RootWorks Recommended Setup and Use of NetClient CS Portals
This document covers what NetClient CS portals are, why you should use them and the basics of administering
them. The focus of the document is on the key modules of NetClient CS portals that RootWorks uses and how
we use them.
What are NetClient CS Portals?
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.
Why use NetClient CS Portals?
RootWorks recommends using NetClient CS portals for the following reasons.
1. Helps your firm shift towards a truly paperless workflow.
2. Easy to deliver documents directly from FileCabinet CS.
3. Integrates with Employee Portals, giving the client one portal with all information.
4. Easy Implementation.
Table of Contents
NetClient CS Module Overview ......................................................................................................................... 2
NetClient CS Setup ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Pros and Cons ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
NetClient CS User ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Items to Remember....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Setup Steps ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
How RootWorks Uses NetClient CS ................................................................................................................. 6
Document Presentation ................................................................................................................................................ 6
File Exchange .................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Web Employee/Employee Self Service ......................................................................................................... 12
Web Employee Portal Setup Using Payroll CS:....................................................................................................14
Registering and Activating the Web Employee portal - Payroll CS..............................................................16
Transmitting W2s to the portals – Payroll CS .....................................................................................................18
Web Employee Portal – Employees View – Payroll CS .....................................................................................18
My Check Stubs ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19
My Earnings (CSA only)............................................................................................................................................................. 19
My W2s............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Employee Self Service Setup Using Accounting CS Payroll .............................................................................20
RootWorks Recommended Setup and Use of NetClient CS Portals
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NetClient CS Module Overview
NetClient CS has numerous modules that can be enabled on a user-by-user basis. Per Thomson’s help the
modules are as follows:
1. Account Aggregation - Enables your clients and staff members to view personal finance information
through their portals.
2. 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.
3. File Exchange - Is available free of charge and enables you to exchange files with your clients in a secure
environment.
4. 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.
5. News - Is free of charge and is useful for communicating company news.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Stock Quotes - Is free of charge and gives your clients and staff access to continually updated information
on stock market indexes or individual stocks of their choosing.
11. Virtual Client Office - Provides your clients with remote access to hosted CBS, FileCabinet CS, and
Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
12. 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.
13. Web Employee - 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 Web Employee.
NOTE: RootWorks generally uses the following modules: Document Presentation, File Exchange and Web
Employee which will be discussed in detail.
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NetClient CS Setup
There are multiple ways to setup a NetClient CS portal. This section covers the pros / cons of the two different
methods for setup and explains RootWorks recommended process for portal setup.
Pros and Cons
There are two options for setting up a NetClient CS portal for a client.
1. Set the user up directly in NetClient CS.
2. Transmit a 1040 tax return or 1040 client organizer from UltraTax CS to NetClient CS, which sets the
user up automatically.
Set the user up directly in NetClient CS
Pros
 You can tie the portal login to a single contact.
 Having a single portal process means you only
have to train staff on one portal process to
administer.
 You can edit all of the user’s login information.
 You can use the spouse’s email address for the
login when necessary.
Transmit a 1040 from UltraTax CS
Pros
 Multiple tax returns and organizers can be
sent from UltraTax at once, which creates
multiple NetClient portals at once.
Cons

Cons

There is an extra step when setting up a client
to get the client portal setup at the same time
as opposed to allowing UltraTax to setup the
portal when the return is initially pushed from
UltraTax.



You cannot edit the user’s Login, Name, or
Email address, instead, an automatic
registration email is sent to the client to
create their own login information.
Your administrative staff will have to
understand and administer more than one
type of portal creation process.
Lack control of timing of portal creation (it
gets created only if you push an organizer or
tax return)
May cause more work if you ever switch to the
option of setting up portals directly in
NetClient
RootWorks recommends setting all new portals up in NetClient CS directly, as opposed to setting them up via
UltraTax. As noted in the table above, if the portal is set up in NetClient CS, there is more flexibility in editing
the user’s login credentials when necessary.
RootWorks Recommended Setup and Use of NetClient CS Portals
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NetClient CS User
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. The following section covers
items to keep in mind and steps for setting up a NetClient CS User.
Items to Remember
 When you take on a new client determine who the primary contact person will be with the new client
and setup a NetClient portal for that person.
o If both the taxpayer and spouse, or multiple people at the same company want access to
information, then you should setup a separate NetClient portal 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 portal you should also set the client up in UltraTax even though you may not be doing a 1040
or corporate return until the following year. By setting up a client in UltraTax 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.
3. Ensure that Users is selected under the NetClient CS section.
4. Click Add and select Single user – manual notification:
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NOTE: 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 result in a client logging in before
data has been uploaded to the portal.
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.
After the user has been saved, the available modules will appear. All will be disabled by default.
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How RootWorks Uses NetClient CS
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. Click the wrench icon to the left of Enable to access the settings for Document Presentation.
3. 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.
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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.
4. When the client logs into their portal, they will see a Document Presentation link on their dashboard
which contains documents pushed to Document Presentation from their client drawer(s) in FileCabinet
CS.
5. To notify a client, or staff person, when new documents are uploaded to Document Presentation, log in
as an administrator, and under the Utilities section, click Notification.
Note: RootWorks does not use auto notification due to the generic nature of the notification content.
6. Ensure that Document Presentation is selected, then select the users that you want to notify from the
NetClient CS list.
7. Whenever new documents are uploaded, the client will receive a notification email:
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8. If the client logs into the portal, it will alert them if new documents have been uploaded.
9. The folder(s) containing new documents and the new documents themselves will be flagged.
10. 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 don’t 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.
NOTE: Staff who have access to NetClient CS administration and have File Exchange enabled, can access all
Personal folders.
1. Select the appropriate NetClient CS user and enable File Exchange.
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2. Add a new Personal Folder or give the user access to a previously created folder. If you do NOT make
the folder Permanent, its contents will automatically be deleted after 14 days.
3. Click Create. Give the NetClient user access to the folder.
4. To be notified when a client uploads a file, go to Utilities and Notification.
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. In order for a NetStaff CS user to access Personal folders:
a. They must be NetClient CS administrators.
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b. They must have File Exchange enabled. To enable File Exchange, you must give the staff
person access to at least one folder.
7. When a client with File Exchange access logs into their portal, they will see a File Exchange link.
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8. Once the client has uploaded a file, the staff person will be notified via email:
9. To download the uploaded file, the staff person logs in and clicks File Exchange.
Note: To access personal folders the Staff must have Admin Access.
10. They must select the client’s username from the File Exchange View list at the top in order to locate
files uploaded by that client.
NOTE: Thomson provides three different options for File Exchange. Please refer to Thomson’s online help for
additional details.
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Web Employee/Employee Self Service
RootWorks uses Web Employee to post check stubs and W2s for clients’ employees. Web Employee is the
term used from Payroll CS (CSA) and Employee Self Service is the term from Accounting CS Payroll (ACS).
Linking Web Employee to a NetClient portal
Also 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 section.
4. Select the Web Employee User from the list.
5. Click Enable next to Linking:
6. Mark the checkbox next to the corresponding NetClient portal user you wish to link to.
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7. Click Enter.
As of the 1st quarter 2013 RootWorks uses only Accounting CS Payroll. If you are using Accounting CS Payroll
you can integrate the Web Employee portal with the NetClient portal. See “Setting Up the Web Employee
Portal Using ACS Payroll” below for instructions on integrating the Web Employee portal with NetClient CS.
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Web Employee Portal Setup Using Payroll CS:
The following steps walk through RootWorks process of using Web Employee. Web Employee requires that the
person login to activate their portal. RootWorks staff prefers to do this process themselves for the following
reason:
 They ensure that the portal is activated (instead of relying on the client or their employee to do it).
Enter employees, verify global password, and transmit checks
1. Set the employees up. In Payroll CS, RootWorks uses the first three letters of the employee’s last name
and the last four digits of their SSN as the employee ID.
2. Under Utilities > Web Employee Utilities, choose Password Setup. Verify your global password
setting. RootWorks uses the employee’s SSN as the initial password. Note that you can use the Client
tab to specify an initial password. However, RootWorks prefers to leave SSN as the Global default and
change the password for the client once the Web Employee portal has been created (see below).
The employee’s portal is created once information is transmitted to the portal. RootWorks transmits
check stubs to the portal every pay period, so a new employee’s portal is created once their first check
stub is pushed to the portal.
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3. To prepare the check information to be transmitted up to the portal, click Check Printing. Choose
Payroll Checks and mark Queue payroll checks for Web Employee.
4. Open CS Connect and mark Transmit check information. Click Call Now.
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Registering and Activating the Web Employee portal - Payroll CS
Unlike NetClient portals (and portals created from UltraTax), Web Employee portals must be activated before
they are live.
1. After the first check is transmitted, login to NetStaff CS as an Administrator, and click Web Employee
Users.
2. Locate the client at the top of the screen.
3. Each employee will initially be displayed as follows:
4. For each employee, set their Login, change their password, and change their email address to yours. In
other words, RootWorks staff enter their own email address here so that NetClient sends the Web
Employee activation email to RootWorks, and not each clients’ employees.
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5. Click Enter. Once you do this, NetClient will send an activation email to the email address entered for
each employee. In other words, the RootWorks staff person setting up the employees receives all
activation emails.
NOTE: The contents of this email can be modified under the Templates in the NetClient Administration.
Due to the complexity of the setup with Payroll CS, RootWorks staff setup the portals for the clients. This
step does not exist in Accounting CS Payroll
6. Once you click the activation link, you will be redirected to a confirmation page that tells you that the
link has been activated.
7. Important: After all employees are activated, the RootWorks staff returns to the Web Employee Users
page and changes the email address to the client’s office manager. Emails regarding this portal,
particularly forgotten password emails, now go to the client’s office manager, and not the RootWorks
staff person.
NOTE: Initially, the RootWorks staff person in charge of the payroll will explain to the Office Manager how
the employee portal works so that the Office Manager can assist their fellow staff people before contacting
the firm.
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Transmitting W2s to the portals – Payroll CS
1. In Payroll CS, choose Utilities > W-2 Form Processing and select the current year.
2. Mark Queue B/C/2 4-up W-2s for Web Employee.
3. Print the W2s.
4. Open CS Connect and make sure that Transmit W-2s is marked. Click Call Now.
Web Employee Portal – Employees View – Payroll CS
When an employee logs into their web employee portal (which they do through the RootWorks.com Client
Center) they will see the Payroll Section.
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My Check Stubs
My Earnings (CSA only)
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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Employee Self Service Setup Using Accounting CS Payroll
The setup of Employee Self Service is much easier and more streamlined using Accounting CS Payroll. The
setup and transmission of data is very automated using ACS Payroll.
1. Click on Setup > Clients in Accounting CS.
2. Click on the Payroll Information Tab.
NOTE: When selecting Enable Employee Self-Service, if the employee record has an email address
entered, they will automatically receive an activation notice.
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 the NetClient
Administration. Below is an example of RootWorks email:
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6. Every check printed will auto post to the Employee Portal. You have nothing to do to make it happen.
Also, the same will happen with the W2’s.
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