Document Management for Accountants at Onboarding

FYI Docs is a strong fit for document management for accountants using Xero Practice Manager and Microsoft 365. It files client email alongside the work. SuiteFiles suits practices that want their documents to stay in their own Microsoft 365 storage.

The Best Fit for Each Kind of Practice

A document management system files documents against the right client and financial year, captures email and controls who can open each record. It also supports the practice’s retention policy so staff can find records throughout the required period.

Choose the approach around where your staff already work and how much filing you need to automate.

Option	Best fit	What decides the choice
FYI Docs	A Xero-centred practice using Microsoft 365	Client and job records connect with Xero Practice Manager, with Outlook email filing and document search
SuiteFiles	A Microsoft 365 practice that wants a document system over its own SharePoint files	Outlook filing, templates and client sharing sit over the practice’s Microsoft storage
SharePoint with OneDrive	A practice with someone responsible for Microsoft administration	You configure the libraries, permissions and retention rules yourself
Storage in TaxDome or Karbon	A small practice that already runs client work in one suite	Documents stay beside client requests and jobs, reducing separate filing work
Plain cloud drives	A small team with simple folders and a disciplined filing routine	Staff maintain names, access and the connection between a file and the client work

Use SharePoint libraries for shared practice records. Treat a staff member’s personal OneDrive as their working space, with an agreed handover into the shared library. Otherwise, the practice’s permanent file can depend on someone’s individual account.

A plain drive can work when the document volume is low. Once staff repeatedly search inboxes for signed letters or copy the same attachment between folders, dedicated email filing becomes a more useful purchase.

The Documents a New Client Hands Over

An onboarding file needs the documents that establish who the client is, what you agreed to do and what you need for the first job. Collect the relevant items for each person or entity, then check them before treating the folder as complete.

Document	What it establishes or supplies	Filing destination
Identity verification record and any required ID copies	The person checked, the method used and the verification outcome	Restricted identity records for that person
Signed engagement letter	Agreed services and the client’s acceptance	Engagement records for each client covered
Trust deed and all variations	The trust’s terms and the chain of amendments or trustee changes	The trust’s permanent file
Company extract and constitution	Register information and the company’s governing document	The company’s permanent file
Partnership agreement	The partners’ agreed arrangements	The partnership’s permanent file
SMSF deed and trustee declarations	The fund’s governing terms and trustee acknowledgements	The fund’s permanent file
Prior returns and ATO notices	Lodged positions, assessments and issues carried into the next job	The relevant entity and financial year
Previous accountant’s clearance reply	The response to your professional enquiry and matters for acceptance	Engagement or acceptance records for the relevant client

The document handover from onboarding ends when each item is checked, assigned to the correct entity and filed with its access and retention settings. The document system then holds it for its retention life. That checkpoint does not mean every other onboarding task is finished.

A Family Group Folder Example

This fictional family group has a trustee company, a trust and two individuals. Use separate client records even when one person sends documents for everyone.

Family group
  Trustee company
    Permanent
      Constitution
      Company extracts
    Engagement
    Financial years
      2025-26
        Returns and notices
      2026-27
        Returns and notices
  Trust
    Permanent
      Executed trust deed
      Deed variations
      Trustee changes
    Engagement
    Financial years
      2025-26
        Returns and notices
      2026-27
        Returns and notices
  Individual A
    Identity - restricted
    Engagement
    Financial years
      2025-26
        Returns and notices
      2026-27
        Returns and notices
  Individual B
    Identity - restricted
    Engagement
    Financial years
      2025-26
        Returns and notices
      2026-27
        Returns and notices

Incorrect filing puts the trust deed in the trustee company’s folder because the company signed it. Correct filing puts the deed in the trust’s permanent file and records the trustee relationship. Use the trust deed checklist to check the document chain before filing it.

Keep ID records out of general correspondence. A staff member who needs the signed engagement letter does not automatically need access to someone’s passport. The certified copy guidance explains when that particular form of identity evidence is relevant.

FYI Docs and SuiteFiles

Both document systems reduce manual email filing, but they organise the permanent file differently. FYI uses client records, cabinets and filing categories. SuiteFiles keeps the document folders in the practice’s Microsoft 365 environment.

FYI’s Outlook integration files emails and attachments against clients and jobs. Email AutoFile captures matched client emails, and staff can apply filing details from Outlook. Its published prerequisites require Microsoft 365 with Exchange Online email hosting. A Gmail mailbox displayed in Outlook does not meet that hosting requirement by itself.

FYI connects with Xero Practice Manager to sync client and group information alongside jobs. Pro adds custom automations and workflows. Elite adds time and billing, reports and capacity planning. Choose those features when you also need to manage work through FYI, rather than buying a higher tier solely to hold deeds.

SuiteFiles’ Outlook add-in saves sent emails and supports automatic filing rules. Saved emails include their attachments, and staff can drag an attachment into the right folder. File and folder templates reduce repeated setup, while merge fields populate documents from connected client information.

SuiteFiles Connect gives invited clients access to selected folders. They can upload requested documents and download files you share. Connect is included in the Super Suite package, so its availability changes the package you need.

Decision	FYI Docs	SuiteFiles
Permissions	Cabinet access and additional client security by plan	Folder permissions and security groups, managed alongside Microsoft access
Search	Filing metadata and full-text search, with client and job views	Search of file names and document contents across client folders
Templates	Document and email templates using filing defaults and merge fields	File, email and folder templates, with client-data population through integrations
Client sharing	Collaborate on Pro and Elite, including shared and upload folders	Connect client portals in Super Suite
Leaving	An administrator can download documents in a client and metadata folder hierarchy	Files remain in SharePoint, but SuiteFiles functions and portal access stop

FYI’s exit guidance confirms that your practice owns its data and can download its documents. Plan the export before cancellation and test that you can identify the entity and year from the exported folders.

SuiteFiles’ cancellation guidance says the site reverts to SharePoint. Its signing audit history becomes unavailable, and template functions and client portal connections stop working. Save the signing evidence you need before ending the subscription. Keeping the document file alone is a different outcome from keeping its full signing record.

For the receiving and sharing step before filing, use the secure file sharing guide. A client portal determines who can send or receive a document. Your permanent file determines where the checked version stays afterwards.

What CRM and Practice Management Platforms Include

TaxDome and Karbon include document storage beside client work. That can be enough when a small practice already uses the suite for all requests and keeps one consistent client file.

TaxDome combines client folders with its portal, document signatures and client requests. Karbon Storage connects uploaded documents to the relevant contact and work item. Karbon also connects external storage, including OneDrive and SharePoint, for practices that already have a permanent file there.

Built-in storage is enough when staff can find the executed deed independently of a completed job, restrict identity records and retrieve the files when a client leaves. Keep one accepted version of each signed document. Avoid a separate copy in every annual job.

A dedicated document system is the better fit when your main burden is filing large volumes of Outlook email or maintaining practice-wide templates and document categories. Do not assume a job attachment automatically has the same retention settings as a permanent document library. Assign those settings to the place that actually stores the file.

Compare practice management software separately when your deciding need is job allocation or deadlines. Changing a document system solely to obtain a different jobs board can create an unnecessary file migration.

Retention, Tfns and Identity Records

Set retention by record type and by the event that starts its clock. A single rule to delete everything seven years after upload can destroy a record while another obligation still requires it.

Record duty	Period and starting event	Source
Most business tax records	Generally five years from preparation or receipt, or completion of the related transaction or act, whichever is later	ATO record-keeping guidance
Tax or BAS service records	At least five years after the service is completed	TPB client-record obligation
Customer due diligence records for regulated designated services	Seven years after the occasional transaction is complete or the business relationship ends	AUSTRAC record-keeping guidance

The ATO period has exceptions, including records needed for later assessments. Keep governing documents while they remain relevant to the entity and its affairs. Add a hold for disputes, investigations or another applicable legal requirement before scheduled disposal.

The TPB requires records that correctly explain the nature, scope and outcome of each tax or BAS service. A folder of uploaded documents alone can miss the advice, assumptions and reasons behind a decision. Keep the relevant file note alongside the documents used.

Accountants providing covered professional designated services have AML/CTF obligations under the expanded regime. Applicability depends on the service and relevant exemptions, rather than every accounting client automatically being covered. AUSTRAC’s professional designated services guidance sets out the commencement boundary and covered work.

The Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 applies to individuals’ TFN information. The OAIC requires reasonable safeguards against loss or misuse. Limit access to staff who need TFNs for authorised work.

Securely destroy or permanently de-identify TFNs once you no longer need them for an authorised purpose, subject to any legal retention requirement. A retention label must not become a reason to keep TFNs indefinitely. Read the OAIC’s TFN storage and disposal guidance.

For identity checks, retain the verification result and the record of what you checked. Keep ID copies only where a separate obligation requires them. The TPB does not recommend keeping copies, and AUSTRAC’s CDD record guidance does not require copies of identification documents. Restrict any necessary copies to staff who need them.

Going Paperless Without Losing History

Move the permanent file client by client, with an agreed destination for each document. Scanning everything into a single archive creates a second search problem.

1. Set the client and entity folders first. Separate permanent documents, engagement records and financial-year work. Give identity records restricted access.
2. Write the naming rule before scanning. For example, use Trust - deed variation - executed or Company - return - 2025-26. Preserve document dates in the actual record and choose a consistent date field for your own files.
3. Scan complete documents, including execution pages and attachments. Check legibility and page order against the paper original. Record where any retained original is held.
4. Move one client group from the shared drive. Compare file counts and open a sample of governing documents and signed letters. Keep the old location read-only until the transfer is checked.
5. Set email filing rules and train staff on exceptions. Shared email addresses and messages covering several entities need a correct client assignment, not just an automatic match.
6. Apply retention settings and test recovery. Confirm a restricted staff role cannot open ID records, and that a restore brings back a readable document with its filing details.

For recurring ATO notices, set the filing rule to identify the entity and financial year before placing the document in its destination. Route uncertain matches for staff review. FYI’s published integrations include ATO SmartDocs and ATOMate, and its custom automations can target document types and clients. Those connections need setup before filing is automatic.

For signed declarations, retain the executed document and the signing evidence supplied by your signing service. File the completed version in the relevant year. Use a distinct status for a draft so it cannot be mistaken for the client’s signed authority.

Tax Genie collects documents in the client request and chases missing items with automatic email and SMS reminders. Identity verification sits in the same onboarding request, with staff recording their determination. Tax Genie files completed documents to FYI, SharePoint, SuiteFiles, Dropbox or Google Drive. Set the receiving entity folders and restricted access before that handover.

Keep an original trust deed or other original document the client needs back. A readable scan helps daily work, but scanning does not establish that destroying the original is appropriate. Record its custodian and return it when your practice no longer needs to hold it.

What a Document Management System Costs

Budget for the subscription and for making the existing files usable in the new system. A cheaper licence can leave staff doing more manual filing, while a larger package can charge for seats you do not use.

Option	Subscription basis and capacity	Other costs to include
FYI Docs	Per-user plans with a five-user minimum. Published document-plan storage is 50 GB per user, with paid extra capacity	Microsoft 365 licences. Migration, onboarding and consulting are quoted separately
SuiteFiles	Australian Semi-Suite packages cover up to ten users. Super Suite packages cover up to five. Enterprise uses a quote	Microsoft 365 licensing and storage capacity. Setup, migration and any additional-user arrangements
SharePoint with OneDrive	An eligible Microsoft subscription supplies storage. Many listed business plans have a shared SharePoint pool of 1 TB plus 10 GB per purchased licence	Library design, permission administration, retention configuration and extra storage
Built-in practice-suite storage	Storage is part of the selected suite’s plan and terms	The broader suite subscription, migration and export work if you later leave
Plain cloud drives	The drive plan sets the staff accounts and storage allowance	Staff filing time, email capture and maintaining the client-folder rules

SuiteFiles states that its storage capacity follows the practice’s Microsoft 365 subscription. A SharePoint site’s maximum capacity is different from the storage your organisation has purchased. Count stored versions as well as the current files when estimating the space needed.

Price the migration work separately from ongoing licences. Include staff time to remove duplicate copies, identify trust documents filed under companies and move ID copies out of general correspondence. Add time for scanning paper records and training staff who previously relied on their inbox.

Ask for a written implementation scope that names the source folders, the destination rules and what signing evidence comes across. Compare options using your actual staff count and archive size. Choose the system whose recurring cost includes the filing work you want to stop doing, then fund the initial cleanup so those rules hold from the first client.