What is pre-accounting software?
Pre-accounting is everything before a booking is final: fetching documents, reading and coding invoices, checking, linking bank transactions and requesting missing items. Pre-accounting software automates these steps for a firm, on top of the accounting software. Modern tools go beyond scan-and-recognise: they decide the booking, connect the bank and get information from the client.
Which features belong in pre-accounting software?
Use this as a minimum list.
- Document collection via upload, email, app and connected sources.
- Recognition of invoices and receipts without templates.
- Booking proposals for GL account, VAT code, contact and cost centre.
- Automatic booking above an adjustable confidence threshold.
- VAT and compliance checks: VIES, IBAN, duplicates, unusual VAT.
- Bank matching and automatic reconciliation.
- Client questions with processing of the answer.
- Approval before or after booking, rules per administration and firm-wide, audit logs.
How do you compare pre-accounting software?
Recognition is table stakes. Compare what happens after it, and the price at your volume.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Does the tool book, or only extract? | Extraction without coding leaves most work with your team. |
| Are templates or conditions needed? | Maintenance per supplier costs time structurally. |
| Is there a confidence score per booking? | Without it you cannot steer automation responsibly. |
| Is bank matching included? | Processing bank and invoices separately doubles the work. |
| How do client questions work? | Loose emails make month end slow and unmeasurable. |
| What does it cost at your volume? | Per administration and per user adds up quickly. |
Pre-accounting software or accounting software with processing built in?
Some accounting packages include invoice processing, such as Exact Online and Nmbrs Accounting (formerly Yuki). That works when all clients use that package. A firm on several packages gets several ways of working, or has to migrate clients. Autoboeker is one layer across packages, so clients stay in their own software.
