Automating an accounting firm: invoices, requests and client documents

Where the hours go

In almost every accounting firm the pattern repeats:

• Whole days each quarter chasing clients to send their documents.
• Invoices arriving through five different channels and in varied formats.
• Posting invoice by invoice.
• Deadlines for dozens of clients tracked in spreadsheets.
• Government notices that have to be reviewed and assigned in time.

All that work has clear rules and digital data, exactly what automates best.

1. Collecting documents

An automation or a digital employee asks each client, before each close, for the documents that apply to them, through the channel they normally use: email, WhatsApp or a portal. It receives what comes in, identifies which client and period it belongs to, and reminds them of what's missing until they send it.

The change for the team is huge: it stops chasing and only reviews what hasn't arrived.

2. Reading invoices

Combining text recognition and AI makes it possible to extract an invoice's data (issuer, tax ID, date, net amount, VAT rates, withholdings, total) even if each supplier uses a different format.

The key is validating what's read before recording it:

• That the tax ID has a valid format.
• That net amount, taxes and total add up.
• That the invoice isn't already recorded.
• That the supplier and expense account are consistent with its history.

Whatever fails validation goes to a review inbox with the reason.

3. Posting

With validated data, the entry is prepared in the accounting software applying each client's rules: the account for each supplier, the VAT treatment or allocation to a cost centre. The advisor reviews and approves in batches instead of typing invoice by invoice.

4. Bank reconciliation

Bank transactions are matched against issued and received invoices by amount, date and description. Clear matches reconcile on their own; doubtful ones are proposed for someone to confirm.

5. Calendar and deadlines

Each client has its obligations: quarterly and annual returns, payroll, social security. Automating the calendar means documents are requested well in advance and the advisor in charge gets the alerts in time, without depending on a spreadsheet.

6. Government notices

Electronic notices have a deadline to be opened: under Spanish Law 39/2015, if ten calendar days pass after they are made available without their content being accessed, they are deemed rejected. Automating their logging (detecting the notice, assigning it to the client and creating the task with its due date) reduces the risk of one being left unattended.

7. Client questions

What do I still need to send, when is my return due, what stage is my procedure at. These questions can be answered with each client's real data, passing to the advisor only what needs their judgement.

What's coming: e-invoicing and Verifactu

Spain's Law 18/2022 on business creation and growth provides for mandatory B2B e-invoicing, and Royal Decree 1007/2023 regulates the requirements for invoicing software systems, known as Verifactu. Their mandatory dates have been adjusted over time, so check the current calendar. What is certain is that they will change how invoices arrive and are recorded, and a firm with automated reception will be better prepared to adapt.

Where to start

With document collection and invoice reading: they concentrate most of the hours and the savings are easy to measure. To prioritise with numbers, use this method or the savings calculator. There's more detail in automation for accounting firms.