Frequently Asked Questions…

Clear answers to the most common questions firms ask before getting started.

How do clients access and complete the organizer?

  • Clients receive a secure link by email and complete the organizer directly in their browser.

    No login, no account creation, and no software installation required.

  • All responses are encrypted in transit, and you receive the completed organizer immediately.

If interested, next steps…

  • Send us a message or book an appointment for a general 30-minute Zoom Q&A session about online tax organizers. Visit the Contact area of the website to book an appointment.

  • After having a discussion via an appointment session, we can invite you to demo the online tax questionnaire so you can complete forms as if you were a client.

  • Move toward engagement... book a 60-minute discovery session Zoom meeting so that we can fully understand your tax practice needs, and you can understand the online forms options and the Cognito platform. We will then follow up with an engagement project proposal.

Can I customize the organizer for my firm or workflow?

  • Yes. All organizers can be tailored to your firm’s branding, workflow preferences, and entity types.

    For more advanced needs, our Custom tier supports logic changes, conditional paths, and fully tailored intake flows.

How long does setup take?

  • Most firms are fully configured and ready to launch within a few business days, depending on the service level selected.

Why Cognito Forms?

  • By far, CognitoForms is the most robust online form builder platform that offers the most features for customization and managing data collection. The application software is cloud-based and offered in a variety of subscription plans depending on the features provided.

    The platform offers data collection, workflow automation, data management, security & compliance, integrations, and online payments, if needed.

  • Hananiah experience says go with the "Team Plan."

    • $35/month

    • 5 users (additional users $5/user/mo.

    • Unlimited forms

    • 10,000 entries/month

    • Accept payments

    • 10 GB of storage

    • Electronic signatures

  • Cognito provides the secure infrastructure for hosting your organizers. Hananiah designs the logic, workflow, and client experience that run on top of it.

How do I receive the completed organizer and supporting documents?

  • You receive submissions directly through your Cognito Forms account. Your firm maintains full ownership and control of all data.

    Client submitted forms create a complete, structured data set compiled in the Cognito Entries view. The system automatically generates a PDF that mirrors the layout of the input form and includes uploaded documents; you may also export the entry data to Excel for integration with your tax software or internal workflows. Exports preserve repeating sections as separate worksheets and the download link is delivered by email when the export is ready.

  • No. Only your firm needs a Cognito subscription. Clients simply click the link and complete the organizer.

    You will send client an access link via an email message to open the tax organizer, or you will display an access link on your firm’s website.

    Once the client submits the organizer the data resides within your firm’s Cognito account.

  • Yes. Cognito Forms provides enterprise‑grade encryption, secure hosting, and compliance controls. Your firm retains full ownership of all data.

What are customized forms?

  • A typical tax practice has many more data needs beyond yearly client tax information for completing tax returns. Other forms, such as onboarding, agreements, surveys, business client questionnaires, job applications, event registrations, etc., etc.

    We can build a form for virtually any need your business requires.

  • The ability to create custom documents is a paid add-on feature available to organizations on CognitoForms Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans.

    A standard template can be downloaded as a Word document and use the merge syntax to completely customize your generated document.