Email templates for chasing missing tax documents

The timings assume a document date in mid March. Move them to fit your own date.

Stop the sequence for any client the moment everything is in. Before each message goes out, check the outstanding list is current, so you never ask for something the client already sent.

A good [Outstanding list] names the form and who issues it:

• W-2 from Acme Logistics
• Consolidated 1099 from Fidelity
• K-1 from Smith Partners LLC
• Form 1098 from your mortgage lender

If the client has sent nothing yet, drop the "we've got" part and open with "Just a reminder that we're ready to start on your return when your documents come in."

Change this one to match how your firm handles extensions and fees, and have a CPA approve the wording before it goes to clients. If you need the payment estimate, Form 7004 for entities, or Form 8878 when you enter the PIN, use the Form 4868 and Form 7004 communication page.

Keep texts short and send them from a number clients recognise. Only text clients who have agreed to receive texts from you, and include opt out wording if your provider or rules require it.

For texts, shorten the outstanding list to names only, for example "Fidelity 1099, Smith K-1".

When a client says an item doesn't apply:

Thanks, [First name]. I've taken [item] off your list. Just to confirm, that means [plain explanation, for example: you closed the Chase savings account before this year started and earned no interest from it]. If that's not quite right, let me know.

We're now only waiting on:

[Outstanding list]

Confirm in plain words what "doesn't apply" means. A client who says "I don't have a 1099 from that broker" might have closed the account, or might just not have looked yet. If you're unsure, ask, or flag it for the preparer.

When a client says "I sent everything":

Thanks, [First name]. We've checked what's come in and we have [Received list]. We don't yet have [Outstanding list]. Could you check whether these went to a different email, or whether they're still on their way? If it's easier, call me at [Phone] and we'll sort it out together.

When a client sends a corrected form:

Thanks, [First name], we've got the corrected [form] from [issuer]. We'll use this one instead of the original. Nothing else is needed for this.

You can paste these into the reminder emails in most practice management tools. Two things worth knowing:

• TaxDome: reminders are set with a number of days until the next reminder and a total number of reminders, which default to 3 days and 1 reminder. Reminders on an organizer stop when the client submits it, the organizer is sealed, the set number has been sent, or the linked job is archived.
• Karbon: you can schedule client requests and auto reminders. Karbon suggests a custom status and a Global Automator to flag work that needs re sending.

Check whether your tool's reminders name the specific missing items. If they only mention the request as a whole, someone still needs to update the [Outstanding list] before each one goes out.

Download all templates as a text file: five emails, five texts and the three replies, ready to paste.