Ways to Embed TaxTrex
Put TaxTrex where your clients already work. There are two ways to do it: an embedded portal with single sign-on, or an API with webhooks for a deeper integration.
Why embedding matters
A documentation tool is only used if it is convenient. If clients must remember another website, another password and another set of instructions, response rates fall. Embedding puts the tool inside a system they already use, under the partner's own name, so that answering a survey feels like part of the service rather than an extra task. TaxTrex is a Swanson Reed product, and the embedding options described here are proposals until Swanson Reed confirms them.
Choosing between the two options
Both are proposals until confirmed by Swanson Reed.
| Embedded portal with SSO | API and webhooks | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | TaxTrex screens appear inside your system, with clients signing in once | Your own software calls TaxTrex and receives updates |
| Effort to set up | Lower | Higher |
| Control over look and flow | Branding, with TaxTrex screens | Full control over how it appears |
| Best when | You want a quick, branded experience | You have developers and a system you want to extend |
Embed options
Embedded Portal with Single Sign-On
TaxTrex screens appear inside your ERP or practice system, and sign-in carries over so clients log in once.
Learn moreTaxTrex API and Webhooks
Keep your own screens and use TaxTrex for R&D documentation and calculations behind them, through an API and webhooks.
Learn moreHow to decide
- 1
Start with your clients
Where do they spend their time? A portal your clients already use is a natural home.
- 2
Check your resources
An API needs developers. A portal needs less technical work.
- 3
Think about the long term
If you expect to build features around the product, an API gives more room. If not, a portal may be enough.
- 4
Ask for confirmation
Check with us what is currently available, because embedding options are proposals.
Where listings live
Directory pages for the systems TaxTrex works with are in our Integrations section. Each page describes what can sync, and each is a proposal until confirmed for your setup. If your system is not listed, tell us what you use, and we will say what is possible.
Security and access
Whichever option is used, access to client information should be limited to what each person needs. Sign-in methods, roles and logging should be agreed in writing. We do not claim certifications we do not hold, and the Trust Center describes where things stand. If your clients have particular security requirements, mention them early so we can say whether they can be met.
A worked example (illustrative)
This scenario is invented. A regional firm already has a client portal where clients download documents and approve engagement letters. It chooses the embedded portal option so that a "R&D documentation" tab appears in the portal, branded as the firm's own, with single sign-on. Clients answer surveys without logging in anywhere else. A much larger firm with its own development team prefers the API, so that survey answers and evidence flow into its existing client database. Both approaches reach the same goal, and each fits its firm.
Integrations, review tiers and partner pricing are proposals until confirmed by Swanson Reed.
What to prepare before embedding
Embedding options are proposals until confirmed by Swanson Reed.
- Which system your clients already log in to, and who runs it.
- Whether it supports single sign-on, and with which provider.
- Who on your side will own the project and who will test it.
- Your branding assets: logo, colors and domain.
- Your security requirements and any client commitments about data.
- Which clients will go first.
Branding and domain
Embedding works best when clients cannot tell where your system ends and the product begins. That means your logo, your colors and, where possible, your own domain. The branding page covers what can be changed. Plan these early, because they affect how clients perceive the service, and they are easier to get right at the start than to change later.
Testing before launch
- 1
Try it yourselves
Staff go through the client experience, from invitation to first survey, and note anything confusing.
- 2
Pilot with friendly clients
A small group tries it and gives feedback. Pick clients who will tell you plainly what did not work.
- 3
Fix and widen
Adjust wording, steps and instructions, then invite more clients in groups.
- 4
Review after a cycle
After a full survey cycle, look at response rates and gaps, and adjust.
Support and responsibilities
Clients will ask the partner first when something goes wrong. Decide in advance who handles what: the partner for questions about the service, and Swanson Reed for product issues, as terms allow. Agree how problems are reported and how quickly they are expected to be addressed. These arrangements are confirmed with Swanson Reed. They are not stated on this site.
Thinking about the client's experience
Clients rarely care how a product is integrated. They care whether it is easy. A good embedded experience means a client gets an invitation, signs in the way they always do, sees a short, clear survey and finishes in a few minutes. It also means they know who to ask if something goes wrong. Design the first message, the sign-in and the first survey with that in mind. If you would not want to receive it yourself, change it. The embedding option is a means to that end.
Signs an embedding is working
- Clients start without asking how.
- Response rates hold up after the first month.
- Support questions are about content, not access.
- Staff at the partner can answer client questions with confidence.
Embedding questions
Can we change the look?
Branding options are described on the branding page and are proposals until confirmed.
Do we need developers?
For the embedded portal, usually less. For the API, yes.
Can we start with a portal and move to the API?
That is the intention, but it is a proposal. Ask us what is currently possible.
What about client data?
Data handling is agreed in writing, limited to what the work needs, and confirmed with Swanson Reed where its terms apply.
Keep exploring
Integrations
The systems our products are designed to connect to.
Learn moreHow White-Label TaxTrex Works
Surveys, interviews, evidence, accounting sync and review in white-label TaxTrex.
Learn moreSelf-Managed R&D Documentation
The tools clients in white-label TaxTrex use to document their own R&D through the year.
Learn moreWhite-Label Branding
Clients should see your firm, not ours: your logo, colors and domain on emails, surveys and reports.
Learn morePartner Console
One dashboard for all your clients: onboarding, roles, usage and billing, plus a creditARMOR tab.
Learn morePlease note: Estimates and drafts are prepared by software for review by a licensed CPA or enrolled agent. This is not tax advice.
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