Mach Lilies
The MTD document chase, done by an AI helper — not your team.
Quarterly updates mean chasing every mandated client, every quarter — 7 August, 7 November, 7 February, 7 May, forever. Mach Lilies builds a helper that does the chasing for your practice: it emails clients for missing records, reads what comes back, files it, nudges again, and only brings in your staff when judgement is needed.
Works with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Outlook and GmailEvery action loggedYou approve what goes to clients
automated document collection workflow — in plain English:
it chases your clients' records for you
The problem, as your team experiences it
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax turned the year-end records scramble into a quarterly one. Sole trader and landlord clients over £50,000 are mandated now; the £30,000 threshold follows in April 2027, which for most practices means two to three times as many mandated clients. Most firms are charging an extra £200–£500 per client per year for the work — the fees are welcome; the extra chasing, categorising and reconciling is not. The bottleneck is rarely the tax. It's getting complete records out of clients in time, four times a year.
What the helper actually does
A working week, in order:
- Checks which clients still owe records for the current quarter, from your list or practice system.
- Emails each one — from your practice's address, in your tone — asking for exactly what's missing.
- Reads what comes back. Files bank statements, receipts and spreadsheets to the right client folder.
- Notices what's still missing and sends a polite, escalating nudge on the schedule you set.
- Flags the judgement calls to your team — the client who replied with a question, the statement that doesn't look right — with a one-line summary each.
- Updates your tracker, so anyone in the practice can see chase status at a glance.
- Sends you a Friday summary: records in, records outstanding, hours of chasing your team didn't do.
You choose the autonomy level. Most practices start with every client email requiring one-click approval, then loosen it as trust builds. Nothing is sent that you haven't allowed.
And it isn't only MTD. The same helper collects records for VAT quarters, year-end accounts and new-client onboarding — every chase your practice runs, on one quiet, logged system.
What your clients see
Emails from your practice, in your voice, that are clear, polite and consistent — usually more consistent than a busy human manages in deadline week. You decide whether to tell clients an AI drafts the chases; most practices simply describe it as their new records-collection process.
What it costs a practice
Setup
from £3,500 fixed
The chasing helper connected to your email, files and tracker, tested with a pilot batch of your real clients.
Run
from £600 per month
Monitoring, improvements, the Friday summary, and support.
Rule of thumb
If your team spends more than eight hours a week chasing and filing client records, the helper pays for itself. A practice with 40 mandated clients typically spends far more than that in deadline month.
One founding place for an accountancy practice: no setup fee.
In exchange: a 30-minute feedback call each week during setup, a written case study with real before-and-after numbers, and — if we hit the target we agree up front (for example, chasing hours cut by 70% by the next quarterly deadline) — you continue on the standard monthly plan. You cover only the software running costs (typically £50–£150 per month). Five-week timebox, cancel any time.
Questions practices ask
Is this compliant with GDPR and client confidentiality?
Yes. We sign a data processing agreement, the helper only accesses the client folders and mailbox you authorise, your data is never used to train AI models, and every action is logged for your records. Details are on our data safety page — written so you can forward it to your professional body or IT adviser.
Do we need to change software?
No. The helper works alongside what you already run — Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Outlook, Gmail, Excel and most practice management tools. We connect to your setup rather than replacing it.
What about clients who won't do email?
The helper handles the 80–90% who will, which is where the hours go. Your team keeps the handful who need a phone call — and gets the time to actually make those calls.
Can it help beyond MTD?
Yes — the same helper pattern collects records for VAT quarters, year-end accounts and onboarding. MTD is just the sharpest version of a chase your practice already runs all year.
Can we be ready for the 7 November quarter?
Yes, comfortably, if we start in the next few weeks. Setup takes two to three weeks including testing on a pilot batch of clients, so an August or September start means the helper does the chasing well before Q2 records are due.