Forms in pieces
A W-2 in one email, a photo of a 1099 in another, a brokerage statement that turns out to be last year's. You rebuild each client's paperwork by hand.
For tax preparers and advisors
Tax records in before the deadline crunch.
Individual returns, business returns and one-off advice work: send each client one checklist and a private link, and let reminders chase their forms up to your own deadline.
Last updated
Every form on one list
Two forms in, one to go. The next reminder asks only for the mortgage interest statement.
The deadline doesn't move. The paperwork does.
Every return waits on forms from employers, banks and lenders. Collected over email, the season goes on working out who still owes you what.
Chasing in your busiest weeks
The follow-ups pile up just when you have the least time to write them, and every client is missing something different.
No view of who's stuck
Who hasn't sent anything yet? Who hasn't even opened your email? A spreadsheet of ticks can't tell you.
How it works
Four steps, for every return.
The same way of working for individual returns, business returns and advice work.
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1
Pick a template
One list for each kind of return.
Start from your individual, rental or small business template, then add or remove items for this client: a second W-2, a new mortgage.
Create a template -
2
Send a private link
Clients upload as forms arrive.
Your client adds each form as it comes in, from a phone or a computer. No account, and their progress is saved between visits.
Copy or share the client link -
3
Let reminders follow up
Up to your deadline, not past it.
Reminders list only what's outstanding and stop once it arrives. By default, the last one goes out 3 days before the due date you set.
How automatic reminders work -
4
Review each file
Approve it, or ask again with a note.
Approve each form, or ask for a replacement with a note your client sees next to that item, such as the corrected 1099.
Review and approve uploads
Start from your individual, rental or small business template, then add or remove items for this client: a second W-2, a new mortgage.
for Maria R. · Due 15 Mar
Private upload link · what Maria R. seesNo account needed
N
Northstar Accounting
Documents requested for
Due 15 Mar
Upload a few, leave some missing, then see what the reminders do.
Default schedule
Features
Built around your deadline.
Due dates and overdue labels
Every request has a due date. It shows how long is left, turns amber in the last three days and red once it's overdue.
Due dates and overdue requestsA reminder before the due date
The default schedule ends with a final reminder 3 days before the due date. On Growth and Pro, change the days or add steps counted back from it.
Change your reminder scheduleSee who's stuck
The Overview flags overdue requests, new uploads and clients who haven't responded, with whether they opened the link.
A template for each return
Keep a list for employees, landlords and small businesses, and start each request from the one that fits.
Create a templateReview history
Ask for a replacement with a note shown next to that item. Earlier versions stay in the history.
Ask a client for a replacement fileA link, not an account
Clients upload through a private link on any device: a PDF from their bank, or a photo of a form taken on their phone.
How client links are protectedRetention you choose
Files are kept for 30, 90, 180 or 365 days after a request is completed, then deleted. You're emailed before it happens.
How long files are keptZIP download
Download a client's forms as one ZIP, ready for your tax software or your file.
Download all files as a ZIPHow a season runs
In the autumn, send each client their request and set the due date to your own deadline: the date you need everything by to prepare the return in time. Your client gets the link straight away, so they know what you'll need before the forms arrive.
As forms arrive, your client uploads each one against its item and comes back with the same link for the rest. Reminders do the chasing, list only what's still outstanding and stop once it's in.
One reminder schedule covers your whole workspace. By default, reminders go out 3 and 7 days after sending, so early requests get early reminders. On Growth and Pro, change the schedule to count back from the due date instead, for example 30, 14 and 3 days before it.
In the busy weeks, the Overview's Needs your attention list shows who's stuck: requests past their due date, and clients with nothing uploaded a week after you sent the link, with whether they've opened it. Send any of them a reminder now, with your own message.
Before the due date, the final reminder goes out, 3 days before by default. After that, the request shows as overdue and the next step is yours.
Tax season for individual returns walks through a Form 1040 season, from the first request to the last K-1. Preparing UK returns? Self Assessment returns covers the same job with UK documents.
What GarnerDocs doesn't do
GarnerDocs collects the documents. You prepare the return. It doesn't read figures from forms, connect to your tax software or file anything, and it doesn't collect e-signatures. It doesn't know anyone's filing deadlines either: every date on a request is one you set.
When a client's documents are in, download them as a ZIP. GarnerDocs isn't an archive: files are kept for the retention period you choose, then deleted. Read how files and client links are protected on the Security page.
Questions
Some of my clients aren't comfortable with email or computers. Will this work for them?
They open the link on their phone and upload each document, or take a photo of it. There's no account, no password and no app to install, and if they stop halfway the same link takes them back.
Can I use different lists for landlords and employees?
Yes. Make a template for each kind of client, such as employees, landlords and small businesses, and pick the right one when you create a request. You can still add, remove or rename items for one client without changing the template.
Can we see which clients haven't opened the link?
Yes. Your Requests page shows "not opened yet" or "Opened · no uploads yet" for each request waiting on the client, and the request page shows when they first opened it. A "Client not responding" workflow can also tell you when a client hasn't opened their link after a number of days you choose.
Do reminders keep going after the due date?
No. The last automatic reminder goes out before the due date. After that, the client can still upload with the same link: send a reminder by hand, or move the due date and the reminders still to come are rescheduled.
Related
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Use case
Tax season for individual returns
W-2s, 1099s, 1098s and K-1s from every individual client. Send one checklist before the forms arrive, and let reminders chase each one in, well before the 15 April deadline.
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Use case
Self Assessment returns
P60s, interest statements, dividend vouchers and rental records from every individual client. Send one checklist in the autumn and let reminders chase it in, well before the January rush.
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Use case
Client onboarding and AML ID
Photo ID, proof of address, prior-year accounts and company details from every new client. Send one checklist through a private link before work starts, and let reminders chase the rest.
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Checklist
Form 1040 document checklist for 2026 returns
The documents to ask for on a 2026 Form 1040, by income and deduction, with key IRS dates and a plain-words version for clients.
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How-to
Tax season prep: getting client records in early
Two month-by-month plans for getting records in early: the US season from October to 15 April, and Self Assessment from September to January.
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Compare
GarnerDocs vs email attachments
Email is free, and every client already knows how to attach a file. Here's what it costs you in chasing time and risk once you collect from more than a few clients.
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