Help & FAQ

Any authenticator app that shows 6-digit codes that change every 30 seconds works. These are free and widely used:

• Google Authenticator (iPhone and Android)
• Microsoft Authenticator (iPhone and Android)
• Authy (iPhone and Android)
• Apple Passwords, built into iPhone, iPad and Mac
• Password managers that store verification codes, such as 1Password

Codes are not sent by text message or email. An app works without a signal and can’t be redirected to someone else’s phone.

The workspace holds client tax information, including taxpayer identification numbers. Tax professionals are expected to protect it with more than a password, so every account uses two-step verification and it can’t be turned off. See our Security page for the other safeguards.

1. Install an authenticator app on your phone.
2. Create your account, or sign in. The setup screen appears automatically.
3. In the app, add an account and scan the QR code. If you can’t scan it, choose to enter a setup key and type the key shown under the code.
4. Enter the 6-digit code the app shows for Agena Software.
5. Save your 10 recovery codes (see below), then open your workspace.

Finish setup within 15 minutes of signing in. If the time runs out, just sign in again.

• Wait for a fresh code. Each code works once and only for about 30 seconds. If it is about to change, wait for the next one.
• Check your phone’s clock. Codes depend on the time. Set the date and time to update automatically.
• Use the right entry. The app may hold codes for several services; use the one labeled Agena Software with your email.
• After several failed attempts, sign-in pauses for 15 minutes.

When you set up two-step verification you get 10 recovery codes, each like abcde-23456. If you don’t have your phone, enter one where the 6-digit code is asked for. Each recovery code works once.

They are shown only once. Keep them somewhere safe and separate from your phone, such as a password manager or a printed copy in a secure place. Don’t share them, even with colleagues: each person has their own account and codes.

Before you erase or hand in the old phone, move your codes to the new one using your app’s transfer or backup feature. For example, Google Authenticator can export accounts to a new phone with a QR code, or keep them in your Google Account; Microsoft Authenticator and Authy have their own backups.

If the old phone is already gone, sign in with a recovery code and email us. We’ll reset two-step verification so you can set it up on the new phone the next time you sign in.

Email support@agenasoftware.com from the email address on your account. We will confirm your identity before resetting two-step verification, which may include checking with your firm’s owner. After the reset, you set it up again the next time you sign in.

On the sign-in page, choose Forgot password? and enter your account email. We email a link that works for 30 minutes. Choosing a new password also asks for a code from your authenticator app or a recovery code.

A reset signs your account out everywhere, and we email you a notice that the password changed.

For security, you are signed out after 30 minutes without activity (a warning appears shortly before), and after 8 hours in any case. Your work is saved as you go, so sign back in to continue.

The Security panel in the workspace lists your recent sign-ins and actions. If you don’t recognize one, change your password and email support@agenasoftware.com.

An owner or admin of your firm invites you by email. Open the link within 7 days, then create an account or sign in to an existing one, and set up two-step verification. If the link has expired, ask your firm to send a new invitation.

No. Each account belongs to one firm, and the firm owns its returns. If your account already has its own firm with members or returns and you’ve been invited to another, email us and we’ll help you move it.