Last reviewed: September 2026.
SurgeTK builds one household from each Redtail family. Everyone linked in that family comes across: spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, and other dependents. SurgeTK works best with two clients per household. Children and other dependents should not be household members.
Every firm sets up Redtail differently, so SurgeTK provides Sync Filters to control what comes across. This article explains why children appear and how to stop it.
Why filters alone may not stop it
Contact Categories does not apply to linked family members. If a contact is linked to a synced client's Redtail family, that contact comes across even when their category is not selected.
Contact Statuses can apply to linked family members, but only in Denylist mode. An Allowlist does not block linked family members, because spouses often carry a status that is not on the list.
The Household Lifecycle from Redtail setting does not exclude anyone. It only controls whether SurgeTK suggests archiving a household, or archives it, when every member is deceased or no longer a client.
Filters decide which contacts are imported. They do not remove people who are already in SurgeTK.
How to keep children and dependents out
Do these steps in order. If you remove a child before saving the filter, the next sync can bring the child back.
In Redtail, create a contact status for dependents, for example Child. Assign it to every child and dependent. Redtail's bulk action Change Contact Status can do this for many contacts at once.
In SurgeTK, go to Settings, then Integrations. On the Redtail card, select Sync Filters. The window is called Redtail Sync Filters.
Click Refresh so the new status appears in the list.
Under Contact Statuses, make sure the toggle shows Denylist. Denylist is the default.
Tick the new status. A note appears: "Skipped statuses are also left out of a client's household."
Click Save Filters.
Remove any children already in your households. See How to remove a member from a household below. Filters stop new imports only. They do not remove people who are already in SurgeTK.
Run a normal sync from the Redtail card. Leave Re-read every contact unticked unless SurgeTK support asks you to use it.
How to remove a member from a household
Open the household.
Find the member and choose Delete.
Confirm in the Delete Client window.
If the member owns accounts, assets, liabilities, or insurance policies, SurgeTK blocks the delete and lists the items. The window changes to "Cannot Delete: Linked Data Exists". Delete or reassign those items first.
If a child owns accounts you want to keep, such as a 529 or UTMA plan, move the account to the parent's contact in Redtail before removing the child. An account owned by a removed child stops syncing.
Why the child's name appears in the household name
The household list names a household after its first two members in alphabetical order, by last name then first name. If a child is a member, the child's name can appear in place of a spouse. Removing the child from the household fixes the name.
Common mistakes
Ticking a child's status in an Allowlist does not exclude anyone. Only a Denylist skips linked family members.
Selecting or clearing categories does not affect linked family members.
Changing Household Lifecycle from Redtail does not remove anyone.
Re-read every contact re-imports every contact and family, including households you deleted on purpose. Use it only when SurgeTK support asks.
Deleting a child before saving the filter: the child can come back on the next sync.
Related articles
Syncing with Redtail: connection, sync operation, filter configuration, and troubleshooting.
Sync Filters: Control Which CRM Records Come Into SurgeTK: full filter reference for Redtail and Zoho.