Third Party Logins

A third-party login (3PL) is when you provide your Bench bookkeeping team with view-only access to log in to your financial platforms — such as your financial institution, payroll provider, or merchant account. This allows them to download statements, reports, and transaction details on your behalf, but they cannot make any changes or perform any transactions on your accounts.

Your accounts connect to Bench in different ways — sometimes through an integration like Plaid, and sometimes through manual uploads from you. Both can lead to delays: integrations can disconnect unexpectedly, and manual uploads depend on your availability.

A third-party login gives your bookkeeper a reliable, direct way to access your account. If an integration breaks, they can keep working while it gets fixed. And if you've been uploading manually, it removes that task from your plate entirely.

Getting started requires a brief one-time setup on your end. Depending on the platform, this usually involves a few simple steps — like sending an invite, granting access permissions, or creating a login. Your bookkeeper will send you clear instructions for exactly what's needed, and it typically only takes a few minutes.

Once set up, your bookkeeper can securely access what they need as soon as it's available — keeping your books up to date automatically, with no monthly uploads required from you. Your credentials are stored in a secure password manager, never shared, and used only to access the reports and statements needed to keep your books accurate.

Your bookkeeper will reach out if a third-party login would benefit your account. If you'd like to get one set up sooner, send a message to your bookkeeper in the message feed, and they'll walk you through it.

Banking

Your bank accounts are the foundation of your books. Connecting your checking, savings, and credit cards lets us reconcile every transaction and keep your books accurate.