AI in Accounting,
from the firms living it.
Every "best AI software" listicle is just vendor copy with a ranking. We did the opposite — we asked the firms actually doing the work. Here's what they really think about AI, what they'd trust it to do, and what they'd never hand over.
want an AI agent to chase clients for missing documents — the #1 task they'd hand over.
The numbers, up front
want an AI agent to chase clients for missing documents — the #1 task they'd delegate.
want to describe what they need in plain language and have AI build it — no developers.
say trust depends on a human approving before anything is sent or filed.
firms said they already fully trust AI. Not one. The appetite is real — the keys aren't.
The short version
Firms aren't asking AI to replace the accountant. They're asking it to clear the runway — chase the documents, draft the emails, flag the problems. But trust is gated on control: almost everyone wants a human to approve before anything goes out, and not a single firm fully trusts AI yet. The biggest daily pain isn't missing features. It's missing deadlines.
What firms told us — and the one chart everyone quotes
want AI to chase, not decide. The #1 task firms would hand to an autonomous agent is chasing clients for missing documents — far ahead of anything that touches professional judgment. Hover any bar for the detail.
What would build trust in AI
Share of firms selecting each · hover for detail
Biggest operational headache
Single most-cited pain point
How firms feel about AI right now
Optimistic, but measured · hover a slice
What firms use AI for today
The on-ramp is the same everywhere
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What firms would hand over — and what they'd keep
The pattern is consistent across every question: firms want AI to take the chasing, the drafting, and the flagging off their plate. The work they keep is judgment — the classification calls, materiality, the client conversation.
That's why the trust answers matter more than the enthusiasm ones. Firms don't want AI that acts on its own. They want AI that proposes, and a human that approves. The appetite is real — but it's an appetite for leverage, not for handing over the keys.
In firms' own words
"Instead of closing books, I'm in front of clients. Headcount stays lean, but each person handles several times the client load. The honest gap between today and that picture isn't the tools — most already exist."
— Sovereign Solutions, full-service firm (Denmark)
"I open my inbox and the new messages are already worked through, with a draft reply ready. Emails are my single biggest time sink."
— Solo firm, Estonia
"Our accountants would focus on adding value to clients, and all the recurring back-office entries would be handled by AI."
— Mid-size firm, Southern Europe
Quotes shared with permission. Firms named only where they consented.
Where software still falls short
We asked firms what they wish their software did better. The open problems, in their own words:
- ▸Billing still eats too much time — especially for fixed-fee and recurring clients.
- ▸E-signatures, KYC and AML still live in separate tools. Firms want them built in.
- ▸Track time without starting a timer — and show client profitability more clearly.
- ▸Onboarding a new client (or covering an absence) is still too manual.
Fixed-fee & recurring billing
Automated billingOnboarding & covering absences
Client portal & onboardingTime & client profitability
Practice managementApproval, security & private data
Security policy
Questions firms ask us
AI in accounting, answered
How are accounting firms actually using AI in 2026?
What would firms trust an AI agent to do on its own?
Do accountants trust AI yet?
What's the biggest operational headache for accounting firms?
What is the methodology behind this report?
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Methodology. Based on a survey of dozens of accounting firms across 8 countries in the Uku community, fielded May–June 2026. Respondents skew toward firm decision-makers (roughly 6 in 10 are partners, owners or managers) and small-to-mid firms (most have 1–10 people). This is a first read — we're collecting responses through the summer and will refresh the report in August 2026. We report aggregated findings; individual answers stay anonymous unless a firm gave permission to be named.