UK edition

AI tips for UK accountants and bookkeepers. Weekly.

For accountants and bookkeepers working with UK clients. New to AI? No problem. We start simple, and every tip is sourced.

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Latest issue

Week of Monday 26 October 2026

Issue 1: Plain-English AI help and the November MTD deadline

Plain-English answers from Google, an AI draft of your document requests and the November MTD deadline.

Read Issue 1

Start here: try this today

Three tips to try today, each under five minutes. Every issue brings more like these, plus a how-to and the UK rules that matter.

1. Ask Copilot in Excel to explain a formula

Select a cell with a formula, choose the Copilot icon next to it, then pick "Explain this formula".

What to check: test it against a figure you can work out by hand.

You'll need: a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Copilot (for example Personal or Family, for the subscription owner), or a work plan your organisation has set up for Copilot. Save the file to OneDrive with AutoSave on.

Sources: Microsoft Support · Copilot plans

2. Get the gist of a long email thread

In Outlook, select "Summary by Copilot" at the top of the thread. In Gmail, read the AI Overview summary at the top.

What to check: open the original emails before acting on any date, amount or request.

You'll need: Outlook needs Copilot in your Microsoft 365 plan. Gmail summaries work on free personal accounts and on eligible paid plans. Gmail's "Help me write" needs a paid Google AI or Workspace plan in the UK.

Sources: Microsoft Support · Gmail Help

3. Ask your accounting software a plain question

Xero: open JAX and ask "What was my total income in the last six months?"
QuickBooks Online: open Intuit Intelligence and ask "Why did my net income drop last quarter?"
Sage: open Sage Copilot and ask a plain question about your figures.

What to check: compare the answer with your Profit and Loss report, and open the transactions it points to before you change anything.

You'll need: JAX is available to all Xero subscribers and users, currently at no extra charge. In the UK, eligible QuickBooks plans include 25 chat prompts a month (an add-on gives 100 more for £5 a month). In the UK, Sage Copilot is included in every Sage Accounting plan.

Sources: Xero · QuickBooks Support · Sage

Golden rule for every tip: don't paste identifiable client data into a tool your practice hasn't approved.

Your local rules

The tools and tips are the same in both editions. This is what the UK edition adds:

Tax and deadlines: MTD for Income Tax, VAT returns and Self Assessment.
Companies House: filings and identity verification.
HMRC: guidance and updates, in plain English, with links.
Data protection: UK GDPR and ICO guidance on using AI with client data.
Professional bodies: what ICAEW, ACCA and AAT say about AI in practice.

Local example: get MTD-ready in Sage Accounting

Go to Chart of Accounts and select "Add income tax categories with Copilot".

What to check: review each suggestion before you apply it.

You'll need: Sage Accounting (Sage Copilot is included in every plan).

Source: Sage product updates

What's in each issue

Five-minute win: a quick thing to try in Copilot, Gemini or your accounting software.
This week's how-to: an everyday task such as bank reconciliations, categorisation, client queries or month-end close, step by step.
Quick tips: two short tips, often with a prompt to copy and a note on what to check.
Tool spotlight: a regular closer look at one tool, such as a feature in Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, and what to check before you rely on it.
Your UK rules this week: coming-up dates for MTD, VAT returns, Self Assessment and Companies House, plus what's changed.
From the regulators: HMRC, Companies House, the ICO and the professional bodies, with links.