit that it was originally associated to no longer exists, you will receive the error code below:

Error message

UltraTax CS has encountered 1 or more input screens that are not associated with a defined activity, and has placed them within the “Orphaned” folder. Please change their form and/or unit, or delete them entirely, whichever you believe to be appropriate. Then, please close and reopen the client.

To avoid creating orphaned data in the future, make sure to dispose of all assets related to an activity that is disposed of by either selling, transferring, retiring, or putting out-of-service all assets.

Solutions

Use the steps below to remove the orphan folder(s):

  1. Open the affected and click OK to close the error message
  2. Click the Orphaned folder. Each input screen unit that is not associated with a defined activity folder is represented by an input screen tab
  3. For each orphaned input screen, either:
    • delete the input screen by selecting Edit > Delete Screen Data, or
    • If the orphaned input screen refers to an activity that should exist, but has been removed, add a unit for the appropriate activity, or
    • assign the input screen to an existing activity by selecting the appropriate activity and unit number from the Form and Unit # fields, near the top right of the screen Show me.
      OrphanUnit
  4. Close and reopen the client. You should not receive the error message again and the Orphaned folder should be gone

The client has asset information and the solution above did not work

If the client has asset information entered and the orphan folder cannot be deleted or reassigned successfully, follow the steps below:

  1. Access the Asset tab from any of the existing units
  2. Click Edit > Reassign Assets
  3. In the Activity drop-down list under the Focus area, select Unknown
  4. Select the assets that appear above to the right and reassign them to the Misc Activity
  5. Access the Asset tab under the Non Calculating folder and delete the assets

Note: When entering assets and creating new activities like Rentals within Fixed Assets CS, the new unit will not automatically be added in the UltraTax CS client. You will receive a prompt regarding an Orphaned folder. It is recommended that when you add additional units (Rentals, Schedule C, etc.), you create the appropriate unit within the activity folder within UltraTax CS first and then the Fixed Assets CS program will pick it up. Asset data entry can be completed within either program.

The client does not have asset information and the solutions above did not work

If your client does not have asset information entered, follow the steps below.

  1. Close the client file and minimize UltraTax CS 

  2. Navigate to X:\WinCSI\DeprData, where X is the drive letter where the client data is stored

  3. Delete the client's folder. This will not delete any tax information; only data related to assets / depreciation

  4. In UltraTax CS, open the client, and the error message should not appear

 

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