Every GST return, audit and year-end closing raises the same question: how does your CA get into your Tally? Most businesses still email a backup, carry a pen drive or let someone take over the accounts PC through a screen-sharing app. This guide shows how to give your CA access to Tally safely, with their own login, without handing over your computer.
Key takeaways
- Sharing your office PC, its password or a screen-sharing session gives your CA access to far more than Tally.
- With Tally on cloud, your CA gets a separate login that opens only Tally and only the companies you assign.
- Access logs show who ran Tally, uploaded files or took backups, and you can remove access the day work is done.
The usual ways businesses share Tally with a CA (and their problems)
Most owners use one of these methods, often a mix of all three.
| Method | How it works | The problem |
|---|---|---|
| Backup on email or pen drive | Accountant takes a Tally backup and sends it to the CA | Two copies of the books drift apart. Corrections made by the CA must be redone in your copy. Data files travel on email and USB drives. |
| Screen-sharing / remote-desktop app | CA takes control of the accounts PC | CA can see everything on that PC, not just Tally. The PC must be on and nobody else can use it during the session. |
| CA visits the office | CA or their staff sit at your computer | Time-consuming for both sides, hard to schedule near due dates. |
| Tally on cloud with a separate login | CA logs in through a browser with their own user | Needs a one-time setup and a clear decision on what the CA should see. |
Why sharing your computer is risky
Your accounts computer usually holds more than Tally. It may have bank statements, salary sheets, saved passwords in the browser, email and WhatsApp Web. When you share that PC or its screen, you share all of it.
There is also no clean record of who did what. If a voucher is changed during a shared session, it is hard to say whether your accountant or the CA’s team did it. And once a password is shared, it tends to stay shared for years.
None of this means your CA is untrustworthy. It means good access is designed so that nobody has to be trusted with more than their job needs.
How to give your CA access to Tally on cloud: step by step
Here is how it works with Sukam Tally on Cloud, where TallyPrime runs on a cloud server and opens in a web browser.
- Decide what the CA needs. List the companies they handle. Many owners run two or three firms in Tally; the CA may need only some of them.
- Create a separate user for the CA. Your admin creates a login and password just for the CA (and separate ones for their staff if needed). Never reuse your own login.
- Put the user in the right group. In Sukam’s setup, users are placed in groups. Each group sees only the companies assigned to it, and groups cannot see each other’s companies.
- Share the browser link and login. The CA opens Tally in a browser on Windows, Mac or mobile. No software to install on their side.
- Let them upload what they need. GSTR templates, export templates and TDL files can be uploaded to the cloud setup, so the CA’s usual working files are available.
- Review the access logs. Logs record user actions such as running Tally, uploads and backups, along with admin actions.
- Remove or change access when work is over. The admin manages users, passwords and roles, so you can change the password or remove the user after the audit.
What the CA can and cannot see
This is the part that gives owners peace of mind. With company-level group access:
- The CA sees only the Tally companies assigned to their group.
- The CA does not see your office PC, your email, your files or other software.
- Other users, such as your billing staff, cannot see the CA’s companies unless you assign them.
Inside Tally itself, you can also use TallyPrime’s own user and security controls to set what each Tally user may do. Your CA can guide you on which rights they need. Keep the two layers clear: the cloud login controls who can open Tally and which companies; Tally’s security controls what they can do inside.
Working together without stepping on each other
Several people at once
Your accountant can keep billing while the CA’s team reviews ledgers, because each person logs in separately. Each user can open up to 3 Tally windows at once, and the admin can allow more. How many people can work in Tally at the same time still depends on your Tally licence.
One set of books, not two
Because everyone works on the same data on the server, there is no “CA’s copy” and “office copy” to reconcile. Corrections the CA makes are in your books immediately.
Printing and exports on the CA’s side
The CA can print to any printer connected to their own computer, including network printers, and exports save to their Downloads folder. Statements and reports reach them without anyone emailing files.
A simple CA access checklist
- A separate login for the CA and each CA staff member
- Only the required companies assigned to their group
- Tally user rights agreed with the CA
- A note of the date access was given and when it should be reviewed
- Monthly look at the access logs
- Password change or user removal when the engagement ends
- Scheduled backups switched on before anyone else starts working
Picture this
Imagine a garment wholesaler in Jalandhar with two firms in Tally and a CA in Chandigarh. Before every GST return, the accountant sends a backup by email, the CA works on it, then calls with a list of corrections that the accountant enters again. With a separate cloud login, the CA opens only the two firms, makes the corrections directly and the owner can see the same figures from his phone. Nobody drives anywhere and nobody takes over the accounts PC.
If your CA also chases outstanding payments with you, the guide on how to track pending payments shows how to keep receivables follow-up organised outside Tally. If your sales team also needs Tally figures, see how Sukam Apps CRM integrates with Tally.
Cost and licence
Giving your CA a cloud login is part of how Sukam’s Tally on Cloud is set up; it does not need a separate product. The Tally licence is not included in Sukam’s price, and your existing licence is supported. Sukam does not publish prices because they depend on users and setup, but pricing is transparent with no hidden costs. Tally and TallyPrime are trademarks of Tally Solutions; Sukam Apps provides the hosting and support.
For more on setup, see the Tally on Cloud service page or browse our Tally on Cloud Guides.
Frequently asked questions
Can my CA access Tally from their own office?
Yes. With Tally on cloud, the CA opens Tally in a web browser from their own computer using a separate login. No software install is needed.
Will my CA see all my companies in Tally?
Only if you assign them. In Sukam’s setup, each user group sees only the companies assigned to it, and groups cannot see each other’s companies.
Can my accountant and CA work in Tally at the same time?
Yes, each logs in separately. The number of simultaneous Tally users still depends on your Tally licence.
How do I stop my CA’s access after the audit?
The admin manages users and passwords, so you can change the password or remove the CA’s user whenever you choose.
Is it safe to use AnyDesk or TeamViewer for my CA?
These tools share your whole computer, not just Tally, and the PC must stay on. A separate Tally-only login gives the CA what they need with less exposure.
Want to set up CA access the right way? Book a free demo or a 15-minute free consultation and we will walk you through it. Call +91 99142 49191 or WhatsApp us.
