Missing documents: a list your client can answer item by item

Start with one client and one period

An accounting practice needs specific documents or explanations from a client. Keep one continuously updated list for those questions. Give each row one purchase and one question to resolve. The client can then reply using R-01 or R-02, even if the document follows in another message.

Put the client, period and agreed reply channel in the header. Keep item numbers after resolution. When you close R-01, do not renumber the other items: older messages would then refer to different purchases.

The entire example is fictional. Studio Javor is the client, Eva is its contact and Jana maintains the September 2026 list at the practice. Hosting Jiskra, Technika Most, order numbers, files and all replies were invented for this example. Both sides are assumed to have agreed to use one email thread and an existing shared folder for files. This is neither a universal handover method nor a HeyRup feature.

Ask about a specific purchase, not “the remaining documents”

For each item, give the supplier, date or period and a known purchase reference, such as an order number. Mark unknown details as unknown. Then ask a question that makes clear what to provide. “Hosting, September” is a clue; “please send the invoice PDF for order H-260901 for September hosting” is a specific request.

In this example the practice sends two requests on 6 October. Eva has agreed to handle them and arrange a further status check with Jana on 9 October. This date is their fictional agreement, not a statutory deadline. If you have not agreed a date, write “next check not yet agreed”.

Example: sending the first two requests

A completed example of an accounting practice’s request. Before using it, replace the fictional client, contacts, purchases, files, dates and agreed actions with real details; keep item references stable.

Studio Javor | September 2026 documents | status at 6 October 2026
Replies: this email thread, always quoting the item ID.

R-01 — Hosting Jiskra, hosting for September 2026, order H-260901 dated 1 September 2026.
Question: Please send the invoice PDF for this order and period. We have not matched it in the documents handed over so far. If already supplied, give the filename and where to find it.
Next action: Eva will find the document or a reference to its handover.
Latest reply: 6 October Eva confirmed she would check the item.
Next agreed check: 9 October
Status: Open — awaiting the document or reference.
Closure: No evidence or check yet.

R-02 — Technika Most, monitor, order M-260918 dated 18 September 2026.
Question: We have the purchase confirmation for this order; please send the invoice. If you do not have it yet, say whom you are asking and what remains unknown.
Next action: Eva will check whether she has the invoice and, if needed, ask the supplier for it.
Latest reply: 6 October Eva confirmed she would check the item.
Next agreed check: 9 October
Status: Open — awaiting the invoice or an update on the search.
Closure: No evidence or check yet.

Show the client how to reply

The client need not rewrite the whole list. A file or a precise answer against each ID is enough. If they do not have a document, you need to know what they have already done and what they are waiting for. Do not ask for a delivery estimate they do not know.

Eva replies on 8 October in the example. She provides the hosting PDF and its location; for the monitor, she only reports asking the supplier for a copy. The practice can check the first document and continue waiting on the second item.

Example client reply

An example of how the client Eva might reply, not a message for the practice to send as its own. It can show clients how to reply item by item using their own details.

Hello,

R-01: I have uploaded hosting-jiskra-2026-09.pdf to our agreed folder Studio Javor / 2026-09 / doplneni. It relates to order H-260901 for September 2026 hosting.

R-02: I do not yet have the invoice for order M-260918. Today, 8 October, I asked Technika Most for a copy. I do not know when it will arrive. Once received, I will supply it under R-02.

Our agreed status check on 9 October still stands.
Eva

After the reply, close only what you have checked

Jana opens the R-01 file and checks it against the requested purchase and period. She records its location, her name and the check date. Only then does she close that request.

R-02 stays open. Eva's latest action is known, but the requested document is still missing. Jana records the supplier request date and keeps the agreed 9 October status check. She does not record it as a promised invoice delivery date.

Keep a brief record of earlier replies when updating the list. In this example, dated history stays within each item, so the latest answer is visible alongside what came before.

Completed list after the reply — fictional status at 8 October 2026

A completed example of the practice’s register after the client’s reply. For your own list, retain the field names, replace all fictional details and record status and closure evidence from the actual reply and document check.

Client: Studio Javor
Period: September 2026
Client contact: Eva | practice contact: Jana
Replies: same email thread, always with the item ID

R-01
Purchase: Hosting Jiskra, hosting for September 2026; order H-260901 dated 1 September 2026.
Exact question: Supply the invoice PDF for this order and period, or identify its earlier handover.
Who acts next: No one — this request is resolved.
Latest reply: 8 October Eva reported uploading hosting-jiskra-2026-09.pdf to the agreed folder.
History: 6 October document requested, Eva agreed to check; 8 October she supplied the file.
Next agreed action and date: None; the check planned for 9 October is no longer needed for this item.
Status: Closed — the specific requested document was received and checked against the question.
Closure evidence: Studio Javor / 2026-09 / doplneni / hosting-jiskra-2026-09.pdf; Jana opened the file on 8 October 2026 and confirmed it matched order H-260901 and September 2026.

R-02
Purchase: Technika Most, monitor; order M-260918 dated 18 September 2026.
Exact question: Supply the order's invoice; only the purchase confirmation has been supplied so far.
Who acts next: Eva — awaits the supplier's reply and will supply the document under R-02 when received.
Latest reply: 8 October Eva asked the supplier for a copy; arrival date unknown.
History: 6 October invoice requested, Eva agreed to check; 8 October she reported asking the supplier.
Next agreed action and date: 9 October Eva will update Jana on the search even if the document has not arrived. This is a status check, not a promised delivery date.
Status: Open — awaiting the supplier's invoice.
Closure evidence: None; the invoice has not been received or checked.

What “closed” means in this list

Here, closed means the specific question has been answered and the practice has checked the relevant document or reply against it. It does not mean the bookkeeping is complete, that a document is valid for tax purposes or that all September records are present.

If the client sends a PDF for another period, an unreadable file or an answer that does not resolve the question, keep the item open. Add a precise follow-up, for example: “R-01: the supplied PDF covers August; we still need September. Eva, please send the matching file.” Confirm the next check date or mark it as not yet agreed.

“Thanks, I will sort it out” or a sent reminder does not close a row either. It changes the latest reply or action, not the fact that you are still waiting for the requested document or explanation.

Prepare the first two items for your client

Keep the header and field labels from the completed example. Replace every fictional detail with your own known information. In a spreadsheet each field can be a column; in email the items can remain stacked as shown.

Before sending, read each question from the client's perspective: can they identify the purchase, see what to provide and say when something is unknown? Confirm who will act next and when you will exchange a status update. After the first reply, update the latest message, next action and any closure evidence. Keep the IDs.

Start with two specific requests. Both sides should be able to tell what is resolved and what still needs an answer, just as with R-01 and R-02.