Adding your first client
Before you add a client
Three things should be in place:
The workspace is set up (Set up your workspace)
The client exists in your tax software with the correct name, SSN, date of birth, and filing status (Before you start checklist)
Source documents are gathered and ready to upload (Best practices for preparing your documents)
How to open the add client flow
The Add Client flow is a two-step modal opened from the clients list. For your first client, the clients list is the default landing page after workspace setup.
Walkthrough: add your first client
From the clients list, click New client. On Step 1 (Add a Client), enter the Client name, Client type, and Tax year, then click Continue.
On Step 2 (Upload their source documents), add the client's source documents via the drop zone or Browse files, then click Create client.
Filed processes the documents and opens the new client's hub, where the product tiles (Binder, Chat, AI Tax Prep, AI Review, AI Tax Planning) become available as the binder is built.
Step 1: enter client details
The first step is labelled "Add a Client" and is Step 1 of 2. It captures three fields:
Client name (required) - use the exact name as it appears in the tax software. Example placeholder: "Johnson & Associates LLC."
Client type (required, dropdown) - options are: Personal (1040), Trust & Estate (1041), Partnership (1065), Corporation (1120), S-Corporation (1120S), Nonprofit (990). The client type determines which forms Filed will prepare and which document prompts appear in step 2.
Tax year (required, dropdown) -
Client type cannot be changed after the client is created. Confirm it before continuing.
Step 2: upload source documents
The second step is labelled "Upload their source documents." It shows a drag-and-drop drop zone that accepts multiple files, and ZIP files are expanded automatically. Filed begins processing when you click "Create client".
The upload screen shows context-sensitive guidance based on the client type selected in step 1:
Personal (1040): W-2, 1099 forms (INT, DIV, MISC), prior-year 1040, and any organizer or workpapers
Trust & Estate (1041): prior-year 1041, beneficiary information, and relevant income and expense documents
Partnership (1065): profit and loss statement, partner information, prior-year 1065
S-Corporation (1120S): balance sheet, P&L, payroll and contractor records, shareholder transactions, prior-year 1120S
Corporation (1120): balance sheet, P&L, payroll records, prior-year 1120
Nonprofit (990): no document prompts are shown for Nonprofit clients; the drop zone appears without a suggested document list.
The "Create client" button is disabled until at least one upload has completed. Clicking "Create client" finalizes the record and navigates to the new client's hub page.
Additional documents can be uploaded at any time from the client's Binder.
What happens after you create the client
The client hub opens immediately, showing the product tiles: Binder, AI Tax Prep, AI Review, AI Tax Planning, and Chat.
Filed automatically classifies the uploaded documents into the Binder. AI Tax Prep becomes available once the Binder finishes processing, which typically takes a few minutes depending on document volume.
The client is assigned an auto-generated external ID in the format CLT-{year}-{XXXXXX} (for example, CLT-2025-A3B9FZ), visible in the client detail panel.
The next step is Your first client, end to end.
Adding clients in bulk
The Add Client flow is the manual, one-at-a-time path. Firms with existing client rosters can sync them automatically: CCH Axcess, UltraTax CS, and Lacerte support client-list sync, configured in Plugins > Integrations.
Detailed integration setup is covered in the Integrations section.
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