Accountant Tools

Professional tools for accountants managing multiple clients.

Note: Client Access requires Accountant Pro or Accountant Enterprise. Other accountant tools are available in Professional tier and above.

Client Access - Connect to Client Books

With Accountant Pro or Accountant Enterprise, you can securely access your clients' BizBooks Pro installations remotely. No backup files, no sharing passwords - just a simple invitation system with secure VPN connectivity.

Looking for a focused Tailscale reference? See Tailscale Setup for BizBooks Pro — the three admin URLs you'll keep coming back to, sharing walkthrough, user invites, and how to fix the Windows tray icon when it freezes. The walkthrough below focuses on the BizBooks-specific invitation flow.

Prerequisites: Tailscale VPN (Free)

Remote access requires Tailscale, a free VPN that creates a secure encrypted connection between you and your client. Both parties need to install it.

Why Tailscale? It provides enterprise-grade security without complex configuration. Your client's data never passes through public servers - it's a direct encrypted connection between computers. Tailscale's free Personal plan includes everything you need.

Complete Setup: For Clients (Business Owners)

Most people can skip these steps entirely. There are two ways to connect, and this is the thorough one. In ⚙️ Company Settings → Accountant Access you can switch on the relay connection instead: your accountant enters a short code and they are in, with no Tailscale, no IP address and no device sharing. Use the Tailscale steps below when you need the stronger guarantee that your books never travel across our servers — typically a compliance obligation for law firms, medical practices and public bodies. See Accountant Connections for the full comparison. The invitation email tells your accountant which route applies.

Step 1: Install Tailscale

Download Tailscale from tailscale.com/download
Install and sign in with your email (Google, Microsoft, or email)
Wait for the green "Connected" status

Step 2: Create BizBooks Invitation

Open BizBooks Pro → Settings → Accountant Access
Enter your accountant's email and access level (Read-Only or Full)
Click Create Invitation
Your accountant will receive an email with your Tailscale IP and Invitation Code

Step 3: Share Your Device via Tailscale

Go to login.tailscale.com/admin/machines
Click on your computer name in the list
Click Share and enter your accountant's email
Your accountant will receive an email invitation to accept the Tailscale share

That's it! Your accountant now has everything they need - the BizBooks email contains your Tailscale IP and invitation code, and they'll get a separate Tailscale share invitation to accept. On the relay route there is no Tailscale email and no IP: one code, and they are connected.

Complete Setup: For Accountants

Step 1: Install Tailscale

Download Tailscale from tailscale.com/download
Sign in with the email your clients will share with
Wait for the green "Connected" status

Step 2: Accept Client's Tailscale Share

Check your email for the Tailscale share invitation from your client
Click the link to accept the share
Or go to Tailscale admin → "Shared with you" → Accept

Step 3: Accept BizBooks Invitation

Check your email for the BizBooks invitation (contains Tailscale IP and Invitation Code)
Open BizBooks Pro → Settings → Accountant Access
Scroll to Accept Client Invitation
Enter the client's Tailscale IP (from the email)
Enter the Invitation Code (from the email)
Click Accept Invitation

Step 4: Connect to Client

Click the Company Selector in the header
You'll see your own companies AND client companies (marked with "CLIENT" badge)
Click on a client company to connect
Work with their data - the app shows you're viewing client books
Click Return to My Books to switch back to your own data

Tip: You only set up Tailscale sharing once per client. After that, just ensure both Tailscale apps are running to connect.

Managing Access

Clients can:

View pending invitations (not yet accepted)
See which accountants currently have access
Revoke BizBooks access at any time
Remove Tailscale shares from admin console

Accountants can:

View all connected clients in one list
Access client books with one click
Disconnect from clients when engagement ends

Troubleshooting

Can't connect to client?

Verify both Tailscale apps are running and connected
Check if the Tailscale share was accepted
Confirm the client's BizBooks Pro is running
Try pinging the client's Tailscale IP (100.x.x.x)

Invalid invitation code?

Codes expire after 30 days - client can create a new one
Check for typos (codes are case-insensitive)

Client Staff - Unlimited Team Members on Licensed Clients

A seat on your plan is for a set of books you host. Team members who work only your licensed clients - clients running BizBooks Pro on their own computer, which you reach over a secure connection - don't use a seat at all. Add as many as your practice needs, on any accountant plan, including the free Partner plan.

Adding a client staff member

Go to ⚙️ Company Settings → 👨‍💼 Accountant Access and find the Client Staff panel beneath your connected client list. Click Add Client Staff, enter their name, email and a temporary password, and tick which clients they may open.

They see only the clients you assign

A new client staff member starts with no client access at all. You choose each client individually, or tick Every client this practice is connected to if the person should also pick up clients you connect later. Change it any time from the Clients button next to their name.

What they cannot do

They cannot open any book hosted on your own installation - that's what a seat pays for
They cannot see clients you haven't assigned to them
They cannot add or remove other staff

Worked example. Dana runs a four-person bookkeeping practice on Accountant Pro, which includes one seat and five hosted books. She keeps her own practice accounts and four small clients on those. Her other eleven clients each bought their own BizBooks Pro licence. Dana adds three staff members as Client Staff - no extra charge, no seats used - and assigns each of them four of those eleven clients. Nobody sees a client they don't work on, and Dana's plan cost doesn't change.

Client Dashboard

Get an overview of all your client companies:

See all companies at a glance
Quick status indicators (up-to-date, needs attention)
One-click access to any company
Filter by status, industry, or last activity

Multi-Company Management

Switch between client companies seamlessly:

Click the company selector in the header
Choose a company from the list
All data switches to that company
Your view preferences are remembered

Tip: Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C to quickly switch companies.

Working in Multiple Tabs or Windows

Open several browser tabs or separate windows and assign a different company to each one. Each tab keeps its own company context completely isolated:

Changing the active company in one tab does not affect any other tab
All data — accounts, transactions, reports — stays correctly scoped per tab
Opening a new tab automatically starts with your last selected company
Drag windows to separate monitors for a multi-screen accounting workflow

Tip: Press Ctrl+Shift+N to open a new window, pick a second company, and work on both at the same time without any data overlap.

Batch Operations

Perform actions across multiple companies:

Batch Close Period: Close month-end for multiple companies
Batch Reports: Generate reports for all clients at once
Batch Backup: Back up all company data

Client Notes & Tasks

Keep track of client-specific information:

Notes

Add notes to any company
Notes visible only to accountant users
Search across all notes

Tasks

Create tasks with due dates
Assign to companies or general
Set priority levels
Mark complete when done

Consolidated Reports

Generate financial reports across multiple companies including consolidated income statements, balance sheets, trial balances, comparative P&L, and client summary dashboards.

→ View full Consolidated Reports documentation

Note: Consolidated Reports require True Enterprise or Accountant Enterprise subscription.