BeforeMay docs
WorkpapersGetting started

Build your first workpaper

Create a case, add evidence, prepare the workbook and complete your own review.

Source reviewed Product documentation

Before you begin

Have the client, financial year and return type, plus readable source documents. Choose the correct practice. This walkthrough prepares an Excel workpaper; it does not lodge a return.

If you have not yet confirmed your account, practice and client directory, finish practice setup first. The same client can have several cases for different years; choose the intended client and period together.

Create the case

From Cases, choose New case and confirm the client, year and one of the return kinds offered by the current form. The return kind selects the relevant workpaper pack. If the kind you need is not offered, confirm support before proceeding; do not substitute a different entity kind.

Use Upload & auto-fill for a prior return or ATO prefill, or Enter manually. Individual is available to every practice; Company and Trust require invitation access. Partnership is not offered in the new-case picker.

The Cases page, with the New case button ringed in the top right.
Example of creating a case. Confirm the client and period before continuing.

Check: the new case opens with the intended client and year. If you already have a case for that work, inspect it before creating another one.

Add evidence

Drop files on the case or use its file picker. Add the prior return and current ATO prefill when relevant, alongside the year's actual source records. Check the Sources list, analysis state and any unreadable or duplicate notice. Wait for uploads and required reading to finish before preparing the paper.

Check: each intended file is in Sources, with any reading failure or missing-evidence issue understood. Selecting files in a picker is not the same as a finished upload.

A case page, with the drop area and the Browse files button ringed.
Files are added to the case's evidence. The current screen may show Add in the Sources rail.

Use what to upload for examples by entity and file formats for limits.

Prepare the paper

Choose Prepare workpaper from the case. Check the preflight choices, notes, price and any incomplete-evidence warning. Independent review and who answers AI questions can be selected where your account permits them. AI auto-answer permission is a personal setting in Settings → Advanced; read its acknowledgement before enabling it.

The action reports Preparing workpaper…, Reviewing — open draft or Waiting on your answer… as the run progresses. A draft can be inspected read-only, but is not the delivered workbook. Respond to questions using the question guide.

Check: read the run's current state. Waiting on your answer… needs your response; Reviewing — open draft is still in progress. Continue to your final review only when a workbook is delivered.

Review the result

Open Workpaper when output is delivered. Check the client and year, material amounts, source references, review points and missing documents. Resolve findings and inspect any changes the assistant makes. Delivery does not establish that every automated check passed or your review is complete.

The review panel, with a single review point and the buttons that resolve the set.
Example review points. Use the current panel to record answers and hand them to the assistant.

The build can deliver a rendered paper with remaining check findings. Other conditions prevent delivery or hold the run for investigation. Read the stated result rather than treating every available workbook as a clean outcome.

Save, download and complete

Editable non-formula cells can be corrected in the current workbook. Save and check the resulting version and affected totals. Download the current .xlsx for your records. Use Mark complete only after your own review is finished. Keep the relevant source documents with the reviewed version.

Manual edits autosave; check the saved state before relying on a download. History records edits and delivered versions. An update normally continues from the edited paper; a fresh build starts from the source documents again.

A delivered working paper open in the browser, with the editable/locked notice ringed.
Example delivered workbook. Formula cells remain locked in the editing flow.

When the result is incomplete

If evidence changed after preparation, use the case's Prepare/update workflow to refresh it. If a run fails, keep its reference and the error; do not repeatedly start new builds without understanding the cause. A failed draft remains an inspection aid, not output to file as complete.

Completion check

CheckWhat to inspect
Correct contextClient, entity kind and financial year on the case and workbook
Evidence includedThe intended files are in Sources; reading failures and missing evidence are resolved or recorded
Delivered outputYou are looking at the delivered workbook, rather than an in-progress or failed draft
Review finishedMaterial figures and source references checked; questions and remaining findings dealt with
Saved version retainedReopen the current version after edits, compare affected totals and download the intended .xlsx
Case completeUse Mark complete after your review; a completed case is not a lodged return

Next: check a figure against its source.

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