> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.filed.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.filed.com/reference/clients/adding-clients-in-bulk.md). # Adding clients in bulk **Add clients** lists the clients in your tax software next to the matching clients in your other connected systems, so you can bring them all into Filed in one import, documents included. *This screen is being rolled out gradually. If **Add clients** opens a list of your connections to choose from instead of one table, your firm is still on the earlier bulk import. Without either, **New client** opens the single-client flow described in* [*Clients*](/reference/clients.md#creating-a-new-client)*.* ## Before you start Connect the systems your clients live in under **Plugins**. Bulk import works with: | Kind | What it provides | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Tax software | The client list, each client's return type, and the link Filed uses for data entry | | Practice management (Karbon, Truss, Double) | A client list and the documents stored on each client | | Storage (SmartVault, Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox) | One client per folder, and the files inside it | Canopy and TaxDome are not available in bulk import. Add those clients one at a time. ## The table Open **Clients**, then **Add clients**. * Each row is a client, whichever system it comes from: your tax software, practice management, storage, or Filed itself. * Each connection has its own column: tax software first, then storage, then practice management. Filed fills the columns by matching names, so "Smith, John" and "John Smith" land on the same row. * A storage connection gets a column once you open **Sources** (the columns button in the toolbar), press **Choose folder…** next to it, and pick the folder that holds one folder per client. Filed remembers the folder on this browser; **Change folder…** in the same menu picks a different one. * **Synced 2h ago** under a column name is when Filed last read that list. Press the refresh button beside the name to read it again. * Clients in your tax software are listed first, then clients matched in more than one system, then the rest, each in alphabetical order. An empty cell means nothing is matched yet; hover over the row and press **Add match** to pick a record. * A row starts ticked only when Filed matched it in more than one system and it is not in Filed yet. Tick any other client you want to bring in, or use the checkbox in the table heading to tick everything shown. Two tabs above the table split the list: * **Not imported** lists the clients that are not in Filed yet. The screen opens here. * **Already imported** lists every client you already have, with a cell for each system it is linked to. They start unticked; tick one to add documents to it or to link it to another system. Three more tabs appear beside them only when they have something in them: **Suggested**, **Needs attention**, and **Selected**, which lists every client you have ticked so you can review them before importing. Searching looks through both tabs. **Sources** turns connections on and off. A connection that is turned off is left out: its column, its clients, its matches and its files all go away until you turn it back on. Your ticks and other choices are kept. Filed remembers which connections are off. ## Fixing a match Click a cell to change which record sits on that row. The closest names are listed first, and you can search for any other. To take a record off a row, hover over the cell and press the ✕, or choose **No match** in the list. Rows stay where they are while you match; the list is re-sorted when you change tab or search. To join two rows that are the same client, hover over the empty cell on one of them, press **Add match** and pick the other row's record. This also links a client already in Filed to its record in another system. ### Suggested matches Names that are close but not identical, such as "Bob Johnson" and "Johnson, Robert", are not joined automatically. Filed shows them as suggestions instead: the likely record appears in italics in the cell with two buttons. * The tick confirms it is the same client, puts the record on that row and ticks the row for import. You will find it under **Selected**. * The cross says it is not, and the suggestion goes away. The **Suggested** filter lists every row with a suggestion, and **Accept all** confirms them together. Check the list first: a suggestion is a likely match, not a certain one. Nothing suggested is imported until you confirm it. ## Return type and tax year The tax year for the whole import is set in the year picker beside the search box. The **Type** column shows each client's return type. When your tax software supplies it, or the client is already in Filed, it cannot be changed here. Otherwise the row uses the **Default return type** from **Import settings**, and you can pick a different one in the row. Return type cannot be changed after import. ## Clients already in Filed Rows under **Already imported** match clients you already have. Open one and the panel on the right names the client in Filed, with a link to it. Importing the row adds the documents you select to that client and never creates a second one. If the row is a different person or business with the same name, choose **Create a new client instead** in the panel. The row moves to **Not imported** and is added as its own client. ### Same name, more than one record When one of your systems has several records with the same name and Filed has one client of that name, only one of those records is treated as that client: the one in your tax software, or the one matched in the most systems. The others are listed under **Not imported** as separate clients. If Filed picked the wrong one, use **No match** and **Add match** to move the client to the right record. ### Archived clients A client you archived in Filed is not listed. If one of your systems still has a record for it, the row appears under **Already imported**, greyed out and marked **Archived**, with no checkbox, so an import never adds anything to it. Open the row and press **Unarchive** to bring the client back; the row then behaves like any other. ### Needs attention A ticked row is held back from the import, and marked with a yellow flag and the reason under its name, in two cases: * **More than one client in Filed could be the match.** Open the row and choose the right client, or **None of these, create a new client**. * **The client is already in Filed and there is nothing to add.** Match it to a system it is not linked to yet, open the row and pick or upload documents, or untick it. The **Needs attention** button lists these rows. ## Choosing documents Click a row to open its details in a panel on the right. Drag the panel's edge to resize it, and close it with the ✕. The panel says in one line what the import will do for that client, lists each connected system with what it is matched to, and lists that client's files by source: * Files with the tax year in their name or folder start selected. * Tick or untick files or whole folders. * Press **Upload files** to add documents from your computer. This also works for a client with no matched source. * If the client is not ticked, the panel says **Not in this import yet**; press **Add to import** to tick it. Only clients you open have their files listed. A client you never open is imported without documents, and you can add them later from its [Files panel](/reference/clients/managing-files.md). ## Import settings **Import settings**, the sliders button in the toolbar, holds what applies to every client in the import: * **Default return type** is used for clients whose source does not supply one. * **Keep folders in sync** can be turned on once a storage column is matched. Filed links each client to its folder and keeps bringing in new files. See [Managing files](/reference/clients/managing-files.md#auto-sync-from-a-storage-folder). * **Assign to** assigns the chosen team members to every client the import creates. See [Assigning clients](/reference/clients/assigning-clients.md). ## Importing The button shows what will happen: **Import 42 clients** for new clients, **Update 3 clients** when only clients already in Filed are ticked, or **Import 42 clients · update 3** for both. Press it to start. * **Clients are added first.** Every client in the import appears in your client list within moments, with its return type, links and assignees. * **Documents follow.** Filed then brings in the documents for every client that has files chosen. A progress bar at the top of the table shows how far it has got, for example "Bringing in documents · 14 of 40 clients", with the clients being worked on named underneath. Each row's **Docs** column shows where that client is: waiting, in progress, or failed, and when it finishes, how many documents were added. **Nothing new** means Filed already had every document you chose. A client still waiting for its documents shows as processing in your client list, the same as one whose documents are being read. * The import runs on Filed's side. You can leave the page or close the tab, and progress is shown when you come back. * **Cancel** stops what has not started. Clients already added stay; documents not yet brought in are skipped. * If a client's documents could not all be brought in, the notice names it and its row shows **Failed**; hover over that to see why. **Retry failed** runs only those. Each imported client with documents starts building its Binder straight away. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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