Sectors
AI Agents for UK Accountancy Practices: Less Chasing, More Advisory
Your team is paid to advise, not to chase. We take the chasing, reminders and re-keying off your team, inside the practice management, bookkeeping and payroll software you already use. Nothing goes to HMRC or a client without your approval, and every action is logged.
Where practice time goes
In most accountancy practices, the technical work isn't the bottleneck. Getting what you need from clients is. The time goes on:
- Chasing records: bank statements, receipts, payroll changes and signed accounts, requested again and again.
- Deadline reminders: VAT returns, payroll runs, self-assessment and year-end, tracked by hand across hundreds of clients.
- Re-keying: moving data between the practice management system, Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, and payroll and VAT software.
- "Did you get my receipts?" calls: routine questions that interrupt focused work.
- Onboarding: engagement letters, ID and AML checks, and authority to act, chased until complete.
- Management accounts packs: assembled, checked and commented on manually each month.
MTD makes it bigger
7 November is the next MTD quarterly update deadline. When the MTD threshold for sole traders and landlords drops to £30,000, far more clients move to quarterly reporting: four rounds of chasing a year for each of them.
The routine work our AI agents handle for your practice
Your team is paid to advise, not to chase. These are the tasks our AI agents take on inside your practice management, bookkeeping, payroll and VAT software. Every task follows the same rule: a person in your practice approves anything that goes to a client or HMRC, and every action is logged. Start with one task or combine several. Each is built as its own agent, priced from the tier shown. Tasks marked 'Scoped at your assessment' are built around your practice's own checklists and systems, agreed with you before any work starts.
1. Answer and qualify new enquiries
New-client enquiries arrive at 9pm or mid-busy-season and wait for a reply.
- Answers website and email enquiries day and night
- Asks service, turnover, software and year-end, then books a call into your diary
- Hands your team a one-paragraph summary of every lead
Connects to: website, email, diary, practice management or CRM.
2. Answer client calls
Calls interrupt focused work, and missed ones are lost enquiries.
- Answers inbound calls when your team can't
- Takes messages, confirms what has arrived and what is outstanding
- Passes anything complex to the right person with a written summary
Connects to: telephony, practice management, diary.
3. Onboard new clients
Engagement letters, ID, authority to act and prior-year records are chased by hand until the file is complete.
- Sends the onboarding pack and tracks each item
- Chases missing documents until complete
- Prepares the file for your AML check and flags gaps
Connects to: practice management, email, e-signature, ID and document storage.
4. Answer 'what do you need from me?' and 'is my return in hand?'
Routine status questions fill the inbox and the phone, especially before 31 January.
- Answers from your own records, by chat, email or phone
- Tells the client what is received, what is outstanding and what happens next
- Logs every exchange and passes anything it can't answer to a named person
Connects to: practice management, email, telephony.
5. Send deadline reminders
VAT, payroll, self-assessment and year-end dates are tracked by hand across hundreds of clients.
- Sends each client a reminder with exactly what you need from them
- Chases on a schedule you set and stops once the item arrives
- Flags anyone still outstanding to their manager
Connects to: practice management, email, bookkeeping software.
6. Prepare Making Tax Digital quarterly updates
Quarterly reporting multiplies the chasing: four rounds a year per client.
- Tells each affected client what is needed before every quarterly deadline
- Checks that records are in and flags what is missing or looks inconsistent
- Prepares the update for your team to review
Connects to: Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and your practice management system.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £2,200 →7. Chase client records and documents
The technical work is rarely the bottleneck. Getting bank statements, receipts and signed accounts is.
- Sends each client a tailored list of what is missing
- Chases every few days by email or text and logs each reply
- Files what arrives against the right client and period
Connects to: practice management, email, document storage, bookkeeping software.
8. Collect payroll changes in a set format
Starters, leavers and pay changes arrive late or in the wrong format.
- Requests changes before each run in one agreed format
- Checks for gaps and obvious errors
- Prepares the payroll inputs for a person to check
Connects to: payroll software, email, practice management.
9. Prepare bookkeeping and reconciliation checks
Reconciliations and queries are worked through by hand.
- Prepares reconciliation prompts and lists unmatched items
- Spots errors and inconsistencies for a person to review
- Drafts client queries for approval
Connects to: Xero, QuickBooks, Sage.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £2,200 →10. Draft management accounts commentary
Monthly packs are assembled, checked and commented on manually.
- Pulls the figures into your pack format
- Drafts first-pass commentary on movements for review
- Highlights variances worth a conversation
Connects to: bookkeeping software, your reporting templates.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £2,200 →11. Keep your systems in sync
Data is re-keyed between practice management, bookkeeping, payroll and VAT software.
- Moves client and period data between systems
- Flags mismatches instead of overwriting
- Logs every change
Connects to: practice management, Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, payroll and VAT software, CRM.
12. Prepare audit files and track evidence requests
Audit file preparation and evidence chasing create bottlenecks each cycle.
- Prepares audit file prompts and summaries
- Tracks which evidence requests are outstanding and chases them
- Flags gaps before the review
Connects to: practice management, document storage, email.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £4,800 →13. Track deadlines and workload
Deadlines are tracked by hand and capacity is only visible when it is too late.
- Builds one view of deadlines by client, team and week
- Shows which clients are stuck waiting on records
- Warns managers when a team's load is building
Connects to: practice management.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £4,800 →14. Keep an approval trail on everything
Included in every task above.
- Logs each action the agent takes: what it did, when and why
- Records who approved it
- Holds anything for a client or HMRC until a named person approves
Connects to: every task above.
15. Support compliance and quality reviews
Quality reviews and file checks take time from qualified staff.
- Checks files against your own checklists
- Flags missing documents and inconsistencies
- Produces a log for your review
Connects to: practice management, document storage.
Scoped at your assessment
Built as: AI Optimisation Assistant, from £4,800 →Don't see your task here? Most practices have two or three of their own. Your free 30-minute AI Capacity Assessment maps them, shows the hours involved and tells you which to automate first.
Book your free AI Capacity Assessment →What it looks like in practices like yours
Two example deployments, based on our AI Deployment Blueprints for small and medium UK accounting practices. Each shows the practice, the challenge, what we deploy and the expected impact.
Small UK accounting practice
- Manual, repetitive admin
- Slow turnaround on accounts, VAT, payroll and tax packs
- Limited capacity for client communication
- Rising operational costs
- Over-reliance on individual knowledge
A smaller practice where the same few people prepare the accounts and chase the clients. We deploy a lightweight system connected to your practice management, bookkeeping, payroll and VAT software, with a person approving everything that matters.
Medium UK accounting practice
- High volume of repetitive compliance work
- Bottlenecks across audit, accounts and tax cycles
- Inconsistent client communication across offices
- Knowledge silos and margin pressure
- Hard to scale processes across locations
A multi-office practice across accounts, audit, VAT, payroll, tax advisory and outsourced finance, where each office works slightly differently. We deploy one practice-wide system that keeps client communication consistent across offices, prepares audit files and management accounts packs, and balances workload between teams.
Expected outcomes from Elvra AI Solutions deployment blueprints. Actual results vary by practice, and your free AI Capacity Assessment uses your own figures.
Use cases by service line
MTD and VAT
- The problem
- Quarterly updates multiply the number of deadlines, and every one needs records from the client first.
- What the AI does
- The AI Optimisation Assistant sends each client a tailored list of what's missing before every deadline, chases automatically and flags late clients to their manager.
- The result
- Fewer last-minute scrambles, and no one on the team spends their day as the reminder service.
Year-end accounts and self-assessment
- The problem
- Incomplete records and slow client responses hold up accounts production and push work into January.
- What the AI does
- The AI Enquiry Assistant answers "what do you need from me?" questions, and the AI Customer Voice Assistant confirms what's been received when clients call.
- The result
- Work arrives complete and earlier, and January is calmer.
Payroll
- The problem
- Starters, leavers and pay changes arrive late or in the wrong format.
- What the AI does
- The AI Optimisation Assistant collects changes in a set format ahead of each run and prepares payroll workflows for a person to check.
- The result
- Fewer errors and re-runs.
Bookkeeping and management accounts
- The problem
- Reconciliations, queries and monthly packs are assembled by hand.
- What the AI does
- It prepares reconciliation prompts, spots errors and inconsistencies, and drafts management accounts commentary for review.
- The result
- Packs go out faster, with more time for the advisory conversation.
Audit
- The problem
- Audit file preparation and evidence chasing create bottlenecks each cycle.
- What the AI does
- It prepares audit file prompts and summaries, and tracks outstanding evidence requests.
- The result
- Audits move through the cycle with fewer delays.
New client onboarding
- The problem
- Engagement letters, ID and AML checks and authority to act are chased by hand.
- What the AI does
- The AI Enquiry Assistant qualifies the lead and books the call, then the AI Optimisation Assistant sends the onboarding pack and chases each item until complete.
- The result
- New clients start sooner, with a complete file.
Compliance, regulation and data security
Accountancy runs on trust and accuracy. Every Elvra AI Solutions deployment follows the same principles:
Your team signs off
Nothing is sent to HMRC or a client without approval from a member of your team. Professional judgement stays with your qualified people.
A full audit trail
Every action the AI takes is logged: what it did, when and why. That supports your quality reviews and professional body requirements.
AML and onboarding
The AI gathers ID and onboarding documents and tracks what's outstanding. Your team still carries out and signs off the AML checks.
UK GDPR and data protection
Client data is processed under a data processing agreement, with access limited to what each workflow needs.
Secure, permissioned connections
Every connection to your practice management, bookkeeping, payroll and VAT software is secured and mapped to your compliance obligations. There's no rip-and-replace of the tools your team knows.
Built for accuracy
Automated checks catch errors and inconsistencies before a person reviews the work.
We're happy to go through your practice's risk and compliance questions in detail during the AI Capacity Assessment.
How do you work out what AI is worth to your practice?
What an AI agent is worth depends on how much of your team's time goes on chasing, reminders and re-keying, and how many enquiries and calls are missed today. We do not publish headline savings figures, because they differ for every practice.
Your free AI Capacity Assessment
In a free 30-minute AI Capacity Assessment, we run your practice's own figures through our savings model:
- How many client-facing and support staff you have.
- How many enquiries and calls you handle each week, and how many are missed.
- How many hours a week go on chasing, reminders and re-keying.
You'll see the hours you could win back, what that's worth a year, which service to start with and how long payback would take. You'll leave with three automation ideas you can act on, whether or not you work with us.
What it costs
One-off build prices, from:
| Service | Starter | Premium | Diamond |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Enquiry Assistant | £700 | £1,400 | £2,900 |
| AI Customer Voice Assistant | £1,100 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| AI Optimisation Assistant | £2,200 | £4,800 | £9,500 |
One agent can run several tasks. The AI Optimisation Assistant tiers differ by how many tasks and systems one agent handles. Starter: one task, using one or two data sources. Premium: several tasks in one agent, across several data sources, with scheduling and activity logs. Diamond: coordinated agents across several systems, with real-time analysis and advanced memory. Prices are one-off build prices, confirmed when we quote.
After the build, a monthly support fee covers monitoring, updates and improvements. No per-seat licences and no minimum practice size. Starter suits smaller practices, Premium mid-sized practices and Diamond larger or multi-office practices.
From assessment to go-live in four phases
Every deployment starts with a free 30-minute AI Capacity Assessment, then follows four phases. A person stays in the loop at every phase.
Discovery & mapping
Architecture & design
Deployment & integration
Optimisation & scaling
- Discovery and mapping. We analyse your workflows, produce an opportunity blueprint and review risk and compliance with you. For multi-office practices, we map how each office works.
- Architecture and design. We design the AI agents around your systems and run an ROI simulation, so you know the expected return before we build.
- Deployment and integration. We implement securely, roll out across your platforms and train your staff, with change-management support for larger practices.
- Optimisation and scaling. We monitor performance, report on the time saved, and extend the AI to new workflows and offices as you're ready.
Most single-workflow projects go from assessment to go-live in a matter of weeks, not months.
Frequently asked questions
Will the AI submit anything to HMRC?
No. The AI prepares, chases and drafts. Nothing is submitted to HMRC or sent to a client without approval from a member of your team.
Does it work with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage?
Yes. We connect to the bookkeeping, practice management, payroll and VAT software you already use. We'll confirm how it connects to your setup during the assessment.
How does it help with Making Tax Digital?
MTD means more deadlines and more records to collect. The AI sends each client a tailored list of what's needed before every quarterly deadline, chases automatically and flags anyone running late, so your team doesn't have to.
Is our client data safe?
Yes. It's processed under UK GDPR and a data processing agreement, over secure, permissioned connections. The AI only accesses the data each workflow needs.
Can it carry out AML checks?
It gathers ID and onboarding documents and tracks what's outstanding. The AML checks themselves, and the sign-off, stay with your team.
Will it replace our staff?
No. It takes on the chasing, reminders and re-keying so your team can spend more time on accounts, tax and advisory work. Most practices use it to take on more clients without hiring.
How long does it take to set up?
Most single-workflow projects go from assessment to go-live in a matter of weeks.
How much does it cost?
One-off builds start from £700, with a monthly support fee after that. There are no per-seat licences.
How quickly will we see a return?
The free AI Capacity Assessment shows the likely payback for your practice, using your own figures.
We're a small practice. Is this worth it for us?
Yes. Smaller practices often feel the pressure most, because there's no one else to pass the chasing to. Our Starter tier is built for them, and the assessment will show whether it's worth it before you spend anything.
Can it work across several offices?
Yes. For multi-office practices, it keeps client communication and processes consistent across offices and helps balance workload between teams.
See what AI could give back to your practice
In 30 minutes, we'll run your practice's figures through our savings model and show you the hours, value and payback. No obligation, and you keep the three automation ideas either way.
Book your free AI Capacity AssessmentDownload our Accountancy Brochure
Further reading
- How to Automate Repetitive Admin in Your Accountancy Firm
- The End of Month-End: How AI Is Rewriting the Close Cycle
- Closing Faster, Thinking Smarter: AI and the New Pace of Financial Insight
- The Compliance Advantage: How AI Keeps Accountancy Firms Ahead of Regulation
- Error-Free Accounting: How Machine Learning Reduces Risk and Rework