Tax Center & TXF Export
Everything tax season needs in one place — readiness checks, Schedule C mappings, full-year report packages, and a TXF file your tax software can import directly.
Where to find it: Open Kantivo and look for Tax Center in the sidebar under Accountant Tools.
Overview
The Tax Center collapses tax-season prep into four tabs:
- Dashboard — annual snapshot at a glance
- Readiness Check — automated verification of your books
- Tax Categories — assign IRS Schedule C lines to your accounts
- Generate Package — export PDF, CSV, or TXF
Dashboard
The Dashboard tab shows top-line annual numbers: gross revenue, total deductions, net income, total assets, total liabilities, and transaction count. Use the year selector to switch between tax years.
Readiness Checks
Run the automated checks before generating your tax package. Six tests confirm the books are clean:
- Transactions recorded — at least one transaction exists for the year
- Books balanced — debits equal credits across all accounts
- No draft transactions — every entry is posted
- 1099 vendors have TINs — flagged vendors have a Tax ID on file
- Fiscal year closed — year-end close has been run
- Company info complete — name, address, EIN populated
Tip: Readiness checks are advisory — you can still generate a package or TXF even if some checks throw warnings. But clearing every flag before filing is how you avoid round-trips with your accountant.
Schedule C Mapping
The Tax Categories tab lists every income and expense account with a dropdown to assign an IRS Schedule C line.
Assigning Lines
- Open Tax Categories
- Each row shows the account name, YTD total, and a Schedule C dropdown
- Pick the right line (e.g., Line 18 for Office Expense)
- Saves automatically — no save button
- Mappings persist year to year. Set them once and they carry forward.
Common Mappings
| Account type | Schedule C line |
|---|---|
| Advertising & Marketing | Line 8 — Advertising |
| Vehicle expenses | Line 9 — Car & Truck Expenses |
| Contractor payments | Line 11 — Contract Labor |
| Business insurance | Line 15 — Insurance |
| Office supplies | Line 18 — Office Expense |
| Rent / lease | Line 20b — Rent (Other Property) |
| Utilities | Line 25 — Utilities |
| Payroll / wages | Line 26 — Wages |
Generating a Package
The Generate Package tab lets you tick which reports to include and pick an output format:
- Open Generate Package
- Tick the reports you want — Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Trial Balance, etc.
- Pick PDF or CSV
- Click Generate Tax Package
- A progress bar shows each report being compiled
- The file downloads when ready
Reports
| Report | Contents |
|---|---|
| Income Statement | Full-year P&L: revenue, COGS, expenses |
| Balance Sheet | Year-end snapshot of assets, liabilities, equity |
| Trial Balance | Every account with debit/credit totals |
| Cash Flow Statement | Operating, investing, financing cash movements |
| Expense Breakdown | Expenses grouped by Schedule C line |
| General Ledger | Full transaction detail by account |
| Chart of Accounts | Account list with types and balances |
| AR/AP Aging | Receivables and payables by aging bucket |
TXF Export
Kantivo exports a .TXF (Tax Exchange Format) file that imports straight into TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, or any tax software supporting TXF.
What's TXF?
TXF is the long-standing standardized text format for moving tax data from accounting software into preparation software. Each record carries a reference code mapping it to the exact IRS form and line.
Exporting
- Open Tax Center → Generate Package
- Scroll to TXF Export (below the PDF/CSV options)
- Click Export TXF File
- The .txf file downloads with your company name and tax year in the filename
- Open your tax software's import feature and load the file
- Review imported amounts against your books
Before Exporting
- Assign Schedule C lines to your accounts in Tax Categories first
- Only accounts with both a tax line mapping and non-zero activity get included
- Unmapped accounts are skipped — Kantivo reports how many were left out
Tip: Map every income and expense account before exporting. Anything without a Schedule C assignment is dropped from the TXF file.
Importing in Tax Software
| Software | Steps |
|---|---|
| TurboTax | File → Import → From Accounting Software → browse for .txf |
| H&R Block | Import → Other Financial Software → select .txf |
| TaxAct | Import → TXF file |
Important: TXF export currently supports IRS Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) for sole props and single-member LLCs. Always verify imported data in your tax software before you file.
Tips
Before Tax Season
- Run readiness checks in January for the prior year — catch issues early
- Set Schedule C mappings once and they carry forward forever
- Resolve every Fail item before generating the final package
- Close the fiscal year before producing the final export
Working With Your Accountant
- PDF package = professional handoff
- CSV = your accountant wants raw data for their workpapers
- TXF = you're filing yourself in TurboTax-style software
- Glance at the dashboard before sharing — you know your business best
Troubleshooting
TXF shows 0 records
- Confirm accounts have Schedule C mappings in Tax Categories
- Confirm transactions exist for the selected year
- Confirm mapped accounts have non-zero balances
Package shows $0 amounts
- Confirm transactions exist for the selected year
- Confirm you're viewing the correct company
- Confirm transactions are posted, not in draft
Readiness says "books not balanced"
- Open the Trial Balance to find the imbalance
- Post an adjusting journal entry to correct it
Mappings not saving
- Confirm you're logged in as Admin or Accountant
- Refresh the page and re-select
Reminder: The Tax Center is only as good as the books behind it. Year-round bookkeeping discipline produces a clean tax package; messy books produce a messy package.