Smart Tax Delivery packages a finished return, invoice, and e-signature into one guided client flow — and uses AI to fill in the return details for you. It doesn't prepare or calculate the return itself.
Delivering a finished return usually means juggling several tools and chasing signatures and payment separately. Smart Tax Delivery brings the return, invoice, and e-signature into one client experience — and Auto-fill pulls the amounts straight from the return, so setup takes seconds instead of minutes of manual entry.
Required plan and permissions: The practitioner must have permission to access Tax Delivery, which a firm admin configures.
⚠️ Smart Tax Delivery is in Beta. Turn it on under Settings > Experimental Features. This feature is free to all users while in Beta only. Once Tax Delivery is available to general access, pricing will apply.
Table of Contents
Start a New Tax Delivery
Every delivery starts the same way, whether you use Auto-fill or set it up manually.
Click the Global + icon in the left sidebar, then select Tax Delivery.
Fill in the delivery details:
Title
Client
(Optional) - Toggle on Add to existing task, then select the task to attach the delivery to.
Assignee(s)
Client due date
Client reminder
Click Create.
Set Up the Return and Auto-fill With AI
✨ AI Auto-fill reads the uploaded return and fills in the details for you. Prefer to enter everything by hand? Skip step 4 and complete the fields manually.
On the Setup tab, review the Tax Delivery Name and edit it if needed.
Under Tax Return Upload, click Select a File, then choose the source:
New file — upload the return from your computer, then click Link File.
Existing file — choose Client Files or Internal Files, select the return, then click Select.
Confirm the correct return appears under Tax Return Upload.
Click Auto-fill with AI.
Canopy reads the return and fills in the tax year, form type, a welcome message, and the refund or amount due on the Return Details tab. Filled fields are tagged Auto-filled with AI so you can spot and adjust them.
Auto-fill uses only the uploaded return — it doesn't pull from existing client records.
Under Return Summary, confirm the Tax Year and select the Form Type, or enter them yourself if you didn't use Auto-fill.
(Optional) Toggle on Welcome Message to add or edit a note to the client.
(Optional) Toggle on Supporting Document(s) to attach additional files.
Click Next.
Auto-fill adapts to the return type. A business return (such as an 1120-S) pulls the business name and entity type instead of taxpayer names, and may show no federal amount if the entity is pass-through.
Add the Return Details
The Return Details tab holds the financial summary the client sees — federal, state, and any other (city or municipal) amounts. If you used Auto-fill, the amounts are already here; review them and add due dates or payment links as needed.
Under Federal, click + Add Federal, then select Refund or Amount due.
For a refund, enter the Federal Refund Amount (required) and, optionally, a Track Refund Link.
For an amount due, enter the Federal Amount Due (required) and, optionally, a Due Date and Pay Online Link.
Under State, click + Add State, select the state, and fill in the same fields.
Click + Add State again to include additional states.
Under Other, click + Add Other for city or municipal amounts (for example, NYC). Enter a Type label, then the same amount and payment fields.
Review the Total Refund or Total Amount Due at the bottom.
Click Next.
Coming soon: auto-filled due dates, online payment links, and estimated payment amounts. For now, add due dates and links manually.
Attach an Invoice
Skip this section if you're delivering the return without an invoice.
On the Invoice tab, click the Select an existing invoice dropdown and choose an invoice.
To bill a new amount, click Create new invoice, fill in the details, then click Create and Save.
The new invoice then appears in the dropdown to select.
Under Paywall, keep Require payment before final signature checked to require payment before the client can sign. Uncheck it to let the client sign first.
Click Next.
Collecting payment inside the delivery requires enrollment in Canopy Payments.
Set Up the Signature Request
Smart Tax Delivery uses Canopy's eSign to collect the client's signature on the return (for example, Form 8879).
On the Signatures tab, click Edit eSign Request.
Set up the eSign request as usual:
Add the signer(s).
Place the signature fields (Place fields with AI is recommended).
(Optional) Adjust Settings — due date, reminder, message, or signer authentication.
Click Save.
Back on the Signatures tab, check Separate signed documents into a new document after the client signs to file the signed copy separately, or leave it unchecked to keep everything in one document.
Preview and Send the Delivery
Preview the client experience before sending, then send when everything looks right.
Click Preview as Client to see the delivery the way your client will.
Click through each client step to review it:
Introduction
Review
Invoice
Signature
Next Steps
Click Back to Editor if you need to make changes.
Click Send, then choose:
Save and Send to deliver to the client now.
Save as Draft to keep your settings and send later.
In the confirmation pop-up, review the contacts, then click Send to [#] Contacts.
A Tax delivery sent confirmation appears once it's on its way.
Find a Tax Delivery After Sending
Once you send, the delivery stays accessible so you can track the client's progress and finish filing after they sign.
You can find a sent delivery in:
The client's task list — open the client record and go to Tasks.
The global task list — search for the delivery by name.
A linked task — if you attached the delivery to an existing task, it appears there as a subtask.
The status updates as the client works through the flow:
With Client (sent, not yet opened), Viewed, Signed, and Complete.
A completed delivery is locked from further client action, and a canceled delivery is hidden from the client portal.
Your firm is notified when the client signs, so you can transmit and finish filing the return.
Summary
Smart Tax Delivery turns the last mile of the return into a single guided flow — upload, auto-fill, review, and send. Use Auto-fill to populate the details from the return in seconds, then add an invoice and e-signature so your client can review, pay, and sign in one place.
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