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Guide · Internal
How to Automate an Accounting Practice
Automate the work nobody should be doing by hand: job creation, records chasing, onboarding and reporting.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · 60-day free trial · Last updated 27 September 2026
Quick answer
Automating an accounting practice means removing manual steps from four places: creating recurring jobs, chasing client records, onboarding new clients, and reporting on workload. Each one is repetitive and rule-based. Remindoo generates recurring work, sends client reminders automatically and reports on capacity without a spreadsheet.
Where should automation start?
With recurring job creation and client chasing, because both consume hours every week and follow fixed rules.
Count how long someone spends each month setting up jobs and writing reminder emails. In most firms it is days, not hours, and none of it needs judgement. That is why it is the right place to begin — the rules are already written down in your process.
What should not be automated?
Review, advice, difficult conversations and the final chase before a deadline.
Automation should buy time for judgement, not replace it. Firms that automate the final human chase find deadlines slip, because the clients left at that point are exactly the ones who need a phone call.
What is a sensible order to work in?
Standardise, then automate, then measure. Automating an inconsistent process just produces inconsistency faster.
Write the process down first, even roughly. Then build it once as a service template so every client follows it. Only then switch on automation, and check the numbers after one full cycle.
How to Automate an Accounting Practice: step by step
- 1
List your repetitive work
Write down every task someone does weekly that follows a rule.
- 2
Standardise the process
Agree one way of doing each recurring service.
- 3
Automate job creation
Make recurring work appear on schedule rather than being set up by hand.
- 4
Automate client chasing
Schedule records requests and reminders against deadlines.
- 5
Automate onboarding
Turn new client setup into one template with sub-tasks.
- 6
Measure the result
Compare time spent per client before and after one cycle.
See it working with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services, deadlines and templates.
How do you do it in Remindoo?
- Build service templates. Create each recurring service once with its stages and sub-tasks.
- Set recurrence and trigger dates. Let jobs generate from year ends, quarter ends and pay dates.
- Schedule client reminders. Automate records requests and follow-ups per deadline.
- Automate onboarding. Apply an onboarding template covering AML, authorisations and first services.
- Use the portal. Let clients upload documents instead of emailing them.
- Review the reporting. Check utilisation and deadline performance each month.
Service templates
Repeatable structures for every service.
See featureRecurring tasks
Repeat work is created automatically on schedule.
See featureTrigger dates
Start work from key filing or internal dates.
See featureAutomated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureClient onboarding automation
Standardise requests, checks and first services.
See featureWhat are the common mistakes?
- Automating a process nobody has written down
- Automating the final human chase
- Building automation for one client rather than a service
- Never measuring the time saved
- Keeping a parallel spreadsheet running out of habit
“Managing deadlines and tasks is much easier.”
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest automation win?
Recurring job creation and automated records requests. Both remove hours of admin a month and need no judgement.
Will automation reduce headcount?
Most firms redeploy time into advisory and client work rather than cutting staff, because capacity is usually the constraint.
How long does setup take?
Building your main service templates is typically a day or two; rolling out across clients happens group by group.
Does automation risk missing deadlines?
It reduces the risk, provided you keep internal deadlines ahead of statutory ones and keep a human review step.
Do we need to change our filing software?
No. Practice automation sits around your existing accounts, tax and bookkeeping software.
How do we know it worked?
Measure time per client, how many jobs finished before the internal deadline, and how many chasers were sent manually.
Ready to run a calmer practice?
See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Last updated 27 September 2026. General guidance, not regulatory advice.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
