How to get clients to send their tax documents on time

It is rarely laziness. A late client usually falls into one of four groups:

Each of the steps below deals with one of these.

The best predictor of what a client will need to send this year is what they sent last year. So instead of a generic checklist, build each request from the prior year return.

Go through last year's return and list every source document behind it. For a typical individual return that looks like this:

Then add two questions at the end:

1. 1. Did anything change this year? New job, moved house, sold property or shares, started a business, had a child, got married or divorced.
2. 2. Is there anything on this list that no longer applies?

That second question matters more than it looks. A client who closed a bank account will never send that 1099-INT, and if you do not ask, it sits on your missing list until April.

Doing this for every client is real work, so do it in the quiet months. If your practice software supports per client checklists, this is where they get built.

A deadline only works if it was agreed before the season started. Add a short clause to your engagement letter that sets a document date and says what happens after it.

Sample wording to adapt:

To complete your return by the filing deadline, we need all of your documents by [date]. If we receive them after that date, we may file an extension on your behalf and complete your return after the deadline. Late documents may also affect our fee as described in this letter.

Have your attorney or professional liability insurer review any clause before you use it. Rules and expectations vary by state and by firm.

Pick a date that leaves your team enough time to prepare and review every return before April. Whatever you pick, put it in the letter, the first request and every reminder.

Your first request should do three things: list the specific documents from the step above, give the date, and tell them exactly how to send things. One upload link, not a choice of four channels.

After that, every reminder should list only what is still outstanding. This is the change that saves your clients the most effort. "Please send your remaining documents" makes the client open a portal and work out what is missing. "We still need your Fidelity 1099 and the K-1 from Smith Partners LLC" takes them two minutes.

Keep a simple tracker per client: item, received yes or no, date received, note. When something arrives, tick it off before the next reminder goes out, so you never chase a document you already have. Clients notice when you ask for something they sent last week.

Our missing tax documents email templates are written this way, with a placeholder for the outstanding list in every message.

This is a cadence that works for a mid March document date. Shift it to fit your own date.

Two rules make this work. Stop reminding the moment a client is complete. And when a client replies with a question, answer the question before the next automated reminder lands on top of it.

Emails stop working on some clients. Call when:

• A client has had two reminders and opened neither.
• The missing item is something only they can explain, such as a sale of property or a new business.
• The client is high value or the return is complex.
• The client has replied with something confusing, like "I sent everything".

A short script helps your admin staff make the call without it feeling awkward:

"Hi [name], it's [your name] from [firm]. I'm calling about your tax return. We have most of what we need. We're still missing [item] and [item]. Do you have those, or are they still on their way to you? ... Great. The easiest way is to upload them through [link], which I'll text you now. If they won't arrive by [date], let me know and we can talk about an extension."

Then send the upload link by text while you are still on the call.

When the document date passes and a client is still incomplete, do not wait until April 14 to raise an extension. Tell them the day after your date, in writing, so there are no surprises.

Make three things clear: an extension gives more time to file, not more time to pay; you will estimate what they owe from what you have; and you will finish the return as soon as the missing items arrive. The extension email in our template pack covers the first notice. For Form 4868, Form 7004, estimates and Form 8878, use the extension season communication page.

For the 2027 season, individual returns for tax year 2026 are due Thursday, April 15, 2027, and the extended deadline is Friday, October 15, 2027. Check the IRS calendar for any disaster relief changes in your clients' areas.

Most of this system is repetitive, which makes it a good candidate for automation. Some of it should stay with a person.

Automate:

• Sending the first request when a client's job starts
• Reminders on your calendar, stopping when the client completes
• Ticking items off as uploads arrive
• Moving the job on to preparation once everything is in

Keep with a person:

• Building the request from last year's return, at least the first time
• Answering client questions and judging "that doesn't apply to me" replies
• Phone calls
• Extension decisions and anything that touches the return itself

The gap in most firms sits in the middle: reading what clients actually send back, matching uploads to the list, and writing a reminder that names the specific missing items. That is the work our tax season operator is set up to handle, with your team approving what goes out and your CPAs reviewing every return. For the order to build other automations after this one, see what small accounting firms should automate first.

Most practice management tools can send requests and reminders automatically. The details differ a lot, including how many reminders go out and what stops them. Before the season, send a test request to yourself and check three things: how often reminders go out, what stops them, and whether they name the specific missing items or just the request as a whole. If you prepare in Drake Tax, see the Drake Tax documents and electronic signature workflow. If clients live in Liscio, see the Liscio document request workflow.