How to add an existing FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard
This article explains how to transfer or link a client’s existing FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard.
If your practice is taking on a new client who has an existing FreeAgent account and the practice will be responsible for paying for their FreeAgent subscription, you’ll need to transfer their FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard. This includes clients who have a direct FreeAgent subscription or a subsidised FreeAgent account through NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle.
However, if your practice is taking on a new client who has an existing FreeAgent account but the client will continue to pay for their subscription, you’ll need to link their FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard. Linking a client’s account will restrict the range of tasks you can perform for them. Please note that a client's account cannot be linked if they have a subsidised FreeAgent account through NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle. In this case, the client’s account must be transferred.
Please note:
- If your client has been using FreeAgent through another practice and wishes to transfer their account to your practice, they’ll need to ask their existing practice to remove their account from their Practice Dashboard first.
Once your client has received email confirmation that their account has been removed from their previous practice’s dashboard, you can transfer their account to your dashboard by following the steps below.
- If your client currently subscribes to FreeAgent through a third-party subscription provider, such as Apple, to allow the transfer, they’ll need to cancel their third-party subscription first and then contact our support team at practicesupport@freeagent.com. A member of our support team will then help switch their account to a FreeAgent subscription. (This is not required if the account is to be linked.)
Once your client has received email confirmation that their account has been switched to a FreeAgent subscription, you can transfer their account to your dashboard by following the steps below.
- Before you can begin the transfer process, you’ll need to find out your client’s email address and FreeAgent subdomain. To get their subdomain, your client can follow the steps outlined in this article.
- There are some tasks that you’ll only be able to perform in a client’s account if their account is transferred to your Practice Dashboard. Linking a client’s account will restrict the range of tasks you can perform for them.
If your new client doesn’t have an existing FreeAgent account, find out how to set up a new client on your Practice Dashboard instead.
How to transfer an account to your Practice Dashboard
From the 'Clients' area of your Practice Dashboard, select 'Add new client' in the top-right corner and choose 'Transfer existing client' from the drop-down menu.
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 client'.
Select 'Transfer client' in the pop-up window.
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.
Wait for confirmation
While you’re waiting for your client to confirm, the transfer will be marked as ‘pending’ in FreeAgent.
You’ll 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'.
What happens next?
After the client confirms the transfer request, you’ll receive an email confirmation. The client will now appear under the 'My Clients' tab (plus the 'All Clients' tab, if you’re a senior account manager) 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 paid will automatically be refunded to the client. You can view the credit note for this refund in the 'Billing' area of your client’s account by following these steps.
If your client is entitled to a subsidised NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle FreeAgent account, but they haven't been switched to one after following all of these steps, find out how to switch them to a subsidised FreeAgent account.
How to link an existing FreeAgent account to your Practice Dashboard
Please note that you'll need to follow the transfer process above if you’re taking over the client’s full licence or the client has a subsidised FreeAgent account through NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle.
If you link a client's account to your Practice Dashboard, you will gain limited access to their FreeAgent account and the client will continue to pay for their own subscription.
To link a client’s account to your Practice Dashboard, you will need to complete an email template and send it to our support team as detailed below.
Complete the email template and send it to our support team
Begin by downloading this email template and completing the relevant information for the client’s account that you would like to link to your Practice Dashboard. Next, email this to practicesupport@freeagent.com and copy in (CC) the client.
Please note that the email must be sent from the email address of a registered account manager of your practice’s FreeAgent practice dashboard account. The email address you use for the client must also be the FreeAgent account owner’s registered email address in FreeAgent.
In your email, please make it clear that you wish to link the client’s account to your Practice Dashboard, and include the client’s FreeAgent URL in your message.
In the email template, we also ask your client to generate a support code. This is because we take the security of our customers’ data very seriously and FreeAgent staff members don't have routine access to your clients’ data or numbers. As a result, our support team will need a support access code from the client in order to complete the linking process.
Once the emails from your practice and your client have been received, FreeAgent’s support team will reply to you and your client to confirm when their account has been successfully linked. You’ll then be able to see your client’s FreeAgent account on your Practice Dashboard and access their FreeAgent account(s).
Functionality restrictions for linked clients
The table below outlines which tasks can be performed in a client account that has been transferred to your Practice Dashboard, and which tasks can be performed in an account that has been linked.
Please note that there are some tasks that you’ll only be able to perform in a client’s account if their account is transferred to your Practice Dashboard.
| Functionality | Can be performed by the account manager? | Can be performed by the client? | |||
| Transferred client | Linked client | Transferred client with full level 8 access | Transferred client with a lower level of access | Linked client | |
| Control the account owner’s level of access | Yes | No - the client will retain full level 8 access which can’t be reduced | No | No | No - the client will retain full level 8 access which can’t be reduced |
| Edit account owner’s details | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Reset account | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Delete account | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Close client’s account (mark as read-only for the practice) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Export all account data | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Use the blue ‘Help’ button | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| File Final Accounts & Corporation Tax | Yes | On behalf of directors | No | No | Yes |
| File Self Assessment | Yes, if Self Assessment is enabled for the practice | Yes | Yes, if Self Assessment is enabled for the practice | No | Yes |
| File VAT | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| File payroll | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Activate add-ons | Yes | No | Yes, if enabled for the client | Yes, if they're the account owner | Yes |