Here's how to get a new client fully set up in DarkLion — from creating their record to getting them into the portal.

Step 1 — Create a Relationship

  1. Go to CRM in the left sidebar.
  2. On the Relationships tab, click + New Relationship.
  3. Enter the household name (e.g., "The Smith Family"), service tier, and billing status.
  4. Click Save.

Step 2 — Add People

  1. Click into the Relationship you just created.
  2. On the People tab, click + Add Person.
  3. Fill in: first name, last name, email, phone, filing status, date of birth.
  4. If married filing jointly, set filing status to MFJ — you'll be able to link a spouse after adding them.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Repeat for a spouse if applicable, then link them together on the person's edit modal.

Step 3 — Add Companies (if applicable)

  1. On the Companies tab of the CRM, click + New Company.
  2. Enter the company name, entity type (S-Corp, LLC, etc.), and assign to the correct Relationship.
  3. Set bookkeeping service type: Firm Manages (you do their books) or Client Prepared (they do their own books).
  4. Click Save. Portal access is auto-granted to People in the same Relationship.

Step 4 — Invite the Client to Their Portal

  1. Open the Person record in the CRM.
  2. On the Overview tab, click Send Portal Invite.
  3. An email goes to the client with a link to set their password and access their portal.
  4. Once they accept, their portal is live — they'll see their documents, companies, and messaging.
💡
You don't have to invite clients to the portal right away. You can use DarkLion for internal tracking first and invite them when you're ready to share documents.

What's Next

With your first client set up, you can: