Selecting Government Forms

You can open government forms from the Forms Tree or from the Forms List, depending on your preference.

Forms Tree

Click WS Form on the View ribbon to display the last accessed government form and the Forms Tree.

The navigation panel appears on the left of the window to display the available government forms for the open return.

You can do the following to change the navigation panel display:

  • Expand/collapse panel. You can expand the navigation panel in an open position or collapse it along the left edge of the window. From an open navigation panel, click the double left arrows above the Forms Tree to collapse the panel. From a collapsed panel, click the double right arrows to expand the panel.
  • Expand/collapse tree. Click or in the Navigation group on the Home tab to expand or collapse all folders.
  • Show Home state government forms. Click in the Navigation group on the Home tab to open the State tab and expand the home state government forms for the open return. A home state must be entered on the Basic Data worksheet. The home state must be a state that has tax forms and the home state must be installed on your system.
  • Navigation panel options. Click the down arrow,, located in the bottom-right corner of the navigation panel to reorder, add, and remove navigation bars.

Open Government Forms from the Tree

  1. If needed, click the Government Forms navigation bar on the navigation panel to display the Forms Tree.
  2. Expand the Federal or a state tax authority to show the available government forms.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • Open a government form. Click a government form name in the tree.
    • Open a government form in a new tab or floating window. Right-click a government form name and select Show Form in New Tab or Show Form in New Window. You can display a maximum of four windows, four tabs, or a combination of four windows and tabs. See Multiple Tabs and Windows for more information.

      • Note: You can also click New Tab or New Window in the Window group on the View tab to open another instance of the active government form.

    • Open a government form containing data. Select Next > Form or Previous > Form in the Navigation group on the Home tab to open the next or previous government form containing data in the tree sequence.
    • Show Forms List tabs. Select Form Tabs in the Show/Hide group on the View tab to display the worksheet and government Forms List tabs above the open government form. The tabs provide an easy way to change from tree to list view.
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Forms List

The Forms List provides a list of government forms in an expanded view. You select the list of worksheets, government forms, state forms, or return groups from vertical tabs.

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Click Forms List on the View ribbon, and then click one of the tabs to display the associated list. Forms with data input display in blue font.

Tax User Options includes a setting to show the Forms List to display government forms when opening returns.

Open Government Forms from the List

  1. Click a federal or state tab at the top of the Forms List window to show the available government forms.

    2. Note: If the Forms Tree is displayed in the navigation panel, click Forms List in the Show/Hide group on the View tab to display the list.

  2. Do any of the following:
    • Use the keyboard arrow keys to move through the multi-column list.
    • Type the first letter of the displayed form name. For example, entering K locates and selects the first item that begins with the letter K.
    • Click or in the Navigation group on the Home tab to expand or collapse states.
    • Double-click any state to open a sub-list of state government forms. Click Back to return to the list of all states.

    The full government form title displays above the list to help identify the selected form.

  3. Double-click or click OK to open the selected worksheet or form.

Search for Government Form Names in the List

  1. Enter partial or complete text in the box above the Forms List. When you enter three characters, a list of up to ten matches displays below the search box. Partial matches are also highlighted in the Forms List.
  2. You can do the following:
    • Select a possible match from the search box list. Your selection is highlighted in the Forms List.
    • Click to locate the first match to your criteria in the Forms List. You can then click the up or down arrow beside the search box to locate next or previous matches in the Forms List.
    • Click the X in the search box to clear your search criteria.

Multiple Tabs and Windows

You can display up to four tabs, four windows, or a combination of four tabs and windows from the FormsTree. And you can use tabs and windows to display a combination of government forms.

If you open multiple government forms, you can change the position of the open tabs or windows. You can also change the tab positions in the Forms List to separate panes or floating windows.

Right-click a government form or Forms List tab or window name to do the following:

  • Change the display to a tab or a floating window
  • Arrange tabs vertically or horizontally
  • Close government form windows or tabs

If you open multiple floating windows, click Reset Tab in the Window group on the View tab to change the display from windows to tabs.

See Working with Multiple Tabs and Windows for more information.

Forms with Data

Form names that contain input data display with blue font in the Forms Tree and in the Forms List. Forms that do not contain data display with black font. Click Forms in Return in the Show/Hide group on the View tab to display only the government forms that contain input data.

Click Forms in Return in the Show/Hide group on the View tab a second time to return the display to include all government form available for the return.