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Information requests for personal tax
Information requests for personal tax

This easy to follow onboarding guide will provide examples, templates, and best practice.

Updated over 2 weeks ago

You should allow an hour to complete the steps in this guide. It will walk you through the recommended way to configure Glasscubes to request and gather your client’s personal tax information more efficiently.

  • It will save time by chasing outstanding items for you.

  • Responses and any follow-on discussions will be contained and organised, making them quick to find.

  • Real-time reporting monitors the progress of your client's requests in a transparent environment.

Administrators only

The following steps must be completed by a platform Administrator. You can have more than one Administrator, but we recommend they are kept to a minimum.

An Administrator can change the platform’s configuration settings, add and remove users, and has full access to the contents of the account.

To access the account settings, click on your initials at the top right corner of the screen and select ‘Account settings’ from the drop-down menu.

Now, click on and follow the steps below:

1. Add a payment method

The payment of monthly subscriptions must be automated. Either add a payment card to the billing section of your account, or contact us and we will set up a Direct Debit for you.

2. Brand your account

Add your firm’s name and logo to the branding section, which will appear in the email notifications that are sent by the system.

3. Create your workspace structure

A workspace is a permission-controlled area where you can send requests for information, manage the client's responses, and organise any ongoing correspondence.

You can create as many workspaces as you like. The actual number you require will depend on the structure of your personal tax team.

If your personal tax team looks after all personal tax clients jointly, then you will only need a single workspace to which everyone on the team will have access.

If you have Customer Relationship Managers (CRMs) or similar who look after their own clients, creating a workspace per CRM makes most sense. If other team members support the CRM, they should also be given access to the workspace.

When you create your workspaces, several features can be enabled.

When creating a workspace to request personal tax information, you should only enable the ‘Requests’ feature (others can be added later if required).

4. Set up your information request template

For convenience and consistency, it’s a good idea to create an information request template that can be used to distribute personal tax information requests quickly.

To create a template, navigate to ‘Account settings > Advanced options’ and click the ‘Manage templates’ button. When the pop-up appears, click the blue ‘Create’ button.

Now, simply enter the description of the information you require. You can request a list of items by adding one on each line. However, for personal tax information requests, our most successful customers use a single-line request.

We recommend using the description: 'IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use this secure transfer facility for all communication relating to your tax return.'

Then click 'Next' to continue.

You can now enhance your request by adding supporting guidance or files. Simply click the pencil icon to edit. We recommend attaching relevant materials to encourage your clients to engage with your information request. Here’s a generic checklist you can customise to fit your needs.

We highly recommend adding the instruction: 'Click on your tax checklist below to review and download a copy.'

In the example above we have also added a generic tax checklist to the request. If you prefer to add a customised list or aide-memoire to each request, a file does not need to be added to the template.

To continue, click 'Save' and then ‘Next’.

Give your template a name, a subject line, and a message for the email notification that will be sent to the client. We recommend using:

For the template name: 'Tax Return Information Request - Year Ended 5 April 2025'

Subject line: '$CLIENT FIRSTNAME$ $CLIENT SURNAME$ - Tax Return Information Request - Year Ended 5 April 2025'

The Email notification message as below:

Dear $CLIENT PREFERRED NAME$,

Your tax checklist for the year to 5 April 2025 is now available to view and download.

'IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use this secure transfer facility for all communication relating to your tax return.'

With thanks and kind regards.

$SENDERS FIRSTNAME$

* Please note: The variables with dollar signs on each side will be personalised for each request, and will not work for any requests sent outside of the bulk distribution.

Click ‘next’ to continue.

Give your information request a due date; we recommend 30th November. Then click ‘Advanced reminder options’.

Create your own schedule of automated reminders. We recommend the frequency above to deliver the best results.

You also have the option to add a customised message to any of your reminders.

Finally, click ‘Save’ to complete the template.

5. Sending a test information request

Navigate to a workspace, create a request using the template you created, and send a request to a colleague. This will allow you to view a request from a client's perspective.

Click the 'New request' button.

Click on the 'Select template (optional)' drop-down and select your template.

Click 'Next' to continue.

Enter the email address(es) to which you want to send the request, then follow the remaining steps of the wizard to send the request.

This is an example of the email notification that the client will receive.

When the recipient clicks the green button, they are directed to the upload panel with your instructions.

6. Adding team members

Users are invited to the platform by navigating to 'Account settings > User management.'

Add their email address, select the workspaces you want to give them access to, and allocate them the appropriate permission. This will typically be a Contributor. Here are some more detailed instructions.

As Glasscubes is a client-facing communication tool, we highly recommend that all team members upload their profile pictures. This makes the platform feel more personal and welcoming to your clients.

7. Client communication

It is important that you introduce Glasscubes to your clients no more than seven days before you plan to send out your information requests.

This is a valuable opportunity to explain that you have implemented a new secure transfer facility, offering a secure communication channel directly to their trusted advisor.

This is our recommended email communication:

Subject: Important update: Tax Return - Year Ended 5 April 2025

Dear Sir/Madam

We have introduced a new secure transfer facility for sending us your personal tax information. Please do not send us your information by email. Instead, use this secure facility for all communication relating to your tax return.

You will receive an email from this facility on [Date]. If you do not receive it, please check your junk email folder and mark it as ‘not junk’. It will give you access to your tax return information checklist. The checklist contains figures from the previous tax year, if applicable, and will help you collate the information we require.

The tax return submission deadline is 31 January 2026. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will impose automatic non-refundable penalties for late filing, regardless of whether there is any liability. We therefore kindly request that you provide us with the relevant information as soon as possible and no later than 30th November 2025.

We look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

8. Sending information requests to clients

Information requests can be sent in bulk, up to 300 at a time, and may be increased upon request.

If you need to send personalised requests in bulk, e.g., those containing a client-specific aide-memoire, please contact your Glasscubes Customer Success Manager.

We highly recommend engaging with your Glasscubes Customer Success Manager before sending any requests to your clients.

If you need any assistance with your onboarding, please contact us.

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