Admin is quietly killing your margins

It starts small. A spreadsheet here, a manual rollover there. But before you know it, your team is knee-deep in rework, duplicating tasks, and burning hours on non-billable admin.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many accountancy firms in Ireland and the EU accept admin overhead as the cost of doing business. But the truth is, it’s avoidable, and expensive.

In this blog, we’ll explore the hidden costs of inefficient admin and how Irish firms are using platforms like MyWorkpapers to reclaim lost time through automation and standardised processes.

The hidden cost of admin overload

Let’s be clear: it’s not just about frustration, it’s about profitability.

• Manual file rollovers that take 30 – 60 minutes per client

• Trial balance mapping rework every year

• Copying data between tools (and introducing errors)

• Time chasing client documents instead of delivering insights

• Senior staff doing repetitive low-value tasks

Add it all up, and even small firms are losing dozens of chargeable hours each month.

Repeated tasks with no standard process

Without automation, your team ends up redoing the same work year after year:

• Manually creating new job files

• Copy-pasting trial balances

• Mapping TBs to financial statements

• Answering the same client queries

It’s slow, it’s soul-destroying, and with the right tech, completely unnecessary.

Non-billable work is blocking growth

Most firms underestimate just how much time is spent on admin. And when highly skilled staff are buried in prep work, that time isn’t going into:

• Strategic advisory

• Client relationship building

• Upskilling and development

• Higher margin services

Admin-heavy workflows don’t just waste time, they limit your growth.

The MyWorkpapers solution: Automate the routine, standardise the rest

MyWorkpapers helps Irish accountancy firms tackle these pain points head-on with smart tools designed to save time and boost consistency:

• Automated file rollovers – roll forward job files with structure intact

• Trial balance mapping – pull data from Xero, Surf Accounts, Sage and map instantly

• API-powered workflows – integrate with your wider tech stack

• Pre-built templates and checklists – ensure consistency across teams

• Task assignments and dashboards – track progress and hold teams accountable

And because everything is securely cloud-based, your team can work from anywhere, without repeating steps.

How one Irish firm cut admin time by over a third

A regional Irish firm using MyWorkpapers saw a 35% reduction in admin time across their year-end accounts process.

“Before, each year felt like starting from scratch. Now, we roll forward the file, the trial balance is mapped, and we’re up and running in minutes.”

The result? Less time on admin. More time for value-add work and happier staff.

Why now? Time is your most valuable (and most wasted) asset

Admin creep doesn’t happen all at once. But it builds up quickly.

If your team is still:

• Manually setting up job files

• Repeating the same tasks across clients

• “Making do” with outdated processes

…it’s time to reassess. Because firms that control their time, control their growth.

Your next step:

Want to see how MyWorkpapers can help your firm win back hours each week?

👉 [Book a demo] and see the platform in action

FAQs

1. Can MyWorkpapers help reduce year-end prep time?
Yes. With automated rollovers, smart templates, and mapping tools, setup time per job is significantly reduced.

2. Do we need to change our whole process to benefit?
Not at all. MyWorkpapers integrates with tools like Xero, Surf, and Sage and can adapt to your existing workflows.

3. Is this just for audit firms?
No. It works across year-end accounts, reviews, and internal quality control.

4. Can junior staff use the platform easily?
Yes. It’s built with checklist-driven workflows, ideal for onboarding, training, and delegation.

5. Will we lose our existing files?
No. Historic data can be migrated securely into the system.

6. How do we get started?
Book a free demo