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Guide

Year-end document collection: one list, one place, no attachments.

Each year, a business owner gathers the records their CPA or enrolled agent needs to close the books and prepare returns: bank and credit card statements, payroll reports, information returns, loan statements, fixed asset purchases and a pile of receipts. Those documents usually arrive in pieces, by email, over several weeks, and someone has to chase the missing ones.

This guide works for both sides: owners who want to hand over a clean file, and firms that want to collect one. It is general information, not tax advice. Your CPA decides what they need, and IRS guidance such as Publication 583 explains basic recordkeeping for businesses.

What a CPA usually asks for at year end

Accounts and statements

  • Year-end bank, credit card and loan statements for every account.
  • Access to, or an export from, your bookkeeping system.
  • Merchant processor and payment platform reports, including any Form 1099-K.

People and payroll

  • Payroll provider year-end reports and copies of W-2s and W-3.
  • A list of contractors paid, with their W-9s, so Forms 1099-NEC can be prepared.
  • Retirement plan and health insurance contribution summaries.

Assets and other items

  • Invoices for equipment, vehicles and other significant purchases, and records of anything sold or disposed of.
  • Forms 1098 for mortgage interest and any K-1s received.
  • Records of estimated tax payments.
  • Vehicle mileage logs and home office details, where relevant.

Information returns have filing and delivery deadlines early in the year. Your CPA will tell you the dates that apply, and starting the collection in December makes them much easier to meet.

A year-end room that works every year

  1. 1

    Copy last year's list

    Start from your CPA's request list or a template, with one item per document and the person who supplies it.

  2. 2

    Upload as things arrive

    Drag statements and reports in as they come. Folder structure is kept, and every upload is scanned for viruses.

  3. 3

    Watch the status

    Each item moves from requested to provided, so both sides see what is still missing.

  4. 4

    Let AI sort it

    ShareAndGo reads each document, including scanned receipts, tags and summarizes it, and can sort uploads into the folder structure.

Why email is the wrong tool for tax records

Year-end records hold bank account numbers, employees' Social Security numbers and the business's whole financial picture. Sent as email attachments, they sit in multiple inboxes indefinitely, and a misdirected message is easy to send. The IRS regularly warns tax professionals and their clients about phishing aimed at exactly this kind of information.

A room keeps the records in one place. Clients confirm their email with a six-digit code, with no password to reuse or forget. The firm controls who on its team can see each client's room, and the audit log records every view, upload, download and change, chained so alterations are detectable.

At the end of the season, the CPA can share the finished returns and financial statements back in the same room, view-only or downloadable, and next year's collection starts from the same structure.

For firms, the same room structure can be reused across every client, so staff know where each document lives and clients see the same request list each year. Assign items to the right staff member, and use the audit log to see which clients have started uploading and which need a reminder.

Questions

How long should we keep these records?
It depends on the record and your situation. IRS guidance covers the general periods; ask your CPA what applies to you.
Can our bookkeeper upload for us?
Yes. Add them to your team, or send a request-a-file link.
Can our CPA firm brand the room?
Yes. The firm's logo and name appear on invitations.

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The first collection, done properly.

A business loan application

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