Step by step

1. Open Grand Lodge returns from the Actions menu

   In the header, open the Actions menu and look under the Records group. Click 'Grand Lodge returns'. This takes you to the Returns screen. The option only appears when you are inside a lodge tenant.

2. Wait for the screen to confirm your lodge session

   The screen checks that you are signed in and that the selected tenant is a lodge-kind organisation. If no lodge is selected, or if the selected tenant is a different kind, the screen shows 'Choose a lodge to work in' instead of the form.

3. Review the obligations loaded for the year

   The screen reads your lodge's jurisdiction, finds the matching Grand Lodge provider, and lists every required return type for the chosen year. Each obligation shows its current status — not started, draft, verified, or submitted — and whether the membership figures reconcile. One section appears per obligation.

4. Prepare the return from the roll

   For any return showing 'not started', click 'Prepare it from the roll'. The system counts figures from live member records, renders a PDF, saves it to the documents collection, and creates a draft grand-lodge-reports record. The screen then shows the return as 'Prepared'.

5. Verify the figures

   For a return at draft status, an 'I have checked the figures' form appears with an optional notes field. Submit the form to verify. The system refuses verification if the figures do not reconcile, telling you to correct the member records and prepare the return again. Once accepted, the record moves to verified status and the screen confirms it may go to the Grand Lodge.

6. Record that the return has been sent

   For a verified return, choose how the return was sent — Member Center, post, email, or by hand — add optional notes, and submit. The record moves to submitted status, capturing the submission method, date, and the officer who recorded it. This step can only be completed from the verified status; the system refuses any other starting point.

7. Open the filed return in the collection

   At any point, click 'Open the return and its figures' to view the full grand-lodge-reports record. The record is readable by all operations and leadership roles on the tenant. Once submitted, the figures, snapshot data, PDF, and period are frozen — any attempt to edit those fields without the internal submission context is blocked.

What happens next

You finish with a grand-lodge-reports record at submitted status. It holds the final figures, a versioned PDF stored in the documents collection, the submission method and date, and three audit events: report_prepared, report_verified, and report_submitted. The record may no longer be altered.

Good to know

Figures are generated from live member records at the moment you click Prepare. If your roll changes after preparation but before verification, the figures will not reconcile and the system will block verification until you prepare the return again. This ensures the PDF and the record always reflect the same data.

Each step is recorded in the audit log against the officer who performed it, so there is a clear chain of responsibility for every return you file.