A tax preparer should text last year's clients in early January with a short document checklist, and send a second message when the year end forms are due to arrive. IRS instructions for the 2026 forms say employers must furnish W-2s to employees by February 1, 2027. The bottom line: the first message tells clients what to gather, the second tells them the forms are arriving, and both can run from one date field in GoHighLevel for the whole client base.
What the IRS dates mean for timing
The IRS instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 for 2026 say employers must furnish W-2s to employees by February 1, 2027, even if they were granted an extension to file. The IRS instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC say payers must furnish 1099-NEC statements to recipients and file them with the IRS by January 31, and 1099-MISC statements are furnished by January 31 and filed by February 28, or March 31 if filed electronically. A trade site notes that when January 31 lands on a weekend the deadline moves to the next business day, which is why the W-2 date is February 1 in 2027.
That timing shapes the messages. A text in early January cannot ask a client for a W-2 that the employer does not have to send until February 1. What it can do is tell the client what to gather: last year's return, health coverage forms, receipts for deductions, and details of any life changes. A second message on February 1 tells clients the forms are arriving and asks them to upload what they have. Forms from some sources arrive later, so tell clients to send what they have and add the rest as it comes.
The two message schedule
| When | Message | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Early January, for example January 5 | Checklist of what to gather, plus a link to your secure portal and your booking link | Get clients thinking before forms arrive |
| February 1 | Year end forms are arriving. Upload what you have and book your appointment. | Move clients from thinking to booking |
| About two weeks later | Short reminder to clients who have not uploaded or booked | Fill the calendar before the rush |
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Create a date field called Tax season start date and set it to your chosen January date for every returning client.
- Add tags for W-2 filer and self employed, because self employed clients need different lines on the checklist.
- In Automation, create a new workflow and add the Custom Date Reminder trigger.
- Select the Tax season start date field and choose the trigger timing for the day itself.
- Add a Send SMS action with the checklist link and a Send Email action with the full list.
- Add the Has Tag filter to build a version for self employed clients that mentions 1099 forms due to them by January 31.
- Build a second workflow with the After Number of Days filter set to 27, which lands on February 1 if the start date is January 5.
- Add a Goal Event for a booked appointment so clients who booked skip the reminders, and test it on a test contact.
- After each season, use Update Contact Field to move the date forward a year.
Text to send in January
Hi [first name], it is [firm name]. Tax season starts soon. Please start gathering last year's return, any health coverage forms, and receipts for deductions. Year end forms usually arrive by early February. Upload documents here when you have them: [portal link]. Book your appointment here: [booking link].
Keep the message to a checklist and a link. Do not ask clients to text a Social Security number, account number, or photograph of a form. Send documents through your secure portal.
What the workload looks like
A firm with 600 returning clients sends 1,200 messages in the first two rounds (600 clients times two messages), plus follow ups. Doing that by hand in the busiest weeks of the year means someone drafting texts while preparing returns. With a date field, the messages are scheduled once, in the slow part of the year.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for forms too early. Employers have until February 1, 2027 to furnish W-2s, so a January message should ask clients to gather, not to send.
- One list for everyone. Self employed clients need different lines than W-2 filers.
- Sending sensitive data by text. Use a portal and keep the text to a link.
- Forgetting to reset dates. Move the date forward each year or next season starts late.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Clients who hired you last year have a relationship with you, but keep the STOP message in every text and honor opt outs across all workflows. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
When must employers send W-2s?
For 2026 forms, the IRS instructions say employers must furnish them to employees by February 1, 2027.
Should the January text ask for documents?
It should ask clients to gather them and point to your portal. Some forms will not have arrived yet.
Can I text clients their documents or account numbers?
Avoid it. Use a secure portal and keep texts to links and scheduling.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.