Congratulations on deciding to use our digital drop-off system! Follow the steps below to successfully complete your digital drop-off return.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preparing Your Documents
You can begin scanning or taking pictures of your documents before, or at any time after, your account is set up. Please consider the following guidelines:
The image must be clear and sharp.
The portal does work with smartphones, so you can opt to take pictures of your documents if you do not have access to a scanner. â–º Please try to eliminate shadows by using the flash option or good lighting, and use a white background. You can use the blank reverse side of a letter or two to use as a background (see image).
Do not use flash when taking a picture of your driver's license, as the glare may obscure part of the license.
Name your files according to what they are. For example: W2.pdf,, 1099.pdf, BOKinterest.pdf. If you are unable to rename your files, you will be able to do so in the portal.
â–º Naming your files will be make it easier on both you and ourselves in case you have questions about your tax return now or in the future, as your files will be securely stored in the portal for three years.
Get Set Up with SecureFilePro
To begin, call or email us so that we can set up an account for you to securely upload your documents. If you are a new client, we will need your:
First and last name
Email address
Phone number
Your social security number
We will give you a PIN, which you will need only for your first time logging in to the portal. After we have set up your account, you will receive an email with a link to log in to the portal (see image below):
When you click on the link in the email you will be taken to this webpage (see image below), where you will need to enter your PIN and create a password. Then click the "Submit" button.
After clicking the "Submit" button on the previous page, you will be taken to the login page for the portal. Enter in your login information (or it might appear automatically, depending on your internet browser), then click the "Login" button.
Uploading Your Documents
Now you are in the portal! You can see a side menu on the left with a black background, and three sections on the main page which has a white background.
Now, let's look at the bottom section, titled "Public Folder"; expand this section using the little arrow in the grey title box, just like in the "From Preparer" section. There you will see two files for download (click the black arrow icon on the right of the file name):
New Client Information: If you are a new Pelican client, please download this file and fill it out completely (two pages).
Returning Client Information Review & Update: This file should be used by clients returning to Pelican and should be filled out completely.
Drop-off Sheet: As of 2024, the Drop-off Sheet must be filled out and submitted by all clients who are not attending a sit-down desk appointment.
These files are also available via our website navigation menu. Hover over the "Resources" tab, then select the form to download.
Finally, we get to the middle section - "To Preparer". Click on the "New Folder" icon, then name it with the tax year of the documents you are uploading (2018, 2019, etc) and click "OK".
After you click the green "OK" button, you will return to the main page and the "To Preparer" section will automatically take you to the new folder you created (see the blue arrow in the image below). Click on the "Upload" icon (black cloud with a white arrow pointing up, circled in red on the image).
A small box will appear on the page that should open up your computer's file explorer window, where you can navigate your computer files to select your tax documents. Then simply click the "Upload File(s)" button!
Don't forget to upload:
Client Information/Drop-off/Update sheet (as applicable)
Driver's license for each taxpayer on the return
Proof of residency for any dependents claimed on this return (read this blogpost about claiming dependents!)
This portal does not allow users to upload folders; you will have to open the folder and select the files:
You can select multiple files (if they are located in the same folder) by pressing and holding the Ctrl button on your keyboard and then using the mouse to click on each file you would like to upload. This works well for files that are labelled by name and do not show up next to each other (Addie W2.pdf, Kenny W2.pdf, etc)
If the files are named sequentially (W2-Addie.pdf, W2-Kenny.pdf, etc), you can click on the first file and then press and hold the Shift button, then click the last file. Your selected files will become highlighted, and you can click the "Open" button on your file explorer window.
While your files are uploading, do not click the "Exit" button. This window will close automatically when the files are finished uploading to the portal. If you click the "Exit" button, your files may not be saved.
When your file has been uploaded to the portal, please take a moment to ensure that the file name accurately reflects the document. If you were unable to name your file before uploading, you can do so in the portal by clicking the down-arrow to the right of the file name (see image below). Select "Rename File".
Then erase the previous name and type in the new one!
If you are filing multiple years all at once, you can now click on the "To Preparer" link, which will take you to the main folder, where you can repeat the steps above for each year that we are filing for you.
Be sure to click the "To Preparer" text before creating a new folder! If you do not click this text, you will be creating a folder in a folder!
It should look like this:
It should not look like this:
Please call or email us to let us know that you have finished uploading all of your documents.
Below is an image of a particular section on the Client Information and Review sheets. It is designed to help us make sure that we have received everything that you intend to upload. This section is also included on the New Client Information sheet; it helps us make sure that we receive every document that you intended to upload.
If this section is not filled out, we will call you when we have finished your tax return with the documents you did provide. You can take that opportunity to let us know that you have not yet uploaded all of the files. We will then hold your tax return until you let us know that you have uploaded all of the necessary files. Although we will let you know if we think a document is missing, it is the client's responsibility to make sure that all of the documents were uploaded to the portal. For a list of the most common documents needed for a tax return, click here.
Completing Your Tax Return
When we are finished with your tax return, we will give you a call to let you know the results, take payment, and upload your signature pages to the portal. You will receive an email when the signature pages are available (see image below); click the link to log in to the portal - the link does not download the file automatically. You can also let us know if you would like to pay and sign your signature pages in person. Your return will not be e-filed until payment and the signature pages are received.
Payment:
Over the phone with a debit/credit card
Mailing a check
Visiting our office to make a cash payment
Once you are logged in to the portal, visit the top section titled, "From Preparer". Download the signature pages, print them out, sign them, then scan or take a picture of the signature pages for upload.
After we receive your payment and signature pages, we will upload your tax return (for your records) and your payment vouchers (if applicable) to this section as well. Pelican will later move these files to your "To Preparer" folder for the appropriate year.
To upload your signature pages, go to the "To Preparer" section, then click on the appropriate folder for the appropriate tax year. Then click the "Upload" icon to select the file.
We hope that you have found this guide helpful in navigating the SecureFilePro client portal. If you have any questions about the portal or digital drop-offs, please call or email us and we will be happy to help you.