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How to Mark a Recipient or Employee Inactive, or Restore Them

Hide a Recipient you’re not using right now, without deleting them.

Quick version

  • Mark inactive: Go to Recipients, open the Recipient’s Actions menu, click Mark Inactive, and confirm.

  • Restore: Turn on Show inactive, open the same menu, and click Mark Active.

Marking a Recipient inactive hides them from your active lists without deleting them, so you can bring them back later.

In Helper, the employers, payers, and lenders you file for are called Issuers. An inactive Recipient is inactive for all of their Issuers.

To change several Recipients at once, select them in the Recipient Directory and click Mark Inactive or Mark active in the bar at the bottom of the screen.

Mark a recipient inactive

  1. Click Recipients in the left menu.

Recipient Directory with the Recipients icon in the left menu Recipient Directory with the Recipients icon in the left menu

  1. Find the recipient and click their Actions button. You can type their name in Search recipients... to find them.

Recipient Directory with the Actions button Recipient Directory with the Actions button

  1. Click Actions on their row, then click Mark Inactive.

Recipient Directory with the Actions menu open Recipient Directory with the Actions menu open

  1. If the Recipient has unsubmitted forms, you’ll see Also delete {N} unsubmitted form(s):

  • To keep their forms: leave it unchecked.

  • To delete them: check it.

Mark this recipient inactive? dialog Mark this recipient inactive? dialog

You’ll see Recipient marked inactive. The Recipient shows as Inactive and is hidden from your active lists. Their Linked issuers count shows 0 while they’re inactive.

Restore an inactive recipient

  1. In the Recipient Directory, turn on Show inactive.

Recipient Directory with an inactive recipient's Actions menu open Recipient Directory with an inactive recipient's Actions menu open

  1. Click Actions on the Recipient’s row, then click Mark Active.

Mark this recipient active? dialog Mark this recipient active? dialog


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You’ll see Recipient marked active. The Recipient shows as Active again and is linked to their Issuers again.

Check their Issuers after restoring: Open the Recipient and review Linked Issuers. If an Issuer you’d unlinked earlier is back, click Unlink next to it. [CHECK: remove this note once the restore bug is fixed]

Common questions

Where did my inactive Recipient go?
Inactive Recipients are hidden from active lists. Turn on Show inactive in the Recipient Directory to see them.

Does marking a Recipient inactive delete their forms?
No, unless you check Also delete {N} unsubmitted form(s) when you confirm. Filed forms are never deleted.

What’s the difference between inactive and deleted?

  • Inactive Recipients can be restored at any time.

  • Deleting a Recipient removes them from all Issuers permanently, and isn’t possible if they have forms.

Need to remove a Recipient for good? See How to Delete a Recipient or Employee.

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