Using the Lacerte Tax Data Conversion Wizard

You can use the Tax Data Conversion Wizard to securely, quickly, and easily upload and download client data files for migration to the Lacerte program.

If you are using Intuit Hosting for Lacerte see this article instead.

Table of contents:

Before proceeding with the data conversion, you should:

1. Install the most recent version of Lacerte.
   • Check out this resource for information about installing the program.
2. Back up the client data files from the software vendor you’re transferring from.
   • For backup instructions, go to the Data Conversion webpage and select your instructions under “Ready to submit your data?”
3. Verify the backed up files are the expected type.
   • You can verify this by comparing your backup to the information in the backup instructions.

Step 1: Follow these steps to submit client data for conversion:

1. Open Lacerte.
2. From the Import menu, select Client Data Conversion and choose Submit Client Data for Conversion.
3. Sign in to your account.
4. Click Next on the Intuit Tax Data Conversion Wizard screen.
5. In the Select the software to convert from field, click the dropdown arrow and select the applicable software.
   • The Select the Intuit Software to convert to field will default to Lacerte.
   • The Select the Tax Year to convert from field will show the year of files that are currently being accepted.
6. In the Select the Tax Year to convert to field, select which year of Lacerte you'd like the files returned in.
   • If you need to use the Organizer, select the same year as Select the Tax Year to convert to but note the data itself is the same.
7. Enter the Please enter a unique beginning client number field.
8. From the list of all the client files, uncheck the box for any files that you know you won’t need to convert.
9. Click Submit.
   • The Confirmation screen will appear stating the estimated time for the completed conversion. 
   • An email will be sent to the email address that appears when the conversion is complete.
10. Click Done to close the Tax Data Conversion Wizard screen.

If you need more assistance with the data conversion process, check out this video or the Lacerte data conversion quick reference guide.

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Step 2: How to check the status of a Lacerte data conversion

After uploading your client data to us for conversion, we have the following tools to track your data conversion progress:

Confirmation email

You will receive a confirmation email when your data conversion is complete.

Check status online

To check the status online, follow these steps:

1. From the Import menu, select Client Data Conversion.
2. Select Download Converted Data. 
3. Enter your user ID and password and press enter. Next, you'll see the submission(s) you uploaded and their status.
   • Allow for 24 hours for processing before your conversion submission status is available online. Before then, selecting Download Converted Data will show a message that the converted data isn't available for download yet.

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Step 3: How to download and restore converted client files in Lacerte

The steps below will help you download and restore files you converted from a different tax program to Lacerte. You can download all converted files the same way, however, steps for restoring the files will differ based on whether you converted your clients to Lacerte 2023 or converted to Lacerte 2022 to print organizers.

Download your converted data

1. Select the Import dropdown menu.
2. Select Client Data Conversion and select on Download Converted Client Data.
3. Enter your Username and Password, then select the Login button.
4. A screen will appear listing the batch(es) you submitted for data conversion.
5. Select the box next to the completed batch to be downloaded, then select the Download button.
   • Only one batch can be selected at a time for download.
6. Select Done to close the Tax Data Conversion wizard.

Restore the converted clients

If you converted clients to Lacerte 2023:

The Transferring Clients window will appear after your download and show the progress of the transfer; this might take longer if you're importing a lot of clients. Once the progress is complete, you can switch to any other tax types you converted and start their transfer. To switch tax types:

1. Select the Client menu from the top of your screen.
2. Select Tax Type.
3. Select the appropriate tax type.

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