Recurring workflows
Monthly, quarterly or yearly, for all your clients or the ones you pick. New workflows save drafts. Sending automatically asks you to confirm first.
Set up recurring document collectionUse case
Monthly bookkeeping, without the month-end chase.
Bank statements, receipts and invoices from every bookkeeping client, every month. GarnerDocs sends each client this month's list on the 1st and chases what's missing, so you can get on with the books.
Last updated
How it works
A typical month in GarnerDocs.
Set up the workflow once. After that, every month runs the same way for every client.
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1st of the month, 08:00
Each client's request is created.
A recurring workflow copies your monthly template into one request per client, named for the month, like "Monthly bookkeeping September 2026". It sends them, or saves drafts for you to check.
Set up recurring document collection -
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The same morning
Clients get this month's list.
Each client gets an email with a private link listing this month's documents. They upload from their phone or computer, with no account, and come back to the same link for the rest.
Copy or share the client link -
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Through the month
Reminders chase what's missing.
By default, reminders go out 3 and 7 days after the request and 3 days before it's due. Each one lists only what's outstanding, and they stop once everything is in.
How automatic reminders work -
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As files arrive
Approve, then close the month.
Approve files as they come in, or ask for a replacement. Approving the last one completes the request. Download a ZIP for your records; the files are kept for your retention period, then deleted.
Complete or cancel a request
A recurring workflow copies your monthly template into one request per client, named for the month, like "Monthly bookkeeping September 2026". It sends them, or saves drafts for you to check.
for Willow & Co · Due 10 Oct
Private upload link · what Willow & Co seesNo account needed
N
Northstar Accounting
Documents requested for
Due 10 Oct
Upload a few, leave some missing, then see what the reminders do.
Default schedule
Features
What keeps the month running on its own.
Templates
Build the monthly list once. Each request gets its own copy, so you can tailor one client's month without changing the template.
Create a templateReminders
Reminders name only the documents still missing and stop once they arrive. Send one now, skip one or add your own message.
How automatic reminders workApprove several at once
The Documents page lists every file waiting for review, across all your clients. Tick the ones you've checked and approve them together.
Approve several files at onceClient notes
Clients explain the unusual in a note from their upload page: a refund, a cash payment, a month with nothing to send.
Read and reply to client notesA link, not an account
Clients upload through a private link on any device: a PDF from their bank, or a photo of a receipt.
How client links are protectedZIP download
Download a client's month as one ZIP, ready for your own records.
Download all files as a ZIPRetention you choose
Files 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 keptThis month's checklist
Every client's month is a little different, but most start from the same short list. New workspaces start with a Monthly Bookkeeping template you can edit to match it.
Bank and cards
- Bank statements, one for each account
- Credit card statements
Sales and purchases
- Sales invoices issued
- Purchase receipts and bills
Payroll and notes
- Payroll summary
- Notes on unusual transactions
Ask for each bank account as its own document, such as "Business current account" and "Savings account", so a reminder names exactly the statement that's missing. Notes on unusual transactions don't need a file: say so in your request message, and clients write them in a note from their upload page.
The monthly bookkeeping checklist covers each item in more detail, with a line on why you ask for it.
What GarnerDocs doesn't do
GarnerDocs collects the month's files. You post them. It doesn't connect to bank feeds or your ledger, read figures from receipts or reconcile anything. When a month is done, download the files and work from them as you do today.
Questions
Some clients are monthly and some quarterly. Can I run both?
Yes. Set up one recurring workflow for each: a monthly one and a quarterly one, each with its own template and the clients that belong to it. Each client gets one request per period, and never two for the same one.
A client runs two businesses. Are they two clients?
Usually, yes: add each business as its own client, and each gets its own request every month. Every client in your workspace needs a different email address, though. If one person sends everything for both from one address, keep them as one client and give them a template with a category for each business, with its own workflow.
My clients send receipts as photos. Is that OK?
Yes. Each document on a request accepts the file types you choose. New documents accept PDF, JPG, PNG and ZIP; turn on HEIC for iPhone photos, and XLSX, CSV or DOCX for spreadsheets and documents. Clients can add several files to one document, up to 25 MB each.
Can I check each month's requests before they go out?
Yes. With "Save as drafts", each run puts the requests on your Requests page to check, edit and send. Reminders start once you send them.
Related
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For bookkeepers
Bank statements, receipts and invoices from every client, every month. GarnerDocs sends each client their list on schedule and reminds them about whatever is still missing.
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Checklist
Monthly bookkeeping checklist for clients
The month-end list to send clients, your firm's side of month-end, and how to make it run every month.
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Workflows
Set up recurring document collection
Monthly, quarterly or annual requests from a template, sent or saved as drafts.
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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