Repetitive Accounting Tasks You Can Automate with Custom Software

When accounting tasks repeat the same steps every day, custom software can take over,accurately following rules, handling volume, and freeing up your team’s time.

When it comes to managing numbers, not everything needs to be done by hand. Yet, a big part of the job still involves tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, and just plain time-consuming. Many accounting tasks that can be automated​ are the ones that tend to take the most time. 

With the right setup, you can stop chasing spreadsheets and start focusing on the work that requires your attention.

9 Accounting Tasks that Can be Automated

Every accounting team has its list of tasks that feel never-ending—entering transactions, generating reports, managing expenses. The good news is that many of these processes follow clear rules and patterns, which makes them perfect candidates for finance automation.

When we talk about accounting tasks that can be automated, we’re referring to those day-to-day responsibilities that tend to eat uptime but don’t always require human judgment. 

Below, we’ll explore nine common tasks that are not only suitable for accounting workflow automation but also offer immediate, practical results when automated.

1. Transaction Entry

Manually entering financial transactions is repetitive and often risky. One wrong keystroke can throw off your entire balance sheet. Automating these tasks helps keep records clean and accurate by pulling transaction data directly from banks or integrated systems. It’s one of the simplest ways to automate accounting processes without sacrificing control.

2. Invoice Processing

Invoices come in all shapes and formats. Sorting, validating, and entering them manually takes time you probably don’t have. With automation tools, your system can automatically capture invoice data, match it to purchase orders, and flag exceptions. This is efficient, it supports better customer relationships and cash flow visibility. 

3. Expense Management

Managing expenses manually often leads to lost receipts, delays in approvals, and messy reconciliations. AI automation allows employees to submit expenses digitally, route them for approval based on predefined rules, and generate instant records for accounting. It’s a solid accounting automation idea that brings order to chaos. 

4. Payroll Processing

Payroll is one of those processes you have to get it right. It involves calculations, deductions, taxes, and compliance—every single time. With accounting automation software, you can create workflows that calculate and process payroll consistently, on time, and in line with legal requirements. 

5. Financial Reporting

Building financial reports manually every month? It might be time to rethink that. Automation allows you to generate reports based on real-time data, reducing manual work and providing consistent insights. Automating financial reporting also gives you more time to interpret the data rather than scrambling to assemble it. 

Read More: 8 Common Mistakes in Finance Audits

6. Key Performance Indicators Reporting

Want to keep an eye on your KPIs without refreshing spreadsheets all day? Automating KPI tracking with real-time accounting dashboards means your most important metrics, like revenue growth, profit margins, or operating costs, are always up-to-date and easy to access. 

7. Forecasting

Forecasting involves pulling past data, applying formulas, and adjusting for trends. With automation, you can generate predictive models that use historical data and business logic to anticipate future financial outcomes, no need to start from scratch every time. 

8. Tax Compliance and Reporting

Staying compliant with tax laws is non-negotiable. Automating tax workflows can help organize supporting documents, calculate liabilities, and prepare fillings with fewer errors and delays. It reduces the pressure during tax season and adds peace of mind year-round. 

9. Document Management

Keeping track of receipts, reports, and approvals doesn’t have to involve filing cabinets or desktop folders. Going digital with paperless accounting allows your team to store, categorize, and retrieve documents instantly, making finance audits easier and improving collaboration. 

What to Look for in an Accounting Automation Solution

When choosing the right tool to automate your financial workflows, it’s important to find a solution that fits the way your business operates. With so many platforms on the market, it helps to know what features to prioritize when looking for an accounting automation solution. 

Start by identifying accounting tasks that can be automated in your current routine.

Are you handling a high volume of invoices? Struggling to keep up with reporting deadlines? Need better visibility into your cash flow? 

Once you have a clear picture, look for automation software that supports those needs directly. 

Good accounting automation software should go beyond basic functions. It should offer flexibility to adapt to your workflow, connect with existing tools, and deliver reliable performance as your business grows. 

If you’re dealing with complex or unique processes, consider custom accounting solutions built on platforms like FileMaker for finance services. These allow you to design specific workflows made to your team’s structure and pace. 

Don’t overlook features that support paperless accounting and audit readiness, such as documents management, approval tracking, and digital archiving. These are time-saving finance workflow automation that reduce compliance risks and eliminate clutter.

Ultimately, your choice should support the long-term goals of your business. The right solution will help you to automate accounting processes and rethink how your accounting function supports the entire organization.

What is the Best Accounting Automation Software?

There are many accounting automation software options out there, from full-scale ERPs to tools built for specific tasks like automating financial reports or expense management. But the best solution is the one that fits your process, not the other way around.

When this is the goal, Claris FileMaker is a standout. It allows businesses to create custom accounting solutions tailored to their exact workflows. 

But to unlock its full potential, you need more than just the platform;you need a team that understands how to turn it into something meaningful. Codence comes in with deep experience in finance workflows automation, building solutions that actually work the way your business does. 

One example is Genesis Transactions, our FileMaker based product designed to simplify and automate accounting processes. It helps teams reduce manual work, stay organized, and move toward a truly paperless accounting environment. 

How to Automate Accounting Tasks?

If your team feels stretched thin, you’re not alone. A survey study by Cornerstone OnDemand revealed that 68% of employees experience work overload, often juggling more tasks than they can realistically handle each day.

This makes it clear why many companies are choosing to automate accounting business tasks—not just to save time, but to create space for better, more strategic work. Here’s how to begin:

1. Analyze your Current Workflow

Start by reviewing your day-to-day processes and the possible benefits of automation in accounting. Identify repetitive, rule-based tasks and any bottlenecks slowing things down. Pinpointing inefficiencies early will help you prioritize which parts of your accounting workflow automation will bring the most immediate value.

2. Consider your Needs

Every business is different. Take into account the size of your team, compliance requirements, and the volume of transactions. These factors will influence the tools you choose and the level of customization needed for your solutions. 

3. Start with High-Impact Tasks

Focus first on automating tasks that require a lot of manual input, like invoice processing or financial reporting. These are areas where an automation software can make a quick and noticeable difference.

Read More: The Role of FP&A in Financial Strategy

4. Implement Gradual Rollout

Rather than automating everything at once, start small. Test individual workflows, monitor the results, and adjust as needed. This minimizes disruption and gives your team time to adapt to new tools and processes. 

5. Provide Training

Successful automation depends on people as much as it does on technology. Make sure your team is trained on how to use the new systems, whether that’s new real-time accounting dashboards or updated document management flow. 

6. Set Up and Test Automated Workflows

Once your tools are in place, carefully test each workflow. Confirm that data is flowing correctly, reports are accurate, and approvals are being routed as expected. This step is essential for reliable accounting process automation.

7. Regularly Review and Update

As your business grows, revisit your system regularly to refine and expand. Review performance, collect feedback, and look for new opportunities to automate accounting processes as your needs evolve.

How to Get Started with Codence

If you’ve made it this far, chances are you’ve already spotted a few tasks your team would love to stop doing manually. Maybe it’s entering transactions line by line, chasing down reports, or trying to make sense of scattered data. 

At Codence, we work alongside businesses to customize accounting solutions that reflect how your team works, building something entirely unique with Claris FileMaker. Our team brings the tech expertise that turns automation into something truly useful.

With Genesis Transactions, we’ve created a starting point that’s flexible, intuitive, and ready to adapt to your workflows. And if you’re curious about what’s possible for your business, we’d love to show you. 

Request a demo and let’s explore how automation can work your way.