How financial advisors request a copy of last year’s tax return from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask new clients for their most recently filed federal return, Form 1040 with every schedule, plus the state return, exactly as filed. The PDF from their tax preparer or tax software is best. It shows their marginal bracket and the income sources behind tax-aware planning, and it often names accounts the client forgot to mention.
Why financial advisors need a copy of last year’s tax return
Taxable income places the client in a bracket, which shapes choices such as where new savings go and how much room a year leaves for Roth conversions or realized gains. The schedules carry more: Schedule B names the banks and brokerages paying interest and dividends, Schedule D shows realized gains and any capital loss carryforward, and Schedules C and E point to business or rental income that changes the cash flow picture.
Client guide: where to find a copy of last year’s tax return
What exactly to ask for
The complete return as filed for the latest tax year, all pages and schedules, plus the state return. A one-page summary from tax software leaves out the schedules you need. If the client filed on extension and the return is not done yet, ask for the year before so you plan from filed numbers, not an estimate.
What to check when it arrives
- It is the filed version, signed or with the e-file acceptance, not a draft.
- Schedule B payers are matched against the client’s account list; any unknown name becomes a question for the next meeting.
- Any capital loss carryforward on Schedule D is noted, since it carries into the coming years.
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: A copy of your last tax return
Hi [Client name],
Part of your plan is looking at taxes, so I would like a copy of your most recent federal tax return, Form 1040 with all its schedules, and your state return.
The PDF your tax preparer gave you, or the one saved in your tax software, is perfect. Please send the full return rather than the one-page summary, because the schedules at the back are the useful part.
Could you send it by [date]? If you are not sure where it is saved, tell me who prepared it and I can suggest where to look.
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 copy of last year’s tax return 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.