Every NZ practice knows the routine. A GST period closes, and the team starts writing to clients. Bank statements are missing, the EFTPOS takings come in as a phone photo, and someone forgot the vehicle logbook. Then the follow-ups start: "Just checking you saw my last email."
None of this is accounting work, but it takes a lot of an accountant's week. This post covers why document chasing drags on, what a better process looks like, and how we built Tabulance to handle it for NZ practices.
Why document chasing takes so long
It isn't that clients don't care. Usually the problem is one of these:
- The request is vague. "Please send your GST documents" means something different to a café owner than to a contractor with two vehicles and payroll.
- The request is buried. It sits in a long email thread, alongside last quarter's request and an invoice.
- Nobody tracks what has arrived. Files come by email, shared drives and messaging apps, and someone has to work out what's still missing.
- Deadlines move. GST, PAYE and payday filing dates shift around weekends and public holidays, so working out who to chase first is a job in itself.
A spreadsheet tracker or a shared folder fixes part of this. You still end up writing every reminder by hand, and clients still have to work out what you actually want.
What a better process looks like
A good collection process gives each client a short, specific list and one place to upload. Your team sees what has arrived without opening an inbox. In practice that means:
- A checklist per client, per period, built from how that client is set up: bank accounts, payroll, cash sales, vehicles.
- Deadlines worked out automatically from the tax rules, including weekends and public holidays.
- Reminders that list exactly what's missing, rather than a generic nudge.
- One private upload page per client, with no password for them to forget.
- Files filed automatically by client, document type and period.
How Tabulance handles it
We built Tabulance around that process. It's live for New Zealand accountants now, with GST, PAYE and payday filing deadlines built in.
Checklists built from each client's setup
You record how each client is set up once. Every period then gets its own list showing what's received, what's missing and what isn't due yet. You can mark an item as not needed for one period, and ask clients questions in the same list. The lists cover GST returns, PAYE, payday filing, bank statements, sales and purchases, cash and EFTPOS takings, vehicle logbooks and payroll summaries.
Reminders that write themselves
Each reminder is built from what that client is still missing, in your practice's name and colours. Every email carries a fresh, private upload link. You can preview every reminder and send it yourself. Once you trust it, switch on automatic sending, and each reminder goes out once, on time.
One link for clients, no logins
Clients confirm a code sent to their email, then upload from their phone or computer. There's no app to install and no password to set up. Photos, PDFs and spreadsheets are checked when they arrive, and each file lands against the checklist item it answers. Links expire after 30 days and can be switched off at any time.
Everything filed by client, type and period
Your team can search and sort every document, preview files without downloading them, and see who sent what and when.
Keeping client data separate and secure
Accountants hold sensitive client data, so this was a design priority from the start. Each practice's data is stored separately, and only that practice's team and its clients can see it. Staff sign in with a password plus a code emailed to them.
What setup looks like
We don't hand you an empty account. Our team creates your account, adds your clients and how each one is set up, applies your name and colours, and onboards your team. Pricing is a monthly fee per practice plus a one-off setup fee that we quote once we understand your practice. Current pricing is on the Tabulance site.
Is it a fit for your practice?
Tabulance is built for accounting and bookkeeping practices, firms and in-house teams that prepare returns for clients and spend too much time chasing documents. It suits you best if:
- most of your clients send paperwork every GST or payroll period,
- reminders currently go out by hand, and
- you want clients to have a simple upload page instead of yet another login.
It's live in New Zealand now, and Australia is next, with a waitlist open.
See it working
The quickest way to judge it is to look at it with your own client list in mind. Book a short call and we'll walk you through it, or visit tabulance.com to get started.
