Accountants on email: answer clients in deadline season
Around every filing deadline, an accountant's inbox fills with the same questions: "what do you need from me?", "when is my return due?", "did you get my receipts?". An AI agent can answer those from your own email account, chase missing documents one client at a time, and leave every tax judgement to you.
What customers ask on Email
- What documents do you need for my tax return?
- When is the deadline, and when do I have to pay?
- Did you receive the bank statements I sent?
- How much do you charge for a self-assessment return?
- Can we book a call to go through my accounts?
An example conversation
This illustration shows a client email in January. Names and details are examples.
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Ravi | Hi, what do you still need from me for my return? |
| AI agent | Thanks Ravi. We have your P60 and bank statements. We still need your rental income and expenses for the year. Once they arrive, Claire will start your return. |
| Ravi | Will send tonight. Do I owe anything? |
| AI agent | Claire will confirm the amount once the return is done. The payment deadline is 31 January, and she will tell you well before then. |
What the agent answers
- Which documents a client still needs to send, from your checklist.
- Deadlines, your fees and how you work.
- Confirming what has arrived.
- Booking calls into your calendar.
What it always hands to you
- Any question about how much tax someone owes or how to treat an expense.
- Letters from the tax authority, penalties and investigations.
- New-client onboarding, identity checks and engagement letters.
Chase one client at a time, never in bulk
Spaces sends one email at a time to one person, from your own Gmail, Outlook or other mailbox. That suits document chasing: a short personal note to each client who still owes you papers, spaced out through the day. It is not a newsletter tool, and it should not email people who are not your clients.
The Email limits that matter here
| Limit | Spaces limit per Email account |
|---|---|
| Messages | Up to 80 a day |
| Gap between messages | At least 30 seconds |
| New conversations you start | 8 an hour, 40 a day |
A new chat here is a new email thread. Replies on a thread someone started are not held back by the warm-up. Spaces sends one email at a time to one person, never bulk email.
Set it up in an afternoon
- Write your document checklist, deadlines, fees and the questions only an accountant answers.
- Connect your mailbox: Gmail, Outlook or IMAP.
- Connect your AI agent and give it the checklist and your calendar.
- Tell it to draft replies for your review in the first week.
- Turn on sending once the drafts read right.
Who you message
Pricing
FAQ
Is it safe to let an AI read client emails?
Your agent reads only the mailbox you connect, and you control which AI agent that is. Check your own professional body's guidance and tell clients how you handle their data.
Can it chase every client who owes documents?
Yes, one personal email at a time and within Spaces' daily limits. It never sends bulk email.
Can it answer tax questions?
It should not. Tell it to pass anything about tax owed or allowable expenses to an accountant.