How do client accounts work?

As a client, you can always pay invoices, view and print invoices, estimates and proposals with the link provided, without needing to sign up for an account. 

A free client account is useful for primary clients, where you can save, view, and comment on your invoices, estimates and proposals, as well as collaborate on any projects you've been invited to. You can also use your client account to save your payment information safely, making it easy to pay future invoices. If you work with other people who also need access, you can invite them to your client account as employees.

If you create your own invoice, estimate, project, convert a received invoice into an expense, or add a new business, your account will upgrade to a full FreshBooks account instead.

 

Access Your Client Account

New Clients

If you haven't created a client account yet (for primary clients only), you can start with these steps: 

  1. Open the invoice, estimate, or proposal that you received from any of the email addresses listed, and view it online
  2. In a web browser, select Create an account to view all invoices / estimates / proposals from [Business]
    Create an account link above an invoice.
  3. In the pop-up, add a Password in the Create a Password field
    Client account creation pop-up with field to enter password.
    1. If the pop-up says Enter Password, you have an existing client account that you can log into instead, select Forgot Your Password? to reset it if you don't remember it
  4. Select Create an Account and then you'll be taken to your newly created client account.

If you received an email inviting you to a project instead, select the button inside the email. You'll then be asked to create a password and fill out a little bit of information about yourself. Your client account will then be created.

 

Existing Clients

To log into your client account, use either option below: 

  • In a web browser, go to my.freshbooks.com and log in with your Email and Password
  • In a web browser, open any existing invoice/estimate/proposal and select the Log in to view all invoices / estimates / proposals from [Business], then in the pop-up, enter your Email and Password
    Log in to view link above an invoice.

 

Note: If you're looking to close your client account, you'll need to create an invoice, estimate, or project first. This will convert your client account into a regular FreshBooks account. From there, you can cancel the account. Keep in mind that you'll lose access to all your saved invoices, estimates, proposals, and project discussions once you cancel. After your account is cancelled, you can still access any invoice, estimate, and proposal with the email link you were sent.

 

Actions on Invoices, Estimates, and Proposals

While viewing an invoice, estimate, or proposal, you can select either: 

  • Print - Print the invoice, estimate or proposal for physical use
  • Download PDF - Download the invoice, estimate, or proposal as a PDF file
    • To download any files attached, select the Download link under the Attachments section instead

You can also send comments to the business on the invoice, estimate, or proposal with the below steps:

  1. Open the invoice, estimate, or proposal
  2. Select the text bubble button at the top of the invoice, estimate, or proposal
    Button to comment on an invoice.
  3. Type in your comment
    History of invoice with field to add a comment to.
  4. Then when you're done, press the Send button. The business who sent you the invoice/estimate/proposal will receive an email with your comment automatically.


Notes:

  • You don't need to create a client account to view an invoice, estimate, or proposal, to print or save as a PDF as long as you have the email link
  • To download multiple invoices, estimates, or proposals as PDFs, in the Invoices or Estimates section, check off the box(es) next to the invoices or estimates, select Bulk Actions, then select Download PDF to download individual PDF files

Payments

Pay Outstanding Invoices in Bulk

With your client account, you can pay multiple outstanding invoices at once with your payment information using the below steps:

  1. On any invoice you’ve received by email, select the x other outstanding invoices link at the top
    Other outstanding invoices link above invoice.
  2. If you have an existing client account, enter your password and select Log In
  3. Or, if you have not created a client account yet, add a password and select Get Started
  4. In your client account, select the Pay Outstanding Invoices at the top of the list of your invoices in the Invoices section
    Pay outstanding invoices link above list of invoices.
  5. Continue paying using the steps provided in As a client, how do I pay an invoice with online payments?, and all your selected outstanding invoices will be paid simultaneously.

 

Save and Manage Payment Information

You can use your client account to save any credit cards and bank transfer details for re-use on any new invoice that comes in. Once the payment details are saved, you can re-use it anytime you pay another invoice. You'll be prompted to log into your client account first in order to use the saved information to pay the invoice.

 

Projects

A client account allows you to collaborate with others on any project you've been invited to. You can access this by selecting the Project section in your account to view the discuss area anytime.
Discuss section of a project.
You can share the following inside a project:

  • Comments
  • Files (images, gifs, PDFs, documents, spreadsheets)
  • Links

The size limit for files is 50 MB per file.

 

Team Members

If you work with other people who also need access to your received invoices and estimates/proposals only, you can also invite them as an employee into your client account. Use the below steps: 

  1. In your client account, select My Team
  2. Select the Invite... button and select Employee
    My Team section with invite button.
  3. Enter the email address in the To: field, and add a personal message if needed
  4. Select Send Invitation. Your contact will receive an email with instructions to set up a login with your client account.

 

FAQs

Why can't I open and view an invoice, estimate, or proposal I received from a business?

If you're having trouble opening an invoice, estimate, or proposal you've received from a business, below are some common issues:

  • Incompatible or Outdated Browsers - You may be using an outdated or unsupported browser, review Which web browsers can I use with FreshBooks? to confirm your browser version
  • Old sessions on Web Browser - You may need to clear your browser's cache and cookies first
  • Deleted Invoice, Estimate, or Proposal - If opening the invoice, estimate, or proposal results in a "[Invoice/Estimate/Proposal] is no longer available" message, the invoice, estimate, or proposal may be deleted, reach out to the business that emailed you directly
  • Email Issues - If the email you received from the business keeps getting rejected or going to your spam folder in your email inbox, mark the emails as safe and add these email addresses as safe senders 
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