Getting rid of accountants - Are we any nearer in 2026 ?

Byzantium · Jan 11, 2026

I use Excel, always have, always will. I've tried the likes of Xero, Kashflow, Quickbooks and even Sage and all of them a a hindrance rather than a help if you are even moderately proficient with Excel.

So I have a chart of accounts which matches what the accountants use for filing and I prepare pivot tables, gross and net matching these, every transaction is categorised, accruals and prepayments all accounted for, as is motor, any change in assets and the opening and closing stock and bank numbers. I don't exactly give the accountant a shoebox of receipts !

In effect, I have already done the accounts, save for putting them in a standard format, which I am easily capable of doing, also in Excel and if needed, writing macros to manipulate anything, though in truth, it would only need links to cells in pivots. I used to do this for my contracting companies back in the mid 1990s.

As I have a number of companies, some with more transactions, some with less, but Excel doesn't care how many there are, the accountancy bill reaches well over £10k and the accountant thinks it should go up. To contrast, I think it should go down as they should be investing in AI or whatever to automate and what they should be doing is pivoting to tax advice, not reformatting the numbers I already calculate for them and charging me thousands for the privilege.

So is there software out there that can do it all and link to HMRC ? I don't think the likes of Xero want that as they make money from signing up accountants who then make commissions from signing up their clients and removing the accountants from the equation would be the end of that gravy train.

Ozzy · Jan 11, 2026

Giving an alternative perspective, the thought that my finance manager would run our accounts in Excel would scare me. I'd like to see evidence that all our invoices, both in and out, reconcile with our bank and asset register, and I would also like to see evidence behind the departmental forecasts. If I was to ask what's behind code 6100 and get a print out of all the supplier invoices, and then be able to click to see those invoice details - that's the level of assurance I like to see.

If my accounts department came to me with that in Excel I'd be alarmed.

I'd also never sit down with an AI bot and review my personal and business tax planning, and definitely not be seated at a table with an AI agent on a laptop when going through due diligence with an acquirer.

fisicx · Jan 11, 2026

My accountant doesn’t cost thousands. The savings they make each year far outweighs their fee.

I’d not want to replace them with a bot.

Daybooks · Jan 11, 2026

Ozzy said:
Giving an alternative perspective, the thought that my finance manager would run our accounts in Excel would scare me. I'd like to see evidence that all our invoices, both in and out, reconcile with our bank and asset register, and I would also like to see evidence behind the departmental forecasts. If I was to ask what's behind code 6100 and get a print out of all the supplier invoices, and then be able to click to see those invoice details - that's the level of assurance I like to see.

If my accounts department came to me with that in Excel I'd be alarmed.

I'd also never sit down with an AI bot and review my personal and business tax planning, and definitely not be seated at a table with an AI agent on a laptop when going through due diligence with an acquirer.

I use Microsoft Excel for my own company and those for whom I do their bookkeeping. The reason is simple. It is more efficient. We know the financial position at anytime and everything is at our fingertips tips. To get the same analysis from so called ‘commercial software’ is not available unless of course you extract the data out and import into Excel. The irony!

Now granted most people confuse Excel as a spreadsheet only with all the possible user errors associated, but Excel has a rich programming language which rivals any off the shelf commercial accounting packages. I have no reason to knock commercial software but labelling them as good doesn’t make them so.

By way of example a new client was convinced that he would be able to manage all his companies better if they were all cloud based rather than desktop based. On examination his desktop companies were all profitable but he had one cloud based one that was loss making.

The value comes in the ability to understand and interpret the accounts. Combined with forecasting techniques you have the ability to both make informed decisions and indeed gain a competitive advantage. That value is with the individual and AI is just a tool.

Be careful: automated reconciliations are no reconciliation at all.

Daybooks · Jan 11, 2026

I don’t have to use my electrician to do my electrical wiring; but I choose to do for the fact that I appreciate the training and effort and appliance of regulations they put into their profession.

You pays your money; you make your choice.

GLAbusiness · Jan 11, 2026

I like to think of myself as an Excel expert. A great tool. I have written a large Excel model (80+ worksheets, 80+ VBA subroutines) to help a client manage certain situations in a critical infrastructure environment.

For my own business I use FreeAgent. I get

automatic bank feeds
best guess reconciliation ready for my review
Invoicing
Payroll
Vat returns
Cashflow
Accountant ready data for my accountant to produce year end returns.
Up to date NIC rates
etc.

There is absolutely no way I would waste my time developing an excel equivalent.

I have no reason to doubt OP's expertise and would not question his decision to continue to use a model he has spent considerable time on over the years.

I can also understand Daybooks stance. The Excel model is built to collect data from clients in a way suitable for further processing. That is a valid business model. I assume the spreadsheet is properly locked down to prevent users "improving" it.

For the vast majority of business users I believe that in-house use of Excel for accounting is fraught with danger

scstock · Jan 11, 2026

Byzantium said:
So is there software out there that can do it all and link to HMRC ? I don't think the likes of Xero want that as they make money from signing up accountants who then make commissions from signing up their clients and removing the accountants from the equation would be the end of that gravy train.

Have a look at Andica Accounts

Andica Accounts Production

accountsproduction.andica.com

Ziggy2024 · Jan 11, 2026

Not to get into whether your accountant is just reformatting your figures the answer to the question is that you will need to be able to produce accounts that are in or are able to be converted to ixbrl software to submit them to companies house & HMRC.

If you can do that you need to then have thus accepted as an approved software by HMRC otherwise they will not accept it (this is my understanding, I haven't tested the theory). The alternative is to import a trial balance into one of the accounts production softwares (andica has been mentioned, I think VT might be worth a look for you as it works similar to excel) to enable you to file your accounts.

fisicx · Jan 11, 2026

An accountant will also be aware of changes in legislation that may reduce your tax bill. HMRC aren’t going to tell you of this when you fill in your spreadsheet.

They may cost you £10k but if they save you £20k in tax they are worth the investment.

tony84 · Jan 11, 2026

Shop around for a different accountant?
At £10k, there must be some work involved their end. I pay mine £1,500 give or take for accounts and self assessment. I doubt he does 10 hours work on my accounts throughout the year so I think im paying too much, but at the same time if I have a question he answers it in about 30 seconds so he saves me time and headaches.

Im sure there would be a few accountants happy to look after you for less if its as little work as you suggest it is.

GLAbusiness · Jan 12, 2026

OP says a number of companies. Each company will need its own accounts. The £10K total may be reasonable

Lisa Thomas · Jan 12, 2026

That sounds to me more like you do the bookkeeping side of the accounting, rather than the accounting/tax work itself.

MyAccountantOnline · Jan 12, 2026

Byzantium said:
I use Excel, always have, always will. I've tried the likes of Xero, Kashflow, Quickbooks and even Sage and all of them a a hindrance rather than a help if you are even moderately proficient with Excel.

So I have a chart of accounts which matches what the accountants use for filing and I prepare pivot tables, gross and net matching these, every transaction is categorised, accruals and prepayments all accounted for, as is motor, any change in assets and the opening and closing stock and bank numbers. I don't exactly give the accountant a shoebox of receipts !

In effect, I have already done the accounts, save for putting them in a standard format, which I am easily capable of doing, also in Excel and if needed, writing macros to manipulate anything, though in truth, it would only need links to cells in pivots. I used to do this for my contracting companies back in the mid 1990s.

As I have a number of companies, some with more transactions, some with less, but Excel doesn't care how many there are, the accountancy bill reaches well over £10k and the accountant thinks it should go up. To contrast, I think it should go down as they should be investing in AI or whatever to automate and what they should be doing is pivoting to tax advice, not reformatting the numbers I already calculate for them and charging me thousands for the privilege.

So is there software out there that can do it all and link to HMRC ? I don't think the likes of Xero want that as they make money from signing up accountants who then make commissions from signing up their clients and removing the accountants from the equation would be the end of that gravy train.

Seeing some of the reponses I've had using AI I think I'm safe for a while.

As others have said don't confuse bookkeeping with accounting and tax - it's very different.

Your accountant must be doing a lot charging well over £10k.

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

Ozzy said:
Giving an alternative perspective, the thought that my finance manager would run our accounts in Excel would scare me. I'd like to see evidence that all our invoices, both in and out, reconcile with our bank and asset register, and I would also like to see evidence behind the departmental forecasts. If I was to ask what's behind code 6100 and get a print out of all the supplier invoices, and then be able to click to see those invoice details - that's the level of assurance I like to see.

If my accounts department came to me with that in Excel I'd be alarmed.

I'd also never sit down with an AI bot and review my personal and business tax planning, and definitely not be seated at a table with an AI agent on a laptop when going through due diligence with an acquirer.

It depends what scale you are. You have finance managers, multiple departments, etc.

I don't bother with numbered charts of accounts. I never saw the logic in transforming a word that everyone knows into a code that no-one knows only to have to then look up the code or drill down into it. It seems the mastery of creating work for its own sake.

However, I certainly do think that at a larger level, you cannot rely on Excel and I think this s where you are operating. Your fear is therefore well justified but somewhere between official corporate and Tommy the plumber, the need to go all numeric on a chart of accounts is overkill.

I suspect I'm pushing the envelope but it is my envelope and were I handing these functions over to someone else, then yes, I'd probably want it more locked down, even if they end up running scenario tests on data exported back into Excel !

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

fisicx said:
My accountant doesn’t cost thousands. The savings they make each year far outweighs their fee.

I’d not want to replace them with a bot.

Your accountants save you precisely zero doing your accounts. If they save you money from tax advice then that is a separate issue and as I said, I have no problems paying for good tax advice.

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

Daybooks said:
I don’t have to use my electrician to do my electrical wiring; but I choose to do for the fact that I appreciate the training and effort and appliance of regulations they put into their profession.

You pays your money; you make your choice.

On the other hand, some of us grew up knowing which end of a knife was sharp and we are comfortable installing minor and medium electrics in our properties.

I also bring in the specialists when needed but just because the halfwits of today cannot change a lightbulb resulting in the draconian Part P where we are not supposedly able to rewire a socket doesn't make their ineptitude a basline.

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

GLAbusiness said:
I like to think of myself as an Excel expert. A great tool. I have written a large Excel model (80+ worksheets, 80+ VBA subroutines) to help a client manage certain situations in a critical infrastructure environment.

For my own business I use FreeAgent. I get

automatic bank feeds

best guess reconciliation ready for my review

Invoicing

Payroll

Vat returns

Cashflow

Accountant ready data for my accountant to produce year end returns.

Up to date NIC rates

etc.

There is absolutely no way I would waste my time developing an excel equivalent.

I have no reason to doubt OP's expertise and would not question his decision to continue to use a model he has spent considerable time on over the years.

I can also understand Daybooks stance. The Excel model is built to collect data from clients in a way suitable for further processing. That is a valid business model. I assume the spreadsheet is properly locked down to prevent users "improving" it.

For the vast majority of business users I believe that in-house use of Excel for accounting is fraught with danger

automatic bank feeds - csv export in seconds
best guess reconciliation ready for my review - no guessing reconciliation using previously linked supplier and invoice data
Invoicing - we have that taken care of by proprietary EPOS / CRM / etc.
Payroll - accountant
Vat returns - takes precisely 0 seconds as it constantly updates with ever new bank data update.
Cashflow - theoretical ? assuming invoices are paid on date or run across a volatility surface to predict seasonality etc, ?
Accountant ready data for my accountant to produce year end returns - Yup, pivots at the ready in chart of account format
Up to date NIC rates - payroll aka accountants.

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

GLAbusiness said:
OP says a number of companies. Each company will need its own accounts. The £10K total may be reasonable

I think this is a fair point. There are a number of companies but it is grunt level stuff that should be automated and thus, should not need many hours of billing.

Byzantium · Jan 13, 2026

Lisa Thomas said:
That sounds to me more like you do the bookkeeping side of the accounting, rather than the accounting/tax work itself.

Well, yes, to a degree but I also understand the tax position, capital allowances and include this in my planning and perhaps this is the crux of it.

I don't think my provincial accountants have the tax expertise which I would happily pay for and whilst they can make a decent argument for Bob the Builder's accounting costs to go up each year, which he accepts because the price of his bricks goes up each year, I think automation should be chipping away at the fundamental costs of basic company accounting.

Put it this way, no-one with half a brain thinks that all this number crunching is going to be done by humans in X short years do they ?

UK Contractor Accountant · Jan 13, 2026

@Byzantium is right in that AI is transforming the accountancy profession by automating repetitive tasks such as data entry and reconciliations but it will not replace tasks that require professional judgement or some form of decision making process such as valuation of work in progress at year end date, provisions for contingencies for warranty claims, litigation provisions, restructuring costs or costs relating to closing down a branch, accrued income determinations etc.

GLAbusiness · Jan 14, 2026

Byzantium said:
There are a number of companies but it is grunt level stuff that should be automated and thus, should not need many hours of billing.

For me FreeAgent does the grunt level stuff, my accountant adds value

JamesUniform · Jun 16, 2026

I’d separate bookkeeping automation from finance control.

Software can definitely remove a lot of typing, but I would not want it to quietly decide the things an accountant or finance manager is meant to challenge.

For supplier invoices, the basic control list is still pretty boring:

original invoice attached
supplier name matches the supplier record
invoice number and date captured
net, VAT and gross total checked
duplicate-ish invoice number checked for that supplier
approval evidence before payment
transaction links back to the invoice PDF

Excel can work when volume is low and one careful person owns it. The problem starts when someone else has to review it, audit it, or take it over.

So for me the question is not really "can software replace the accountant". It is which parts are controlled enough to automate, and which bits still need judgement before the numbers are trusted.

numbersrule · Jun 21, 2026

I asked 'Gemini, by what.year would you predict that an AI with developed Recursive Self Improvement might be capable of taking on the role of a UK Chartered Accountant for Accounts Filing and Tax Filing?'

Gemini answered:

'An AI with fully developed Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI) capable of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could take on the role of a UK Chartered Accountant for accounts and tax filing by 2028 to 2032.'

Gemini went on to say that by then the role of human Chartered Accountants is likely to have been elevated to Ethical Oversight as they are likely to have been relieved of the demands of pure compliance in all it's forms.

fisicx · Jun 21, 2026

Asking AI for a prediction like this is pointless. It’s at the top end of hallucinations. Especially as it starts quoting AGI - that’s decades away.

ctrlbrk · Jun 21, 2026

@numbersrule all Gemini is doing is regurgitate text it's learnt from underlying data - and presenting it to you in a way that's likely to align with what you want to hear.

That's all these models do so far.

Don't let yourself get fooled.

DWS · Jun 21, 2026

ctrlbrk said:
@numbersrule all Gemini is doing is regurgitate text it's learnt from underlying data - and presenting it to you in a way that's likely to align with what you want to hear.

That's all these models do so far.

Don't let yourself get fooled.

I have seen some of the rubbish that AI is churning out regarding accounts so as an Accountant I am not worried at all.

Paul Kelly ICHYB · Jun 22, 2026

I will always say - a good accountant is not a cost to your business - they are an asset!

bookkeepingai · Jul 18, 2026

That distinction is the useful one: automation should remove keystrokes, not accountability.

For bank and card transactions, a safer workflow is to preserve the original source description, suggest a category while surfacing uncertainty, route transfers/owner spend/unusual amounts/VAT-sensitive items to review, record who approved or changed each decision, and export only after review and reconciliation.

That is less dramatic than “replacing the accountant”, but it is measurable: time per reviewed transaction, correction rate after export, and reconciliation exceptions.

Disclosure: I represent BookkeepingAutomation.ai, which is being built around this accountant-controlled review model. Our bias is that uncertain items should stop for a human rather than be silently posted.

EnterprisePro · Jul 21, 2026

I'd say do what works for you. I liked what Ozzy said, which is about data integrity. I may have mentioned this before in another post, but if your goal is just to fulfil statutory compliance and EoY accounts then use what works for your set of data.

If you have data being generated from different systems, then feeding them into a financial system, tracking costs, revenue etc. is the way to go. Excel is fantastic. I have used it for decades and still use it today, but for data integrity, I prefer something with controlled data structures where data can be double-validated. Granted, you can do that in Excel too.

seanmullaney · Jul 21, 2026

Full disclosure first: I co-founded a fintech that automates the bookkeeping side of this, so I'm biased — but I'll give you the honest version, which is that "getting rid of your accountant" is probably the wrong goal.

What you're describing — clean books in Excel, handing over well-formatted data — is you having already done the automatable 80%. The bit that's left (the CT600, the year-end, statutory accounts to Companies House) genuinely can be DIY for a simple limited company: HMRC's own service covers the micro-entity + CT600 route, and tools like FreeAgent or Xero will file for you. So for a straightforward company, yes — the software exists and links to HMRC.

But here's what I've watched play out with a lot of founders: the accountant's bill isn't really for the filing. It's for the judgment calls — salary vs dividends, whether an R&D claim actually stacks up, provisions, what to do when something non-standard happens. Automate that and you're not saving money, you're taking on risk you can't see.

The move that actually works isn't "remove the human," it's "keep the books clean continuously so their job shrinks." Most of the accountant cost I see is month-end untangling of messy data — kill that and the bill drops a lot, without you filing your own accounts and hoping for the best. The middle-ground folks in this thread have it right.

chenmichael · Aug 16, 2026

I think there’s a useful distinction between thorough and difficult. Detailed questions about ownership, money flows and customers can be reassuring, but only if the process is structured. If it feels slow because nobody knows what’s needed next, that’s a different issue.

numbersrule · Aug 19, 2026

I normally aim to keep on top of all my Client's bookkeeping on a weekly cycle so that the majority of the bookkeeping is up to date to the end of each week by the end of the following week except for that week's crop of unresolvables. I've never had to guarantee the weekly cycle because no Client has ever demanded a guarantee, and that allows at least some flexibility and variation for example when dealing with an initial back-log for.a new Client.

What are Forum views on the benefits of maintaining a weekly cycle for the bookkeeping?

I find that numerous short duration sessions are far more efficient than leaving it all to the end of the Quarter. And as for leaving it till the end of the year well that's just plain asking for trouble.

Ozzy · Aug 19, 2026

numbersrule said:
What are Forum views on the benefits of maintaining a weekly cycle for the bookkeeping?

Personally, I find this compulsory. It is so easily one of those jobs that if you don't keep on top of it becomes a mountain, and then before you know it becomes stressful.
Short little tasks to keep on top of the numbers is probably more important than any other task in a business, imho

DontAsk · Aug 19, 2026

My bookkeeping is up to date every single day.

EnterprisePro · Aug 19, 2026

Real-time bookkeeping.

but ok. i know its not always possible, thanks to 429 responses (geeks will get it)

numbersrule · Aug 20, 2026

EnterprisePro said:
Real-time bookkeeping.

but ok. i know its not always possible, thanks to 429 responses (geeks will get it)

I must be a Geek then

Yes, there's always scope for overload!

WHAccountancy · Aug 25, 2026

Only thing I'd add is that it's changed since April, and the thread's mostly been about whether an accountant's worth the fee rather than what's actually different now.
If you're over the threshold, Excel on its own isn't just the cheaper option any more, it's not compliant, unless it's feeding something that files for you without you retyping numbers in between. It's not about whether your figures are right. It's that the records have to be digital and the data has to link through.
Doesn't mean you need an accountant, plenty will do this themselves and manage fine. Just means the spreadsheet can't be the end of the line any more, which is different from where most people were sat last year.

Jonathan3 · Friday at 11:30 AM

If you are using a dedicated online bookkeeping service like mazuma you don't need accountants. Also, you don't need payroll people since you can create pay stubs on your own by using thepaystubs online pay stub generator tool.

Newchodge · Friday at 11:32 AM

Jonathan3 said:
If you are using a dedicated online bookkeeping service like mazuma you don't need accountants. Also, you don't need payroll people since you can create pay stubs on your own by using thepaystubs online pay stub generator tool.

Payroll is a hell of a lot more than generating payslips! In the same way that accounting is a hell of a lot more than bookkeeping. What, by the way, is a paystub?

DontAsk · Friday at 11:48 AM

Newchodge said:
What, by the way, is a paystub?

Am Americanism.

Getting rid of accountants - Are we any nearer in 2026 ?

Founder of UKBF

Founder of UKBF

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