[tmanery]

I would like to send out a Pre-Tax season letter to all my clients. Is there a way to do a mail merge using the client explorer database? I know I can print labels, but I want to merge the clients info right each letter. Is this what the SDK is for?

[unknown]

 2009_invitation_to_return_letter.RTF (6.85K)
Number of downloads: 44

If you like, please find copy of my letter attached...

So not to mess up my system, I print it as a JLetter (which I do not use when preparing returns), using the 'print forms from file' when right clicking the files after they are selected off the client explorer. If I used the Letter I would end up with a conflict, as I would have a number of clients where the 'Letter' was personalized, and it would then end up reprinting the personalized letter.

[Dave@Intuit]

Bert_Mulder_CGA, on 16 February 2010 - 10:40 AM, said:

2009_inv...n_letter.RTF

If you like, please find copy of my letter attached...

So not to mess up my system, I print it as a JLetter (which I do not use when preparing returns), using the 'print forms from file' when right clicking the files after they are selected off the client explorer. If I used the Letter I would end up with a conflict, as I would have a number of clients where the 'Letter' was personalized, and it would then end up reprinting the personalized letter.

Another tip for letters, especially pre-season letters...

You can use SlipCount in your letters with tables in ProFile. So, for example, including this:
{SlipCount(T5Table)} will return the number of T5 slips in the tax return.
So you could include:
Last year you had {SlipCount(T5Table)}'s T5 slips. Please ensure you have all slips before coming to see me.

It works with any table. T4Table, T5Table, T3Table, T1DependantTable etc.
You can get the table by looking at the field codes on the entry screen in ProFile.

Dave

[Allyson_H]

Great tip Dave! I know this post was a while ago but we're starting to prep for the 2010 letters now so finding this post (and others like it) was very helpful.

Any solution for slips that don't (appear to?) have tables, like the T4AOAS?

We're actually trying to build a letter that lists the sources of the slips, i.e. 'In (prior year)you provided T4 slips from X, Y, and Z, T5 slips from A, B, and C', and we're doing fine with pulling that information from the description field for those slips but I'm stumped on the T4AOAS because it doesn't have a description field (which makes sense of course because you only ever have the one) and I can't do an if based on whether there are values entered because we don't have anything entered for 2010 yet. I haven't found a way to pull the 'last year' info other than by the descriptions that have rolled forward. I just want to put an if statement that says basically 'if there was a T4AOAS slip last year then "In (prior year) you provided us with a T4AOAS slip" and if there wasn't say nothing.

I was thinking one way we could do this is to prepare the letters in the prior year file but I don't really want anyone unlocking and going into last year's completed and locked down files.

Any suggestions?

Allyson

[Allyson_H]

D'oh! Figured it out all on my own.

{if T1TaxSummary[1,2]<>0}Text if true
{else}
{endif}

Pulling info from the comparative form will help in a few other situations I hadn't gotten to yet as well.

:)

[unknown]

Allyson_H, on 15 December 2010 - 03:59 PM, said:

D'oh! Figured it out all on my own.

{if T1TaxSummary[1,2]<>0}Text if true
{else}
{endif}

Pulling info from the comparative form will help in a few other situations I hadn't gotten to yet as well.

http://community.intuit.ca/discussion/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

wanna share when you are done?

[Allyson_H]

Bert_Mulder_CGA, on 16 December 2010 - 09:05 AM, said:

wanna share when you are done?

Certainly. Haven't gotten back to it since that day - thankfully a few more weeks until we need to start printing...!