Tidyflow FAQ

Can I use Tidyflow if I’m not an accounting firm?

Yes. Tidyflow is built for accounting firms, but any business that runs repeat work for clients and collects documents and answers from them can use it. Permit expediters, consultants, and other professional services firms can use the same Jobs, client requests, client portal, documents, e-signatures, proposals, and billing.

A few parts of Tidyflow are specific to accounting, and you can ignore or replace them:

• Starter services and Job templates are accounting work such as bookkeeping and tax returns. Edit or remove services in Settings > Services, and build Job templates for your own work. See Services overview and Job templates.
• Tax organizers are one type of client request. For other work, build your own form or document checklist. See Send a client questionnaire or tax organizer and How to collect files from clients.
• QuickBooks Online and Xero are optional. You can add clients manually or import them from a CSV file.

The client portal shows your firm’s logo and name. See Add your logo and customize the client portal.

Does Tidyflow replace my accounting or tax software?

No. Tidyflow is not an accounting, bookkeeping, or tax preparation system. Tidyflow runs the work around those systems: Jobs and deadlines, client requests and documents, email, proposals, and billing. Your firm keeps preparing books and returns in its existing software, and Tidyflow can connect to QuickBooks Online and Xero.

How secure is Tidyflow? SOC 2, WISP, and data protection

Tidyflow has not yet completed a SOC 2 audit, so there is no SOC 2 report to share. SOC 2 is on the roadmap. Tidyflow has passed other independent reviews, and it covers the parts of a written information security plan (WISP) that involve your software provider. Your firm still writes and keeps its own WISP.

• Independent reviews: a CASA Tier 2 assessment for Google, and the security reviews Xero and Intuit carried out for those integrations.
• Hosting: U.S. data centres on DigitalOcean and Amazon Web Services, which both undergo SOC 2 audits, with encrypted backups.
• Encryption: TLS in transit and AES-256 at rest.
• Multi-factor authentication: every team member can turn on two-factor authentication. On the Pro plan, owners and admins can require it for the whole team, and firms can require a second sign-in step for clients. See Signing in and account security.
• Access controls: each firm’s workspace is separate, and roles and permissions limit what each team member can see.
• Activity records: on the Pro plan, owners can review the team activity log. File access, e-signature audit trails, Job activity, and client record changes are also recorded.
• Data disposal: delete clients and files at any time. After a subscription ends, data is deleted after 90 days, or within 30 days on request.
• Contract terms and providers: the Data Processing Addendum commits Tidyflow to security safeguards and to notifying you within 72 hours of a confirmed breach affecting your data. The Sub-processors page lists the providers Tidyflow uses.

For the full details, see the Security page.

Do my clients pay to use the client portal?

No. Clients and their contacts do not count toward your subscription, and there is no extra cost for giving contacts client portal access. You are only billed for team members you add. See Pricing plans and limits and the pricing page.

Can clients use Tidyflow in Spanish or another language?

No. The client portal and the emails Tidyflow sends to clients, such as reminders and signature requests, are in English, and a client or contact has no language setting.

Anything your team writes appears as written, so client request questions and emails from your inbox can be in any language. Tidyflow Agent never contacts your clients, but it can draft an email in the language you ask for, ready for your team to review and send.

Which countries does Tidyflow support?

Tidyflow works for firms anywhere. The United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have country-specific client fields, business lookups, and starter templates. Workspaces in other countries get general templates with currency and timezone defaults. See Which regions does Tidyflow support?

Can I get a demo or talk to the Tidyflow team?

Yes. You can book a 30-minute call with the team on the demo page. Add your name, work email, and firm details, then pick a time. Times are shown in your timezone.

• Before a trial: the demo page also has a 5-minute overview, and you can start a free trial without a call.
• During a trial: in the firm app, open Help & Support and choose Book a getting started call.
• If no time works: email support@tidyflow.com and the team will find one.