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Rolling forward is how a recurring engagement should start. Instead of an empty binder, you get last period’s documents, folder structure, and settings, plus, for roll to tax, its trial balance values. Both work the same way: mark what should travel, then roll the binder. The binder dropdown open, showing the preparer and reviewer, and the Roll forward (next period) and Roll to tax (tax binder) actions.

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Mark the documents

Right-click a document, choose Settings, and open Roll Forward Options.
1

Tick Roll Forward

“Include this document when rolling the binder to the next period.”
2

Choose what to create in the next period

Document copies this document into the next period. Placeholder creates an empty slot to fill in later.
Placeholders are the more useful of the two for anything period-specific. A placeholder named Bank statement 12-31 is a checklist item; last year’s actual bank statement is clutter. Several at once: select with Cmd/Ctrl + click or Shift + click, then use the roll forward action on the bulk bar. See Bulk actions. Documents set to roll forward show a purple roll forward icon, so you can see at a glance what will travel.

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Roll the binder

1

Open the binder you're rolling from

The completed prior-period binder.
2

Open the dropdown at the top of the binder

3

Click Roll Forward

Adjust the period and any other details, then create.
Mark your roll-forwards and placeholders before you roll, ideally as you finish the binder while you still remember what recurs. Rolling first and fixing afterwards means going back through both binders.

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Roll to tax

Same mechanic, different destination. Roll forward sends documents to the next period’s binder of the same type; roll to tax sends them to the tax binder for the same period.
Not available on tax binders. They’re the destination, not the source.
Mark one document: right-click, choose Settings, and under Roll Forward Options tick Roll to Tax. It is a separate checkbox from Roll Forward, so a document can travel to next period, to the tax binder, or to both. Mark several: select them, then use the rolling action on the bulk bar and choose Roll to Tax. Roll it: open the CAS binder, use the dropdown at the top, and click Roll to Tax. Trial balance values and balances come across with the documents, so the tax binder starts from the bookkeeping rather than from a fresh import. See Tax trial balance.