Skip to content
Open appSchedule a pilot

Client Questions

Client Questions is where your accountant's questions about individual transactions wait for you, such as "Was this a business meal?" or "Can you send the receipt?" Answering here lets your bookkeeper finish categorizing without a long email thread.

Key capabilities

  • One card per question, showing the vendor or description, the date, the amount, and the question itself
  • Open and Answered tabs, with a count on the Open tab and a badge on Questions in the sidebar
  • Optional suggested answers you can pick with one tap, then edit before sending
  • A free-text box for your own answer, with a Send button
  • Attach receipt to upload a photo or PDF directly on the question; you can add more with Attach another
  • Your answer and attached file names stay visible on the Answered tab
  • Works for view-only portal accounts, so anyone with portal access to the business can reply
  • Receipt requests from your firm remind you until the receipt arrives

How it works

Your accountant attaches a question to a transaction. It appears here for the business you are viewing. Your answer goes back to your accountant, who applies it in the books; a receipt upload also notifies them. Files you upload are saved on that transaction as its receipt.

flowchart LR
  ask["Accountant asks about a transaction"] --> open["Open tab"]
  open --> reply["You answer or attach a receipt"]
  reply --> answered["Answered tab"]
  reply --> firm["Accountant applies it to the books"]

How to use it

  1. Open Questions from the portal sidebar. A number beside it means questions are waiting.
  2. Stay on the Open tab. Each card shows what the transaction was, so you can recognize it.
  3. Read the question. If suggested answers appear, tap one to fill the box, or type your own in Your answer.
  4. Click Send. You will see "Answer sent to your advisor" and the card moves to Answered.
  5. To send a receipt, click Attach receipt, take a photo or choose a PDF or image, and confirm it appears on the card. Add more with Attach another.
  6. If your accountant asked for the receipt, uploading it is enough. If it was a regular question, add your words and click Send too. A receipt on its own is sent as "Receipt attached."
  7. Check the Answered tab to review what you sent.

Pro tips

  • Answer in plain words. "Client lunch with Acme, 3 people" is better than "business."
  • On a phone, Attach receipt can open the camera, so photograph the receipt right away.
  • Attach the receipt before sending if you have it, so the question is fully answered in one step.
  • If you do not know the answer, say so. Your accountant would rather hear that than guess.
  • Looking for documents your firm wants instead? Use Document Requests.

In-depth guide

Files you can attach

PDF or photos (JPG, PNG, HEIC), up to 25 MB each, and up to 20 receipts per transaction. You can pick several at once. Anything else is rejected with a message naming the file. Uploaded files go onto the transaction, not just the question, so they remain in the books after the question closes.

What the statuses mean

Label Meaning
Needs answer Your accountant is waiting on you
Answered You replied; your accountant will review it and may close the question

Once your accountant closes a question, it stays on the Answered tab and can no longer be changed or given more files.

Reminders and notifications

When your accountant requests receipts, you get a notification titled "Receipt requested" with an Upload receipts button that opens this page. If a receipt is still missing, you get a "Reminder: receipts still needed" on the schedule your firm sets in its receipt policy. Your accountant is notified each time you upload a file, so they can review it.

For the firm: asking and closing

Where How
One transaction Open the transaction on the Transactions page and click Ask Client. Type the Question, optionally tick This is a request for the receipt, optionally add quick-reply options, then Send question.
Many transactions Select rows on the Transactions page and click Request receipts.
Read the answers Ask Regent to list the answered questions, or use the API.
Close the loop Once you have applied the answer, mark the question resolved through the API. There is no resolve button in the app yet.

A question can be up to 2,000 characters and the client's answer up to 4,000. A receipt request clears when the client uploads a file. Developers can ask, list and resolve questions over the API; see the Client Collaboration guide. Regent can also ask a client about a transaction for you.

Edge cases

  • No business selected: the page asks you to choose one.
  • Nothing to answer: the Open tab says "You're all caught up — no open questions."
  • Wrong answer sent: tell your accountant by message or email; answered questions cannot be edited here.
  • Upload failed: check the file type and size, then try again.

See Client Action Items for the notifications inbox that also surfaces these asks.