The short version: A SharePoint request list with one row per required document, and a Power Automate flow that ticks each one off the moment the file lands, stops you asking for something a client already sent. The client sees one shared link and a checklist, not a string of emails asking for one item at a time.
One list, one item per document
Set up a document checklist per client or per engagement, IRD number, bank statements, prior year accounts, whatever the job actually needs, as rows in a SharePoint list or a Dataverse table, each with a status: requested, received, not needed. Share one folder link with the client, rather than emailing for each item separately, and let them upload whatever they have, whenever they have it. The list is the single source of truth for both sides: you check it before you ask for anything, instead of scrolling back through a month of email to work out what already came through.
This sits comfortably alongside what Xero and practice management tools already do for the accounting side of the job. The wider post on Power Platform for an accounting practice covers document chasing as one of three builds worth doing; this one goes into how the chasing itself actually works.
The flow that stops the double-ask
A Power Automate flow watches the shared folder, and the moment a file lands that matches an outstanding item, it flips that row to received and cancels any reminder queued for it. A second, scheduled flow checks once a day for anything still marked requested after a set number of days and sends a nudge, naming only what's actually still missing, not a blanket "please send your documents" that ignores the three items already sitting in the folder. Built on SharePoint and Outlook, both standard connectors already inside Microsoft 365, none of this needs a premium licence.
A shared folder link works for most practices. If you genuinely need many clients logging into a branded self-serve portal to check their own status, that is Power Pages territory, and it carries a real cost, NZ$323.60 per site per month for authenticated access, which is worth it for volume, not for a dozen ongoing clients who are happy to click a link in an email.
When it is not worth building
A sole practitioner with a handful of clients a month can run this checklist as a plain list without a flow at all, checking it by eye costs nothing and takes a minute. Build the automation once the reminders themselves are the thing slipping, or once more than one person in the practice needs to know what is still outstanding without asking you first.
Common questions
What's the best way to collect client documents without endless email back and forth?
Send one shared link to one folder, with a checklist of what's needed, instead of a chain of emails asking for one item at a time. The client uploads what they have, when they have it, and the folder becomes the single place both sides check rather than a scattered thread.
How can I automate document requests for my accounting practice?
A Power Automate flow built on SharePoint and Outlook, both standard connectors already inside Microsoft 365, can send the initial request, watch the folder for uploads, and nudge only for items still missing after a set number of days, and none of that needs a premium licence.
How do I track which clients still haven't sent what I asked for?
Keep one list with a row per client and a column per required document, ticked automatically as files land. A glance at the list tells you who's outstanding without opening a single email thread to check.
Still asking clients twice for the same form?
Tell me what you currently chase and how. Book a free 30-minute call and I will scope the checklist and the flow behind it.