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Create an Engagement Letter

The letter generator feature in Canopy helps you quickly create the letters you use in your practice, including:

• Engagement Letters
• Transmittal Letters
• IRS responses
• Proposals
• and more! 

You can create letter templates, reusable paragraphs, or start a letter from scratch. You are also able to quickly populate vital client information into the letter with the click of a button. 

Create a Letter Using the Global + Button

Engagement letters can be created quickly using the Global + Button from anywhere in Canopy. Letters are sent to clients in the form of an engagement and will show up on your engagements list.  

1. Click on the Global + Button 

2. Select Letter from the secondary navigation menu.

3. Select a contact to create the letter.

If you have a contact's Client Record currently open, their name will populate this field by default.

4. If needed, select a Template to apply to the letter.

Only New and Updated templates will be visible to select.

• Please refer to our guide on Letter Templates for help creating a new template or updating your old templates.

5. Select a letter template from the Create a New Letter window, or click Blank Letter to start a new letter from scratch.               

6. The toolbar across the top of the Engagement Letter screen helps you format the letter according to your needs.

7. Quickly add any pre-created boilerplate text by clicking Insert boilerplate text.

• You can create boilerplate text by clicking Templates on the global navigation bar and selecting Boilerplate Letter Text.
• If you do not have any boilerplate text created, you can click the Create boilerplate button in the sidebar. 

8. Add merge fields by clicking the Insert merge field.

Merge fields update automatically to include the appropriate specified data.

9. Change the Letter name in the provided text box.

10. Click Save to Files to save the current version of the letter to Canopy Files.

• If needed, change the Name of revision to save the letter as.
• Select a folder to save the letter to.
  • You can also create new folders by clicking the Add folder button in the top-right corner.

11. Click Next.

12. Choose whether to make the letter visible in the client portal.

This option will only be available if you have the Change Client Portal Visibility permission active.

13. Click Done.

• The letter will be saved as a .docx file in the specified location.
• The save modal will close and you will be able to continue editing the letter as needed.

14. Choose how to use your created letter.

Action	Steps
Print	Click on the Print icon to print a PDF of your letter.
Download	Click on the Download icon to download a .docx file of your letter.
Add an eSign Request	Click on the Attach to eSign icon to convert the letter to a PDF and Send an eSign request using the letter.
Attach to Client Request	Click the Attach to Client Request icon to attach the letter as a PDF and send it as a Client Request.
Email Attachment	Click on the Attach to Email icon to attach the letter to an email as a PDF file.

• Please refer to the Send an eSign Request to Clients article for help completing the eSign request process.‍
• Please refer to the Create a New Client Request article for help completing the Client Request process.‍

Create a Letter Within an Engagement

Letters can also be created within an engagement to be attached to the specified engagement. Previously, this was the only place letters could be created in Canopy. To get started, navigate to the Engagements list in Canopy.

1. Click Tasks on the global navigation bar.

2. Click Engagements on the secondary navigation column.

3. Select a relevant engagement from the list.

4. Under the Work tab on the engagement workspace, click Letters.

5. Click Create a new letter to add a letter to the engagement.

6. The Select contact box will automatically select the contact associated with the selected engagement.

7. If needed, select a Template to use for the new letter.

8. If you are not using a template, click Create new letter.

9. The toolbar across the top of the Engagement Letter screen helps you format the letter according to your needs.

10. Quickly add any pre-created boilerplate text by clicking Insert boilerplate text.

• You can create boilerplate text by clicking Templates on the global navigation bar and selecting Boilerplate Letter Text.
• If you do not have any boilerplate text created, you can click the Create boilerplate button in the sidebar.

11. Add merge fields by clicking Insert merge field.

Merge fields update automatically to include the appropriate specified data.

12. Change the Letter name in the provided text box.

13. Choose how to use your created letter.

Action	Steps
Print	Click on the Print icon to print a PDF of your letter.
Download	Click on the Download icon to download a .docx file of your letter.
Add an eSign Request	For newer letters, simply click on the Attach to eSign icon to convert the letter to a PDF and Send an eSign request using the letter.  Attention: If you are working on an older letter within an engagement, you will not be able to send an eSign request from the engagement.   You will need to save the letter as a PDF and then you will be able to send an eSign request from the contact!
Attach to Client Request	Click the Attach to Client Request icon to attach the letter as a PDF and send it as a Client Request.
Email Attachment	Click on the Attach to Email icon to attach the letter to an email as a PDF file.

• Please refer to the Send an eSign Request to Clients article for help completing the eSign request process.‍
• Please refer to the Create a New Client Request article for help completing the Client Request process.‍

14. Click Save to save the letter to the engagement.