Getting started with AIS in 2026
Set up your organisation, opening balances, bank activity and first compliance dates in the right order.
01
Before you begin
Have your Companies House details, Corporation Tax UTR, VAT number if registered, PAYE references and business bank statements ready. AIS uses the organisation profile to determine which UK deadlines and workflows to show.
Use a separate AIS organisation for each legal entity. Personal tax belongs to the individual director, while company accounts, VAT and Corporation Tax belong to the company.
02
Recommended setup order
- Create or select the UK organisation and confirm its legal name, company number and year end.
- Add VAT, PAYE and Corporation Tax references under Settings where they apply.
- Connect or import each business bank account, then set the opening balance date.
- Import customers, unpaid invoices, suppliers and unreconciled expenses.
- Reconcile the opening period before relying on dashboard tax estimates.
- Review LTD Deadlines and enable the modules your organisation needs.
Do not use a personal bank account as the company's main AIS bank feed. Record personally paid business costs as director-paid expenses instead.
03
Your weekly routine
Match bank entries, issue invoices, record expenses and review unmatched items each week. Clean records make VAT, payroll, dividends and year-end substantially easier.
Sources and review notes
AIS rewrote this guide for its own workflows. Crunch Help informed the software process; linked HMRC guidance is the authority for UK rules, rates and deadlines.