Guide · Document collection
How to get clients to send documents on time
Ask once, with one specific list and a fixed due date. Make sending easy, follow up on a set schedule, and agree the rules when the client signs on. This guide shows how a small firm can set that up with the tools it already has.
Late or unprepared clients top firms' list of challenges
#1
Late or unprepared clients came first among the top challenges in Wolters Kluwer's survey of 1,983 US tax and accounting firms.
Half
of the firms that responded named late or unprepared clients a top challenge.
In a small firm, each missing statement can push the work later, add a reminder someone has to write, and leave fewer days to finish the close.
Survey published by Wolters Kluwer, a software vendor.
Five habits that get documents in on time
Send one list, not a string of emails
Give each client a single checklist for the period: exactly which statements, receipts and forms, for which accounts, and by which date. A specific list is easier to finish than an open request.
Set the due date before you need it
Pick a due date that leaves room before your own deadline, and keep it the same every period so it becomes routine for the client and for your team.
Make sending easy
Give clients one place to send everything, accept photos and forwarded statements, and stop asking for anything you can get yourself, such as transactions from a bank feed the client has already connected.
Follow up on a schedule, politely
Decide the reminder rhythm once: a friendly note shortly before the due date, another on the day, and a short call or message if something is still missing. Schedule the reminders in advance so nobody has to remember to send them.
Agree the rules when the client signs on
Put the due date, the list and what happens when documents arrive late into your engagement letter, for example that late documents move the work to your next open slot. Then a reminder points back to something the client already agreed to.
A request email you can copy
Subject: Your documents for (month), due (date)
Hi (first name),
To close your books for (month), please send the items below by (date):
- Bank and credit card statements for every account
- Receipts for purchases you'd like us to record
- Any new loan, lease or payroll paperwork
- A note on anything unusual this month
You can reply to this email with photos or PDFs, or upload them to (where you collect documents). If something doesn't apply this month, just let us know.
Thank you, (your name)
What the follow-ups can cost: one example
HypotheticalA hypothetical firm, for illustration only. It uses the same 35% recoverable share the Snapshot assumes for this fix.
40 clients × 2 follow-ups each × 10 minutes = about 13 hours a month
If clearer requests and scheduled reminders recovered 35% of that time, that would be about 4.7 hours a month back.
Hypothetical figures, not data from a real firm.
Common mistakes
Asking in pieces.
Several small requests over a week teach clients to wait for the last one.
Vague requests.
"Please send your documents" leaves the client to guess. Name each account and the period.
Reminders that depend on memory.
If a reminder only goes out when someone remembers, it goes out late.
No agreed rule for late documents.
Without one, a late client's work quietly pushes back everyone else's.
Questions
How far ahead of my deadline should documents be due?
Far enough that your team can do the work without rushing. A fixed day each period works better than a date that moves, because clients learn it.
Should I charge a late fee?
That is a business and contract decision for your firm. If you do, put it in the engagement letter so it isn't a surprise, and apply it the same way to every client.
Do I need a client portal?
Not to start. One list, a fixed due date and scheduled reminders work with plain email. If you already pay for a portal, the bigger question is whether your clients actually use it.
See what document chasing costs your firm.
The free Snapshot takes about 3 minutes and works from your own answers.