How to transfer an existing FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard

This article explains how to transfer a client’s existing FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard as part of the onboarding process.

Please note that by transferring a client’s account, you will gain full access to their account and be responsible for managing their subscription, if they have one.

Whether your client has a direct FreeAgent subscription or a subsidised FreeAgent account through NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank NI or Mettle, you'll need to follow the transfer process below.

If your client is transferring their FreeAgent account from another accountancy practice, or they have subscribed through a third-party subscription provider like Apple, you’ll need to follow this slightly different process.

If you want to link a current direct subscriber to your Practice Dashboard instead of transferring them, so that the client will continue to manage their own subscription and level of control, then please follow this linking process instead.

Before you start

Before you can begin the transfer process, you’ll need to find out your client’s FreeAgent subdomain. To do this, your client will need to follow the steps outlined in this article.

1. Select 'Transfer Client'

Begin by logging in to your Practice Dashboard and navigating to the 'My Clients' tab.

Select 'Add Account' in the top-right corner, and choose 'Transfer Existing Account' from the drop-down menu.

2. Enter your client’s email address and FreeAgent subdomain

Next, enter your client’s email address and their FreeAgent subdomain in the fields provided, then select 'Transfer Account'.

An email will automatically be sent to your client informing them of the proposed transfer and asking for their confirmation to proceed. Your client will need to follow the instructions provided in the email to log in to their account and confirm the transfer.

3. Wait for confirmation

While you’re waiting for your client to confirm, the transfer will be marked as ‘pending’ in FreeAgent. A banner detailing your total number of pending transfers can be seen in either your 'My Clients' or 'All Clients' tabs.

If you need to make changes to any pending transfers, select ‘manage your transfers here’ on the banner.

You’ll then be presented with a list of all your pending transfer requests. You can choose to either resend the invitation by selecting 'Resend Invite' or cancel the transfer by selecting 'Cancel Transfer'.

Access the newly transferred client

After the client confirms the transfer request, you’ll receive an email confirmation. The client will now appear under the 'My Clients' and 'All Clients' tabs of your Practice Dashboard.

Please note that the account manager who made the transfer request in FreeAgent will automatically become the client’s account manager when the transfer is complete. If you’d like to change the client’s account manager, follow these steps.

Refund for annual subscription

Once the client has been successfully transferred to your Practice Dashboard, any remaining annual subscription that the client has will automatically be refunded. You can also view the credit note of this refund in the 'Billing' area of your client’s account.

If, after following all of these steps, your client hasn’t switched to the subsidised NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank NI or Mettle FreeAgent account, please follow these steps.

Transferring clients who are currently using FreeAgent through another practice

If your client has been using FreeAgent through another practice and wishes to transfer their account to your practice, your client needs to ask their existing accountant to remove their account from their Practice Dashboard.

Once your client has received email confirmation that their account has been removed, you can then follow the steps in this article to complete the transfer to your Practice Dashboard.

Transferring clients who are currently using FreeAgent through a third-party subscription provider

If your client currently subscribes to FreeAgent through a third party subscription provider, for example Apple, please ask them to contact our support team for help at support@freeagent.com.