How CPA firms request a signed contract from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask for the business’s significant contracts in force during the year: customer agreements with deposits, milestones or multi-year terms, supplier commitments, loans and notes, and any agreement with the owner or a related company. Contracts show how revenue and expenses fall across years, what the business has committed to, and which related-party terms need support.
Why CPA firms need a signed contract
Invoices show what was billed; the contract shows what was earned. Milestone billing, retainers and multi-year service deals can put revenue in a different year from the invoice, and warranty or penalty clauses can create obligations at year-end. Loan agreements give you the rate and balance to record. Arrangements between the business and its owner, such as loans, management fees or guarantees, need written terms close to what unrelated parties would agree, or the payments can be challenged and treated as distributions or compensation.
What exactly to ask for
Signed copies of customer contracts above a size you agree with the owner, supplier and service agreements with minimum purchase commitments, loan agreements and promissory notes, and every written agreement between the business and its owners or their relatives. Ask for amendments and the current fee schedules attached to each.
What to check when it arrives
- Billing terms, milestones and deposits in each customer contract agree with how revenue was recorded around year-end.
- Loan agreements show a rate and balance that match the interest expense and debt in the books.
- Agreements with the owner or related companies are signed and dated, with terms you would expect between unrelated parties.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: The business’s main contracts
Hi [Client name],
As part of closing the year, I would like to read the business’s main contracts. They tell me what the bank statements cannot, like when revenue is really earned and what the business has promised to pay.
Please send signed copies of your larger customer agreements, especially any with deposits, milestones or a term over a year; supplier contracts with minimum commitments; loan agreements or notes; and any agreement between the business and you or a family member, such as a loan to or from the company.
Could you send them by [date]? If you are unsure whether a contract matters, include it and I will sort through it.
Thank you, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a signed contract or an unreadable or blurry scan. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.