e-File Atlas

Tracking Returns

Receiving Acknowledgements

You must connect to Lacerte to retrieve the acknowledgements for e-filed returns.

To check for acknowledgements, select Receive Acknowledgements from the E-file menu or click the  icon in the toolbar.

The Communication Manager will open and connect to Lacerte to retrieve any available acknowledgements.

The Post Transmission Summary will display any acknowledgements that were retrieved during the connection. If the return is rejected, the reason for rejection can be viewed by placing the mouse pointer over the rejected return. This information can be printed using the Print button at the bottom of the window.

After closing the Post Transmission Summary, this information can be accessed by selecting View Last Acknowledgements from the E-file menu. This information is available until the next connection is made and it is replaced by any new acknowledgements that might be received.

Viewing Status Activity

The status activity for an e-file return can be accessed at any time using the build in status utilities.

Select Status Activity Report from the E-file menu to view and/or print a report showing the Complete Activity for one or more selected e-file returns, or click the  icon from the toolbar. This report can also be accessed from the E-file Activity tab within Database Reports.

The Status Activity Report is generated for the client files that are selected and can be filtered using the check boxes located on the left side of the report window. The status information can also be displayed in a Condensed Activity format that shows only the dates for each status.

The E-file status can also be accessed from the Client Status window. Open the Client Status window by selecting Status from the Client menu, pressing F4 on the keyboard, clicking the  icon, or clicking on the status hyperlink when using the e-file Clients view.

After opening the Client Status window, click on the E-file Status tab to view the status information for the selected return.

Managing E-file Returns

E-file returns can be identified and filtered by status using the built-in Views and Filters.

Click the e-file Clients view to show only the client files that have been set to e-file within the detail. The default display for this view includes e-file specific information, such as the e-file status and DCN, for the e-filed tax returns and extensions.

E-file returns with a specific status can be identified using the filters groups within the provided filters, such as Fed e-file Status, State e-file Status, and Fed e-file Ext Status. Filter groups exist for each e-file status, and only returns with a current status matching the selected filter group will be displayed. A green checkmark will appear next to the filter group that is currently being used to filter the client list. These filters can be used from the All Clients view, e-file Clients view, or other available views.

Click the Outstanding Client Report located under the E-file menu to generate a report showing all e-file returns that have been submitted, but have not received an Accepted acknowledgement from the tax authority. The report will include all clients in the current database. It will indicate any returns that have not been acknowledged within 72 hours, or returns that were initially rejected and have not been resent within 72 hours.