Working in a Client’s Context

What this is

As an agent you look after many clients, but Income Sources, Quarterly Statuses, Quarterly updates and Past Submissions each show one client at a time. Which one is decided by the client switcher in the header, and which year by the Tax Year dropdown next to it. Getting into the habit of glancing at both before uploading or submitting is the single best way to avoid filing the right figures for the wrong client.

What you see on screen

In the header, after the Tax Year dropdown and the HMRC status chip, a button shows the current client’s name with a building icon. Opening it lists your clients under Switch Context, each with their masked National Insurance number and HMRC status; the current one is marked. On a phone the switcher sits in a bar under the header.

The client also changes when you open a client’s row in the Practice workspace, or their page.

How to

Switch client

1. Click the client’s name in the header.
2. Choose the client from the list.
3. The page you are on reloads for that client.

Check before filing

1. Read the header: Tax Year, then the client name.
2. On File a quarter, the business cards are the selected client’s. If you do not recognise them, switch client before choosing a quarter.
3. On Review & Submit, the declaration names the client: “I confirm this data is accurate and I am authorised to submit on behalf of” them. Read the name before ticking.

If a taxpayer invited you directly

The taxpayer can invite you with View only or Manage my records permission. They appear under Shared accounts in the client switcher. Check the taxpayer name in the header before opening records. The same check applies when you open a business’s details page with View Details, because that page is scoped to the selected taxpayer as well. View only shows Reviewing with a Read-only adviser badge; Manage my records shows Managing records for with a Records adviser badge.

Manage my records permits upload, review and correction of the same saved records through Transactions and the professional Cashbook view when available. Neither direct permission grants an HMRC connection or submission access. The practice filing steps in this article apply when you have the separate practice and HMRC permissions required. See Accountant access in Settings.

Things to know

• The selection is remembered per browser. Sign in tomorrow and the same client is selected. Check it.
• The workspace ignores the switcher and always shows every client. The switcher matters on the four client screens and in the upload journey.
• Save transaction edits before changing context. If the transaction editor has unsaved changes, changing client or tax year asks you to keep editing or leave the editor. Choose Keep editing to save first; Leave editor may lose your latest changes.
• Switching client does not change the tax year, and vice versa.
• Practice filing requires an HMRC relationship. If Income Sources or Quarterly Statuses are empty for a client you expect to have data, check the Status column in the workspace first: Waiting for the client means HMRC has not yet confirmed you act for them.
• The receipt is stored against the client that was selected when you submitted. If you filed for the wrong client, see Correcting a Submitted Quarter.

FAQ

Why do I not see the switcher?

You may have no accessible clients yet, or be on Work or Clients, where the switcher is hidden. There, choose a client from the list, or press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) and type part of their name. A directly invited taxpayer appears after you accept their invitation. Practice members can add a client from the Practice workspace.

Can I open two clients in two tabs?

The selection is shared across tabs in the same browser, so switching in one tab switches the other. Use two browsers, or finish one client before starting the next.