Clients, team, returns and filing
TypicallyPartners, practice owners, the person who runs the firm
- Add and edit clients
- Prepare, review and approve returns
- File with HMRC
- Invite, change and disable team logins
- Save the practice HMRC login
Home / For accountants / Team & client access
For accountants · Team
Team roles and client access
Bring the whole practice into one workspace at no extra cost. Every person gets a role that decides what they can do, and every filing carries the name of the person who sent it.
- Unlimited logins
- Three practice roles
- Two-person sign-off
- No seat fees
Team
People who can open this organisation’s workspace. Each login sees the same clients and returns. The person who files a return is stored on the filing log.
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Priya Patel you | Practice Admin | Active |
| Raj Patel | Practice Admin | Active |
| Hannah Cole | Reviewer | Active |
| Ben Murray | Preparer / Staff | Active |
| Ella Shah | Preparer / Staff | Invited |
| Mark Jones | Preparer / Staff | Disabled |
Invite sent. They choose a password from the email, then sign in to this organisation.
£0per extra login, however many you add
3 rolesPractice admin, Preparer, Reviewer
7 daysfor a resent invite link
By nameevery filing and client approval
In short
A practice admin invites each person from Team with their name, email and a role. Preparers add clients and draft returns but cannot file. Reviewers review, approve and file but do not add clients. Practice admins do everything and manage the team. Logins are unlimited and free; you pay only with filing credits. Client access, which lets you choose which clients each person sees, is in development.
Roles
Three roles, one clear rule
The person who prepares a return is never the only person who can file it. Pick the role that matches the job, not the job title.
Drafts returns; cannot review or file
TypicallyTrainees, junior staff, bookkeepers, seasonal help
- Add and edit clients
- Prepare SA100, SA800 and supplementary pages
- Send a return for review
- Email the client for approval
- Review or approve a return
- File with HMRC
- Manage the team
Reviews and files; does not add clients
TypicallyManagers, seniors, qualified staff who sign off
- Review and approve returns
- File with HMRC
- Email the client for approval
- Add or edit clients
- Prepare returns
- Manage the team
Permissions
Exactly what each role can do
The permissions behind each role in a practice workspace, in the words the app uses.
| Permission | Practice admin | Preparer | Reviewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add and edit taxpayersClient list, personal details, NINO, UTR and addresses | – | ||
| Prepare returnsDraft SA100, SA800 and supplementary pages | – | ||
| Review returnsOpen completed returns for checking before they go to HMRC | – | ||
| Approve a returnMark a return approved so it can be filed | – | ||
| File with HMRCSend a return from the filing desk | – | ||
| Manage team loginsInvite people, change their role, or disable a login | – | – |
Clients never get a staff login. They approve their return from a secure email link: how client approval works →
Set up
Set up your team in minutes
Everything happens on the Team page, which only practice admins can open.
01 Step 1 of 4
Invite a login
Practice admin
Open Team and click Invite a login. Enter their full name and email, and choose a role. Each role comes with a one-line description, so nobody has to guess what it allows.
The email address must not already be used on Self Assessment Software, because it becomes their sign-in. One person, one login, one organisation.
In the appTeam → Invite a login
Good to know
- Start new staff on the narrowest role that fits. You can widen it later in one click.
02 Step 2 of 4
They choose their own password
New team member
The invite email tells them which organisation and role they are joining, with a link to choose a password. Nobody shares or emails passwords.
Until they sign in, the Team list shows them as Invited. If the email goes missing, Resend invite sends a fresh link, valid for seven days.
In the appTeam → Resend invite
Good to know
- If the invite email cannot be sent, the login is still created. Use Resend, or ask them to use Forgot password.
03 Step 3 of 4
Change a role or disable a login
Practice admin
Edit login lets you change the name, email, role and status: Active, Invited or Disabled. A disabled login cannot sign in until you set it back to Active.
Two safeguards are built in. You cannot disable your own login, and the organisation must always keep at least one active practice admin.
In the appTeam → Edit → Save login
Good to know
- When someone leaves, disable rather than delete. Their name stays against the returns they filed.
04 Step 4 of 4
See who did what
Everyone
The person who files a return is stored on the filing log, and My Returns has a Submitted by column. Client approvals show who approved and when.
Disabled logins stay on the Team list, so a return filed by someone who has since left still shows their name.
In the appFile with HMRC → Filing log
Good to know
- Use Last sign in on the Team list to spot logins nobody uses any more.
Ideas
Team structures that work
Three common set-ups. Each keeps preparing and filing in different hands.
1 to 3 people
Sole practitioner with seasonal help
- YouPractice admin
- Seasonal helperPreparer
Your helper drafts in January. Nothing reaches HMRC until you have reviewed it.
4 to 15 people
Small practice
- PartnersPractice admin
- Managers and seniorsReviewer
- Trainees and juniorsPreparer
Classic two-person sign-off. Reviewers file without being able to change the client list.
Any size
Bookkeeping firm adding returns
- OwnerPractice admin
- Senior bookkeeperReviewer
- BookkeepersPreparer
Bookkeepers turn the year’s books into the return; a senior checks and files.
Checklists
Joiners and leavers
Short checklists to keep in your practice procedures.
When someone joins
- Invite with the narrowest role that fits the job
- Check they set a password; resend the invite if it expired
- Pair their first returns: they prepare, you review
- Widen the role once you trust their work
When someone leaves
- Disable their login on Team - do not delete the record
- Check My Returns for anything they left in Draft or In review
- If they knew the practice Government Gateway password, change it with HMRC and save the new one under HMRC details
- Make sure another practice admin is active (the desk insists on at least one)
Client access
Choose which clients each person sees
In development.
Today every login in a practice sees the same clients and returns. Client access adds a simple rule on top of the roles above:
Assign clients to peopleA practice admin chooses which clients each preparer and reviewer can work on.
Assigned clients onlyStaff see only their clients in the client list, My Returns and search.
Admins keep full viewPractice admins still see every client, so no return is left without an owner.
Reassign in a clickMove clients between staff for holidays, busy weeks or leavers.
FAQs
Common questions
Is there a charge per user?
No. Practice logins are unlimited and free. You pay with filing credits when you file a client’s return.
Can a preparer file a return with HMRC?
No. Filing sits with the Reviewer and Practice admin roles, so every return gets a second person before it reaches HMRC.
Can I limit which clients a staff member sees?
Not yet. Today every login sees the same clients. Client access, where a practice admin assigns clients to each user, is in development.
Can I see who filed a return?
Yes. The filing log and the Submitted by column on My Returns show the person who sent it. Client approvals show who approved and when.
What roles can I give my team?
Practice admin (clients, team, returns and filing), Preparer (drafts returns but cannot review or file) and Reviewer (reviews and files but does not add clients).
How does a new team member get their password?
They receive an invite email with a link to choose their own password. If it goes missing, Resend invite sends a new link valid for seven days.
What happens when someone leaves?
Disable their login from Team. They cannot sign in, but they stay on the list so you can still see who filed each return.
Can one person belong to two practices?
Each login belongs to one organisation. The email address used for an invite must not already be used on Self Assessment Software.
Keep going
Prepare free
Bring the whole team. Pay only when you file.
Register the practice free, invite your team and prepare returns with no card.