New to TaxDome This Year? Start Here.
TL;DR: If you're a Tax Preparer or CPA and are new to TaxDome, don't try to learn everything at once. Break it into five chunks, and do them now, before tax season: learn the navigation and terminology, get your clients imported with portal access on, try one bulk action, create one firm template, and build a simple practice pipeline in about 15 minutes.
Who this guide is for (hint: Tax Preparers who....)
This is for you if you're in one of these camps:
You just bought TaxDome and this is your first tax season on it.
You got your feet wet last year but still feel stuck and unsure where to go next.
You're still deciding whether TaxDome is the right fit and want to know where to start.
You haven't logged in much since last tax season and need a nudge to get back in.
We're starting now and not January, but why?
Late fall is the calm before the storm. It's a time to breathe, but it's not time to waste. This is when you have the capacity to do things a little differently.
If you wait until January, February or March to learn the system, you'll be learning it in the middle of the chaos. Shake out the nerves now, so the overwhelm doesn't show up when you're actually using it with clients.
How should I get started with TaxDome? Chunk the work.
When you look at everything TaxDome can do, it's easy to feel like you need to implement every feature right now, and perfectly. That's not reality for almost any firm, ours included.
Instead, chunk the work. Decide what you'll tackle now, what can wait until December or January, and what you won't touch at all this year. Here are the five chunks we recommend starting with.
Chunk 1: Learn TaxDome navigation and terminology
Get comfortable with where things live before anything else. If you skip this, you'll get lost in everything that follows. Click around and find:
Where you update your settings
Where your clients live, and what's stored in a client account
Where invoices are
Where templates are built
TaxDome releases new features and interface tweaks every year, so even returning users should take a fresh look. The changes are usually small adjustments, not a complete overhaul.
Then learn the language. Two terms matter most:
Pipeline: the A-to-Z journey for one type of repeatable work. Your tax return pipeline covers the whole process for a client, start to finish, every year. A bookkeeping pipeline might cover your monthly or quarterly close.
Job: one piece of work moving through a pipeline, for one client, for one time period. Examples: April 2026 bookkeeping for a client, or the 2025 Form 1040 for Client ABC. A pipeline usually holds many jobs, and a client may have multiple jobs.
Chunk 2: Import your clients and turn on portal access
This is the first big chunk of work, and the most valuable one when you're getting started. Do it in bulk; it's much faster than adding clients one at a time.
Tell your clients first. Let them know what's changing and what to expect from the new system. Communication is KEY here.
Import your clients into TaxDome in bulk.
Turn on portal access at the same time if you're ready. It's one less thing to do later, and clients can start creating their logins now.
Chunk 3: Try one bulk action
Two features stand out as TaxDome's biggest benefits: bulk actions (one action across many clients at once) and pipeline automations. Start with bulk actions.
Filter your account list (tags help here, and you can add tags in bulk), or pick a handful of clients to test with. Then try something low-risk:
Send a bulk email. Email is familiar, so it's a great first step. Write a quick seasonal note, like a Happy Halloween or Thanksgiving message, or use a template if you have one.
Schedule it for a future date to see how scheduling works.
Try a shortcode to drop a custom field, like the client's name, into the message.
Send yourself a preview before it goes out.
Bulk-update tags by assigning a tag to everyone, or removing one.
Whatever you choose, act carefully and with intention, especially if you're sending to every client.
Chunk 4: Create one firm template
Templates do double duty. You can use them in pipeline automations, and you can use them for bulk actions like the email above. Go to your firm templates and build one:
Email template for a message you send often
Task template for a repeated to-do, like sending client birthday cards, with assignees and due dates
Invoice template
One caution: don't download a pile of templates from the TaxDome library. They add up fast and make your account messy. Copy one or two, at most.
Chunk 5: Build a practice pipeline in 15 minutes
If you plan to use pipelines to automate repeatable work, start small. Inside the FutureProof Accountant membership, we encourage members to build a pipeline in 15 minutes. It's not meant to be complete. It's meant to show you how pipelines work.
Create a new pipeline.
Name your stages. A stage is a milestone in your pipeline, such as Not Started, In Progress and Complete.
Look at which automations you can add to each stage and how a job moves to the next stage.
Review your statuses and settings.
Add a test job and walk it through the pipeline.
This exercise ties together everything above: navigation, terminology, templates and automations, without overcomplicating it.
Common mistakes new TaxDome users make
Trying to implement everything at once. Nine times out of ten, it doesn't work. Pick a chunk and finish it.
Waiting until tax season to learn the system. You'll be learning under pressure instead of now, while things are calm.
Skipping navigation and terminology. Without it, every other feature feels harder than it is.
Importing clients without telling them. A quick heads-up keeps clients from being confused by new emails and portal invites.
Downloading too many library templates. It clutters your account fast.
Building a complicated first pipeline. Start with a simple 15-minute version and build from there.
Your TaxDome quick-start checklist
Click through settings, client accounts, invoices and templates
Learn the difference between a pipeline and a job
Email clients about the change
Import clients in bulk and turn on portal access
Send one scheduled bulk email (preview it to yourself first)
Create one firm template
Build a 15-minute practice pipeline and run a test job through it
Share this with your team so they can do the same
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start if I'm new to TaxDome? Start with navigation and terminology. Learn where settings, client accounts, invoices and templates live, and understand what pipelines and jobs are. Everything else builds on that.
Do I have to learn all of TaxDome at once? No. Chunk the work into what you'll do now, in December, in January, and what you'll skip this year. Trying to do everything at once usually backfires.
What's the difference between a pipeline and a job in TaxDome? A pipeline is the start-to-finish process for one type of repeatable work, like tax returns or monthly bookkeeping. A job is one client's piece of work for one period moving through that pipeline, like a 2025 Form 1040 for one client.
When should I turn on client portal access? When you import your clients, if you're ready. Let clients know what's coming first, then turn on access so they can set up their logins before tax season.
What's a good first bulk action to try? A scheduled bulk email. It's familiar and low-risk. Send yourself a preview first, and try a shortcode to personalize it.
Should I use templates from the TaxDome library? Sparingly. Copy one or two that fit your firm. Downloading many at once clutters your account.
How long does it take to build a TaxDome pipeline? A simple practice pipeline takes about 15 minutes. Start with basic stages like Not Started, In Progress and Complete, then add complexity once you understand how it works.
Watch the full walkthrough
See each chunk demonstrated inside TaxDome in the full video: New to TaxDome this year? Start Here. (15:45)
Take messy action now
The goal isn't a perfect setup. It's getting comfortable in TaxDome now, before tax season gets chaotic. Think of these five chunks as your building blocks, then build from there.
Want hands-on help? Join the FutureProof Accountant membership for weekly trainings, workflow templates, live support and a community building better TaxDome systems alongside you. Use code WORKSHOP30 for 30% off your monthly membership.
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