# Setup Guide

## Firm Setup

Get your firm account configured before onboarding clients.

* **Register your firm** — [Register for Kick](/start-here/set-up-your-firm/register-for-kick.md) to create the parent account that will house all your client workspaces.
* **Invite your team** — [Add team members](/start-here/set-up-your-firm/invite-your-team.md) and assign roles (Owner, Admin, Manager, Member) based on what each person needs to access.
* **Use your free workspace** — Test workflows in your [free firm workspace](/start-here/set-up-your-firm/free-firm-workspace.md) before going live — it's a full Plus-tier sandbox for prepping your own books, or demoing to prospects.

***

## Client Onboarding

Set up each client's workspace, connect their data, and give them access.

* **Create the workspace** — [Create a client workspace](/start-here/add-your-first-client.md) and [add entities](/setting-up/multi-entity/adding-and-removing-entities.md) if they have multiple businesses — this keeps related companies organized and enables intercompany automations.
  * If your client is already on Kick, have them [invite your firm](/managing-clients/add-your-first-client/add-existing-kick-users-as-clients.md) instead.
* **Migrate historical data** — Follow the [migration guide](/setting-up/migration.md) to migrate historical data for your clients.
* **Set up the Chart of Accounts** — If not already completed in migration, [import your Chart of Accounts](/setting-up/chart-of-accounts/import-your-chart-of-accounts.md) and verify opening balances against prior period financials.
* **Connect financial accounts** — [Connect accounts](/setting-up/integrations/connect-accounts.md) via Plaid or direct integration ([Stripe and PayPal](/setting-up/integrations/payment-processors.md), [Ramp](/setting-up/integrations/ramp.md), [Mercury](/setting-up/integrations/mercury.md), [Gusto](/setting-up/integrations/gusto.md)), or import data manually via the [Universal Importer](/setting-up/universal-importer.md).
  * **Connect personal accounts too** — to capture business expenses that occurred in personal accounts, and to improve categorization accuracy for contributions and distributions ([read more](/bookkeeping-workflows/personal-to-business.md) about personal accounts in Kick).
* **Invite the client** — [Invite your client](/setting-up/invite-your-clients.md) with the **Member** role so locked periods are view-only.

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## Automation and Personalization

Reduce manual work and keep processes consistent across clients.

* **Rules** — Create [Rules](/bookkeeping-workflows/rules.md) to automate [categorization](/bookkeeping-workflows/categorization.md) and more — rules always override AI, so use them for client-specific patterns that reduce review time.
* **Classes** — Use [Classes](/bookkeeping-workflows/classes.md) to segment transactions by department, location, or project for granular reporting.
  * Using [Gusto](/setting-up/integrations/gusto.md) or [Ramp](/setting-up/integrations/ramp.md)? Departments you've created will automatically sync as Classes in Kick.
* **Collaborate** — Streamline communication with [Tasks](/close-workflows/tasks.md) for open item requests or confirmations, create [Memos](/collaboration/memos.md) for shared transaction context, apply [Locks](/close-workflows/locks.md) to protect closed periods, and view [Activity](/close-workflows/activity.md) for audit trails (who did what, and when).

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## Onboarding Checklist

* [ ] Register firm and invite team
* [ ] Create client workspace and add entities
* [ ] Migrate data (if applicable)
* [ ] Import Chart of Accounts (if not already completed in migration) and verify opening balances
* [ ] Connect all financial accounts (including personal)
* [ ] Invite clients to Kick
* [ ] Set up automations
* [ ] Collaborate with your team


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