How a small Drake Tax firm batch sends organizers before tax season without drowning clients

Drake Tax has three organizer options: Summary, Comprehensive, and New Client/Blank. All three live under Last Year Data, then Organizers. You do not have to update last year's clients into this year's software to run them. Drake collects client information from last year's files. You can run one client or a set by entering SSN or EIN, or continue without an ID to work from filters. Starting with Drake Tax 2023, organizers can be created for individual and business returns. (Organizers: frequently asked questions, Organizers: single and batch creation)

For New Client/Blank under Last Year Data, then Organizers, Drake says you must enter at least a nine digit ID in the mailing name and address section or the organizer will not populate. A string of zeros is allowed if you do not have the SSN or do not want it in that field. If you omit name or address, the letters in that blank organizer omit them too. (Organizers: frequently asked questions)

Decide the type before you batch. Mixing Summary and Comprehensive in one print run is how simple wage clients get a book they will not finish.

Single organizers: Last Year Data, then Organizers, choose Summary or Comprehensive, enter the SSN or SSNs (filtered list or search), continue, process, then pick print options. (Organizers: single and batch creation)

Batch organizers: same menu, same Summary or Comprehensive choice, but leave the Selected Clients section blank and continue. Drake then shows Organizer Filter Selection. Pick a filter such as All Individual (1040) Clients. You can edit filters for more criteria. Sort by taxpayer ID, last name, zip code, or the other sort options on that screen. Next is Basic Search Conditions: Return Type, Return Result, Activity, and Preparer and Firm. Process, review the list (View on a highlighted client if you want to check forms), select the clients you actually want, then print. (Organizers: single and batch creation)

The FAQ says filters live on that same Organizer Filter Selection screen. The drop list includes Clients with Refund. You can create or copy filters in Filter Manager, and you can test filter results in Report Manager before you run organizers. Use that test on a copy of last year's list so you do not discover in print that the filter included inactive files. (Organizers: frequently asked questions)

Drake also notes that when you print multiple organizers, they go as one print job, and the printer will staple the entire batch. It is not possible to set the printer to staple organizers separately in batch printing. If you still print paper, batch in small groups or skip the stapler. (Organizers: frequently asked questions)

After process, Drake's print options let you send documents to the printer, save to Drake Documents (previously DDM), upload to Drake Portals, and generate fillable PDFs. You can use more than one of those at once. (Organizers: single and batch creation)

• Printer: paper. Use it as an exception, not the default, if you are trying to stop email and mail as the working file.
• Drake Documents: the firm copy. This is the file you can find later without asking who printed it.
• Drake Portals: the client copy. The FAQ says fillable PDFs can be emailed or uploaded to Drake Portals.
• Fillable PDF: clients complete it on a computer and send it back by email or Drake Portals without printing, handwriting, and scanning. They need a PDF reader. Check Generate fillable PDFs on the print options window.

Publication 4557 tells tax professionals to implement multi factor authentication for anyone accessing customer information, and to encrypt sensitive files rather than sending personally identifiable information in ordinary email. If you upload to Drake Portals, turn MFA on for staff and clients. If you email a fillable PDF, you are back in attachment territory. Prefer the portal. (Publication 4557)

Drake will not tell you who ignored the organizer unless you keep a list. One row per client you actually sent. Portal viewed is a person checking the portal or the upload report, not a guess.

Follow up is human. Resending the same Comprehensive packet is not a chase. Name what is still missing, give a date, and put one upload place in the message. That sequence is how to get clients to send tax documents on time.

Download the Drake organizer send tracker. The tax season operator can draft the named follow up from the still missing column. Your staff approve what goes out. Your CPA reviews and signs every return.