Creating a client account in Dext adds a dedicated space to receive, review, and manage financial documents for one of your clients’ businesses.
You can also use Multi-account Management to create multiple client accounts for the same client under a single email address.
Note: You must have the Practice or Client Admin role to add or manage client accounts. If you don’t see Team in the sidebar, contact your account administrator to request access.
This feature is only available for Dext Practice accounts (for accountants and bookkeepers).
When your client already has a Dext account
If your client already uses Dext, ask them to invite you to access their account instead of creating a new one.
Creating a client account
1. Go to the Clients list
Open the Clients page and select Add client in the top-right corner.
2. Choose the client type
Select the type of client you want to add:
Business – for companies, partnerships, and most other business clients
Self-employed – for sole traders or landlords (UK only)
Creating a business client account
1. Select the solutions
Choose the solution/s that meet your business client’s needs:
Bookkeeping
2. Connect to accounting software
You can connect the new client account to their accounting software right away or skip this step for later.
Note: Currently, the only supported integrations during setup are Xero and Sage Accounting. Other software can be connected later under Business settings > Connections.
3. Authorize the connection
Log in to the client’s accounting software and select the correct organisation when prompted. Once you return to Dext, click Continue to proceed.
4. Add client details
Enter the client’s:
Business name
Practice code
Industry
Note: If you have already connected their accounting software, the organisation name will populate automatically.
Click Continue to proceed.
5. Assign colleague access
Choose which of your team members can access this client account and, optionally, designate who will manage the client. Account managers on the Practice Advanced plan will see the client under My clients in their Clients list.
You can assign access:
individually or to all colleagues from the Colleagues tab
to groups of colleagues via the Teams tab
Click Continue to move forward.
Note: Admin users have access to all clients by default. If you have no other colleagues on your account, this step will be skipped automatically.
6. Invite your client (optional)
You can invite the client during setup or skip the invitation for later.
Invite now: Add the client’s name and email address. Optional: Add a mobile number to send a text invitation with a download link for the Dext Mobile app.
The client can only use one of the invitations (email or SMS) to create their password. Using one will invalidate the other.
Skip invitation: The client account is created, and the client can still submit documents using their Extract by email address. They will not have access to Dext on web or mobile until invited.
The first user added to a client account automatically becomes the Business Admin. You can update their privileges at any time from the Users page in the client’s Dext account.
When you click Create, the client account is added to your list with your practice’s default settings (base currency, account country).
Important: Email and SMS invites expire after one week. To resend an invitation, go to Users > Manage > Resend invitation.
Creating a self-employed client account
1. Add client details
Enter the client’s name and email address. Adding National Insurance no, Postcode, or Practice code is optional.
Click Continue to proceed.
2. Add income sources
Enter an income source name and choose the income source type:
Self-employment: For sole traders, partnerships, or limited companies
UK Property: For UK-based property businesses
To add multiple businesses or properties, click Add another income source.
3. Assign team access
Select which team members can view and manage the client’s account.
Invite or skip client access
You can either invite your client via email or SMS, or skip the invitation.
If inviting, enter their contact details and click Invite to Dext.
If not, click Skip invitation to proceed.
4. Confirm creation
Click Create to finish. The new client will appear in your Clients list. You can then help them get started using the Dext Self-Employed setup guide.
Handling existing Dext users
If the email address you enter already belongs to an existing Dext user, you’ll see a warning message.
If the client already uses Dext and you need access, ask them to invite you from their account.
If the client has multiple businesses and you need to create an additional Dext account for them, choose Skip invitation and add the client as a user with their existing login email afterward.
Editing client account settings
To update a client’s account settings after creation:
Click Manage next to the relevant client.
Go to Business Settings to make your changes.
Note: The CRN is just an internal ID assigned automatically for each Dext account. It doesn’t affect who owns the account or who can access it, even if someone else set it up. It can’t be changed because it helps Dext keep your account data accurate and consistent.