Document checklists
Collecting the right documents from a client is one of the most repetitive parts of tax work, and it's where things most often stall. Journey's answer is to make the list of what you need a first-class part of every return, and to build that list for you automatically. When a return is created, it already knows which documents it needs and shows the client exactly what to upload: no separate email spelling out the list, no guessing on the client's part.
What it does
Every return type can have a checklist template: the standard set of documents you need for that kind of return. A 1040 template might list a W-2, prior-year return, 1099s, and a mortgage 1098; a 1120-S template might list year-end financials, a trial balance, and payroll reports. When a new return of that type is created, Journey copies the template onto that specific return as its checklist.
From there the checklist does real work for both sides. The client sees each item in their portal and uploads directly against it, so there's never any ambiguity about what "send me your documents" means. Every item carries a live status (Missing when a required item hasn't arrived, Expected for an optional one that hasn't, Partial, Received, or Waived), so staff can see at a glance what's still outstanding without opening a single file or sending a follow-up.
What triggers it
The copy happens automatically the moment a return is created. It's part of creating the return rather than a separate step, so the checklist is ready before anyone opens the file. It applies to returns specifically (tickets with a return type) and not to plain requests, though staff can add a checklist to a request by hand when it helps.
How to set it up
Templates live in Settings under Checklist Templates. Pick a return type, then add the documents you need. Each item can be marked required or optional and given an expected quantity, and there's a "Load standard checklist" button that drops in a sensible starter set (available for 1040, 1120, 1120-S, 1065, 1041, 990, 941, and 940), which you can then trim to fit how your firm works.
The required-versus-optional distinction matters more than it looks. Only required items show the client a "Missing" nudge; optional items sit quietly as "Expected." That means you can list every document a return might involve without nagging a client about forms they don't have: a retiree with no W-2 isn't chased for one.
One thing to keep in mind: changes to a template affect future returns only. Returns that already exist keep the checklist they were created with, so editing a template never quietly rewrites work that's already in flight.
Editing an individual return's checklist
The template is a starting point, not a straitjacket. On any return, staff can add an item, remove one, reorder them, change an expected quantity, or waive an item with a reason when it genuinely doesn't apply. The client-facing list updates to match.
How to turn it off
There's no switch to disable this per se. Instead, a return type with an empty template simply produces an empty checklist. If a return type has no template items, new returns of that type come up with nothing on the checklist, and the client sees a note that their accountant hasn't added one yet. So leaving a template empty is how you "turn it off" for that return type.
Good to know
- Archived template items don't get seeded. If you archive an item out of a template, it stops appearing on new returns, so your templates stay clean as your process changes.
- Uploads keep the checklist honest on their own: when a document is attached to an item, that item's received count and status recalculate automatically, with no manual check-off required.
Note that this client-facing document checklist is a different thing from stage checklists, which are internal task lists your team works through at each stage of a return.