These are the admin tasks AI handles for you: bookkeeping, receipts, and more
Today, AI handles a large part of the daily tasks in accounting and administration that take up valuable time. This article shows specifically which tasks these are, how they work, and where it is best for you to start.
Which tasks does AI actually take over?
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 manual effort is highest there.
Receipt and invoice capture
What AI takes over: 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 manual input. Instead of an empty entry screen, you get a pre-filled suggestion that you can confirm or adjust with a single click.
Unlike traditional OCR technology, which recognises characters but does not understand context, modern AI reads the content of a document and knows 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 flags anomalies instead of quietly misbooking them.
Concrete example: A tradeswoman receives weekly supplier invoices in three different layouts. She used to type out each invoice manually. Today, she uploads them as photos; the software recognises the amount, VAT, and supplier, and suggests the correct booking entry. Verification takes seconds.
Bank reconciliation
What AI takes over: The software imports transactions directly from the bank account and matches each payment with a booking suggestion. The AI recognises patterns in your transactions and suggests booking rules for future entries, which you can accept, adjust, or reject. These are based on recipient, amount, and the company's past bookings. The system not only compares numbers, but also uses the context of previous 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 single 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 assistance, most standard transactions run automatically; he only checks the exceptions.
Invoicing and dunning
What AI takes over: AI accurately reads invoices even in foreign languages and generates booking texts based on their content. The dunning process can be fully automated, including tiered reminder levels triggered according to defined deadlines.
Concrete example: A consultant with international clients receives invoices in English and French. The software recognises the relevant fields regardless of language and generates the booking suggestion. Outstanding items are dunned automatically; she only intervenes if a client responds explicitly.
Payroll accounting
What AI takes over: AHV/ALV wage notifications and withholding tax are mapped in a comprehensive payroll solution. Settlement runs rule-based; compensation offices receive notifications correctly and on time. Special cases such as complex salary components or annual financial statements still require a brief review by users or fiduciaries.
Concrete example: A restaurant with six part-time employees and varying hourly wages completes its monthly payroll in a fraction of the previous time. Notifications to the compensation office are generated automatically; the owner only checks the final amounts.
Document filing and archiving
What AI takes over: AI systems automatically classify documents by type, name them consistently, and file them in an audit-compliant manner. Duplicates are detected before they are archived. Incoming documents no longer need to be manually moved to folders or renamed.
Concrete example: A fiduciary handling multiple client mandates receives documents daily via email. The software identifies whether a file is a supplier invoice, bank statement, or contract, names it consistently, and assigns it to the correct mandate. Searching for past receipts takes seconds instead of minutes.
Application outside of accounting: Document filing is not just an accounting concern. Contracts, HR files, and correspondence can all be managed using the same systems.
Email triage and scheduling
What AI takes over: Tools like ChatGPT Tasks make it possible to set up recurring tasks as scheduled routines. The assistant prioritises incoming emails, reminds you of deadlines, creates meeting reminders, and schedules follow-ups automatically, without having to manually set an appointment each time.
Concrete example: A project manager receives around 60 emails daily. Since using an AI tool for triage, she first sees the three messages requiring action today; the rest are batched and displayed by priority. Follow-up reminders are set automatically.
Application outside of accounting: This principle applies to sales, support, and anywhere high email volumes occur.
Approvals and authorisations
What AI takes over: Automated approval workflows forward 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, and turnaround times for expense approvals can be shortened.
Concrete example: An SME with three locations previously took up to two days for a purchase approval to clear all stages. With an automated approval workflow, the request goes directly to the responsible person; any delay triggers an automatic escalation.
Application outside of accounting: Approval workflows can be applied to HR requests, holiday applications, and internal purchase orders.
Where is the best place to start?
Receipt capture and bank reconciliation come first, as they account for the greatest manual effort and carry the lowest entry risk.
The recommended sequence:
Receipt capture and bank reconciliation: Highest time savings, lowest risk. The software reads receipts, suggests bookings, and you confirm. FTA-compliant VAT accounting runs almost automatically thereafter.
Invoice processing and dunning: AI accurately reads invoices even in foreign languages and generates booking texts based on their content. The dunning process can be fully automated, including tiered reminder levels.
Payroll accounting: AHV/ALV wage notifications and withholding tax are mapped in a comprehensive payroll solution. Settlement is rule-based; compensation offices receive notifications correctly and on time.
Further administrative areas: Email triage, approvals, and document filing follow once accounting runs smoothly.
Swiss specificities: Ensure that your chosen software natively supports QR-bills according to the SIX standard, VAT returns for the FTA, and AHV/ALV declarations. Attempting to address these points with a foreign solution usually results in unnecessary workarounds. A structured overview is provided in the article Introducing AI in 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 data, contract details. The chosen software should therefore demonstrate data hosting in Switzerland and FADP compliance. For VAT declarations to the FTA, data must also be stored in an audit-compliant and traceable manner.
Innosuisse-supported software solutions go through a quality process that includes data security requirements.
Three questions you should ask your provider:
Where is the data stored? Swiss data storage means that the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) applies directly.
Is my data used to train the AI model? A reputable provider will give a clear "No" or provide an opt-in procedure that you control.
What happens to my data after cancellation? The answer should specify a defined export timeframe and a clear deletion process.
How nextesy takes over these tasks for you
Anyone looking for a solution that covers accounting and administrative automation for the Swiss market will find nextesy to be a platform that brings all the described areas together in one tool. Developed with AI expertise from ETH Zurich's ETH AI Center and funded by Innosuisse, nextesy is built AI-native from the ground up, not as a bolt-on.
What nextesy specifically covers:
AI-guided receipt recognition: Amount, date, VAT, and supplier are automatically extracted and pre-assigned. No manual typing.
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 are supported. Accounting for the FTA runs rule-based.
Payroll accounting: AHV, ALV, BVG, and withholding tax are fully integrated. Salary certificates and notifications to compensation offices are generated correctly.
Document management: AI automatically recognizes, names, and classifies documents. 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 entry of company details for new contacts.
Data security: Data storage in Switzerland, compliant with FADP and GDPR. No prior knowledge required, Swiss-level support via telephone, WhatsApp, and email.
Pricing starts from CHF 29 per month for SMEs, and from CHF 19 per month for fiduciaries. Those with an existing contract with another provider pay CHF 1 per month during that transition period. The trial period lasts 14 days, no credit card required.
