Guide · updated October 2026

A file naming convention for client documents

For Canadian bookkeeping & accounting firms

When everyone in a firm names files their own way, finding one receipt during a CRA review or a busy year-end turns into a search party. Here is a simple convention that works for receipts, bills, statements and tax documents, with real examples and a way to roll it out without renaming your whole archive.

The short answer: give every client document the same five parts, in the same order, separated by underscores.
CLIENT_YYYY-MM-DD_TYPE_Vendor_Amount.pdf Example: ACME_2026-03-15_RCPT_HomeDepot_342.18.pdf
A short client code, the date on the document, a type code from a short list, the vendor without spaces, and the total with tax. Files then sort by date inside every client folder, and stay identifiable when they leave it.

The five parts, one by one

PartRuleExample
Client code3 to 6 capital letters, assigned once and never changed. Keep the list in one shared place.ACME
DateThe date on the document, never the day you received or scanned it. Always year-month-day.2026-03-15
TypeOne code from a short, fixed list (below).RCPT
VendorWho issued the document. No spaces, a capital letter at each word. Keep a short-name list so everyone writes it the same way.HomeDepot
AmountTotal including tax, with a dot for decimals and no dollar sign. When there's no amount, use a short description instead.342.18

A short list of document type codes

CodeUse it for
RCPTReceipts: expenses already paid
BILLSupplier invoices still to be paid
INVSales invoices the client issued
STMTBank, credit card and loan statements
PAYPayroll records and pay stubs
TAXTax slips, notices of assessment, CRA letters
CONTRContracts, leases and agreements
CORROther correspondence

Eight codes cover almost everything. Resist adding more: every new code is one more thing your team has to remember, and the fewer there are, the more consistently they get used.

Real examples

DocumentFile name
Receipt from Home DepotACME_2026-03-15_RCPT_HomeDepot_342.18.pdf
Bell bill to payACME_2026-03-02_BILL_BellCanada_118.65.pdf
Sales invoice to a customerACME_2026-03-10_INV_LavoieConstruction_1250.00.pdf
March chequing statementACME_2026-03-31_STMT_RBC_Chequing.pdf
Notice of assessmentACME_2026-05-20_TAX_CRA_NoticeOfAssessment.pdf
Office leaseACME_2026-01-01_CONTR_RiversideProperties_OfficeLease.pdf

Rules that keep names clean

  • No spaces. Underscores between the five parts, capital letters between words inside a part: HomeDepot, not Home Depot.
  • Stick to letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens. Characters like / \ : * ? " < > | # % & break uploads and syncing on some systems.
  • Leave out accents: Energir, not Énergir. Accented characters can turn into garbled text when files move between Windows, Mac and cloud storage.
  • Keep names short. A long file name inside a deep folder path can hit Windows path-length limits and fail to sync.
  • Never use "final", "new" or "copy". If a corrected version replaces a document, add _v2.
  • Duplicates: if two documents would end up with the same name, add _2 to the second one.

Why year-month-day dates

In Canada, 03/04/2026 can mean March 4 or April 3, depending on who wrote it. YYYY-MM-DD is the only format that can't be misread, and it's the only one that sorts correctly by name: 2026-03-15 always comes after 2026-02-28. It's also the international standard for dates (ISO 8601).

Use the date that matters for the books: the transaction date on a receipt, the invoice date on a bill or sales invoice, and the period-end date on a statement.

Why the client code goes first, even inside client folders

Files don't stay in their folders. They get attached to transactions in QuickBooks Online or Xero, emailed to a colleague, downloaded for a CRA request, or dropped on a desktop. A file called 2026-03-15_RCPT_HomeDepot.pdf could belong to any client. One that starts with ACME_ can't.

And because every file in a client's folder starts with the same code, they still sort by date.

A folder structure that goes with it

Naming works best with the same folder layout for every client: one folder per client, one per year, then one per document type.

Clients/ ACME/ 2026/ Receipts/ Bills/ Sales/ Statements/ Payroll/ Tax/ Contracts/

If a client's fiscal year doesn't follow the calendar, name the year folder after the fiscal year end. Keep the folder names identical across clients so anyone on the team can find anything without asking.

How to roll it out without renaming your archive

  1. Write it down. One page: the pattern, the type codes and three examples. Pin it where everyone works.
  2. Build two short lists: client codes and vendor short names. Add to them as you go.
  3. Pick a start date, ideally the first of a month or a new fiscal year, and apply the convention to everything that arrives from then on.
  4. Rename on arrival, not at month-end. A document named the day it comes in never ends up in a pile.
  5. Rename the current year if you have time. Leave older, closed years alone. You'll rarely open them.
  6. Spot-check once a month. Ten random files per client is enough to catch drift early.

Common mistakes

  • Using the date the document was received or scanned instead of the date on it.
  • Keeping phone and scanner names like IMG_4471.jpg or Scan_0012.pdf.
  • Writing the same vendor three ways: Bell, BellCanada, Bell_Mobility.
  • Inventing a new type code for every new kind of document.
  • Mixing day-first and month-first dates.

Or let the naming happen on its own.

Renaming by hand takes a few seconds per document. Across 40 clients, that adds up to hours every month. Almarix reads each document as it arrives, names it to your firm's convention, and files it in the right client folder in your own Google Drive.

See how Almarix works →
No setup fee · 30-day money-back guarantee · English & French · Data stored in Canada

Common questions

What is the best date format for file names?
YYYY-MM-DD, for example 2026-03-15. It can't be misread, and files sort in date order when sorted by name.
Should the client name be in the file name if the file is already in the client's folder?
Yes. Files leave their folders all the time: attached in QuickBooks Online or Xero, emailed, downloaded. A short client code at the start keeps every file identifiable, and files in a client folder still sort by date.
Which date should I use: the date on the document or the date I received it?
The date on the document: the transaction date for receipts, the invoice date for bills and sales invoices, and the period-end date for statements. That is the date that matters for the books and for tax.
Can I use spaces or accents in file names?
Better not. Use underscores between parts and capital letters between words, and drop accents (Energir, not Énergir). Spaces and accented characters can break links, uploads and syncing between systems.
How long should we keep client documents?
The CRA generally requires records to be kept for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. A consistent naming convention and year folders make it easy to find anything in that window and to see what can be archived.
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This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Record-keeping requirements can vary by situation; confirm specifics with the CRA or your professional body.