Onboarding you stay in control of: every request list is yours to approve
This release puts the partner firmly in the driver's seat. Max still does the first pass on everything, but nothing client-facing happens on its own: the document request list is generated as a draft for you to shape and approve, and only then does it reach the client and start the chase. The prior-year reader now handles scanned returns, and if a document cannot be read it drops you into an editable list rather than a dead end.
The request list is always yours to approve first
Every path that builds a request list now produces a staff-only draft. The client sees nothing and no reminders go out until you review, edit, and approve.
- →Max drafts the document request list from the prior-year return or your per-track template, and it lands as a draft for you to add to, remove from, and reword.
- →You approve and send when it is right; that single step is what makes it visible to the client and starts the follow-up cadence.
- →Reopen the client later and the draft is right where you left it, ready to review.
A prior-year reader that handles real-world PDFs
Scanned and image-only returns are read with on-prem vision, and the flow never strands you.
- →If a return has no text layer, Maxed reads the pages directly so a scan still produces a tailored draft.
- →If a document genuinely cannot be read, you land on an editable starter list and build it by hand, instead of a dead end.
One guided tax pipeline, tidier surfaces
Return preparation now runs as a single guided walkthrough, and the everyday surfaces are cleaner.
- →Tax-return prep is one eight-stage pipeline (request list and POA, document ingest, workpapers, review, delivery, e-file, year-seal), with the old duplicate Returns screens folded in so nothing is lost.
- →Quotes are editable directly on the Quotes page, and approving a quote clears its review card everywhere at once.
- →The client portal invite only goes out when you press send, and the secure link stays hidden until then.
Fixes & improvements
- •Proposal scope of services no longer appears twice in the email preview.
- •Exported proposal PDFs carry a real title instead of showing as 'anonymous'.
- •LaurelAI (early access): Max drafts your daily time entries from your sent emails and queues them for you to approve, so billable time is captured without manual logging.