Get clients to send their documents on time

Who it's for

Bookkeepers, tax preparers, accountants, insurance agents, mortgage brokers and law offices who can't start the work until clients send their paperwork.

The situation today

• The work takes an hour. Getting the documents takes three weeks of emails, follow-ups and 'just checking in'.
• Requests are vague ('send your tax stuff'), so clients send half of it, and the back-and-forth starts again.
• Rough estimate: several hours a week in busy season spent on reminder emails and calls.

Time figures marked "rough estimate" are our estimates, not survey data.

The AI-assisted workflow

Step by step

1. List every document you need for one common job (for example, an individual tax return or a month-end close). Use your own checklist or last year's file.
2. Run the prompt below to turn the list into a client-friendly checklist that says where each document comes from, plus three reminders.
3. Send the checklist with a clear due date and one secure way to send files (your client portal or secure upload). Say plainly not to email sensitive documents.
4. Schedule the reminders: one a week before the due date, one on the due date, and one a few days after, naming only what's still missing.
5. After the season, note which items were always late and move them to the top of next year's checklist.

I'm a [bookkeeper/tax preparer/insurance agent]. Help me get documents from clients on time.
The job: [e.g., individual tax return]
Documents I need: [your list]
How clients should send them: [portal name / secure upload. Never email attachments of sensitive documents]
Due date: [date]

Write:
1) A client checklist: each document in plain words, where to find it (e.g., 'mailed by your employer in January'), and a checkbox. Under 250 words.
2) Three short reminder emails: a week before the due date (friendly), on the due date (clear), and a few days after (firm, lists only what's missing, says what happens to the timeline). Each under 90 words.
Rules: don't add documents I didn't list or tax advice. Don't ask for anything to be sent by email.

Works in any AI chat assistant. Replace everything in [brackets].

Watch-outs

• Never paste a client's actual documents, Social Security numbers, account numbers or tax figures into a general AI assistant. The prompt only needs your list of document types.
• Tell clients to use your secure portal, not email, for sensitive documents. The IRS publishes guidance for tax professionals on safeguarding taxpayer data (Publication 4557).
• Keep reminders factual. Don't threaten penalties or deadlines you haven't confirmed for that client.

When not to use AI

• Deciding which documents a specific client needs based on their situation. That's professional judgment; AI can only format your list.

Educational content, not legal, tax or financial advice.