We moved!

Help articles have been migrated to the new Help and Support. You can find help for your products and accounts, discover FAQs, explore training, and contact us!

With Accounting CS Client Access, authorized staff in your client's office can record their day-to-day accounting and payroll information in the same database that you use to process their data. There is no need to export and import data between applications. With Accounting CS Client Access, you can offer your clients customized, controlled, 24/7 access to Accounting CS from secure, password-protected NetClient CS portals on your website.

Setup procedures

Follow the steps in the procedures below to enable Accounting CS Client Access for a client.

Video: Setting up a client for Accounting CS Client Access (approx. 8 minutes)

Enabling firm security

Before you can enable Client Access services for a client, you must first enable firm security.

1. Choose Setup > Firm Information > Firm and click the Preferences tab.
2. Mark the Enable firm security checkbox.

   When this checkbox is marked, Accounting CS will require users to enter a password to open the firm database. This also enables the staff administrator to specify security privileges for staff groups to access selected areas of the application.

3. Click Enter to save your changes.

You will need to restart the application for the security changes to take effect.

Setting up an existing client for Accounting CS Client Access

1. Choose Setup > Clients.
2. Select the client for whom you want to enable Client Access, and then click the Edit button.
3. In the Main tab of the Clients screen, click the button in the Services section.
4. In the Add/Remove Services dialog, mark the Enable Client Access checkbox in the Client Access Services section, and then choose the appropriate option.
   • Check Writing. For basic accounting and checkwriting tasks (vendor payments, bank account reconciliation, etc.).
   • Check Writing and Payroll. For basic accounting, checkwriting, and after-the-fact or live payroll check processing tasks (printing payroll checks, batch check entry, new hire processing, etc.).

     Note that if both the Payroll and Payroll (After-the-Fact) checkboxes are marked in the Services section above, your firm has full payroll capabilities when setting up and processing data for this client. This means that your client will not have full payroll capabilities in their Accounting CS application, and you can use the Limit payroll to checkboxes to restrict the client's payroll capabilities.

     • If you mark only the Setup checkbox, the client can set up employee payroll information and access payroll reports, but they cannot access payroll processing or data-entry screens.
     • If you also mark the Time Entry checkbox, the client can enter payroll data in the Actions > Enter Batch Payroll Checks screen, but will no longer be able to enter payroll data in the Actions > Enter Transactions screen. Your firm maintains the ability to impound payroll funds and to control check printing and direct deposit processing.
     • If you do not mark either checkbox, your client will have full payroll capabilities, and you must clear at least the Payroll checkbox in the Services section above.
   • Client Accounting. Includes Check Writing and the option to include Accounts Payable and/or Accounts Receivable services.
   • Full Service Bundle. Includes Check Writing and Payroll and the option to include Accounts Payable and/or Accounts Receivable services.

     Note that if both the Payroll and Payroll (After-the-Fact) checkboxes are marked in the Services section above, your firm has full payroll capabilities when setting up and processing data for this client. This means that your client will not have full payroll capabilities in their Accounting CS application, and you can use the Limit payroll to checkboxes to restrict the client's payroll capabilities.

     • If you mark only the Setup checkbox, the client can set up employee payroll information and access payroll reports, but they cannot access payroll processing or data-entry screens.
     • If you also mark the Time Entry checkbox, the client can enter payroll data in the Actions > Enter Batch Payroll Checks screen, but will no longer be able to enter payroll data in the Actions > Enter Transactions screen. Your firm maintains the ability to impound payroll funds and to control check printing and direct deposit processing.
     • If you do not mark either checkbox, your client will have full payroll capabilities, and you must clear at least the Payroll checkbox in the Services section above.

   Note: The features and menu commands available to the client depend on the services and security options that you select for the staff members who use Accounting CS in the client's office.

5. Follow the steps to set up client security groups.
6. Follow the steps to set up data location profiles for client staff.
7. Follow the steps to set up the client staff.

Setting up a new client for Client Access

1. Choose Setup > Clients.
2. Click the Add button to open a new client record.
3. In the Add Client dialog, enter the appropriate information in the Identification, Address, and Services sections.
4. Mark the appropriate checkboxes in the Client Access Services section, and then click the Add button. Note that additional NetClient CS fees apply to the Client Access services.
5. Follow the steps to set up a client security group.
6. Follow the steps to set up data location profiles for client staff.
7. Follow the steps to set up the client staff.

Setting up a client security group

1. Choose Setup > Firm Information > Client Security Groups.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Enter a name for the group in the Description field.
4. In each tabbed page in the Security Group Information section, mark the checkbox next to the permissions you want to assign to the client security group.
5. When finished, click the Enter button.

Setting up data location profiles for client staff

For each new client staff member, you must select a data location profile to create a shared network location for client users to share files created from the software. Each data location profile indicates a network drive in the NetClient CS Virtual Office environment where client staff can create files for applications within Virtual Client Office and to access data stored outside of the Accounting CS database.

If you set the same data location profile for multiple clients, each client staff will be able to access the information for all of the clients with that data location.

1. Choose Setup > Firm Information > Data Location Profiles.
2. Click the Add button and enter a profile description of up to 100 alphanumeric characters.
3. Click Enter to save the profile description.

Setting up client staff

After you enable the Client Access service for a client and set up appropriate client security groups, you can enter information for the staff members who will work in Accounting CS in the client's office.

1. Choose Setup > Firm Information > Client Staff.
2. In the Main tab, enter basic identification and contact information. At a minimum, you must enter information in the ID field to save the record, and in the Last (name) and Email fields to initialize the client's NetClient CS portal.
3. If the client already has a NetClient CS account, click the button in the NetClient CS Access section to open the NetClient User Account dialog. In that dialog, mark the checkbox for the NetClient CS account to assign to this staff member.
4. Select the appropriate data location profile from the Profile drop-down list. (Note that you can assign a unique data location profile for the individual. Or, when appropriate, you can assign the same data location profile to multiple staff of the same client and thereby enable them to share and collaborate using files and applications outside of Accounting CS.)

   Note: You can click the button next to the Profile field to view a list of accounts and client staff members who are associated with the selected profile.

5. To enable access to Microsoft Office applications and/or FileCabinet CS within the client user's portal, mark the appropriate checkboxes.
6. Click the Security tab, and then mark the checkbox for all security groups that apply to this client staff.
7. Click the Client Access tab. In the Selections grid, mark the checkbox in the Allow column for each client database to which this staff member should have access. The grid includes all clients for which one or more of the Client Access Services checkboxes were marked (in the Add Client dialog or the Add/Remove Services dialog).
8. Click Enter to save the Client Staff record.

Activating a NetClient CS account

(This procedure is to be completed by the client.)

When you save the client staff record in Accounting CS, NetClient CS sends an email message to the client (if there is no existing account data for the client and if a valid email address is provided). The email message provides a link that the client must click to activate their account. Once the account has been activated, the client staff member can begin using the Accounting CS Client Access features for which you enabled security.

Changing the client's posting period

If you enabled the accounting services for your client, and the client's staff members have security rights to change the posting period, they can move the posting period forward or backward (within the same fiscal year) by choosing Actions > Change Posting Period.

If the client changes the posting period, your firm needs to modify the client's posting period in the Client Access Processing section in the Accounting Information tab of the Setup > Clients screen.

Deactivating Accounting CS Client Access for a client

You can disable Accounting CS Client Access for a client at any time.

There are two components to the process for deactivating Accounting CS Client Access so that no further fees are incurred: one component requires changes in Services section of the Clients screen, and the other requires changes to the portal setup in the Setup > Firm Information > Client Staff screen.

As soon as you disable the client-level component, any client staff member who worked in Accounting CS will no longer have access to the client data in Accounting CS.

Deactivating client-level access to Accounting CS and associated fees

1. Choose Setup > Clients.
2. Select the client for which you want to disable Accounting CS Client Access, and then click the Edit button.
3. In the Main tab, click the button next to the Services field.
4. In the Add/Remove Services dialog, clear the Enable Client Access checkbox, and then click OK.
5. In the Clients screen, click Enter to save the client record.

Deactivating the client-staff component and associated fees

Note that you can (a) delete the client staff, or (b) keep the client staff but remove access to Accounting CS Client Access. This will not delete the NetClient CS user.

To delete a client staff

1. In Accounting CS, choose Setup > Firm Information > Client Staff.
2. Highlight the name of the client staff and click the Delete button.

   See also: Changing the status of a staff member to Inactive

To remove access to Accounting CS for client staff

1. In Accounting CS, choose Setup > Firm Information > Client Staff.
2. Highlight the name of the client staff and click the Edit button.
3. In the NetClient CS Access section of the Main tab, click the Ellipsis button for the Account field.
4. In the NetClient User Account dialog, locate the name of the NetClient CS user, clear the checkbox for that individual, and then click OK.
5. Click the Enter button to save your changes.

   See also: Deleting a NetClient CS or NetStaff CS portal (via NetFirm CS administration)

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Submit