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Use case

Onboard new clients without the paperwork chase.

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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Last updated · Facts checked

Everything to get started

ID and address are in. The next reminder asks only for last year's accounts and tax return.

How it works

One new client, four steps.

The same start for every client, whether it's one new business or a list from a practice you've taken on.

  1. 1

    Add the client

    Pick the list that fits them.

    Add a new client by hand or import a list from a CSV, then start their request from the onboarding template that fits them.

    Import clients from a CSV
  2. 2

    Send your onboarding list

    One link for everything you need.

    Remove what doesn't apply, set a due date and send. Your client uploads from a phone or computer, with no account, and comes back to the same link for the rest.

    Create a request
  3. 3

    Let reminders follow up

    Only what's missing, until it's in.

    By default, reminders go out 3 and 7 days after sending and 3 days before the due date. Each lists only what's outstanding.

    How automatic reminders work
  4. 4

    Review each file

    Approve it, or ask for a clearer photo.

    Approve each file, or ask for a replacement when an ID photo is blurred or cut off. Approving the last document completes the request.

    Ask a client for a replacement file

Features

What gets a new client ready to start.

An onboarding template for each type

Keep a list for limited companies, sole traders and individuals. Each request gets its own copy to tailor.

Create a template

A note on each document

Add a description to any item, like which IDs you accept. Your client sees it under that document's name.

Add, remove or rename requested documents

Replacements for blurry photos

Ask for a new photo with a note your client sees next to that document. The earlier version stays in the history.

Ask a client for a replacement file

Your firm, first

Growth and Pro

Your logo and accent colour on the upload page and in the emails, so a new client's first request clearly comes from you.

Add your logo and brand colour

A link, not an account

New clients upload through a private link. There's nothing to sign up for before you've even started working together.

How client links are protected

Retention you choose

ID documents are kept for 30 days to a year after a request is completed, then deleted. You're emailed before they go.

How long files are kept

A new client, start to finish

When they sign up, add the client: their name, email address and type. Taking on several at once? Import them from a CSV and check the preview before anything is saved.

On day one, create their request from your onboarding template, remove what doesn't apply and send. Your client gets one private link for everything you need: their ID, proof of address, last year's accounts and tax return, and the company's details. For details that aren't a document, such as their UTR or what you need for your HMRC authorisation, they can write a note from the same page.

As files arrive, reminders chase only what's still missing, and stop once it's in. When an ID photo is blurred or cut off, ask for a replacement with a note your client sees next to that document.

On Growth and Pro, the upload page and the emails carry your logo and accent colour, so a new client's first request clearly comes from your firm.

When it's all in, approving the last document completes the request. Download the files and keep what your procedures say you must keep. GarnerDocs isn't an archive: files are deleted after the retention period you choose.

Example checklist

Ask only for what this client has. The client onboarding checklist covers each item in more detail.

Identity

  • Photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence
  • Proof of address

Their history

  • Prior-year accounts
  • Last tax return
  • HMRC authorisation details

For a company

  • Company details, such as the certificate of incorporation
  • Photo ID for each director
Typical examples to tailor to each client

AML checks stay with you

GarnerDocs collects documents. It doesn't check them.

It doesn't verify identity, run checks or replace your anti-money laundering procedures. Deciding what to collect, checking it and keeping records are yours to do, as your procedures set out.

Read your responsibilities under money laundering supervision on GOV.UK (checked on 19 October 2026) and your supervisory body's guidance. This page isn't legal advice.

Engagement letters

GarnerDocs doesn't send engagement letters or collect signatures. Send yours the way you do today. If you'd like the signed copy back with everything else, add it to the request as a document and your client uploads it.

Read how files and client links are protected on the Security page.

Questions

How long are ID documents kept?

For the retention period your firm chooses: 30, 90, 180 or 365 days after a request is completed. Then they're deleted, and you're emailed 14 and 3 days before. Download what your own procedures say you must keep.

Can a client see other requests or other clients?

No. Each link opens one request and nothing else: its checklist, the files your client uploaded to it and your notes on them.

Does a new client need an account?

No. They open the private link from the email and upload, from a phone or a computer. There's no account, password or app, and the same link takes them back to where they were.

Can I onboard a list of clients at once?

Yes. Import them from a CSV, with a preview before anything is saved, then create each client's request from your onboarding template. Each client gets their own link.

Related

  • For accountants

    Year-end accounts, tax returns, new client onboarding: send each client one checklist through a private link, and let reminders chase whatever is still missing.

  • Checklist

    Client onboarding checklist for accounting firms

    Your firm's onboarding steps, from engagement letter to HMRC authorisation, and the documents to ask each type of client for.

  • Getting started

    Import clients from a CSV

    Export your client list as a CSV, upload it and match its columns. No renaming needed.

  • 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.

Spend less time chasing. More time doing the work that matters.

Make document collection the easiest part of working with your clients.

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