Agree on scope before asking for files
Confirm the services, periods, deliverables and responsibilities in your engagement process. Monthly bookkeeping and historical cleanup need different requests. This guide is an operational checklist, not an engagement agreement or professional accounting advice.
Identify the right contact
Record the business name, document contact, email address, preferred communication channel and escalation contact. Confirm the person has authority to supply the records. Do not assume the owner is the best person to handle every upload.
Inventory the source accounts
Ask the client to identify business bank accounts, credit cards, loans, payroll providers and payment processors relevant to your scope. Request statements by account and period when necessary. Avoid collecting complete account numbers merely to distinguish two checklist items; descriptive labels are often enough.
Choose an access method
Use provider-supported delegated access where appropriate. Never ask clients to send banking passwords or one-time verification codes through a document portal. If they upload statements, explain the file types, accounting period and deadline in the checklist.
Test the first cycle together
Send a short first checklist, verify the client can open it on a phone, and review a sample upload. Record the recurring schedule only after the first workflow is clear. Check that irrelevant items can be marked not applicable and confirmed by your team.
Start with the free monthly checklist or document request email tool. When you want a repeating workflow, try MonthReady.
Operational guidance only. Tailor document requests to your engagement and professional obligations.