To-dos & Docs & Files
Collect client tax documents without the email attachment chase
Clients freeze when you hand them a 35-page blank PDF organizer, and your staff loses hours hunting through email threads for missing W-2s. CPA Relay pairs itemized client to-do checklists with shared amber folders and automatic email nudges.
Accepts PDFs, Excel, Word, ZIP & iPhone HEIC photos up to 50 MB per file
Shared checklists & folders
Every requested document has a clear name, a due date, and a folder
Share a plain-English PBC checklist on the project—like "Upload final December bank statement" or "Consolidated 1099 from Fidelity." Clients upload files straight into shared amber folders from their computer or phone, comment with questions, and check items off as they go.
- Mobile-friendly uploads: Clients can snap a clear photo from their phone (including Apple
.HEICphotos) or drag and drop PDFs, spreadsheets, and ZIPs up to 50 MB. - Instant visibility control: Keep client uploads in shared amber folders (like 2025 Tax Documents) and move working papers into sky-blue firm-only folders (Default Project Files) in one click.
- Automatic & one-click nudges: Overdue client to-dos send automatic email reminders and surface on your What's Outstanding board with a one-click Nudge button.
To-do list templates
Write your checklists once in Settings. Drop them into any project.
Set up reusable To-do List Templates in Settings → Templates for your standard 1040 intake, 1120-S year-end close, or monthly bookkeeping workflow. When you add a template to a project, CPA Relay does the setup math for you.
- Smart role assignment: Template roles automatically turn into real people (such as the project's lead or the client's primary contact) when added to a project.
- Relative due-date offsets: Set relative due offsets on template items and they convert into real calendar dates automatically.
- Safe to edit anytime: Updating or deleting a template in Settings never alters checklists you already added to active projects.
Practitioner guides
How small firms structure document intake
Practical guides on replacing static PDF organizers with itemized PBC request workflows.
Workflow & operations
The PBC Checklist Guide
How small CPA practices structure granular, plain-English request lists that clients finish on their phones.
Read guideWorkflow & operations
Client Tax Document Intake & Tracking
How to roll forward prior-year intelligence, track what arrived, and automate overdue nudges.
Read guideComparison
Spreadsheets & Email
Why tracking client tax files in shared workbooks breaks down and how a single triage view fixes it.
Compare workflowsRetire the 35-page tax organizer
Request an invitation for your firm and test CPA Relay's shared checklists and document folders.
50 GB storage per seat, pooled across the firm