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Software for accountants and bookkeeping firms

An accountancy or bookkeeping firm works for dozens or hundreds of clients at once. Software makes the difference between retyping receipts every month and mainly checking a client's accounts. Here you can see, per area, which packages suit the work of a firm.

By Sjaak Schokker, co-founder of SoftwareWatcher
Text checked on the lists follow the suppliers' data

The core of a firm is the software for annual accounts and tax returns. Around it are the bookkeeping package in which clients and firm work together, software that processes receipts and invoices automatically, and the practice side: hours per client, client contact and getting documents signed.

Annual accounts and reporting

Annual accounts software turns the figures from the bookkeeping into annual accounts according to the statutory formats, with notes and ratios. Many packages also produce interim reports and can file the annual accounts with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK).

The packages in this category:

1 more package

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Returns

Tax software handles income tax, corporate tax and other returns for your clients and sends them to the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst). Check whether the package takes over the figures from your annual accounts software, so you don't enter them again.

The packages in this category:

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Bookkeeping together with your clients

Many clients do their own bookkeeping, or only hand in receipts. With an accountant portal, the firm has access to all its clients' accounts from one screen: checking, correcting and preparing the VAT return without logging in to each client separately.

With an accountant portal, according to the supplier:

  • Xero

    From £18 per month

    No reviews yet

  • Gekko

    €1–€10 per user per month

    4.6 out of 5 (4 reviews)

  • e-Boekhouden.nl

    From €4.98 per month

    4.8 out of 5 (2 reviews)

  • AFAS SB

    From €59 per month

    4.6 out of 5 (1 review)

  • Cash

    From €37.50 per month

    4.4 out of 5 (1 review)

13 more packages

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Processing receipts and invoices

Scan-and-recognise software reads receipts and invoices, recognises the supplier, amount and VAT and prepares a booking proposal. For a firm with many clients, that saves the most typing.

The packages in this category:

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Invoice processing

For clients with many purchase invoices, invoice processing goes a step further: invoices come in by email or Peppol, are submitted for approval and then booked.

According to the supplier, suitable for accountancy:

1 more package

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Hours per client

A firm sells time. Time tracking shows how many hours are spent per client and per engagement, and whether a fixed price still works out. With an integration with your invoicing, you bill the hours without retyping.

According to the supplier, suitable for accountancy:

14 more packages

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Client relationships

A CRM keeps track per client of which services you provide, what has been agreed and which deadlines are coming up. For a firm, reminders of tax deadlines and of requesting documents are the most useful.

According to the supplier, suitable for accountancy:

11 more packages

  • SuperOffice

    From €64 per month

    No reviews yet

  • FlowQi

    From €20 per month

    No reviews yet

  • Cirqll

    From €24 per user per month

    No reviews yet

  • Act! CRM

    From €30 per month

    No reviews yet

  • Clientbox

    €1 or more per user per month

    No reviews yet

  • AIM Direct

    €10–€50 per user per month

    No reviews yet

  • Qraia CRM

    From €10 per month

    No reviews yet

  • Tribe CRM

    From €44 per user per month

    No reviews yet

  • Compenda

    €1–€5 and €10–€25 per user per month

    No reviews yet

  • Teamleader

    Price on request

    No reviews yet

  • Otys

    €50 or more per user per month

    No reviews yet

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Digital signing

Engagement letters, annual accounts and authorisations can be signed digitally. That saves printing and posting, and you see straight away who still needs to sign.

According to the supplier, suitable for accountancy:

1 more package

  • Zynyo

    From €60 per month

    No reviews yet

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How the packages work together

The figures go from the bookkeeping package to the annual accounts software and from there to the tax software. The less you transfer that data by hand, the fewer mistakes. So for each package, ask which bookkeeping packages it can import, and whether annual accounts and tax returns come from the same supplier or connect well.

What to look for

  • Your clients' packages: a firm works with the bookkeeping packages its clients use. Choose software that can import those packages.
  • Price per set of accounts or per user: with many clients with small accounts, how the supplier charges makes a big difference.
  • Security: you store the financial data of all your clients. Ask about two-factor authentication, where the data are stored and a data processing agreement.
  • Switching: can you take old annual accounts and files with you?

Frequently asked questions about software for accountants

What software does a bookkeeping firm need?

At least a bookkeeping package that lets you work for several clients, and software for annual accounts and tax returns. With many clients come scan-and-recognise software, time tracking and a CRM.

What is an accountant portal?

An environment in a bookkeeping package in which a firm manages the accounts of all its clients. The client books or hands in receipts, and the firm checks and handles the tax returns, without logging in to each client separately.

Can I do annual accounts and tax returns in one package?

Yes. Some suppliers offer both, and separate packages can pass data to each other. Above all, check whether the figures go from the bookkeeping via the annual accounts to the tax return without retyping.

How we choose the packages

For each area, this page shows the packages from our comparison whose supplier says they are suitable for this industry. In a category that is made for the industry itself, all packages are shown.

At the top are the packages made mainly for this industry: their supplier picks a few industries, not almost all of them. They are followed by the packages with the most reviews on SoftwareWatcher. Nobody pays for a place on this page.