Finance automation review
Process mapping and a prioritised automation plan
Fee Fixed fee, agreed before work starts
AI & Automation for Finance, Accounting and Reporting
Most small and owner-managed businesses lose hours every month to finance work a system could do: keying in invoices, matching transactions, chasing payments, rebuilding the same management report. We are chartered accountants who implement AI and automation in finance functions, so we start with your books, your reporting and the controls around them, then build automations that save time without losing accuracy. Every solution is designed, built, tested and documented by us, with qualified accountants reviewing the outputs that matter.
Who this is for
- Owner-managed businesses where the owner is still doing bookkeeping and finance admin by hand
- Growing SMEs whose transaction volumes are growing faster than the finance team
- Businesses using Xero, QuickBooks or Sage that are not getting full value from them
- Groups and multi-entity businesses spending days consolidating and reporting each month
21Named areas on this page
5Chapters, in the order the work happens
Fixed feeAgreed in writing before anything starts
CharteredReviewed and signed off before it leaves us
01Bookkeeping automation 5 areas
Automated document capture
Supplier invoices, receipts and statements captured from email and uploads, read by AI, and posted to your accounting software for review rather than keyed in by hand.
Supplier invoices, receipts and statements captured from email and uploads, read by AI, and posted to your accounting software for review rather than keyed in by hand.
Bank and transaction rules
Categorisation rules and AI-assisted coding built around your chart of accounts, so routine transactions post themselves and exceptions are flagged.
Categorisation rules and AI-assisted coding built around your chart of accounts, so routine transactions post themselves and exceptions are flagged.
Reconciliation automation
Automated matching for high-volume bank, card, payment provider and marketplace transactions, leaving only true exceptions for review.
Automated matching for high-volume bank, card, payment provider and marketplace transactions, leaving only true exceptions for review.
Month-end close workflows
Close checklists, accruals and prepayment schedules and review steps built into a repeatable monthly routine.
Close checklists, accruals and prepayment schedules and review steps built into a repeatable monthly routine.
Finance document extraction
Key figures and terms pulled from loan agreements, leases, supplier contracts and statements into structured records for the books.
Key figures and terms pulled from loan agreements, leases, supplier contracts and statements into structured records for the books.
02Purchase and sales ledger automation 3 areas
Supplier invoice approvals
Approval routes, purchase order matching and payment run preparation, with an audit trail of who approved what.
Approval routes, purchase order matching and payment run preparation, with an audit trail of who approved what.
Sales invoicing
Recurring invoices, payment links and automatic posting of payments received.
Recurring invoices, payment links and automatic posting of payments received.
Credit control
Automated, escalating payment reminders and aged debt reporting, with overdue accounts flagged for a personal follow-up.
Automated, escalating payment reminders and aged debt reporting, with overdue accounts flagged for a personal follow-up.
Want a chartered accountant to look at this with you?
Book a free finance automation review03Financial reporting automation 5 areas
Automated management accounts
Monthly reporting packs that pull directly from your accounting software, refreshed on a schedule instead of rebuilt in spreadsheets.
Monthly reporting packs that pull directly from your accounting software, refreshed on a schedule instead of rebuilt in spreadsheets.
Dashboards and KPIs
Live dashboards for cash, sales, margins and the measures that matter to your business, accessible on any device.
Live dashboards for cash, sales, margins and the measures that matter to your business, accessible on any device.
Cash flow forecasting
Rolling forecasts that update from actual figures, so you see the next 13 weeks without rebuilding the model.
Rolling forecasts that update from actual figures, so you see the next 13 weeks without rebuilding the model.
Departmental and group reporting
Reporting by division, department and company, with consolidation and intercompany items identified automatically.
Reporting by division, department and company, with consolidation and intercompany items identified automatically.
AI-drafted commentary
First-draft narrative on monthly results, reviewed and finalised by a qualified accountant before it reaches you.
First-draft narrative on monthly results, reviewed and finalised by a qualified accountant before it reaches you.
04Payroll, VAT and tax compliance automation 4 areas
Payroll data collection
Timesheets, starters, leavers and changes gathered through forms and approvals rather than emails and spreadsheets.
Timesheets, starters, leavers and changes gathered through forms and approvals rather than emails and spreadsheets.
VAT data preparation and checks
Automated checks on VAT coding and the data behind your Making Tax Digital returns, so issues are caught before submission.
Automated checks on VAT coding and the data behind your Making Tax Digital returns, so issues are caught before submission.
Year-end and tax data preparation
Schedules, workpapers and supporting information assembled automatically from your records ahead of accounts and tax returns.
Schedules, workpapers and supporting information assembled automatically from your records ahead of accounts and tax returns.
Compliance deadline tracking
Reminders and workflows for filing and payment dates for VAT, payroll, corporation tax, Self Assessment and Companies House.
Reminders and workflows for filing and payment dates for VAT, payroll, corporation tax, Self Assessment and Companies House.
05Review, controls and ongoing support 4 areas
Finance automation review
A structured review of your finance processes and systems, ending with a prioritised plan showing which automations will save the most time and what each will cost.
A structured review of your finance processes and systems, ending with a prioritised plan showing which automations will save the most time and what each will cost.
Controls and data protection
Every solution is designed around your financial controls, access permissions and UK GDPR, and documented so it can be maintained.
Every solution is designed around your financial controls, access permissions and UK GDPR, and documented so it can be maintained.
Training and handover
Your team trained on every workflow, with written guides they can keep.
Your team trained on every workflow, with written guides they can keep.
Ongoing automation support
Monitoring, fixes when software changes, and new automations added as your business grows.
Monitoring, fixes when software changes, and new automations added as your business grows.
Process
How we work
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Free finance automation review call
We learn how your finance function runs and where time is being lost.
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Process and systems review
We map your finance workflows and give you a prioritised plan with fixed costs.
-
Build and test
We implement in stages, testing each automation against real data before it goes live.
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Train and support
Your team is trained, everything is documented, and ongoing support is available.
Engagement
Ways to engage
Implementation project
Build, testing, training and documentation for an agreed scope
Fee Fixed fee, agreed before work starts
Ongoing automation support
Monitoring, maintenance and new automations each month
Fee Fixed fee, agreed before work starts
Why us
Why Sharp Accountax
Accountants first. We understand the bookkeeping, reporting and compliance behind every automation, so the numbers stay right and the controls stay in place.
One firm for the work and the system. We can automate your finance processes and also deliver the accounting, tax and payroll work they feed into.
Regulated and accountable. We are ICAEW-regulated chartered accountants, and we handle your data under professional confidentiality and UK GDPR.
Sectors
This work in your industry
Care Homes, Healthcare & Supported Living Payroll data collection · Departmental and group reporting Recent engagement Construction, Trades & Property Services Supplier invoice approvals · Payroll data collection Recent engagement Ecommerce, Online Retail & Marketplaces Reconciliation automation · Sales invoicing Recent engagement Professional Services, Creative & Events Automated management accounts · Credit control Recent engagement
Related
Work that usually sits alongside this
Bookkeeping & Cloud Accounting
Clean, current books are the foundation of everything else. We take the ledger off your desk, keep it reconciled, and make sure…
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Accounting Software & Systems
Most software problems are setup problems. We select, configure and migrate systems so the reporting works from day one, then…
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Business Advisory & Virtual FD
Forward-looking work: cash, margin, structure and value. Historic accounts tell you what happened; this tells you what to do next.
See the page
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need to change my accounting software?
Usually not. Most automations work with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and the tools you already use. If a change would help, we will say so and explain why.
Will AI make mistakes in my accounts?
AI is used to do the repetitive work, not to make final judgements. Every solution includes review steps and exception reporting, and the outputs that matter are checked by qualified accountants.
Is my data safe?
We design every solution around UK GDPR and your access controls, use reputable providers, and document what data each automation uses and where it goes. Read more.
How long does implementation take?
It depends on scope. Simple automations can be live within days; larger projects are delivered in stages, so you see results early.
Do I need to be a Sharp Accountax client already?
No. We implement finance automation for businesses whether or not we are their accountants.
Do you automate processes outside finance?
Our focus is finance, accounting, payroll and compliance, where our expertise as chartered accountants adds the most value.
What happens if something stops working?
Ongoing support covers monitoring and fixes, including when software providers change their systems. Every automation is also documented so it can be maintained. Read more.
How an engagement works
Four steps, no surprises
The same route in for every piece of work on this page.
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A 30-minute call
You talk, we listen. What you run, what is not working, what you want the numbers to do for you. With a chartered accountant, not a sales team.
- You bring
- Nothing
- Takes
- 30 minutes
-
We review what you have
Last filings, current books, the software in use and any letters from HMRC. We tell you plainly what is in order and what is not.
- You bring
- Last filings and logins
- Takes
- 2 to 5 days
-
Fixed scope and fee, agreed in advance
A written scope of exactly what we will do and what it costs, before any work starts. Monthly where the work is ongoing, one-off where it is not.
- You get
- Written scope and fee
- Changes
- Discussed first, never invoiced after
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Handover and onboarding
If you are switching, we write to your existing accountant for professional clearance and collect the records. You do not need to chase anyone.
- You do
- Nothing
- Takes
- Most clients live in two to three days
Next step
Book a free finance automation review
A conversation with a chartered accountant about where you are and what you need. No fee, no obligation, and you will not be sold to.
020 3916 6269 info@sharpaccountax.co.uk We reply to every enquiry within one working day. Prefer to write? Send an enquiry.
30 minutes · Video or phone
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