Managing Clients in CPA Buddy

Your client directory is the central place to manage everyone your firm works with. From here you can track contact details, link engagements, manage documents, and keep a complete history of communication.

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The Client List

Open the client directory by clicking Clients in the sidebar.

The list shows every client’s name, type, status, email, and phone number. Click the expand arrow on any row to reveal additional details like address, country, and tax identifier without leaving the page.

Clients are split into two tabs:

• Active — clients you’re currently working with (shown by default)
• Inactive — clients you’ve deactivated but want to keep on file

The number next to each tab tells you how many clients are in that group.

Searching and filtering

Use the search bar at the top to find clients by name, email, phone, or tax identifier. Results update as you type.

You can also narrow the list with two dropdown filters:

Filter	What it does
Client type	Show only Individuals or only Organizations
Engagements	Show clients with active engagements, or those without any

Filters and search work together — for example, you could search for “Smith” while filtering to show only Organizations with engagements.

The count on the right (e.g. “12 clients”) always reflects your current search and filter combination.

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Adding a New Client

Click the Add Client button at the top of the page to open the client form.

Three fields are required:

• Display Name — the name that appears throughout the app
• Client Type — Individual or Organization
• Country — Canada, USA, UK, or Australia

You can also fill in email, phone, and address. For tax details and notes, expand the Additional Details section at the bottom of the form.

When you’re done, click Create Client. The new client appears in your list right away.

Tip: You can also create clients on the fly when setting up a new engagement.

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The Client Detail Page

Click any client in the list to open their detail page.

At the top you’ll see a summary bar with the client’s status, type, email, phone, country, how long they’ve been a client, and their number of contacts.

The rest of the page is organized into five tabs:

Engagements

Shows all work linked to this client, grouped into Active and Past sections. Each engagement displays its title, status, due date, and estimated hours. You can create a new engagement directly from this tab or change an existing engagement’s status.

Workflows

Shows automated workflows assigned to this client. Each workflow displays its template name, completion progress, current step, and key dates. You can assign new workflows and filter by status (Active, Completed, Terminated).

Documents

All files associated with this client in one place. You can upload, preview, download, rename, and delete documents. This tab also shows Document Requests — when you’ve asked a client to submit specific files, you can track the status of each request here.

To request documents, click Request Documents in the top bar of the detail page.

Emails

A history of emails linked to this client, matched automatically by email address. Click any email to open it in the Firm Inbox. You can also compose a new email to the client directly from this tab.

Contacts

People associated with this client — for example, a company’s CEO, accountant, or office manager. You can add multiple contacts and mark one as the Primary Contact, which is highlighted with a blue badge.

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Editing and Deactivating Clients

To edit a client, you have two options:

• From the list: hover over a client row and click the pencil icon
• From the detail page: click the Edit button in the top-right corner

Both open the same form. Make your changes and click Update Client.

Deactivating a client

Open the edit form, expand Additional Details, and uncheck the Active Client checkbox. The client moves to the Inactive tab. To reactivate, find the client in the Inactive tab, edit them, and check the box again.

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Managing Contacts

Each client can have multiple contacts. To add one, open the client’s detail page, go to the Contacts tab, and click Add Contact.

The only required field is Full Name. You can also add an email, phone, role (e.g. “CFO”), and notes.

Primary Contact: One contact per client can be marked as primary. If you try to set a second primary contact, you’ll be asked to remove the designation from the current one first.

To delete a contact, click the delete icon on their row. You’ll be asked to confirm before it’s removed permanently.

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Common Questions

Why can’t I find a client I know exists? Check a few things: make sure your search field is clear, your filters are reset to “All Types” and “All Clients”, and try switching between the Active and Inactive tabs.

I see “Start Building Your Client Base” instead of a list. This means your firm hasn’t added any clients yet. Click Add Your First Client to get started.

The form won’t let me save — what am I missing? Make sure all three required fields are filled in: Display Name, Client Type, and Country.

I can’t mark a contact as primary. Only one contact per client can be primary. You’ll see a message telling you who currently holds that designation. Update the existing primary contact first.

Can I permanently delete a client? No. You can deactivate a client to move them to the Inactive tab, but client records are retained for audit and history purposes.

How does email matching work? When your firm receives an email, the system checks the sender’s address against client email addresses. If there’s a match, the email appears in that client’s Emails tab automatically.