There are 5 ways to hand over or remove a client account in Dext. You can invite them to pay for their own subscription, transfer them to another practice, disconnect them from your practice account, deactivate their services, or permanently delete the account.
Each option works differently, so pick the right one before you start.
Which option do you need?
Use this table to choose the right action before you start.
Action | What it does | Can it be reversed? |
Invite a client to pay | Invites a Business Admin on the client account to buy their own plan. The client stays connected to your practice, and you keep bookkeeping access. | The invite can't be cancelled or resent once sent. Nothing changes until the client buys a plan. |
Transfer to another practice | Moves the client's account to another Dext practice. The client's account owner and the new practice both approve it. | No. Once the new practice accepts, only they can manage the client. |
Disconnect | Removes the client from your practice account and turns off their Dext features straight away. The client keeps their Dext account and can buy a plan or connect to a new accountant. | Yes, but only the client can reconnect you by sending a new invitation from their account. |
Deactivate | Suspends the client's Dext services. The client stays in your client list as Deactivated, and you keep access to their account. The client can still access their account and buy a plan or connect to a new accountant. | Reactivation is unavailable for 4 months after deactivation. |
Delete | Permanently removes the client and all associated data. Only available when no users exist on the client account. | No. This can't be reversed. |
Moving a client to a new accountant
To move a client to a new accountant, transfer them from Business settings > Practice access > Transfer client. The client's account owner approves the transfer, then the new practice accepts it. For the steps, go to How to transfer a client's Dext account to another practice
If the client can't be transferred, there are 2 other ways to move them:
You disconnect the client from your practice account. An Admin user in the client's Dext account can then invite the new accountant or buy a plan.
An Admin user in the client's Dext account reallocates your access and invites the new accountant in one step, without you needing to disconnect first. For the client's steps, go to How to remove or change your accountant's access to your Dext account
Note: If the client is a Dext Solo client, contact the Dext support team. They can transfer the client to another accountant or move them to their own Dext business account. For a transfer, both accountants need to confirm, and the new accountant needs an available Solo seat. To move a Solo client to a business account, reactivate their account first if it's deactivated.
Before you start
Before you hand over or remove a client, check who their account owner is. The account owner approves transfers, and you confirm who it is when you disconnect a client. You don't need to check before sending a subscription invite, because you can choose any Business Admin to receive it.
To find the account owner, go to Users in the client account. They have "(Owner)" next to their name. If you need to change the account owner, contact the Dext support team first.
Invite a client to pay for their own subscription (recommended)
To transfer billing to a client, invite them to pay for their own subscription. Nothing changes until they buy their own plan. They keep the same features and access, you keep full bookkeeping access to their account, and they don't count towards your client limit.
You can send the invite from 2 places:
Business settings > Disconnect client: in the Invite a client to pay for their subscription section, select Send invite.
Business settings > Subscription: select Deactivate next to Dext Bookkeeping, then select Invite client in the Deactivate Client panel.
Then:
Choose who to email from Send email to. Only Business Admins appear in the list.
Select Send invite.
Important: Once you send the invite, you can't cancel or resend it. If the client account has no Business Admin, select Go to users and make someone a Business Admin first: select Manage next to them, choose Edit privileges, choose Business Admin, then select Save. This works for the account owner too.
The Business Admin you choose gets an email with a link to buy their own plan. If they haven't taken action after 5 days, Dext sends them a reminder email automatically.
Once the client buys a plan, they pay for their subscription and stay connected to your practice. Either of you can disconnect afterwards if you no longer work together.
This doesn't reduce your practice plan's bundle size or cost automatically. The freed-up place stays part of your plan until you downgrade. To downgrade, contact your Dext Account Manager or the Dext support team.
Disconnect a client from your practice account
Disconnecting removes the client from your practice account and turns off all their Dext features straight away. You no longer see the client in your client list or have access to their data. The client keeps their Dext account and can connect to another accountant or buy their own subscription.
If you'd rather keep the client active, invite them to pay for their own subscription instead. It's at the top of the same page.
Important: Disconnection is permanent from your side. Only an Admin user in the client account can reconnect you by sending a new invitation from their Dext account.
Open the client account you want to disconnect.
Go to Business settings and select Disconnect client.
In the Or continue with disconnecting the client section, select Disconnect client.
Complete or skip the optional survey.
Select an account owner, then select Disconnect client.
A confirmation banner appears. You and the client both get a confirmation email.
For clients who pay for their own subscription, the process is the same. The only difference is that you can't deactivate or manage their subscription. You can only disconnect them from your account.
Deactivate a client
Deactivating a client suspends their Dext services while you and the client both keep access to the account. Extraction and automation stop straight away, so documents added to the account aren't processed. Use this option when you need to pause services temporarily rather than remove the client entirely.
Important: You can't reactivate a client for 4 months after deactivation.
Open the client account you want to deactivate.
Go to Business settings > Subscription.
Select Deactivate next to the relevant Dext Bookkeeping.
In the Deactivate Client panel, select Deactivate client.
Acknowledge the 4-month wait to reactivate, then select Yes, proceed with deactivation.
Complete or skip the optional survey.
Review the summary and select Continue.
Choose whether to notify the account owner by email, then select Deactivate.
A confirmation banner appears. You get a confirmation email.
If you select Invite client in the Deactivate Client panel instead, the client isn't deactivated. Dext asks who to send the subscription invite to, as in the invite section of this article.
While deactivated, an Admin user in the client's Dext account can start a free trial of Dext for businesses, disconnect from your account and invite a new accountant, or reallocate access to a new accountant directly. The client also sees a banner about the deactivation when they log in to the Dext web app. They can still access and download their Dext data.
Delete a client
Deleting a client permanently removes the client and all associated data from Dext. This can't be reversed.
Important: The Delete client option only appears when no users exist on the client account. If you can see Disconnect client, use that instead.
Select Delete client.
Confirm that you want to delete the client permanently.
Enter the client's name to confirm deletion.
Reactivate a deactivated client
Reactivating a client restores their Dext services after a deactivation period. You can only reactivate a client once 4 months have passed since deactivation.
Open the client account you want to reactivate.
Go to Business settings > Subscription.
Select Reactivate.
The client gets an email confirming reactivation.
If the Reactivate button is greyed out, the 4-month deactivation period hasn't ended yet. If you deactivated the client by mistake, the Dext support team can check whether it can be reactivated sooner.
Tip: To find deactivated clients quickly, go to your Clients list and select the filter icon in the top right. Under Status, select Deactivated and select Apply.
Frequently asked questions
These are common questions about removing, deactivating, and deleting clients.
What's the difference between disconnecting, deactivating, and deleting a client?
Disconnecting removes the client from your practice account and turns off their Dext features. The client keeps their Dext account and can connect to a new accountant.
Deactivating suspends the client's Dext services for at least 4 months while you keep access to their account.
Deleting permanently removes the client and all data, and is only available when no users exist on the account.
Will removing a client lower my Dext bill?
Not automatically. Disconnecting, deactivating, or inviting a client to pay for their own subscription frees a place in your client limit, but your plan's size and price stay the same. To reduce your plan, contact your Dext Account Manager or the Dext support team.
Do deactivated clients count towards my client limit?
No, deactivated clients stay in your client list as Deactivated, and don't count toward your client limit.
Can I delete a client that has users?
No, Delete client only appears when the client account has no users. Disconnect the client instead.
My client didn't get the subscription invite. Can I send it again?
You can't resend the invite yourself. Ask the client to check their email spam folder first. If it's not there, contact the Dext support team, who can check whether it was sent.
How do I take over a client's subscription?
To start paying for a client who is on a 14-day free trial or pays for their own subscription, go to Clients, select Manage next to the client, then select Manage client's subscription > Change who pays.
If their own subscription is still active, they need to cancel it and wait for it to end first. For the steps, go to How to take over a client's Dext subscription
Can I move a client to another practice?
Yes, most clients on a basic Dext Bookkeeping account can be transferred from Business settings > Practice access > Transfer client. For the steps, go to How to transfer a client's Dext account to another practice
Why can I only see Delete, not Disconnect?
The Delete client option appears instead of Disconnect client when no users are assigned to or invited into the client account. Deleting permanently removes the client and all associated data, and can't be reversed.
Can I reconnect with a client after disconnecting them?
Not directly. Only an Admin user in the client account can reconnect you by sending a new invitation from their Dext account.
Can I invite a client to take over their own subscription before disconnecting or deactivating?
Yes. The Disconnect client page and the Deactivate Client panel both let you invite the client to pay for their own subscription. You choose which Business Admin gets the invite. Once sent, the invite can't be cancelled or resent. If the client hasn't acted after 5 days, Dext sends them a reminder email automatically.
How long is the deactivation cool-off period?
You can't reactivate a client for 4 months after deactivation. If you deactivated a client by mistake, the Dext support team can check whether it can be reactivated sooner.
Why can't I find a client I deactivated?
If the client doesn't appear when you filter your client list by Deactivated status, you may have disconnected them instead. Disconnecting removes the client from your practice, so they're no longer in your client list at all.
To work with the client again, ask a Business admin or User admin on their Dext account to invite you from Business settings > Accountant. For the steps they need, share How to invite your accountant to access your Dext account
If the client had no users, you may have deleted them instead. A deleted client can't be recovered. To verify what happened, contact the Dext support team.
Can I reactivate a client I deactivated by mistake?
If you deactivated a client by mistake, you can't reactivate them yourself until the 4-month period ends. Contact the Dext support team with the client's name and CRN, and they'll check whether the client can be reactivated sooner.
Who should I choose as the account owner when I disconnect a client?
Choose the main business owner or the person responsible for the client's Dext account. Dext asks you to choose this person when you disconnect.
Will the client be notified when I disconnect or deactivate them?
Yes, after disconnecting, you and the client both get a confirmation email. During deactivation, you can choose whether to notify the client by email. If you don't, the client sees a banner about the deactivation when they log in to the Dext web app.
Can the client still use Dext after being disconnected or deactivated?
Yes, after disconnection or deactivation, the client can still access and export their Dext data.
If they'd like to continue using Dext's services, they can start a free trial of Dext for businesses or buy a plan. They can also connect to a new accountant or bookkeeper: go to Business settings > Accountant and enter the new accountant's email.