Agents for accountants/VAT return review agent

Accountancy agent

VAT return review agent

Checks the coding on every VAT return before it's filed, and gives the accountant a red, amber and green list with the source line for every flag.

Talk to us about this agent How it runs
Coming next

Coming next. We're building the check set now. Tell us if you'd like to be one of the first firms to use it.

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See the VAT return review agent run, start to finish.

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Scope

It reviews the return. It doesn't redo the reconciliation your accounting software already does, and it never files.

What starts it

It starts on its own.

Standard trigger

The VAT return detail export lands in the client's quarter folder. Xero, QuickBooks and Sage all produce one in Excel or CSV.

It could also start when

  • A schedule a set number of days before each client's filing deadline, which requests or fetches the export
  • The export emailed to a VAT mailbox and filed to the right client
  • A scheduled pull, where the accounting package has an API (Xero and QuickBooks do)

Manual fallback

Upload the export to the agent in Teams.

  1. Trigger

    The export arrives.

  2. System

    The last four quarters and the client's known exceptions are loaded.

  3. AI

    The agent checks for:

    • VAT codes that are unusual for that supplier, compared with history
    • Duplicates
    • Supplier invoices with no VAT where VAT is expected
    • Reverse charge and import VAT items
    • Box totals that don't tie to the ledger
    • Movement against previous quarters
    • Anything above your materiality

  4. AI

    Every flag is ranked red, amber or green, with the source line.

  5. Action

    The review working paper is filed to the quarter folder, and a client query email is drafted for anything ambiguous.

  6. Your team approves

    The accountant clears or queries each flag and signs off.

What it does

The agent checks the return against the client's last four quarters and known exceptions, ranking every flag red, amber or green with the source line. It files the review working paper to the quarter folder and drafts a client query for anything ambiguous, and the accountant clears each flag and signs off.

Where your team approves

The accountant reviews the flags and signs the return. The agent never files.

You decide what each agent may do on its own and where a person has to approve. By default, anything that goes to a client or raises a bill waits for one of your team.

Standard in every firm

  • The check set
  • Thresholds
  • Working paper
  • Filing
  • Client query draft

Set up for your firm

  • Materiality
  • Your coding conventions
  • Each client's known exceptions
  • Folder structure

Today

The accountant scrolls the VAT detail report line by line, checks the box totals against the ledger and writes queries by hand. It's an hour a return, for every client, every quarter. Errors still get through when it's busy.

With the agent

The return arrives pre-reviewed, with the flags ranked and evidenced. Time goes on the amber items, and every file has the same working paper.

Worked example

What it could give back to your firm.

Worked example

Returns a year
600
Hours back a year
450
Value of that time a year
£31,500

Illustrative defaults. Put in your own numbers.

How it's worked out

  • Returns a year = returns a quarter × 4.
  • Hours = returns a year × (minutes now − minutes with the agent) ÷ 60.
  • Value = hours × value of an hour.

Errors caught before filing are the bigger benefit, but they aren't in the formula.

What you need in place

Before it can run in your firm.

  • A VAT return detail export in Excel or CSV
  • Agreed materiality and coding conventions
  • A list of VAT clients and their deadlines, if the scheduled trigger is used

Price

Fixed price, confirmed on a free 30-minute call

Once live, it's looked after under Embed from £750 a month, which covers up to two live agents.

Microsoft's own usage charges, such as Copilot Credits, are billed by Microsoft to your firm, separately from our fees.

All prices exclude VAT.

Talk to us about this agent See pricing
Does the agent file the return?
No. It reviews the return and files a working paper to the quarter folder. The accountant clears or queries each flag and signs off, and filing stays with your team.
Does it redo our reconciliation?
No. Your accounting software already reconciles. The agent reviews the coding on the return and checks that the box totals tie to the ledger.
Where does our data go?
We build agents in your own Microsoft 365, not on our servers, and we don't host your data. Agents your team talks to only see what that person can already see. Agents that run on their own use a dedicated service account, limited to the mailboxes, folders and systems the job needs, agreed with you in advance. We build in UK regions wherever Microsoft offers them, and anything that has to run elsewhere is set out for your compliance lead to approve before go-live. Microsoft doesn't use your Microsoft 365 content to train its foundation models, and every run is logged.

Next step

Talk to us about this agent.

A free 30-minute call with James. We'll check how your practice would trigger it and confirm the fixed price.

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