Adding clients to your practice is where the real benefits of Apron begin. Here's how to get your clients set up and ready to use the platform.
Before adding clients
Gather client information - Business name and trading name, Companies House number (if applicable), main contact details for the business owner, and preferred communication method.
Plan your approach - Decide which clients to onboard first. Think about which team members will work with each client, and consider starting with clients most likely to adopt quickly.
How to add clients
Navigate to the Clients tab under your Practice Hub and click + Add client in the top-right corner.
Input the client's company name and choose which Practice members will work with this client.
Choose if you want to connect the client to Xero or QuickBooks, or continue without accounting software.
Input the email address of the business owner (i.e. the primary point of contact who will oversee the account from the client's side).
Optionally, add your client's company details to get a head start on their account setup. Company details are needed to activate Payments and Apron Card - by filling them in now, your client won't need to do it themselves. You can also click Add later and complete this step at any time.
The client will receive an email invitation to join Apron and complete the onboarding process. You can resend the invitation at any time from Settings > Company Settings > Members by clicking Resend invite.
For details on the Owner role, invitation process, and what happens during activation, see Invite the business owner.
Important setup notes
Company verification - Verification of company details is only needed to activate Payments. If your client will only be using Bookkeeping, company details aren't required - but we encourage you to add them as soon as possible so the account is ready to go if they do want to make payments.
Account limitations - Each company can only have one active account in Apron.
Note: If your client already has an account but isn't showing in your Practice, they can add you as their accountant. Ask one of their Admins to go to Settings > Company Settings > Members, select +Add member, input your email address, and tick This person is an external Accountant/Bookkeeper. Their company will then appear in your Clients list.
What happens after adding clients
Automatic plan assignment - When you add new clients:
They're automatically added to your Practice (Capture) plan, always paid for by your practice.
They're assigned the free Go plan by default. This plan is charged separately, on a client level. It only becomes billable if your client uses payment features and exceeds the plan's limits.
By default, company plans are paid for by the client directly, but you can choose to cover these costs.
Managing client accounts
Head to the Clients section under your Practice Hub to see all your clients at a glance. At the top of the screen, you'll find an overview of pending tasks across all clients, such as pending payments and approval requests.
For each client, you'll see:
Documents in their Inbox
Unreconciled transactions
Bills to pay
You can sort the client list by any of these metrics or use the search bar to find a specific client by name.
To access a client's account, click on their name. From there, you can view their full Apron account and access their Settings.
When viewing a specific client's account, use the client selector at the top of your dashboard to quickly switch between clients.
Removing clients from your practice
When you might need to remove clients - Client no longer requires your services, client is moving to a different practice, or the client wants to use Apron as a standalone account.
How to remove clients - You need to hold a Practice Hub Admin role in order to remove clients from your practice.
Navigate to the Clients section of your Practice Hub.
Click on the three dots next to the company you'd like to remove.
Select Remove client and confirm your choice.
What happens when you remove a client - The client is disconnected from your practice, and all Practice Hub members are removed from the client's account.
After removal - The client can continue using Apron without a practice or connect to a new one. They retain access to their account and data.
Re-adding removed clients
If you remove a client from your practice, you can't add them back directly from the Clients section. Your client can re-invite your practice by following the steps in Invite company team members.
Troubleshooting removal issues
If you see an error when trying to remove a client, here are possible solutions:
No Admin assigned - The client company needs at least one Admin before you can remove them. First, assign an Admin role to someone in the client's account, then try removing the client again.
Publishing restrictions enabled - Publishing restrictions might be turned on for the company. To resolve this:
Go to Settings > Company settings > Advanced bookkeeping
Disable the Restrict company members option under Publishing preferences
Try removing the client again