How Client Portal Login Works: Client Code and PIN
If you have heard that clients "register" for the portal with an email address and a password they choose themselves, that is not how the current client portal login works, and it is worth clearing up before you set anyone up. There is no email field on the client login screen at all. Clients sign in with two things your firm gives them: a Client Code and a PIN.
The two credentials, not a username and password
- Client Code: a short reference like CLI-465, generated automatically for every client in Accupe. It is the same code shown on the client's Details tab, in a monospace chip you can copy.
- PIN: a 4 to 10 digit number, numeric only. Your firm sets an initial PIN when you send portal access, and the client can change it to a PIN of their own choosing once they are in.
Neither of these is an email address or a self-chosen password. The sign-in screen does not look or behave like a normal email-and-password login.
Where clients actually sign in
Clients sign in at your firm's branded portal login page: accupe.com/p/ followed by your firm's portal slug, then /login (for example, accupe.com/p/your-firm-name/login). That page has exactly two fields:
- Client Code, for example CLI-878 (automatically capitalised as they type)
- PIN, entered as a masked number
There is no email field, no "forgot password" link, and no option to sign up. The helper text under the form simply says: "Your firm sends your code and PIN by email. Contact them if you need them resent."
What happens on first login
Every time your firm sends portal access through a client's profile, whether that creates a brand-new login or resets an existing one, the account is flagged to prompt a PIN change. Whenever the client lands on their Workspace Home with that flag still set, they see an amber banner reading "Your firm set a temporary PIN. Please choose your own," with the note "Pick a PIN you'll remember - 4 to 10 digits" and an inline field plus a "Set my PIN" button right there on the page. This is optional from the system's point of view: nothing blocks the client from using the rest of the portal if they ignore the banner, but it stays visible until they act on it.
If a client is locked out
There is no self-service "reset my password" email link, because there is no password to reset. Instead, a signed-in client can select "Request a password reset" at the bottom of their Workspace Home. This does not email them anything; it sends an in-app notification to your firm's admins and managers (or, on a firm with none of those roles set up, to every firm user as a fallback) linking straight to that client's profile so you can issue a fresh PIN.
A second, older invitation method still exists
You may also see a "Send Email Invite" option on a client's profile, which emails a signup link where the client picks their own password. That is a separate, older mechanism that is not connected to the branded portal login above, and its follow-up sign-in page is the general login screen, not your branded one. It still works, but the Client Code and PIN flow described here is the recommended, current way to give clients portal access, and it is the one with your branding, QR code, and full Settings support.
Comparing the two credentials
Note: Because there is no email field on the branded login page, a client cannot accidentally sign in to the wrong firm's portal by typing the wrong email. Each portal slug only recognises its own firm's client codes.