NetClient CS Setup & Use

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NetClient CS

Setup & Use

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Overview

This document covers the setup of NetClient CS portals and the basics of

administering them. The focus of this document is on the key modules of

NetClient CS portals that Rootworks uses and how we use them.

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NetClient CS Module Overview

NetClient CS portals are personalized online client access solutions that give your customers the ability to access their deliverables, transfer files to your firm and launch hosted solutions such as QuickBooks. They are provided by Thomson Reuters and integrate with their suite of software which includes Practice CS, UltraTax CS, FileCabinet CS and Accounting CS.

NetClient CS has numerous modules that can be enabled on a user-by-user basis. Per Thomson’s help the modules are as follows:

Account Aggregation - Enables your clients and staff members to view personal finance information through their portals.

Document Presentation - Is available free of charge and allows you to provide clients with secure, static PDF files of documents such as tax returns, financial statements, and payroll reports. In addition, you can give your staff access to specific clients’ Document Presentation files through NetStaff CS.

File Exchange - Is available free of charge and enables you to exchange files with your clients in a secure environment.

Links - Is available free of charge and enables you to provide clients with links to useful websites. NetClient CS users can add links of their choosing to the Links module.

News - Is free of charge and is useful for communicating company news.

Remote Authorization - With the appropriate product licenses, enables your firm to enter and upload payables for a client. The client then reviews and authorizes payables, which your firm can import and merge with its own selections.

Remote Check Printing - With the appropriate product licenses, enables your firm to prepare payroll and vendor checks and transmit a PDF file of check images for a client to print.

Remote Payroll Entry with Payroll CS - After you export a payroll worksheet from Payroll CS to NetClient CS, enables a payroll administrator at the client site to enter time for employees.

Remote Payroll Entry with Accounting CS or Service Bureau Payroll CS - After you export timesheet information from Accounting CS or Service Bureau Payroll CS to NetClient CS, enables a payroll administrator at the client site to enter time for employees.

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Virtual Client Office - Provides your clients with remote access to hosted CBS, FileCabinet CS, and Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Virtual Client Office, powered by Right Networks - Enables you to provide your clients and staff with remote access to QuickBooks, SmartVault, and Microsoft Office applications.

Employee Self Service - Enables your clients’ employees to view their check stubs, W-2s, and W-4 information. You can also enable clients’ employees to enter their own time through Employee Self Service.

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NetClient CS Setup

This section covers the Rootworks recommended process for portal setup which is to set them up directly in NetClient CS.

Rootworks recommends creating a separate NetClient CS portal for any contact that you plan to do work for. This ensures that each contact only has access to the appropriate documents.

Important New Client Considerations

• When you take on a new client determine who the primary contact person will be with the new client and setup a NetClient CS portal for that person.

• If both the taxpayer and spouse, or multiple people at the same company want access to information, then you should setup separate NetClient CS portals when setting up the client. • As a part of the new client setup process, once you’ve added the client to Practice CS and setup

a NetClient CS portal you should also set the client up in UltraTax CS even though you may not be doing a 1040 or corporate return until the following year. By setting up a client in UltraTax CS in the current year the client will proforma to the following year.

Setup Steps

1. Log into NetStaff CS as a firm administrator.

2. Click the Admin button to access the Administration area of the portal.

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4. Click Add and select Single user – manual notification:

5. Enter the user’s information. The password will disappear once the user has been saved. Rootworks uses the client’s email address as the Login and password1 as the password. The client is instructed to change their password once they login.

Using the manual notification option allows you to control the content of the message that is sent to your client as well as when it is sent. Using automatic notification can

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How Rootworks Uses NetClient CS

Rootworks uses the Document Presentation and FileExchange modules within NetClient CS. This section will explain the setup of those modules.

Document Presentation

Documents that have been transmitted to NetClient CS from FileCabinet CS can be shared with clients via Document Presentation. Rootworks uses the method of transmitting the return to NetClient CS from FileCabinet CS because it allows for more control over the folder structure and presentation of

documents as seen by the client. Below are steps for activating Document Presentation on a portal and setting up the associated permissions.

1. While logged into NetClient CS as an Administrator with a User selected, click the Enable button for Document Presentation.

2. In the Drawers window, select the client drawer or drawers that the user should have access to. Documents must be transmitted from FileCabinet CS at least once before a user may be given access to the drawer.

3. By default, a user will have access to all folders in a client’s drawer. If the user should only have specific access to certain folders in the client’s drawer, only select specific folders in the Folders

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4. When the client logs into their portal, they will see a folder with their name or business name on their dashboard which contains documents pushed to Document Presentation from their client drawer(s) in FileCabinet CS.

5. When new documents have been uploaded the client will see a notification of the number of new documents.

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7. As a staff person, you can view the client’s portal by clicking View Portal.

File Exchange

Rootworks uses File Exchange to collect source documents and other information from the clients. A simple way to allow clients to upload files is to create a personal folder that is shared among many clients. While the folder itself is shared, meaning that you do not have to create a file folder for every single client, clients can only see what they have uploaded. Below are steps on how to create a personal folder.

Enable File Exchange

1. Select the appropriate NetClient CS user and click Enable for File Exchange.

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4. To be notified when a client uploads a file, click Notification in the Utilities section.

5. Select NetStaff CS. Mark Send notifications for NetClient CS user uploads only, then select the staff person that should be notified via email whenever a client uploads a file.

6. When a client with File Exchange access logs into their portal, they will see a File Exchange link.

Now that you have enabled File Exchange, you need to give NetStaff CS users access to the personal folders of the clients. This way staff can retrieve the documents the clients upload.

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Update NetStaff CS User Access

1. Under the NetStaff CS User, click Enable for Administration.

2. Select NetClient CS.

3. Click Enable for File Exchange. You must give the staff person access to at least one folder.

4. Once the client has uploaded a file, the staff person will be notified via email:

5. To download the uploaded file, the staff person logs in and clicks File Exchange.

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Employee Self Service/Web Employee

Rootworks uses Employee Self Service to post check stubs and W2s for clients’ employees. Employee Self Service is the term from Accounting CS Payroll (ACS) and Web Employee is the term used from Payroll CS (CSA).

Linking Employee Self Service/Web Employee to a NetClient portal

See our video on this process in the video library.

1. Login as a portal administrator. 2. Click Admin in the upper left.

3. Select Users under the Web Employee/ESS section.

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6. Mark the checkbox next to the corresponding NetClient portal user you wish to link to.

7. Click Enter.

Employee Self Service Setup Using Accounting CS Payroll

The setup and use of Employee Self Service is easy and streamlined using Accounting CS Payroll. 1. Click on Setup > Clients in Accounting CS.

2. Click on the Payroll Information tab.

Rootworks uses only Accounting CS Payroll.

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3. Click on the Payroll Taxes tab and change the W2 Filing Method for the Employee Copy to Employee Self Service.

4. Next make sure all employees have email addresses in.

5. Each employee will receive an activation email which we recommend modifying in NetClient CS Administration. Below is an example of Rootworks email:

6. Every check printed will auto post to the Employee Portal. You do nothing to make it happen. Also, the same will happen with the W2’s.

Employee Self Service Portal – Employees View

When an employee logs into their web employee portal (which they do through the Rootworks.com

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My Check Stubs

My W2s

The first time the employee access the My W2s screen, they will need to agree to receive an electronic copy of their W2. After they agree, they will see a PDF of the W2.

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Sending a File in Practice CS via a Temporary Portal

This covers the steps to create a temporary NetClient CS Portal and send a file to a contact within Practice CS. This is a useful option for sending information to bankers, lawyers, or other outside parties who do not need a permanent portal. There is no maintenance to delete a temporary portal as it stays up for only 30 days from the date of creation of the portal.

1. Go to Actions > Manage Clients. 2. Click on the File Transfers tab.

3. Right-click and choose Send Files to Contact.

4. In the TO: field find the contact you are sending a file to, then enter a subject and body.

a. If the contact does not exist, right-click and add it. To add a contact, right-click and choose Add Contact. Below are the minimum items needed on the contact.

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5. On the right side of the screen click on Add Files.

Note: If you are adding a file that is from FileCabinet CS, you will need to Print the document to File and save to your Desktop or a folder to pull the file from.

6. Browse to the file(s) you plan to send to the contact.

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8. Click Send at the top left.

9. Practice CS will prompt you to choose a portal option. Select Add a temporary portal for NetClient CS.

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APPENDIX: Template Modifications

This sections contains screenshots of all of the templates in NetClient CS that we recommend modifying to reference the appropriate wording based on how your clients and their employees access the portals. You can access the templates under Utilities > Notification > Templates.

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