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Guide · Internal
How to Reduce Admin in an Accounting Firm
The four admin jobs that eat a practice week, and how to remove each one.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · 60-day free trial · Last updated 27 September 2026
Quick answer
Most practice admin sits in four places: chasing clients, setting up recurring jobs, hunting for documents, and rekeying the same data. All four can be removed with templates, automated reminders, a client portal and one system of record. Remindoo covers all four.
What are the four big admin costs?
Chasing records, creating recurring jobs, finding documents, and entering the same information more than once.
Add up the hours your team spends on those four and you usually find a full-time role's worth of non-billable work. None of it requires professional judgement, which is exactly why it can be designed out rather than worked harder at.
Why is document hunting so expensive?
Because records spread across inboxes, drives and desks, so every job starts with a search.
One place for client documents removes a few minutes from every single task, several times a day, across every member of staff. It is the least glamorous change with the widest effect.
How to Reduce Admin in an Accounting Firm: step by step
- 1
Measure the admin
Track a fortnight of non-billable time by activity.
- 2
Automate the chasing
Schedule records requests and reminders.
- 3
Template the recurring work
Stop building the same job by hand each period.
- 4
Centralise documents
Use one portal and one client record for everything.
- 5
Stop rekeying
Import client and company data rather than typing it.
- 6
Re-measure
Check the same fortnight's admin time 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?
- Import company data. Pull client and filing details from Companies House rather than typing them.
- Use service templates. Create recurring jobs once and reuse them.
- Automate reminders. Let the system chase clients on schedule.
- Collect via the portal. Have documents land on the client record directly.
- Standardise emails. Use templates with client tokens instead of retyping.
- Report on the change. Compare time spent per client before and after.
Companies House sync
Import company details and filing deadlines.
See featureService templates
Repeatable structures for every service.
See featureAutomated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureClient portal and document sharing
Share requests and documents securely, not by email.
See featureEmail templates
Standard client messages ready to send.
See featureWhat are the common mistakes?
- Treating admin as unavoidable
- Chasing clients manually every cycle
- Documents living in individual inboxes
- Typing client data that could be imported
- No measurement before or after
“Companies House integration onboards clients in minutes; AML scoring keeps us compliant.”
Frequently asked questions
How much admin can realistically be removed?
Firms typically find the largest savings in chasing and job setup. Measure before and after to know your own figure.
Does a client portal really save time?
Yes, mostly through small savings repeated many times a day, plus fewer lost documents.
Do I need to replace my accounts software?
No. Practice management sits around your accounts, tax and bookkeeping tools.
What about clients who refuse to use a portal?
Keep an email route for them but upload what they send, so the client record stays complete.
Will automating reminders annoy clients?
Not if they are specific and stop once records arrive. Vague repeated chasers are what irritates people.
Where should I start?
Automated records chasing. It is the fastest change with the most obvious effect.
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.”
