Build a sponsored-seat budget from your real client portfolio

An accountant workspace can contain customers who pay their own subscriptions and customers whose seats are sponsored by the firm. Only the sponsored capacity belongs in the firm’s seat budget. Start with that distinction, then count active sponsored customers, pending invitations, and unused purchased capacity. A budget based only on active clients can miss the cost of reserved and unused seats. This worksheet helps a small practice discuss the service model before purchasing more capacity.

Separate access relationships from paid capacity

Customer-paid connections allow the accountant to review an authorized file without buying a sponsored seat for that customer. Firm-sponsored customers use seats purchased by the practice. Both models can coexist in one workspace. The billing-model comparison explains the responsibilities. Do not count every connected customer as a sponsored seat, and do not assume every unused seat stops billing. Purchased seats renew monthly according to the subscription, including capacity that has not yet been assigned.

Count reservations as capacity commitments

Pending sponsored invitations reserve seats. Before increasing the subscription, check whether old invitations should still be open and whether their intended customers will actually join. Releasing an unnecessary reservation can make existing capacity available, but it does not by itself change the purchased seat quantity. Distinguish those two actions in your internal budget. Review the sponsored-seat guide before changing capacity, especially if an assigned client must first be released to permit a reduction.

Work through a transparent example

Suppose a practice purchases ten sponsored seats. Seven are assigned to active customers, two are reserved for pending invitations, and one is unused. The 10-client plan costs CA$69 per month before applicable taxes, even while one place is unused. The available tiers are 5 clients for CA$39, 10 for CA$69, 20 for CA$129, 30 for CA$189, and 50 for CA$309 monthly. Four additional customer-paid connections do not consume sponsored capacity. This example is a planning illustration; confirm the actual price, taxes, and any proration shown during billing before making a purchase or change.

Keep seat cost separate from the professional fee

Decide whether sponsorship is included in the firm’s service or described separately in your engagement. The software subscription is not the complete cost of serving a client. Staff time, review work, follow-up, and other tools belong in the broader practice budget. Do not present a seat price as an accounting-service price. The free accountant access guide helps explain the other model to clients who already own their subscriptions and want to retain billing responsibility.

Review the portfolio before renewal changes

Maintain a short list of active assignments, pending invitations, and capacity needed for the next onboarding group. Discuss departures before cancelling sponsorship: clients keep their own accounts and can continue under their own subscription, but access and coverage changes need coordination. Use the small-firm rollout guide to expand deliberately. Made in Canada, Just Invoice offers a focused collaboration model; a sensible budget connects purchased capacity to a real onboarding plan rather than buying seats solely to make the portfolio look larger.