❌ Difference #4
Lost Accounting Documents: an Invisible Nightmare

Here are the best practices we recommend to all our clients

📁 1. Use a shared folder to centralise all your documents

We provide each client with a shared Google Drive, organised by document type (Rent, Suppliers, Bank, Expense claims, etc.).

➕ This allows you to see at any time what you have already sent,
to check whether there are 12 rent payments or only 11, and to respond easily to our reminders.

🧾 2. Use a free mobile app to scan to PDF

• PDF format = time saved = lower fees.
• Our accounting tools only read PDF files.
• There are free apps such as CamScanner (Android), the iPhone’s built-in scanner, etc.
• No need to take photos of your invoices again: some apps let you convert your old photos to PDF in just two clicks.

➕ By using a universal format, you make processing easier for us… and reduce your accounting fees.

🕓 3. Understand that an accountant sells time

Time tracking is a key issue in any firm. And the more disorganised a file is, the more expensive it is to process.

Here, to ensure accuracy and transparency, we base our pricing on the number of accounting entries, an indicator that is:

• Accurate,
• Verifiable (via a General Ledger),
• And directly linked to your actual business activity.

We do not charge for approximations…

Nor for late submissions or duplicates that clog up our systems.

🧳 4. Optimise the management of your expense claims

Their number can quickly spiral if you are active in the field (clients, partners, service providers…).

➡️ We have therefore selected a free tool, used by many managers, featuring:

• Scanning of receipts,
• Automatic reading of details (date, supplier, amount excl. VAT/VAT/incl. VAT),
• Excel export at the end of the month.

💡 This file is compatible with our Excel macro for direct integration into your accounts: saving us time, and therefore saving you money.

And yes, this app really is free (freemium model, with basic features that are more than enough), and allows you to:

• Keep a clean copy for URSSAF or the tax authorities,
• Never lose out on VAT due to a forgotten receipt,
• And note down the guests at a meal — a mandatory piece of information in the event of an audit.
  
  

💳 5. Why some apps don’t deliver on their promises

Tools like QONTO promise integrated expense management… but in reality:

• No automatic VAT recognition on receipts,
• Impossible to declare expenses paid in cash, by personal card or shared,
• 👉 And so… forgotten, undocumented and undeducted expenses.

Did you think you were making things simpler?

You’re losing out on deductions… and therefore on cash flow.

An advert too good to be true? Let’s just say it overlooks the realities of everyday life.

📆 6. Create a simple and effective routine

Every month:

• Prepare your invoices before the 13th,
• File them in Google Drive,
• Check recurring payments (12 rent payments, 12 phone bills, etc.).

Why this date? Because we then have a fixed deadline for:

• Checking the documents,
• Processing the accounts,
• Submitting VAT (often around the 20th, with a weekend in between!).

Even if you’re on a quarterly basis, submit them every month.

This protects you from oversights, delays… and penalties (minimum 10%).

And it prevents you from ‘setting off alarm bells’ on the tax authorities’ radar.