PBC software is the tool an audit team uses to send its prepared-by-client (PBC) request list, collect the client's files against each request, and see what is still outstanding. The options fall into three groups: dedicated request portals such as Suralink and AuditDashboard, request modules inside audit platforms such as Caseware PBC, Inflo Collaborate and TeamMate+, and general tools such as Karbon, ShareFile or OneDrive file requests.
Disclosure: Blast Audit publishes this article. Blast Audit is an Excel add-in for auditors, and it has PBC lists of its own. Because we sell it, it is not in the comparison table; a section near the end describes it against the same questions.
If you are still building the request list itself, start with our PBC list guide.
The 8 tools at a glance
| Tool | Built for | What it does for PBC (vendor's own description) | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suralink | Accounting firms (audit, tax, advisory) | Request list management, spreadsheet import, templates and rollovers, instant notifications, client portal with the firm's branding | Not published: "Reach out to us" | suralink.com |
| AuditDashboard | CPA firms | PBC request lists imported from Excel, year-over-year roll-forward, custom notifications, status moves from outstanding to submitted on upload | Not published: demo request | auditdashboard.com |
| Caseware PBC | Firms on Caseware Cloud | Request lists ("Queries") sent to client contacts, notifications on send, comment and response, uploads saved to set locations in the engagement | Not published | caseware.com |
| Inflo Collaborate | Audit firms on the Inflo platform | Request, track and manage PBC information, structured workflows, view of outstanding items | Not published: demo request | inflo.com |
| TeamMate+ | Internal audit departments | Document request function so auditees upload documents to the system directly | Not published | wolterskluwer.com |
| Karbon | Accounting practice management | Automated client requests, client portal with document sharing, automatic client reminders on the Business plan | $59 per user per month billed annually (Team), $89 (Business) | karbonhq.com |
| ShareFile | General secure file sharing | Client portal, requests, tasks and forms on the Premium plan | $26 per user per month billed annually (Premium), 3-user minimum | sharefile.com |
| OneDrive / SharePoint file requests | Microsoft 365 users | Upload-only link to one folder; uploaders cannot see or edit the folder | Part of OneDrive and SharePoint, no separate PBC module | support.microsoft.com |
What each tool does for PBC
Suralink
Suralink sells request list management as its core product and describes it as a way to "request, organize, and track PBC documents in real time". Firms can import an existing spreadsheet list, reuse templates for new clients, and put their own name and logo on the client login page. The pricing page lists a CORE plan plus add-ons, among them a Workpaper Suite, a Cloud Testing Suite and a Financial Statement Tie Out module, with no public prices. (request list management, pricing)
AuditDashboard
AuditDashboard is built around a PBC request list shared between the firm and its client. The list can be imported from Excel and rolled forward from one year to the next. When a client uploads a document or answers a query, the request status changes from outstanding to submitted, and the team either accepts it or asks for more detail. The site also sells e-signatures and secure file sharing. (PBC requests)
Caseware PBC
For firms already on Caseware Cloud, PBC Requests keeps the exchange inside the same environment. A request list is a "Query" document sent to client contacts, with notifications when a list is sent, when someone comments and when the client responds. Staff can decide in advance where uploaded files land in the engagement, for example the invoices in one place and the trial balance in another. (Caseware blog)
Inflo Collaborate
Inflo positions Collaborate as the client-facing part of its digital audit platform. Its product page covers PBC tracking with structured workflows and a view of outstanding items for the audit team. Because it sits inside the Inflo platform, it fits firms that already run their audits there. (Inflo Digital Collaboration)
TeamMate+
TeamMate+ from Wolters Kluwer is internal audit management software, not a client portal for external auditors. In a customer story on the Wolters Kluwer site, TRATON describes piloting "the document request function, so auditees can upload documents to the system directly". For an internal audit team already on TeamMate+, that may remove the need for a separate PBC tool. (TRATON customer story)
Karbon
Karbon is practice management software for accounting firms, not an audit tool. It lists automated client requests and a client portal with document sharing, and its Business plan adds automatic client reminders. Prices are published: $59 per user per month on Team and $89 on Business, billed annually, with monthly billing only for teams of four or more. It suits firms whose audit work is a small part of a wider client service practice. (Karbon pricing)
ShareFile
ShareFile, now owned by Progress Software, is a secure file sharing product with a client portal. Its Premium plan includes "client collaboration tools - e-signature, requests, tasks, forms, workflow automation" at $26 per user per month billed annually, with a three-user minimum. It covers file intake, but the plans page does not mention audit request lists or year-over-year roll-forward. (ShareFile plans)
OneDrive and SharePoint file requests
If the firm already works in Microsoft 365, a file request gives the client an upload-only link to one folder. Microsoft's help page says people you request files from "can only upload files". The help page describes no status per request item and no reminders, so the request list itself stays in a separate tracker, often an Excel file. (Microsoft Support)
How we compared
We looked at each tool against the questions an audit senior asks when the request list goes out:
- Request list: can you build or import a list, and roll it forward next year?
- Client intake: does the client upload against a specific request item, or into a shared folder?
- Follow-up: are there notifications or automatic reminders for outstanding items?
- Status: can the team see what is outstanding, submitted and accepted?
- Price: is a price published, and are there seat minimums?
Every fact in the table comes from the vendor's own website, help pages or customer stories, checked in September 2026. "Not published" means we found no price on the vendor's site on that date. We did not test these products hands-on, and we do not rank them: the right choice depends on the audit platform you already use and on who your clients are. Features and prices change, so check the linked pages before you buy.
Blast Audit publishes this article and sells PBC lists of its own (see below).
How to choose
A few questions narrow the list quickly:
- Which platform holds your audit file? If you are on Caseware Cloud, Inflo or TeamMate+, try the request module that comes with it before buying a separate portal.
- Who uploads? External clients need a portal that is easy to use without training. Internal auditees are already inside the company network.
- How long is your list? A 15-item list for a small entity works in a shared folder with an Excel tracker. A 300-item list across several entities needs item-level status and reminders.
- What happens next year? Import from Excel and roll-forward save the most time on recurring engagements. Suralink and AuditDashboard both mention them.
- Where do the files end up? Check whether received files can be exported or linked to your workpapers, or whether the team downloads them one by one.
Blast Audit's PBC lists
We left Blast Audit out of the table because we sell it. Here is what its PBC lists do, under the same questions, checked against the product in October 2026.
- Request list: build the list by hand, or fill in the Excel template and import it, with a preview before anything is applied. Export the list to Excel, edit it and import it again: rows add or change requests, and a row you delete never deletes a request. To start the next year, duplicate the list: each request comes back as a draft with its reference, title, description, expected type and questions. A due date moves one year later; an undated request stays undated. It goes to the person who sent its last file still attached, else to its recipient; with neither, it has no recipient. Files, messages and AI answers are not copied, and nothing is sent until you send it.
- Client intake: each person at the client gets an email with a link valid for 24 hours, and no account to create. When the link expires, the page sends a new one to the same address. The client uploads files against each request, up to 100 MB per file, answers "nothing to send" with a reason, writes messages, and can pass a request on to a colleague. Every file goes through an antivirus scan before the team can accept the request. Each person sees their own requests, the ones passed on to them, and only their own files.
- Follow-up: reminders leave 3 days before the due date, on the day, then every 3 days after it, 3 times at most. You can turn them off for a list, or remind someone by hand. For each list, the member who sent the requests gets at most one email an hour about its new files and messages.
- Status: Draft, To provide, To review, Accepted, Returned to client and Not applicable. A returned request carries a reason the client reads on their page.
- AI checks: a request can name the document type you expect and ask up to 10 questions, such as "Is the statement dated 31 December?". Each received file is compared with the expected type. Answers found in the file cite their page, and the others are marked for review. A yes or a no always waits for the auditor: the checks never accept or return a request, and the client never sees them.
- After acceptance: copy the accepted files into a Blast Audit engagement without uploading them again, or import them into Documents in the Excel add-in, where OCR, snips and matching work on them like on any other document.
- Retention: a list is kept while it is open. Closing it cuts every client link, and the list and its files are deleted at the latest 30 days later. A list with no activity for 6 months gets a warning; it closes only if it stays inactive for the next 30 days, and any activity clears the warning. Files copied into an engagement, with the note of their origin (reference and title of the request), follow that engagement's retention.
- Price: PBC lists come with the Blast Audit seat, €45 per user per month or €37.50 billed annually, with a 14-day free trial (pricing). OCR of scanned client files counts against the organization's monthly page pool, and the questions use AI credits. The expected-type check is free.
What it does not do: there is no firm logo or sending domain on the client page and emails, the team cannot attach files for the client, and the client cannot download a file back once it is sent. If you already collect with another portal, you can still import those files into the add-in and work on them there.
FAQ
What is PBC software?
PBC software manages the prepared-by-client request list in an audit. The audit team sends the list, the client uploads files against each item, and both sides see what is still outstanding.
Which PBC tools do audit firms use?
Dedicated request portals such as Suralink and AuditDashboard, request modules inside audit platforms such as Caseware PBC, Inflo Collaborate and TeamMate+, and general tools such as Karbon, ShareFile or OneDrive file requests.
How much does PBC software cost?
Suralink, AuditDashboard, Caseware, Inflo and TeamMate do not publish prices. Karbon lists $59 per user per month billed annually, and ShareFile Premium lists $26 per user per month billed annually with a three-user minimum (checked September 2026). Blast Audit includes its PBC lists in its €45 per user per month seat.
Does Blast Audit handle PBC requests?
Yes. Blast Audit's PBC lists send each request to the client by email, with a link valid for 24 hours and no account. The client uploads files against each request, every file is scanned by an antivirus, reminders follow the due dates, and AI checks point the auditor to what needs a look. Accepted files go into an engagement, or into Excel through the add-in.