> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.pragmachartered.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accept an invitation to a firm

> Open the invite link you were sent, sign in with the invited mobile number and join the firm with the role it chose.

![Join a firm screen showing the signed-in number and the Accept invitation button](https://help.pragmachartered.com/images/start/accept-invite.png)

A firm sends two kinds of invitation, and both are accepted the same way:

* **Staff invitation**, created by an **Owner** in **Settings → Members**. It makes you an **Owner**, **Manager**, **Preparer** or **Connector admin** of the firm. See [Invite members and understand roles](https://help.pragmachartered.com/firm/members-and-roles.md).
* **Client portal invitation**, created by an **Owner** in **Settings → Client portal**. It gives someone at a client company a **Client portal** seat that sees that one company only. See [Issue client portal seats](https://help.pragmachartered.com/firm/client-portal-seats.md).

Before you start, have the invite link (it looks like `…/invite?token=…`) and the mobile number the firm invited. The invitation is bound to that number: it can only be accepted while you are signed in with it. A link is valid for **7 days** and works once. Pragma has no self-registration; if you have no account for that number yet, ask the firm that invited you. Do not forward the link to anyone else.

**1. Open the link**

Open the invite link from WhatsApp or wherever the firm shared it. The page is titled **Join a firm**. If you are not signed in it says an invitation is accepted while signed in, and only by the mobile number it was issued to.

**2. Sign in with the invited number**

Select **Sign in to continue** and sign in with the invited mobile number and your password, as described in [Sign in for the first time](https://help.pragmachartered.com/getting-started/first-sign-in.md). Then open the invite link again: signing in does not bring you back to it automatically.

**3. Set your own password if asked**

If your account is still on the password it was issued with, the page says so and offers **Set your password**. Select it, enter the issued password in **Temporary password**, choose a **New password** of at least 8 characters, repeat it in **Confirm new password** and select **Change password**. You are taken straight back to the same invitation, with the link intact.

**4. Check the account and accept**

The page shows **You are signed in as** followed by your number. Check it is the number the firm invited, then select **Accept invitation**. The button reads **Joining...** while it works.

**5. Start work in the firm**

On success, the firm you joined becomes your active firm and Pragma opens your home page for the role you were given: staff land on the **Dashboard** (a **Connector admin** lands on **Clients**), and a **Client portal** seat lands on **Your invoices**. If you already belonged to another firm, use the account menu to switch between them; see [Find your way around](https://help.pragmachartered.com/getting-started/find-your-way.md). A portal seat continues with [Getting started with your portal](https://help.pragmachartered.com/portal/getting-started.md).

## If the invitation is refused

| Message | What to do |
| - | - |
| **This link is missing its invitation token. Ask the firm for a fresh invite link.** | The link was cut short when it was copied. Open the full link, or ask the firm for a new one. |
| **This invitation was issued to a different person. Sign in as that user to accept it.** | You are signed in with a number other than the invited one. Sign out, sign in with the invited number and open the link again. If the firm used the wrong number, ask them to cancel the invite and issue a new one. |
| **That invitation has already been accepted. Sign in instead.** | The link has been used. If it was you, simply sign in and switch to the firm from the account menu. |
| **That invitation has expired. Ask the firm for a fresh link.** | More than 7 days have passed. The firm must issue a new invite. |
| **That invitation no longer exists, or you do not have access to it.** | The firm cancelled the invite or the link is wrong. Ask the firm for a fresh link. |
| **This account is still on its issued password. Set your own password to continue.** | Select **Set your password**, change it, and you return to the invitation. |
| **A client-portal seat must name the client company it is pinned to.** | The portal invitation is incomplete. Ask the firm to issue a new seat. |

Accepting a staff invitation does not give you any clients automatically: an **Owner** sees every client, while other staff need client assignments from an Owner. If you joined but cannot open a client, ask your firm's Owner to check your assignments.

> [card] Still stuck?
>
> [Open a case](https://app.pragmachartered.com/support) from **Help & support** in Pragma, or [book a walkthrough](https://help.pragmachartered.com/support/book-a-walkthrough.md) and the team will show you around on a call. Can't sign in? [Contact support](https://app.pragmachartered.com/contact-support).


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