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AI in bookkeeping for SMEs: what changes in 2026?

Written by Yannick van den Bergen | 9 April 2026

Your administration takes up too much time

As an SME entrepreneur you probably recognise this: looking up invoices, checking outstanding items and exporting reports to Excel. Routine work that takes a lot of time and adds little value.

It can be different. With AI in your bookkeeping you work faster, smarter and with fewer mistakes. Instead of losing time on manual tasks, you get instant insight into your figures and keep more time for what really matters: growing your business.

What does AI actually do in your bookkeeping?

AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude can communicate directly with your accounting software. You notice this straight away in the way you work with your administration.

  • Ask questions in plain English
    Instead of clicking through various menus, you simply ask a question such as: "Which invoices are still outstanding?" and you get the answer right away.
  • Instant analyses and insights
    Ask, for example, about revenue trends, a debtor overview or a preparation for your VAT return. The AI retrieves the data and presents it directly, without you having to work with Excel first.
  • Enter data with smart verification
    You can also carry out actions, such as creating invoices or updating customer details. The AI checks the data and always asks for confirmation before anything is processed.

Curious how that looks in practice? In our article Exact Online + AI in plain English we show you step by step how this works.

The breakthrough: AI with controlled access to your administration

Why is this only possible now? Until recently, a separate integration had to be built for every connector between AI and software. That was often expensive, fragile and hard to scale.

In 2026 that changed with MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard that can connect AI directly to software. You can compare it to a new employee who gets access to certain systems: you decide exactly which data the AI may view and which actions it may perform within your administration.

The big advantage? You are not tied to a single AI tool. ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot can all communicate with your software through the same standard.

For you as an Exact Online user this means you can query your administration from the AI tool you like best. Fast, safe and without complicated connectors.

What does it deliver?

Hours back on routine tasks

Routine work such as looking up invoices, customer details or outstanding items often takes more time than necessary. With AI you simply ask a question and get an answer straight away. Tasks that used to take 15 minutes are now done within seconds. We have calculated it: this can add up to more than half a working day of time saved per month.

Faster insight into your figures

Instead of exporting reports and analysing them manually in Excel, you simply ask a question, such as: "What is the revenue per customer this month?" The AI analyses the data in the background and presents an overview right away. Read how this compares to the traditional way of reporting in our article about manual vs. AI reporting.

Fewer mistakes when making changes

AI also helps prevent mistakes. Before a change is processed, the AI automatically checks the data. When creating, editing or deleting records you always see a clear summary. For sensitive actions, such as deleting, an extra confirmation is always required.

Is it safe?

This is the question we get most often. And rightly so, because your bookkeeping contains sensitive information. With a well set up connector, security is therefore an important starting point.

  1. Your data stays protected
    The AI model itself keeps no data between sessions. During advanced analyses your administration data is stored securely and encrypted. You can revoke the connection at any time.
  2. Communication via the official Exact Online connection
    All requests to Exact Online run through the secure, encrypted API. You log in via Exact Online itself.
  3. You decide the access
    You choose which administrations you connect and can revoke the access at any time. 

Always choose a provider that is independently pentested and ISO 27001 certified. That way you know for sure the security meets high standards. You can read more about this subject in our article: ''Security of your bookkeeping data with AI''.

Get started in three steps

Within 2 minutes you have connected Exact Online to your AI assistant.

  1. Check your accounting software
    See whether your accounting package supports AI connectors. Exact Online already offers support for this.
  2. Choose your AI tool
    ChatGPT and Claude are currently the most used options.
  3. Start by reading
    Begin by requesting data. Once you are comfortable with how it works, you can also enable actions such as creating or editing data.

Conclusion

AI in bookkeeping is no longer a distant prospect for SMEs. It is a practical tool you can put to use today. You save time, get faster insight into your figures and reduce the chance of mistakes. The threshold is low: connected within a few minutes and 30 days to try for free. 

Do the maths yourself. Start 30 days free →