Get every client's tax documents in before the April rush
Send each client their own tax checklist in January. They upload W-2s, 1099s, T4s and statements from their phone with no portal login, every file is checked as it arrives, and an AI agent follows up on what's missing. You start each return with a complete file.
Free to try with one client, no credit card. Pro is $29 a month for unlimited requests.
Tax season, on autopilot
One batch in January. Complete files by your cutoff.
01 · Early January
Send every client their checklist at once
Start from the Year-end documents checklist, add what your practice needs, and upload your client sheet. Each client gets their own private link, sent now or scheduled up to 30 days ahead.
02 · As slips arrive
Clients upload from their phone
No account and no portal password. A photo of a W-2 or T4 is fine; statements arrive as PDFs. They can come back to the same link as forms show up in February.
03 · On every upload
Problems are flagged on the spot
Last year's form, a statement with pages missing or an unreadable photo is flagged while the client is still on the page, so they fix it then instead of in March.
04 · Until your cutoff
The agent chases what's missing
Reminders are paced to the date you set, listing only what each client still owes. Questions like "do you need my 1098?" get answered without a call.
05 · When it's all in
Start the return with everything
Download a ZIP per client or send each finished request to Google Drive. Copies are deleted afterwards.
2025 tax returns
86 clients · cutoff Mar 1
51
complete
29
collecting
6
need a fix
- Complete
J. & M. Alvarez
All 6 items in
- Collecting
Priya Shah
1099-INT missing · reminder Thu
- Needs a fix
Tom Becker
W-2 is for 2024, not 2025
- Not started
Lena Okafor
Opened the link yesterday
- Complete
Wright Family
All 8 items in
Checked on arrival
Every slip and statement, checked before you open the file
Start from the Year-end documents checklist and change anything. Each item tells the AI what a good upload looks like, so a wrong year or a missing page is caught while the client still has the form in hand.
W-2, T4 and pay slips
- Is an income slip
- Readable box amounts
- Photos from a phone are fine
1099s and investment slips
- Several files under one item
- Is the kind of form asked for
Bank and brokerage statements
- Every page included
- PDF, one per account
Deductions and receipts
- Optional for clients without them
- Date and total readable
Prior-year return
- Asked only of new clients
- Every page included
What changed this year?
- New job, home, marriage, dependants
- Answered in the client's own words
The agent does the follow-ups you don't have time for in March
It emails each client their checklist, answers "which form is that?" and "is a photo OK?", and paces reminders to your cutoff, listing only what's still missing. Clients can reply to the email with attachments and the files land under the right item. When a client asks a tax question only you can answer, the agent hands it to you instead of guessing.
How it compares
Most preparers collect by email and a shared folder, or pay for a full practice suite to get a client portal. Tangentflow does one job: getting the documents in.
| Tangentflow | Email and shared folders | Tax practice suites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client needs an account | No, one private link | No | Usually a portal login |
| Checks each upload | Yes, in seconds | No, you find problems later | Varies |
| Reminders | Agent, paced to your date | You write them | Scheduled emails |
| Answers client questions | Yes, by email | You do | You do |
| Send to every client at once | Yes (Pro, from a sheet) | Copy and paste | Yes |
| Setup time | Minutes, from a template | None | Days to weeks |
| Pricing | Free to try, then $29/month | Free | Usually per user, per month |
Need e-filing, billing and tax workflows? A practice suite is the better fit. Tangentflow covers the collection step only. More on how it works for tax preparers.
Your numbers
What chasing costs you
Count the emails, the "just checking in" follow-ups and the second requests for the page that was missing. Move the sliders to your business.
Time spent chasing
33.3 h
Worth of your time
$2,500
Pro is $29 a month. If the agent takes even a quarter of that off your plate, that's $625 of your time back.
What you get
- A ready-made Year-end documents checklist you can change
- Batches: one sheet, every client, scheduled up to 30 days ahead (Pro)
- AI checks on every slip and statement
- An agent that answers clients and sends the reminders
- An optional email code before sensitive links open
- Clients reply by email with attachments (Pro)
- An evidence index per client: every file, check result and answer as a CSV
- ZIP export, or delivery to Google Drive (Pro)
What it doesn't do
- It doesn't prepare or e-file returns
- It doesn't sync with tax software (export or Drive instead)
- No text-message reminders, only email
- It isn't a permanent archive: files are deleted after 7 days on Free, up to 60 on Pro
- Uploads are PDFs and photos; Excel and CSV only on items you set to take spreadsheets
Guides for tax preparers
Checklists
Tax Document Checklist for Clients, US and Canada (2026)
A complete tax document checklist for clients in the US and Canada, with IRS and CRA slips side by side, questions that trim the list and how to collect it.
Templates
Tax Season Reminder Email Templates for Clients (2026)
Tax season reminder email templates for a full January to April sequence, with subject lines, US and Canada versions, text messages and missing-item follow-ups.
Checklists
Self-Employed Tax Documents Checklist (2026)
A self-employed tax documents checklist for Schedule C and T2125, split US and Canada, with income, expenses, home office, vehicle and tax payments made.
Checklists
Rental Property Tax Documents Checklist (2026)
A rental property tax documents checklist for Schedule E and T776, split US and Canada, per property, with first-year vs every-year items and a collection plan.
Checklists
Business Tax Return Documents Checklist: US and Canada (2026)
A business tax return documents checklist for S corps, partnerships, C corps and Canadian T2 returns, with entity extras, due-date rules and a collection plan.
Security
Secure Ways to Receive Sensitive Documents From Clients (2026)
Secure ways to receive sensitive documents from clients, compared. Why email and text are risky, what a safe setup looks like, and a checklist for any tool.
Questions tax preparers ask
- Do my clients need an account or an app?
- No. Each person gets a private link that opens on their phone or computer. There is nothing to install and no password to forget. For sensitive requests you can require a 6-digit code sent to their email before the link opens.
- Can I send the tax checklist to all my clients at once?
- Yes, on Pro. Upload a sheet of up to 100 clients and each one gets their own request with their own link, sent now or scheduled up to 30 days ahead. Clients who still have an open request from the same checklist are skipped.
- What does the AI check on each upload?
- Whatever you set on each item: that the file is the form the item asks for, that a statement has every page, that it's recent enough, and that it's readable. Problems are flagged while the client is still on the page.
- Can clients send forms as they arrive in February?
- Yes. The link stays open until everything is in or you close it, so clients add each form when it shows up. Reminders list only what's still missing.
- Will the agent give my clients tax advice?
- No. It answers questions about what to upload and how, and sends reminders. Anything that needs your judgment is handed to you.
- How long are files kept?
- They're deleted automatically after the request is complete or its retention period ends: 7 days on Free and up to 60 days on Pro. Download a ZIP or send finished requests to Google Drive and keep what you need in your own system.
- What does it cost?
- Free covers one open request at a time, with the AI agent on your first one, so you can try it with a real client. Pro is $29 a month for unlimited requests, batches, email replies with attachments, Google Drive delivery and your branding.