After the modules — hands on
TaxSlayer Pro Setup & Your First Return
You have finished the reading. Now you sit at the keyboard. FastTrack Tax Academy trains on TaxSlayer Pro — this page walks you through configuring it correctly the first time, then takes you through a full return from intake to accepted acknowledgement — step-by-step, so you always know what comes next.
Do this before the season opens
Before you start
- Active PTIN (and your EFIN, or your ERO's EFIN if you file under True Financials)
- Your TaxSlayer Pro login credentials and the office/preparer code you were given
- A copy of your Written Information Security Plan (WISP) — required by the IRS
- Your bank product or direct-deposit setup decision for refunds
- Your fee schedule written down before your first client sits down
No PTIN yet? Get it here first — you cannot be paid to prepare a return without one.
Part 1 — Software setup
Log in and complete office setup in TaxSlayer Pro
Enter your firm name, address, phone and email in TaxSlayer Pro's office setup exactly as they appear on your EFIN application. A mismatch between your office profile and IRS e-Services records is the number one cause of rejected transmissions.
Add your preparer profile
Create a preparer record in TaxSlayer Pro with your legal name, PTIN and, if you have one, your state registration number. Set yourself as the default preparer so every return you open is stamped correctly in the paid preparer section.
Enter EFIN and ERO information
Load the EFIN you are filing under into TaxSlayer Pro's e-file settings. If you file under True Financials as your ERO, use the EFIN and ERO details provided to you — do not guess. Upload the IRS e-file application summary if TaxSlayer Pro asks to validate it.
Set your fee schedule
Configure TaxSlayer Pro's invoice and fee options so the invoice builds itself: base 1040 fee, per-schedule add-ons (Schedule C, EIC due diligence, state return), and any service bureau or transmitter fee. Consistent pricing keeps you out of awkward conversations.
Turn on security settings
Enable multi-factor authentication on your TaxSlayer Pro account, set individual logins for anyone who touches returns, and require a password on the workstation. Never share one login. Your WISP must match what you actually do.
Configure bank products and refund settlement
If you offer refund transfers, complete the bank application inside TaxSlayer Pro and wait for approval before the season opens. If you do not, set direct deposit as the default and collect fees up front.
Run TaxSlayer Pro's test transmission
TaxSlayer Pro includes test transmissions to confirm the connection with the IRS. Run one and resolve any validation errors now, not on the first day of the season.
Part 2 — Your first return
Run this on a practice return in TaxSlayer Pro's training mode first. Use a simple single filer with one W-2, then repeat it with a Schedule C client. Two practice returns and the screen stops being intimidating.
Intake and identity
Start a new return with the taxpayer's SSN. Enter names exactly as printed on the Social Security card, verify date of birth, and record the photo ID. Complete your intake form and due diligence notes in the same sitting.
Filing status and dependents
Confirm marital status on December 31 of the tax year, then add dependents with SSN, relationship and months lived in the home. Head of household and any credit for a child requires support and residency answers — record them, do not assume them.
Income documents
Enter each W-2 box by box, then 1099-NEC, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-R, 1099-G and 1099-K. Check the withholding boxes twice — transposed withholding is the most common amended-return cause.
Schedule C for self-employed clients
Enter gross receipts, then categorized expenses with documentation. Add mileage with beginning and ending odometer readings or a log. Self-employment tax calculates automatically; show the client the number before they are surprised by it.
Adjustments, deductions and credits
Compare standard versus itemized, then work the credits: Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, Credit for Other Dependents, education credits, and the saver's credit. Complete Form 8867 due diligence for every credit that requires it.
State return
Attach the resident state and any nonresident state where income was earned. Confirm the state pulls the correct federal amounts and check state-specific credits before you move on.
Review and diagnostics
Run TaxSlayer Pro's return diagnostics and clear every red error and every yellow warning you can explain. Then read the 1040 itself, line by line, against the documents on your desk.
Fees, signatures and e-file
Present the invoice, get Form 8879 signed (wet or electronic), retain consent forms for disclosure or bank products, and transmit. Do not transmit before the 8879 is signed.
Acknowledgements and follow-up
Check acks within 24 to 48 hours. Accepted means filed. Rejected means read the reject code, fix it, and retransmit — most rejects are name/SSN mismatches or a dependent already claimed. Give the client a copy and set a follow-up date for their refund.
Rejects you will actually see
Prior-year AGI or PIN does not match IRS records. Pull the prior-year return or the IRS transcript and retransmit.
Name and SSN do not match IRS records. Check the Social Security card spelling, including hyphens and suffixes.
A dependent was already claimed on another return. Confirm eligibility with the client; if valid, the return must be paper filed.
EIC qualifying child data does not match. Verify SSN, date of birth and relationship codes.
Habits that keep you clean
- Scan and store every source document with the return file
- Complete Form 8867 due diligence the same day, never later
- Keep signed 8879s for three years, organized by tax year
- Never transmit a return the taxpayer has not reviewed and signed
- Log out of TaxSlayer Pro on any shared workstation
- Back up your return database weekly during the season
Menu names and screens in TaxSlayer Pro can change each year. This walkthrough teaches the sequence and the judgment; always follow TaxSlayer Pro's current documentation and IRS guidance for exact steps.