Tips & FAQ

Tips & FAQ

A few habits make AutoFiler faster, and a few questions come up again and again. This page collects the best-practice tips for getting the most out of the app, then answers the most common questions about credits, recipient replies, QuickBooks, and which forms you can create.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Complete your Company Profile first — The more fields you fill in, the more auto-filling happens on every form. Click the 🏢 icon to access it anytime.
• Set your Project Type and Contractor Role carefully — These control which forms are available and how fields auto-fill. Choose them when creating a project and you’ll see the right forms immediately.
• Use Information Requests — Instead of chasing subcontractors for their details by phone or email, send them an Information Request. They fill out a simple form, and the data flows directly into your forms.
• Fill form-specific fields on the project — Values in the collapsible form sections carry over every time you generate that form type, saving you from re-entering the same data.
• Build a union roster for public works — On a public works job with apprenticeship committees, enter each union once and AutoFiler fills both the DAS-140 and DAS-142 for every committee, so you can fan the 140 out to all of them and fire off the 142 in repeatable rounds. See Unions & Dispatch.
• Save a committee’s dispatch defaults — Store a committee’s standing DAS-142 details (craft, number of apprentices, time/person/address to report to) on its Address Book entry, then drop them onto the 142 with one click.
• Search by anything — The Projects search matches names, customers, addresses, and even text inside your generated filings. Combine it with the Form Type and date filters to zero in on a job fast.
• Use the Address Book — Save contacts once, then select them with a click when filling forms or adding destinations. Use CSV import to bulk-load your contacts.
• Mark favorites — Star your most-used addresses so they always appear at the top of pickers.
• Generate multiple forms at once — Select multiple form types in Step 1 to generate them all in a single pass.
• Preview before paying — Use the free inline preview to check your work before committing a credit to download or send.
• Use the PDF preview in Step 2 — Click any field on the preview to jump to it. Use Next Empty Field to work through all unfilled fields quickly.
• Create form versions — Need different versions of the same form (e.g., for multiple apprenticeship committees)? Use the version toolbar in Step 2 to create, duplicate, and manage versions.
• Auto-save is always on — Your project fields and wizard entries save automatically, so you won’t lose progress.
• Re-downloads are free — Once you’ve paid for a form, downloading it again costs nothing. Check Filing History to find and re-download past filings.
• Right-click for details — Right-click any field label in the form wizard to open the Field Inspector and see exactly where the value comes from.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost anything to generate or preview a form?

No. Generating a form and previewing it in your browser are always free, as many times as you like. A credit is used only when you Download, Email, or Mail a finished form. This lets you check your work as much as you need before you ever spend anything.

What exactly uses a credit?

Three actions commit a credit:

• Download PDF — 1 credit the first time you download a form.
• Send via Email — 1 credit per form the first time you email it.
• Mail via USPS — 1 credit activation fee plus 1 credit per letter mailed.

Once a form is committed, re-downloading or re-sending that same form afterward is free.

What if I regenerate a form with the same data?

There’s no extra charge. AutoFiler recognizes that the inputs are identical and reuses the form you already have, so previously paid work is never charged again. Only when you change the data does a fresh draft get created.

Can the apprenticeship committee reply without an account?

Yes. Every DAS-142 you email includes a secure, no-login link. The committee can acknowledge receipt, confirm dispatch (apprentice name and report date), or report unable to dispatch (with a reason) — without creating an account. Their reply flows straight back into your dashboard so you can see where every request stands.

How do I send the same DAS-142 to many committees?

Build a union roster on the project, then use Dispatch Rounds to send a correctly-dated DAS-142 to every committee at once. Each round usually only changes the report date, so a new round takes seconds. See Unions & Dispatch.

Can I import my data from QuickBooks?

Yes. You can connect QuickBooks Online with read-only access to sync your company details, projects, and address book contacts into AutoFiler — no re-typing. See Company Profile & QuickBooks.

How long is my data kept?

Your account data is retained for 365 days from when you register, or for as long as a subscription is active. You can download a complete copy of everything at any time using the Download My Data link in the dashboard.

Which forms can I create?

It depends on your project type:

• Public Works — Pre-lien Public Works, DAS-140 (Contract Award Information), DAS-142 (Request for Dispatch), and Form 119.
• Private — Pre-lien Private, plus Conditional and Unconditional waivers for both Progress and Final payments.

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Need Help?

If you have questions or run into any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our Contact page or call us at (916) 234-3277. We’re here to help you get your forms filed quickly and accurately.