Questionnaires
A tax questionnaire is how you gather the year's details from a client before the real work begins: life changes, new income, dependents, and everything else that shapes a return. Journey can both put that questionnaire in front of the client automatically and tell the preparer the moment it comes back, so the intake step happens without anyone shepherding it.
What it does
There are two automated pieces.
The first is auto-assignment. Your firm can choose to have a tax questionnaire assigned to the client automatically when a return is created, so you don't have to remember to send one. It's a firm-level setting; when it's switched off, questionnaires are assigned by hand instead.
The second is the completion notification. When a client submits their questionnaire, the assigned preparer is notified in the app so they know the answers are ready to review. As with everything staff-facing, that's a bell notification rather than an email. See Notifications.
What triggers it
Auto-assignment fires when a return or ticket is created, provided the firm setting is on. The completion notification fires when the client submits their answers.
How to set it up
The questionnaire auto-assignment behavior is a toggle in Settings, along with a choice of how it's applied. Turning it off is the right move for service types where a tax questionnaire simply doesn't apply (a bookkeeping-only client, for instance), so you're not sending an intake form that doesn't fit the engagement.
What the client sees
When a questionnaire is assigned, it appears in the client's portal with a prompt to complete it, and they can save partway through and come back to finish later. If none is assigned, they simply never see one: there's no empty form or dead end.
Good to know
- Questionnaire answers can inform other parts of a return, so a client completing theirs early helps the whole file move rather than just ticking a box.
- Because auto-assignment can be switched off, don't assume every client has a questionnaire waiting. If you're unsure, check the client's record or portal rather than taking its presence for granted.