Preparer Step-by-step Guide - Lacerte

Step 1: Start a Tax Preparation and Select a Client

To start a tax preparation for a client, you’ll want to select the “Start Tax Preparation” button. Upon doing so, you can select a return type and a client from your client base.

In order to proceed, you’ll need to select which year you want to prepare the return for.

Step 2: Upload Source Documents and/or Prior Year Return 

Now you’re ready to start uploading source documents. You can add source documents by dragging and dropping them into the upload container or via an integration with file storage platforms. We currently support integrations with SmartVault, Sharepoint/OneDrive and Box.

The source documents you have added will display on the right side of your page like below:

You can also upload the prior year return on this screen. If you upload the prior year 1040, Juno builds an Expected Documents Checklist listing the specific documents your client is expected to provide for the current year. 

Upon hitting "Continue", Juno will classify your source documents, begin data extraction, and create an Expected Documents Checklist if applicable.

For a full list of source documents that we can process, please click here. For more on working with the checklist, see How to Utilize the Preparation Checklist.

Step 3: Reviewing Source Documents

On the Source Document Review screen, your documents begin processing and each one updates its status as it becomes available.

Document statuses:

• Awaiting Review - The document is ready for you to validate. Select Review Data to open it.
• Validated - Juno extracted every field with high confidence and no review is required. You can still open the document to view it.
• Not Supported - The document is not a form Juno currently processes, so no data was extracted from it. The document still appears in your bookmarked PDF, and you can enter its data directly in Lacerte after export. See Supported Source Documents for the full list of forms Juno processes.

You can return to the previous step at any time to add more source documents.

Step 4: Validate your data (Human in the Loop)

Select Review Data on any processed document to open the review screen. The document displays on the left and the extracted data fields display on the right. Juno calls this the Human in the Loop process.

Working with tax forms in a document

A single PDF may contain multiple distinct tax forms. Each form Juno finds appears as its own section on the right, and each section collapses and expands when you select its header.

Each section header shows the form type and the page numbers where that form's data was found. From the header you can also:

• Select Jump to Form to display the associated page in the document viewer.
• Select the trash icon to remove that form from the document.

If Juno misses a tax form on a PDF, delete the source document and re-upload it. If the form is still missing after re-uploading, use the button below the tax forms to enter the data manually. Selecting it opens a list of forms you can add to the document.

To move a document to Validated, either validate each field individually or select Mark All as Validated at the bottom of the page.

For more detail on this process, see Human In The Loop.

Understanding field statuses

• Possibly Missing - Juno did not extract a value and believes one might be missing. In most cases the field is blank on the form and you only need to confirm that it is blank. Select Validate below the field.
• Flagged for Review - Juno suggests double-checking this field. Calculated values, such as gain or loss on a 1099-B, are often flagged for verification.
• Validated - The value was extracted with near perfect confidence and does not require review.

Validating Schedule C, E, and F

The interface for Schedules C, E, and F differs from the standard field review layout. For a walkthrough, watch this short video.

Date Acquired and Date Sold on 1099-B forms

When Juno processes forms containing transactions, individual transactions are aggregated into summary rows grouped by transaction type (short-term vs. long-term) and reporting status. Because these rows are aggregated, tax software requires standardized placeholder values in certain fields.

Juno automatically applies the correct year-specific dates based on the return you are preparing. The long-term acquisition date stays the same because it represents assets held for more than one year.

Year-Specific Behavior

Juno automatically applies the correct year-specific dates based on the return you’re preparing. The long-term acquisition date stays the same because it represents assets held for more than one year.

User Experience

These dates and quantities are expected and won’t affect the accuracy of your reported gains or losses. They’re simply placeholders that allow your 1099-B data to be accepted and processed correctly by tax software.

Next Step: Exporting Data to Lacerte

Now you're ready to see all that extracted data moved to Lacerte. You'll want to open the Juno Desktop Application to initiate the export. For detailed steps on how to do so please view our Exporting Tax Preparations to Lacerte - Step By Step Guide.