To add a Dext Solo client, go to your Clients list and select Add client. Select Self-employed client, then select Continue.
Dext Solo is for sole traders and unincorporated landlords. If you're not sure whether a client belongs in Solo or a standard business account, go to Getting started with Dext Solo.
Note: If the client already has a Dext bookkeeping account and qualifies for Solo, migrate them rather than creating a new account. Go to How to move a client to Dext Solo for eligibility criteria and steps.
1. Add the client's details
The first step collects the client's personal information.
Enter the client's First name and Last name.
Enter their National Insurance no.
Optionally, enter their Postcode and Practice code.
Select Continue.
2. Set up income sources
Income sources define how the client's data is structured in Solo and drive the accuracy of their tax reports and HMRC submissions. Set these up carefully — the income source type can't be changed after creation.
Enter an Income source name — typically the name of the business or property.
Select the Type of income source:
Self Employment — for sole trader income (SA103F)
UK property — for rental income (SA105)
To add another income source, select Add another income source and repeat. A client can have multiple income sources of different types on the same account.
Select Continue.
After the account is created, you can configure the accounting method (cash or accruals) and quarterly period type per income source from Business settings > Lists > Income sources.
For more on quarterly period types, go to Calendar or standard quarters for Solo clients not connected to HMRC.
3. Assign colleague access
Grant access to the colleagues who'll work on this client's account.
Toggle access on or off for individual colleagues from the list. On a Practice Advanced plan, you can also assign access by team from the Teams tab.
To grant access to all colleagues at once, turn on the All colleagues toggle.
Select Continue.
Practice Admins have access to all clients by default. If you have no other colleagues on your account, this step is skipped automatically.
4. Invite the client (optional)
You can invite the client now or skip and do it later.
Invite now — enter the client's email address. Optionally, add a mobile number to send an SMS invitation with a download link for the Dext mobile app. The client can only use one invitation to create their password — using one invalidates the other.
Skip invitation — the account is created without an invitation. Your client won't have access to Dext on web or mobile, but you can share their Extract by email address with them so they can still submit documents. You can also skip adding a client user entirely and manage the account yourself.
Select Invite to Dext or Skip invitation to proceed to the confirmation screen, then select Create.
Important: Email and SMS invitations expire after one week. To resend one, go to Users > Manage > Resend invitation in the client's account.
What to do next
Once the account is created, two things need to be in place before you can submit quarterly updates to HMRC:
Connect to HMRC — go to How to connect Dext to HMRC for MTD for Income Tax for the full setup sequence, including Agent Services Account requirements and client authorisations.
Set up rental properties — if the client has a UK property income source, set up their individual properties in Business settings > Rental properties. Go to How to add and manage rental properties in Dext Solo.
For a full walkthrough of the Solo workflow from setup through to submission, go to Getting started with Dext Solo.