Add Your First Client

Create client records, assign services, configure entities, and optionally invite your clients to the self-service Client Portal.

Quick Start

  1. Navigate to Clients from the sidebar.
  2. Click Add Client (or use the client onboarding wizard).
  3. Enter the client's business name, contact details, and ABN.
  4. Assign services from your service catalog.
  5. Save the client record.

Client Onboarding Wizard

The client onboarding wizard (accessible from Clients > Add Client) walks you through a streamlined multi-step process:

Step 1: Client Details

  • Business name — the client's trading or registered name
  • Contact person — primary contact name and email
  • ABN — Australian Business Number (validated automatically)
  • Phone and address (optional)

Step 2: Entities

Many accounting clients have multiple entities — a family trust, a company, and personal returns. Ledger Loom supports this with the entity system:

  • Add one or more entities per client (e.g., "Smith Family Trust", "Smith Pty Ltd", "John Smith — Individual")
  • Each entity can have its own QBO company connection
  • Services and tasks are assigned at the entity level
  • Billing is consolidated at the client level

Step 3: Assign Services

Select which services from your catalog apply to this client. For each assigned service, you can optionally:

  • Set a custom rate — override the default hourly rate for this specific client
  • Set frequency — recurring (monthly, quarterly, annually) or ad-hoc
  • Assign a team member — default assignee for tasks generated from this service

Step 4: Portal Invitation (Optional)

Optionally invite the client to the Client Portal. An email invitation is sent with a link to register for portal access. Through the portal, your client can:

  • View service progress and task status in real time
  • Upload documents directly to their tasks
  • View and pay invoices online
  • Send secure messages to your team

Tip: You can invite clients to the portal at any time from the client detail page. There is no obligation to enable portal access — it is fully optional per client.

Linking to QuickBooks Online

If you have connected QBO, you can link the Ledger Loom client to an existing QBO customer. This enables automatic invoice sync — invoices created in Ledger Loom will appear in QBO under the matched customer.

The QBO link is set at the entity level, so each entity can map to a different QBO customer or company.

Managing Clients

After creation, the client detail page shows:

  • Overview tab — client details, entities, assigned services, and statistics
  • Tasks tab — all tasks for this client across all services
  • Billing tab — invoices, billing history, and custom rates
  • Documents tab — files uploaded by your team or the client
  • Portal tab — portal access status and invitation management

Bulk Client Import

For firms migrating from another system, you can import clients in bulk via CSV. Navigate to Clients > Import and upload a CSV file with columns for business name, contact name, email, ABN, and phone.

Tips

  • Start small — add 5–10 clients initially to learn the workflow, then migrate the rest.
  • Use entities — even for simple clients, creating at least one entity keeps your data structured for future growth.
  • Custom rates — set per-client rates for services where you have negotiated pricing. The default rate is used otherwise.

Next Steps