Practice Terms

1. About these terms

These terms apply when an accounting, tax or bookkeeping practice uses the Billbook practice app, on top of the Terms of Use. If they conflict on something specific to practices, these terms win on that point.

The practice is the subscriber. It decides which staff can use the practice app and what each can see and do, including which clients each staff member can access. The practice is responsible for its staff's use, and for removing access when someone leaves.

2. Acting for your clients

You confirm that, for each client whose information you put into or access through the service, you have the client's authority to hold that information and to act for them as you do, for example under an engagement letter.

Access to a client's own books in Billbook needs the client's consent, which they give (and can take back) in their own account. When a client takes back consent, your access to their books ends.

You're responsible for telling your clients, as privacy law requires, that you use Billbook to hold their information.

3. Your professional obligations

Using Billbook doesn't change your obligations as a registered tax or BAS agent or as a member of a professional body, including under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (Cth), the Code of Professional Conduct and professional standards. You're responsible for the work you do and the advice you give, and for checking anything Billbook calculates, suggests or prepares before you rely on it or lodge it.

Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF): if your practice is a reporting entity, you remain responsible for your AML/CTF program, customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring, reporting to AUSTRAC and record keeping. Billbook gives you tools to help; it doesn't take on your obligations.

AI helpers in the practice app give suggestions for you to review. You decide what to accept, as set out in the AI Terms.

4. Your clients' own accounts

When you invite a client, they get their own free account under the Terms of Use. Their business books, and the information they put in, belong to them, not to you or us.

You can also do everything for a client without them ever using Billbook themselves.

5. How we contact your clients

We send your clients the emails the service needs to work, such as invitations, document requests, signing requests and notices about their own account. We don't use your client list to market to your clients.

6. Fees

The practice app is free, with no per-client or per-user fees. A few optional extras that cost us money to run (such as larger AI and storage allowances) are paid, as shown in the app before you choose them. Your clients' own accounts are on their own plans, which they choose and pay for.

7. E-signing

When you send a document to be signed, you're responsible for sending it to the right person and for being satisfied that electronic signing is appropriate for that document. We record the signing (who signed, when, and the document they saw) and keep a copy with the client's file. Electronic signing is subject to the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) and the equivalent state law.

8. When a client leaves or you close

Your practice's own records about a client (such as workpapers, notes, jobs and time) stay in your practice account, and you can export them. Records you must keep by law (for example AML/CTF records) are kept for as long as the law requires.

If a client disconnects, or your practice closes its account, the client keeps their own books and can keep using Billbook.

After a practice account closes, the Terms of Use section "After an account closes" applies to the practice's records.

9. Referral rewards

If we offer rewards for bringing clients to Billbook, they'll come with their own terms, which we'll publish before the program starts.

10. Lodging with the ATO

Lodging straight to the ATO from Billbook isn't available yet. When it is, extra terms will apply, including the ATO's requirements for software providers and for the people who lodge.