Repetitive tasks take up a lot of time that you could spend on more important work. In this post, we show you which of these tasks AI can automate for you.
AI can now handle a large share of the tasks that eat up time in accounting and administration every day. This article shows which tasks those are, how they work, and where it makes most sense to start.
Which specific tasks does AI handle?
The tasks can be divided into two groups: tasks directly related to accounting, and general administrative routines that occur in almost every company—whether in accounting, HR, or the back office. Both areas can be automated; it makes sense to start with accounting, as that is where manual effort is greatest.
Receipt and document processing
What AI handles: You upload a receipt as a PDF or photo. The software automatically extracts the amount, date, VAT rate, and supplier, converts these values into structured data, and suggests the appropriate account directly. Swiss QR-bills are read directly according to the SIX Group standard without any manual input. Instead of an empty booking screen, you get a pre-filled suggestion that you can confirm or adjust with a single click.
Unlike traditional OCR technology, which recognizes characters but doesn't understand context, modern AI reads the content of a document and understands what to do with it. This is particularly evident with complex layouts and invoices in foreign languages, where older systems regularly fail. In addition, the system actively highlights anomalies instead of quietly booking them incorrectly.
Concrete example: A tradesperson receives supplier invoices in three different layouts every week. In the past, she typed out each invoice manually. Today, she uploads them as a photo; the software recognizes the amount, VAT, and supplier, and suggests the correct journal entry. Checking it takes seconds.
Bank reconciliation
What AI handles: The software imports transactions directly from the bank account and matches each payment with a booking suggestion. The AI recognizes patterns in your transactions and suggests booking rules for future entries, which you can accept, adjust, or reject. This is based on the recipient, amount, and the company's historical transactions. The system doesn't just compare numbers; it uses the context of past transactions to determine the most likely match. The longer you use the software, the less often you need to intervene. What remains: you check the exceptions and confirm or correct them with a click.
Concrete example: An IT service provider with around 80 monthly transactions used to spend an hour every Monday morning on reconciliation. After four weeks with AI support, most standard transactions run automatically; he only checks the exceptions.
Invoicing and dunning
What AI handles: AI extracts invoices accurately, even in foreign languages, and generates booking descriptions based on the content. The dunning process can be fully automated, including tiered reminder stages triggered after defined deadlines.
Concrete example: A consultant with international clients receives invoices in English and French. The software recognizes the relevant fields regardless of the language and generates the booking suggestion. Overdue items are dunned automatically; she only intervenes if a client responds explicitly.
Payroll accounting
What AI handles: AHV/AVS, ALV/AC, and BVG/LPP deductions, as well as withholding tax, are calculated on a rule-based basis in a payroll solution. Notifications to the compensation fund can be submitted electronically; withholding tax is settled with the cantonal tax authority. Special cases, such as complex salary components or year-end closings, still require a brief review by users or fiduciaries.
Concrete example: A restaurant with six part-time employees and varying hourly wages prepares monthly payroll in a fraction of the previous time. Notifications to the compensation fund are generated automatically; the owner only checks the final totals.
Document filing and archiving
What AI handles: AI systems automatically classify documents by type, name them consistently, and store them in an audit-compliant manner. Duplicates are detected before they are filed. Incoming documents no longer need to be manually moved to folders or renamed.
Concrete example: A fiduciary managing multiple client mandates receives documents by email daily. The software detects whether a file is a supplier invoice, a bank statement, or a contract, renames it consistently, and assigns it to the correct mandate. Searching for old receipts takes seconds instead of minutes.
Application outside accounting: Document filing is not exclusively an accounting topic. Contracts, HR records, and correspondence can all be managed using the same systems.
Email triage and scheduling
What AI handles: Tools like ChatGPT Tasks make it possible to set up recurring tasks as scheduled routines. The assistant prioritizes incoming emails, reminds you of deadlines, creates meeting reminders, and schedules follow-ups automatically, without having to set an appointment manually each time.
Concrete example: A project manager receives around 60 emails daily. Since deploying an AI tool for triage, she first sees the three messages that require an action today; the rest are bundled and displayed by priority. Follow-up reminders are set automatically.
Application outside accounting: This principle applies in sales, support, and anywhere large volumes of email occur.
Approvals and authorizations
What AI handles: Automated approval workflows route requests directly to the responsible person and escalate automatically in the event of delays. With this approach, processing times for approvals can be drastically reduced, shortening the turnaround for expense authorizations.
Concrete example: An SME with three locations used to take up to two days for a purchase approval to pass through all stages. With an automated approval workflow, the request goes directly to the responsible person; if there is a delay, it is escalated automatically.
Application outside accounting: Approval workflows can be applied to HR requests, holiday applications, and internal purchase orders.
Where is the best place to start?
Receipt processing and bank reconciliation come first because that is where the greatest manual time effort lies and the initial barrier to entry is lowest.
The recommended sequence:
Receipt processing and bank reconciliation: Highest time savings, lowest risk. The software reads receipts, suggests bookings, you confirm. FTA-compliant VAT accounting runs almost on its own afterwards.
Invoice processing and dunning: AI reads invoices precisely, even in foreign languages, and generates booking descriptions based on content. Dunning can be fully automated, including tiered reminder levels.
Payroll accounting: AHV/AVS, ALV/AC, and BVG/LPP deductions as well as withholding tax are calculated rule-based in a payroll solution. Notifications to the compensation fund can be transmitted electronically.
Further admin areas: Email triage, approvals, and document management follow once accounting is running smoothly.
Swiss-specific considerations: Make sure that the selected software natively supports QR-bills according to the SIX standard, VAT returns for the FTA (ESTV), and AHV/ALV declarations. Trying to handle these requirements with a foreign solution usually results in unnecessary workarounds. A structured overview is provided in the article Introducing AI to your business.
What do you need to consider regarding data security?
AI in accounting means that sensitive financial data is processed in the cloud. Accounting data contains personal information: bank details, salary records, contract terms. The chosen software should therefore demonstrate data hosting in Switzerland and compliance with the Swiss FADP (DSG). For VAT reporting to the FTA, data must also be stored in an audit-proof, traceable manner.
Innosuisse-backed software solutions undergo a quality process that includes rigorous data security requirements.
Three questions you should ask your provider:
Where is the data stored? Swiss data storage means that the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP/DSG) applies directly.
Is my data used to train the AI model? A reputable provider will provide a clear “No” or offer an opt-in procedure that you control.
What happens to my data after contract termination? The answer should specify a defined export timeframe and a clear deletion routine.
How nextesy handles these tasks for you
If you are looking for a solution that covers accounting and admin automation for the Swiss market, nextesy offers a platform that consolidates all of the described functional areas in a single tool. Developed with AI expertise from the ETH AI Center at ETH Zurich and supported by Innosuisse, nextesy was built from the ground up as AI-native—not as an afterthought.
What nextesy specifically covers:
AI-driven receipt capture: Amount, date, VAT, and supplier are automatically extracted and pre-assigned. No manual typing required.
Bank reconciliation with all relevant Swiss banks: Transactions are imported and automatically matched. QR-bills according to the SIX standard are fully integrated.
VAT accounting: Both the effective method and the net tax rate method (Saldosteuersatz) are supported. Reporting for the FTA runs on a rule-based basis.
Payroll accounting: AHV/AVS, ALV/AC, BVG/LPP, and withholding tax are fully integrated. Salary certificates and declarations to compensation funds are generated correctly.
Document management: AI recognizes, names, and classifies documents automatically. Audit-compliant archiving is included in every package, not as a paid add-on.
Zefix integration: Company data from the Swiss Commercial Register is populated automatically—no manual typing of company details for new contacts.
Data security: Data hosting in Switzerland, compliant with the Swiss FADP and GDPR. No prior knowledge required, Swiss-level support via phone, WhatsApp, and email.
Pricing starts from CHF 29 per month for SMEs and from CHF 19 per month for fiduciaries. If you have an active contract with another provider, you pay CHF 1 per month during that transition period. The trial period lasts 14 days, no credit card required.
