The 10 Best Client Portals for Accountants

Why You Need a Client Portal for Your Accounting Firm

a. Enhanced security and compliance

Client portals are designed with security features that protect financial data from falling into the wrong hands.

Your client portal should be able to authenticate and verify your client’s identity before granting them access.

Here are some of the ways Financial Cents does this:

• Its client portal link contains an encrypted password (and an identifier). The combination of password and identifier changes every thirty days.

After thirty days, Financial Cents sends a six-digit code (by email or SMS). This code will give them access for the next thirty days, preventing those who might have found your client’s link (mistakenly) from accessing the portal.

• Financial Cents also tracks the email address from which your client visits the portal to prevent any other email address from accessing it.

That way, unauthorized (or terminated) employees cannot use your client’s magic link to access the portal.

b. Improved efficiency and streamlined workflow

Client portals’ client task feature significantly reduces the time accountants spend chasing clients for information. This feature creates to-do lists for clients and uses automated reminders to follow up with them.

Moreover, client portals streamline workflows and improve efficiency by bringing all client-facing tasks together. You would not need to jump between multiple apps for documents and client communication.

c. Enhanced client communication and collaboration

Accounting client portals enable document sharing and personalized conversations that keep teams and clients on the same page.

Asking questions and providing answers about documents where they are shared provides context, reducing the need to drill through email threads.

d. Improved client experience

Client portals for accountants are simple and easy to use. Upload and download functionalities are often with the click of a button or two.

This enables clients with less technology exposure to work seamlessly with their accountants and bookkeepers.

e. Reduced administrative burden

Firm owners lose up to five hours daily to administrative work (like tracking client communication).

Client portal reduces this burden by giving you one place to collect and organize client-related documents and information. This frees your team to focus on higher-value tasks.

f. Accessibility

The most accessible client portals for accounting firms are cloud-based, enabling clients to access files and information anytime, anywhere, and with any device—computer or mobile.

Client portals also make it easy for your staff members to access client information (using user permission rules) from anywhere and at any time. This increases your team’s (and client’s) productivity.

Key Features to Look for in Client Portal Software for Accountants

i. Security and Compliance

Client portals for accountants should have security protocols that keep client information away from unauthorized persons.

A secure client portal should also help you comply with relevant data privacy and regulatory requirements when built well.

ii. Ease of use for clients

Clients struggle with client portals mainly for fear of creating and remembering one more login information.

That is why client portals enable password-less access. They use the magic link technology to send your clients a link to access the portal on demand.

iii. Centralized document management

Accounting client portals should centralize the entire document process (from storage to sharing and editing) in the cloud.

This will make your client portal a single source of truth for your team and clients.

iv. Client access management

Besides password-less login, client portals enable you to determine the information your clients and team can access.

This will empower you to restrict your clients and team to the information that pertains to them.

Some portals even track the changes made to a file, giving you complete visibility into your clients’ file and information.

v. Automated reminders and notifications

Automated reminders are a must for any client portal for accounting firms. They help draw your client’s attention to the file or information you need without your team needing to remember to send notifications manually..

In Financial Cents, these notifications also tell you when a client has uploaded your requested file.

vi. Integrations

Your firm is the most productive when your team can find all information, manage documents, and get work done from the fewest possible tools.

This is why you need a client portal that integrates with as many of your mission-critical tools as possible.

vii. Communication and Collaboration

A suitable client portal software for accounting firms should enable you to send messages to your clients and leave notes for your team members.

viii. Branding customization

The best accounting client portals allow you to add your brand colors and logo to boost client confidence.

You should also be able to use custom URLs to make your client portal more accessible to your clients online.

The 10 Top Accounting client portal

1. Financial Cents

Financial Cents is a practice management software built for accounting professionals to organize their firms and collaborate with their teams and clients.

Its simple client portal makes this easier by unifying its client communication and document management efforts in one place.

Its client portal provides:

• Data privacy and security: a Message Authentication Code (MAC) and encryption technology that turns clients’ information in the portal into cipher codes that cannot be accessed or modified by anyone you have not authorized.

Financial Cents’ cloud service providers are SOC II, SOC III, GDPR, and HIPPA compliant. It also uses SMS-based Two-factor authentication to control access to the client portal.

• Easy to use interface: Financial Cents reduces the burden of client access with a password-less login feature. It uses a secure magic link to give clients access to the portal.

It takes a click or two to upload, download, edit, and E-sign a document in the portal.

• Passwordless portal: the portal does not require your clients to create username and passwords to access it. It sends your clients a magic link (via email) that gives them access with a single click. This saves them the stress of keeping up with usernames and passwords.

• Chat feature: if your client is not clear on what you need, they can ask you questions with the chat feature. This helps you to communicate in the context of the request.

• Central Document Management: Financial Cents enables you to categorize documents of the same type into folders. You can also customize and edit the documents as you see fit for your team and clients.

Meanwhile, your clients can:

• • Share documents with you using the upload tab.
  • Access the document folders you shared with them (with your permission).

• Automated reminders and notifications: Financial Cents automates email and SMS reminders to ensure your clients are notified of your requests for files and information in the client portal.

The system notifies your client by email whenever:

• • A folder is shared with them.
  • A document is shared with them.
  • A document is uploaded to a shared folder.

Your team gets notified when a client uploads a document to a shared folder.

• Integrations: Financial Cents offers sufficient integrations to make its client portal a one-stop shop for you and your clients.

They include:

• • Adobe Sign is used for sending documents for KBA signatures. Signed copies are automatically organized in the project and client profiles.

Other client-related integrations include

• QBO to import clients and sync data between both apps seamlessly.
• SmartVault, GoogleDrive, DropBox, Etc. to synchronize information between both apps.

• Communication and collaboration: some of Financial Cents’ client communication and collaboration features include:

• • Client Tasks & Requests to create checklists for client data collection. Clients can log into your portal to upload documents and provide the information you requested.
  • ReCats, which lets you collaborate with clients to categorize uncategorized transactions.

You can also send documents and share folders with clients in the portal.

The client can access the portal to view these shared items through email or the portal URL.

• Branding Customization

Financial Cents customization feature enables you to white-label your client portal to make it look and feel like an extension of your brand.

Here’s what you can do with this feature:

• Change the client portal URL to your preferred domain name.
• Replace the color of the buttons and like with your brand colors.
• Add your logo to your client portal.
• Make your notifications display your brand logo.

• Client Access Management

With Financial Cents, clients can access your client portal anytime and from anywhere.

They do not have to wait for the link that comes with a client task reminder anymore. All you have to do is add the client portal link as a button in your website and email signature.

Pricing

Many of Financial Cents’ client portal features are covered in the:

• Team Plan of 39/month per user (annual billing)

The rest of the features like branded portal and automated follow-up are available on the:

• Scale Plan at $59/month per user (annual billing).
• The ReCats feature is available at a $4 add-on price.

2. SmartVault

SmartVault is an integrated document management and client portal software streamlining how accounting firms collect, store, and share data in the cloud.

Its client portal features help accounting firms to stay organized and productive while maintaining maximum security.

The features include:

• A security system that is built to help professional service businesses comply with regulatory requirements like HIPAA, SEC, and FINRA.

It uses SSL and AES-256 to protect client data during storage and transfer from clients’ computers to the server.

• Online document storage that centralizes your firm’s documents. You can control and track the versions of each document and implement file backup and recovery protocols to prevent the loss of important information.

• File sharing that simplifies the exchange of documents for remote teams and their clients.
• Branded Client Portal to customize your portal with branded materials and boost your clients’ confidence when sharing files and information with your firm.

• Pricing

The pricing plans for SmartVault’s integrated system are $25/month per user for a (minimum of 5 users) and $50 per user /month (minimum of 2 users).

3. Canopy

Canopy is another accounting practice management software with a client management and portal solution.

Its client-facing platforms provide accounting firms with the resources they need to improve the quality of their work and client experience.

Its client portal features include:

• Payment information storage and request: clients can save payment information and view invoices and payment history to know what they need to pay and when.

The portal also sends them notifications about your payment requests. This empowers them to make payments on time.

• Custom branding: with the ability to use your preferred colors, themes, and logo, Canopy enables you to modify your client portal to look like your firm’s app.
• Secure and convenient access: Canopy regulates access to its client portal using data encryption and two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access.

To make login more convenient, it uses secure magic links and biometrics to log clients into their portal.

• E-signature solution: Request for electronic signatures from the portal in the portal. Once the client clicks the link in the notification, they are taken directly to the exact spot your client needs to sign.
• Request files: Use to-do lists (with automated reminders) that let clients know what you need and when.

Pricing

Canopy’s client management feature is free for the first 250 clients. Any increment of 50 clients afterwards is charged $14. Document Management is $40/month per user. KBA signature is $1.25 per KBA credit.

4. TaxDome

This tax and practice management software has a client portal that unifies document sharing, E-signature collection, invoicing, and client communication in one place.

Some of its client portal features include:

• Client tasks and automated reminders for creating to-do lists for your clients.
• Secure access with a two-factor and biometric authentication of your clients.
• Streamlined document management to share your document workspace with your clients–wherever they may be. They can upload, approve, and E-sign documents in the client portal.
• Forms & organizers to collect client data by asking them to fill in answers to questions.

Pricing

• $66/month per user billed annually.
• $58/month per user for the 2 year plan.
• $50/month per user for the 3 year plan.

5. Karbon

Karbon is also a practice management software with a client management feature. Its client portal seeks to connect your firm and clients through secure communication and client engagement.

Its client portal allows accounting firms to:

• Collect information painlessly by assigning tasks to clients.

• Communicate in context by holding conversations with clients where the client’s documents are collected.
• Customize your clients’ experiences by adding your firm’s branding materials (colors and logos) to your client portal.
• Stop chasing clients with automated reminders that keep your clients from forgetting your requests.
• Password-less access that saves your clients the stress of creating usernames and passwords. It uses magic links to give clients access to the portal.

Pricing

Its prices range from $59/month, per user (for Team Plan) to $99/month per user (for Business Plan).

6. Client Hub

Client Hub is client and workflow management software. Its client portal gives teams full visibility into the files and information they exchange with their clients.

Some of its features are:

• File sharing: the ability to share files and information using the File Manager feature.
• Client task feature: used by accounting teams to gather outstanding documents from their clients.
• QuickBooks integration to resolve uncategorized expenses from Client Hub.
• Email and SMS notifications to draw your client’s attention to important information or requests in their workspaces.

Additionally, Its AI feature uses the power of GPT to enable accounting firms:

• Auto-Generate workflows with tasks and their details.
• Auto-summarize long email threads for easy reference.
• Auto-generate replies by suggesting the most suitable replies for your emails.

Pricing

• Standard at $49/month per user.
• Premium at $69/month per user.

7. Copilot

Copilot offers a customizable client portal for service-based businesses to provide delightful client experiences when working together.

Some of its features help to:

• Automate client onboarding by sending intake forms and setting up default folders.
• Automate internal processes with triggers and actions that reduce manual work and human error.
• Backup your clients’ data by synchronizing with third-party documents and client management solutions like Google Drive and DropBox.
• Streamline client communication with a Messaging App that gives your clients a central place to communicate with you.

Pricing

Copilot’s prices range between $29/month per user (for Starter Plan) and $119/month per user (for Advanced Plan)

8. Onehub

Onehub offers a secure way for businesses (across industries) to store and share files with their clients online.

Its client portal features include:

• Document watermarks to protect your files from theft.
• Embedded sign-in forms on your website to give clients direct access to the portal account from your website.
• Dashboards: gives you a bird’s eye view of activities in your client workspace.
• Document storage & sharing: this helps you organize your document folders and structures in the cloud for on-demand client access
• Collaboration: comments for sharing feedback and updates.
• Robust access controls enable firm owners to invite collaborators with restrictions on what they can and can’t do.

Pricing

It costs between $12.50/Month per user (Standard plan) and $500/Month per user (Unlimited edition).

9. Keeper

Keeper is a dedicated practice management software for bookkeeping firms.

Its client management solution enables client collaboration that helps bookkeepers spot errors and manage work.

Keeper’s client portal revolves around four key areas:

• Transaction questions for understanding transactions that need to be categorized.
• Non-transaction questions for answering questions that do not relate to any transaction.
• Questions from your client for clients to ask you questions.
• The client portal for collaborating on everything.
• Integrations: Keeper integrates with QuickBooks to enable bookkeeping firms to add relevant client responses to Quickbook.
• Notifications: Keeper uses email to notify your clients of any unanswered questions.

Pricing

• Standard at $8/month per client.
• Premium at $10/month per client.
• Enterprise More than 50 clients: Contact Sales.

10. Content Snare

Content Snare is a client content and document-gathering software for businesses.

Its client portal eliminates the bottlenecks in accounting information collection by organizing all client files in one place.

These features empower you to:

• Request and track files and all kinds of information.

• Use simple tables to add spreadsheet information to clients in Content Snare.
• Structure client tasks by breaking questions and requests into sections to make them less intimidating for clients to complete.
• Use access control to regulate the information your clients and staff can see or modify in the portal.

Pricing

Content Snare costs between $29/month (Basic Plan) and $179 (Custom Plan) billed annually.

Use Financial Cents to Manage and Streamline Clients Work

The client portal is central to Financial Cents’ drive to enable accounting firms to organize client projects (and information) and collaborate to improve productivity and grow their firm.

Other features include:

• Workflow management to track work and meet client deliverables.
• Time Tracking to invoice clients adequately and measure their profitability.
• Email Integration to get visibility into client communication and relationships.
• Capacity Management to understand your team’s workload and manage staff strength.

Explore these features today (at no cost) to manage your accounting firm.