Request documents from a client
Build a request, mark what is required, and let LedgerOS skip anything you already hold.
A document request is a named list of what you need from a client, with a link they can use to send it. It replaces the email thread where you ask for six things and get four.
Where to find it
Requests can also be started from a task, which links the request to the work it belongs to.
Build a request
- Start a new request.
- Add each item you need. Search under Search forms, or type your own below… to pick a known form, or type a name freehand — for example, 2024 W-2.
- Set a Year on items where the period matters.
- Mark each item Required or Optional.
- Add a note for the client if context helps.
- Set when the Link expires.
- Send it.
Required vs optional
Every item toggles between Required and Optional. Required is the default.
The distinction is real, not cosmetic — a request isn't complete while a required item is outstanding, and optional items don't hold it open. Use Optional for the if you have it items so a client isn't blocked by something that may not exist.
Already on file
As you add items, LedgerOS checks whether you already hold that document for that client and year.
When it finds one, you can satisfy the item from what's already on file instead of asking again. The item is marked complete immediately and the client never sees a request for something they sent you in February.
Linking to work
A request can be attached to a task, or created as a General request (no task).
Attaching it means the request appears on the work it belongs to and can gate that work's progress. A general request is right for something that isn't tied to a specific job.
Where a task has subtasks, a request can be linked to one of them, or left with Don't link to a subtask.
Sending it
Send to client delivers to the usual contacts for that client. Choose Choose recipients to override who gets it — useful when the bookkeeper should get the request rather than the owner.
Alongside the portal, LedgerOS mints a capture link that works without a login. That matters more than it sounds: the client who won't set up a portal account is the client whose documents you're still chasing in April. They get a link, they upload, it lands in the right place.
Link expiry
Set the link lifetime when you build the request — In 14 days, In 30 days, or In 60 days.
Shorter is tidier but generates more "my link doesn't work" emails. Thirty days suits most seasonal work. Sixty is reasonable for anything spanning a quarter.
Adding to a request later
Items can be appended to an existing request rather than sending a second one. The client sees one growing list instead of three separate asks, which is both less confusing for them and easier for you to track.
Notes and limits
- A request belongs to one client. Requesting the same documents from several clients means several requests.
- Expired links stop working, and the request stays open.
- Items satisfied from what's already on file don't appear to the client at all.
- Uploads land in review rather than filing themselves.