Accountant Tools

A dedicated workspace built for CPAs and bookkeepers who serve multiple clients from a single desktop.

Note: Remote Client Access is available with an Accountant Pro or Accountant Enterprise license. The remaining accountant features are included in Professional tier and higher.

Client Access - Connect to Client Books

Accountant Pro and Accountant Enterprise license holders can reach into a client's Kantivo installation over a private, encrypted tunnel. There is no need to exchange database backups or share login credentials -- an invitation-based system paired with Tailscale VPN handles the entire connection securely.

Prerequisites: Tailscale VPN (Free)

The connection layer relies on Tailscale, a zero-configuration VPN that is free for personal use. Both you and your client must have it installed.

Complete Setup: For Clients (Business Owners)

Step 1: Install Tailscale

1. Grab the installer from tailscale.com/download
2. Run it and authenticate with your Google, Microsoft, or email account
3. Confirm you see the green "Connected" indicator

Step 2: Generate a Kantivo Invitation

1. Launch Kantivo and navigate to Settings → Accountant Access
2. Type in your accountant's email address and choose a permission level (Read-Only or Full)
3. Press Create Invitation
4. An email containing your Tailscale IP and a one-time Invitation Code is sent to the accountant automatically

Step 3: Share Your Machine on Tailscale

1. Visit login.tailscale.com/admin/machines
2. Find your computer in the device list and click on it
3. Press Share, then type in your accountant's email
4. Tailscale sends them a separate share-acceptance email

Complete Setup: For Accountants

Step 1: Install Tailscale

1. Download from tailscale.com/download
2. Authenticate using the same email address your clients will share with
3. Wait until the status shows green and connected

Step 2: Accept the Client's Tailscale Share

1. Look for the Tailscale share invitation in your inbox
2. Click the acceptance link in the email
3. Alternatively, open the Tailscale admin panel → navigate to "Shared with you" → Accept

Step 3: Redeem the Kantivo Invitation

1. Open the Kantivo invitation email and note the Tailscale IP and Invitation Code
2. In your own Kantivo, go to Settings → Accountant Access
3. Scroll to Accept Client Invitation
4. Paste the client's Tailscale IP into the first field
5. Paste the Invitation Code into the second field
6. Press Accept Invitation

Step 4: Open Client Books

1. Open the Company Selector dropdown in the header bar
2. Your own companies appear alongside client companies, which are labeled with a "CLIENT" badge
3. Select any client company to load their data
4. A banner confirms you are currently working inside a client's books
5. Press Return to My Books whenever you want to switch back to your own data

Managing Access

Clients can:

• Review outstanding invitations that have not yet been redeemed
• See a list of every accountant who currently holds access
• Revoke Kantivo access for any accountant instantly
• Remove device shares from the Tailscale admin console

Accountants can:

• Browse a unified list of all connected clients
• Jump into any client's books with a single click
• Sever a client connection when the engagement wraps up

Troubleshooting

Unable to reach a client?

• Make sure Tailscale is running and showing a connected status on both machines
• Confirm the client has accepted the Tailscale share invitation
• Verify the client's computer is powered on and Kantivo is actively running
• Attempt to ping the client's Tailscale IP (addresses begin with 100.x.x.x) to rule out network issues

Invitation code rejected?

• Invitation codes are valid for 30 days; the client can generate a fresh one if the window has passed
• Double-check for copy-paste errors (codes are not case-sensitive)

Client Dashboard

The Client Dashboard provides a panoramic view of every company you manage:

• All client companies displayed in a compact grid
• Status badges that flag which books are current and which need work
• Direct links to open any company without navigating through menus
• Filtering options by status, industry, or date of last activity

Multi-Company Management

Transitioning between client entities is designed to be frictionless:

1. Open the company selector in the top header area
2. Pick the entity you want to work on
3. Every screen, report, and data view immediately reflects that company's records
4. Kantivo remembers your display preferences for each company separately

Batch Operations

Execute common tasks against several companies at once to save time:

• Batch Close Period: Finalize month-end across multiple entities in a single pass
• Batch Reports: Queue up report generation for your entire client list simultaneously
• Batch Backup: Export data files for every company in one operation

Client Notes & Tasks

Organize observations and to-do items on a per-client basis:

Notes

• Attach free-form notes to any company
• Notes are private to accountant-level users and are not visible to business owners
• Full-text search spans every note across all clients

Tasks

• Create action items with specific due dates
• Link tasks to individual companies or leave them as general reminders
• Assign priority levels to stay focused on what matters most
• Check off items as you complete them

Consolidated Reports

Produce unified financial statements that span multiple companies, including consolidated income statements, balance sheets, combined trial balances, comparative profit and loss views, and a client summary dashboard.

→ Read the full Consolidated Reports guide