Basil allows you to quickly import your client list using a provided CSV template. This is ideal for transferring client data from existing files or other tax software to the 'People' tab in Basil.
Only the Account Owner has the necessary permissions to import clients. Click your icon at the top-right of Basil and select ‘Import Clients’. On the next page, you will find instructions and a link to download the template CSV file.
Open the downloaded CSV template. Using the instructions below or on the template download page, enter your client information into the corresponding columns. Using the template ensures that your data is formatted correctly for import.
The minimum requirements for each row are ‘Client Type’, ‘Client Name’, and ‘Send Invitation’.
Remember, columns B through E are only used for adding a primary user to your client. For each row, if any of the columns B, C, D, or E are valued, then columns B, D, and E will be required. In other words, if you don’t have either the primary user’s email address or name, you should instead skip these four columns. You will be able to add and invite a primary user later.
Instructions in detail:
- Column A - Client Type (Required): These values by default are only Individual, Business Owner, and Corporation, but you can also include any Custom Client Types as specified in the Settings by the Basil Account Owner as long as they are spelled correctly.
- Column B - Email (Conditional): Include the client’s email address. You should exclude adding labels such as (Work) or (Personal) in this column.
- Column C - Phone (Optional): The phone number is optional if you have any of columns B, D or E valued. Be sure to include only digits, no spaces, dashes, or parenthesis. You can include a country code but no phone extension. Example: 15551234567
- Column D and E - First and Last Name (Conditional): The first and last name columns are required if either email address or phone number is valued. It can include characters like apostrophes, but not the & or @ symbols.
- Column F - Client Name (Required): Client Name is what the display name of the new client that will appear in Basil. You should avoid commas and periods in this column.
- Column G - Send Invitation (Required): This column only allows the values Yes or No. If you select Yes, then Basil will send an email invitation to the client’s email address to join Basil to be linked to your account. If columns B through E are empty, you should still answer No in this column.
- Column H - Workspaces (Optional): Workspaces break down your client into different sections. You can leave this empty to just have the default single workspace, which you can add more to later. Use commas to separate each Workspace name, do not use quotes. Example: Business Taxes, Personal Taxes, Sales Department
Save the completed CSV file to your computer. Return to the import page in Basil and upload the file.
Please Note: Do not save the CSV file as an XLS or XLSX file while working on it. The CSV needs to remain in its original state in order for it to successfully import your clients. Saving it as an Excel document and then resaving as a CSV will break the template and your import will not succeed. Be sure not to reorder, add, or remove any of the columns before importing.
After uploading, Basil will display any errors that occurred during the import. Check the error messages to identify and correct any issues in your CSV file. If you need further assistance, please contact Basil Support.
If the upload is successful, your newly added clients will appear in the ‘People’ tab of Basil.