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Roles: CA Manager, CA Partner - CA Managers create and manage engagements. CA Partners can use the Generate Annual Package button and review billing terms. CA Staff and CS Executives work from the engagement but cannot edit its core settings.
Upstream dependencies: A CA Lead (for new clients converted from the pipeline) or no prior record (for direct creation). Downstream: An Active engagement automatically generates compliance tasks, GST Return Trackers, ROC Filing records, and document requests. Everything else in the system links back to the engagement.

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Overview

A CA Engagement is the master record for one client relationship. It holds the client’s identity details, statutory registrations, billing terms, portal access, and the complete list of statutory forms that apply to them. Every compliance task, GST return, ROC filing, notice, time log, and invoice in the system links to an engagement. If you need to understand a client’s current status at a glance, the engagement is the place to start. Engagements are named automatically in the format CA-ENG-YYYY-##### (for example, CA-ENG-2025-00042). You cannot set the name manually.
CA Engagement record showing the client name, PAN, engagement status, and linked compliance tasks at a glance

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Who uses this feature

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Before you start

  • If the client was originally a lead, convert the lead from the Leads Pipeline first. The engagement will be created with scoping details pre-filled.
  • If you are creating an engagement directly (for an existing client being migrated to the system), you will need the client’s PAN and at minimum one of the following: GSTIN, CIN, or DIN.
  • The client must exist as a Customer record in BAS before you can link them in the Client field.

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Create an engagement

Path: CA Practice Management → Client Engagements → CA Engagement → New If the engagement was created automatically from a converted lead, skip to Review and complete the record. Otherwise, fill the form section by section as described below.
New CA Engagement form showing the Client Identity section with Client, PAN, Company Type, and Engagement Type fields

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Section 1: Client identity

Client Identity section showing PAN, GSTIN, CIN, Company Type, and Engagement Status fields filled in

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Section 2: Registrations and compliance flags

Two checkbox fields tell the obligation engine which additional form sets to include for this client.
If a client registers for GST or starts deducting TDS after the engagement is created, update these flags and click Re-derive Applicability to refresh the form set.

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Section 3: Fee structure

Fee Structure section showing Retainer Fee, Hourly Rate, Billing Frequency, and Fee Structure Notes fields

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Section 4: Portal access

The client portal lets clients upload documents, view filings, see invoices, and e-approve their income tax returns. Portal access is optional and must be enabled explicitly per client.
Only enable portal access for clients who have explicitly agreed to use it. Setting up a portal login for a client who is not expecting one can create confusion and support overhead.

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Section 5: Government portal credentials

This section stores partial credential information for reference when filing. Full credentials (username and password) are kept in the Portal Credentials Vault, not here.
Never enter the full password in the GST Password Hint field. Full credentials belong in the Portal Credentials Vault, which encrypts them and hides them from list views.

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Section 6: Last filing dates

These three date fields feed the Client Compliance Health Score report. Keep them updated after each filing to ensure the health score reflects the current state accurately.

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Section 7: Form applicability table

The CA Engagement Form Applicability table lists every statutory form that applies to this client, derived from their entity type, engagement type, and registration flags.
Form Applicability table showing statutory form names, their frequency, default assignee, and whether they are active for this client

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Re-derive applicability

If the client’s entity type, registrations, or engagement type changes, click Re-derive Applicability to refresh the table automatically. The system adds any newly applicable forms and deactivates forms that no longer apply. Existing task records linked to deactivated forms are not deleted.

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Section 8: Reminder settings

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Generate Annual Package

The Generate Annual Package button (visible to CA Partners and CA Managers) back-fills a full financial year of obligations for this engagement in one action. It creates:
  • A compliance task for each active form in the Form Applicability table, for every period in the financial year
  • A GST Return Tracker for each applicable GST return type and period
  • ROC Filing records for applicable annual filings
Running this button a second time is safe. It is idempotent: it never creates duplicates for periods that already have records. Use this button when:
  • Onboarding a client mid-year and you need to create obligations for the periods already elapsed
  • Migrating an existing client into the system and back-filling their obligation history
CA Engagement record showing the Generate Annual Package button in the action bar

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Engagement lifecycle

Use On Hold rather than Inactive when the pause is expected to be temporary. Reactivating an On Hold engagement resumes obligation generation from the current period forward.

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Field guide

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Workflow journey

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Notifications and alerts

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Workspace access

Path: CA Practice Management → Client Engagements The workspace section shows:
  • Total active engagements (number card)
  • Engagements by company type (chart)
  • Engagements with portal access enabled (quick list)
  • Engagements where any last filing date is more than 90 days old (quick list, visible to CA Manager and CA Partner)
CA Practice Management workspace showing the Client Engagements section with active engagement count and at-risk filing date list

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Best practices

  • Keep last filing dates current. The Client Compliance Health Score report uses these dates to calculate risk. An engagement with a GST filing date that is 120 days old will show as high-risk even if all returns are actually filed. Update the date in the engagement each time a return is filed.
  • Fill Fee Structure Notes whenever billing differs from standard. If you have agreed a lower retainer for the first year, or waived certain forms, write it here. This avoids disputes when the billing engine generates an invoice months later.
  • Use On Hold for temporary pauses, not Inactive. Marking an engagement Inactive when a client is only pausing means you lose automatic obligation tracking. On Hold keeps the record warm and resumes cleanly.
  • Set Portal Access only for clients who have agreed. Enabling portal access and then having a client who does not know their login exist creates unnecessary support calls. Enable it, then immediately send the client their credentials and a brief explanation.
  • Run Re-derive Applicability after any registration change. If a client registers for GST or incorporates a subsidiary that changes their filing obligations, update the flags first, then click Re-derive. Do not add forms manually unless you have a specific reason to deviate from the derived set.
  • Use Generate Annual Package once per engagement per year. Running it multiple times in the same year is safe (it will not duplicate), but running it unnecessarily clutters the confirmation log. The best time is immediately after the engagement is first set to Active.
  • Store full credentials only in the Vault. The GST Username and GST Password Hint fields on the engagement are for quick reference only. Anyone who needs to actually log in to file should retrieve the credential from the Portal Credentials Vault, where it is encrypted.