Why the pats.lv system is better than traditional accounting services
9. November, 2026
Pats.lv is not against accounting services. Quite the opposite - we even encourage accountants to use pats.lv and make working with clients easier. We would also like to emphasise that the pats.lv system itself was developed by a team of accountants and tax consultants. Our main goal is to make bookkeeping easier for self-employed people, SIA companies and accountants, and to reduce accounting costs and the time spent on it, so that business owners can devote more time to growing their businesses. This will help Latvia’s business environment develop faster, benefiting us all.
When you look for an accountant for your SIA, you probably want three things: organised documents, reports submitted on time and confidence that the company’s finances are clear. But does your company need a full outsourced accounting service every month? Or can you handle everyday bookkeeping yourself and bring in a specialist for a specific question?
For a small SIA with straightforward, recurring transactions, the second option can be financially worthwhile. Pats.lv brings invoices, expense documents, bank transactions, payroll and reports together in one place. Meanwhile, Lūrija, the AI assistant in your profile, and transaction checks help clarify anything you are unsure about during your daily work.
More than 1,500 SIA companies are already registered with Pats.lv. You can get started independently or use the system together with your accountant. You do not have to give up professional help straight away to gain more control over your accounting.
Who benefits most from pats.lv accounting services?
The system can offer the greatest value to a company whose manager knows its everyday transactions well: what an invoice was issued for, why a purchase was made and which customer still needs a payment reminder.
In this situation, much of the accounting process starts with you even if you use an outsourced service. You collect the documents, securely submit them digitally in the system for the company’s transactions and answer clarification questions. Pats.lv lets you enter this same information directly into the accounts and use it to prepare calculations and reports, making bookkeeping easier.
The system is worth considering, for example, for:
A small service-based SIA. Consulting, programming, design, marketing, training and other services with similar, recurring invoices and expenses.
A business with one owner. The owner organises the work themselves and also wants to understand the company’s finances.
An SIA with a small number of employees. Payroll, leave and employment-related documents need to be managed in one system.
A company just starting its bookkeeping. Establishing a clear document workflow and receiving help at the beginning are important.
An SIA that continues working with an accountant. The manager wants to see documents, payments and reports themselves while leaving professional matters to a specialist.
These are suitable working scenarios, not a claim that every company in a particular industry can operate in the same way. If you have complex inventory accounting, specific international transactions or other special requirements, discuss the system’s suitability with the pats.lv team before switching.
Can an SIA owner keep the company’s accounting records themselves?
Yes, if they are both the SIA’s sole shareholder and its sole board member. This option is provided for in Section 35 of the Accounting Law.
If the company has a different shareholder or board composition, this exception cannot be applied automatically. You can still issue invoices in pats.lv, add documents and monitor the company’s finances, but companies that are not permitted to handle everything themselves, or find it inconvenient, can also choose accounting services and organise their bookkeeping with an accountant in line with legal requirements.
Keeping your own accounts also means taking responsibility: documents must be complete, the substance of transactions clear and reports checked. The system helps you do the work, but the company manager’s responsibilities remain.
What does everyday work in pats.lv look like?
Imagine a small service-based SIA. Over the course of a month, you issue invoices to customers, pay for work software subscriptions, buy what you need for work and pay salaries.
Working in pats.lv consists of specific steps:
Issue an invoice. Use saved customer and service details, prepare the document and send it to the customer.
Add expense documents. Upload invoices and receipts. Recognition helps capture document data with up to 90% less manual entry, and you review and confirm the data.
Match payments. Use bank integration to compare payments with accounting entries and bank statements and avoid recording the same transaction twice.
Check anything unclear. Open transaction checks, clarify the information shown and ask Lūrija if necessary.
Prepare payroll and review reports. The system also automatically calculates mandatory state social insurance contributions (VSAOI) and VAT from the accounting data, using the information entered for calculations and reports.
Submit and pay. Download the relevant reports, submit them through the State Revenue Service’s EDS and make the necessary payments.
If the company has fixed assets, create asset records for them and use the depreciation calculation. If you are moving from another system, it is important to enter opening balances correctly so that subsequent reports also reflect the company’s previous activity and the system is convenient for different types of businesses.
A business account for your SIA
Bringing payments and accounting closer together
Discover the OroPay business account and its connection with pats.lv. Receive customer payments, use a VISA payment card and see how account transaction synchronisation helps reduce manual bookkeeping work.
View the business accountSee the business account page for current feature availability, account opening conditions and fees.
Payroll module: from hours worked to the employer’s report
Having employees does not mean salaries must be calculated in a separate Excel file. The Pats.lv payroll module uses employee details, time worked and absences in a single calculation.
You enter or update information about the employee, pay, days or hours worked, leave and periods of illness. Based on the information entered, the system calculates gross and net pay, and salaries and taxes are calculated automatically every month, supporting bookkeeping and related tax processes, as well as holiday pay and the relevant compensation payments.
The module also supports part-time work, hourly rates, additional payments and overtime. Related reports and employee notifications are prepared together with the calculation.
The practical benefit is a clear workflow: employee information, monthly data, the calculation and the report are all in one system. You then check the information entered, confirm the result and fulfil the submission and payment obligations that apply to you.
Simply enter the employee’s details, time worked and absences. pats.lv calculates pay and the related taxes, and prepares the employer’s reports as well.
Lūrija in your profile: help while you work
If you do not understand a step, you can ask Lūrija, the assistant inside pats.lv. It also helps with accounting questions and using the system, drawing on the context of your company profile and your data in the system, such as your business form and VAT status.
You can ask in your own words: “What does this check warning mean?”, “How should I understand this amount in the report?” or “Where can I find the report I need?”, including when you need an initial explanation of accounting and tax matters. The assistant helps explain the result and understand the next action. The ability to find transactions, documents and system sections is being developed gradually.
Lūrija’s features help reduce the moments when work stops because of one unfamiliar term or menu option. AI answers may be inaccurate; we recommend discussing significant tax decisions with a specialist.
Transaction checks: spot a mismatch while the document is still to hand
Adding an invoice does not yet mean everything has been entered in line with the document. The amount, partner details or period may differ. Sometimes the document itself or the link to a payment is missing.
Transaction checks compare the available document and accounting data in the system, taking the company profile into account. This helps keep the accounting records correct and up to date. You see the result and an indication of what needs attention.
For example, the document names one supplier, but another has been selected in the entry. You can open the document, correct the partner, save the changes and run the check again. This lets you resolve the issue immediately instead of searching for the old invoice later when preparing a report.
If there is not enough information, the relevant item may remain unchecked. The check helps identify mismatches but does not confirm that the tax treatment of every company transaction is correct.
This is also useful when working with an accountant: when these services are used, the documents reaching us for review are already better organised, and less time is spent clarifying missing data.
See it in action
Accounting with a helper by your side
See how Lūrija helps you navigate your accounts and understand the next step.
What reports and documents does pats.lv prepare?
Using the company’s accounting data, the system prepares the reports and declarations intended for SIA companies. It also prepares quarterly and annual reports automatically. The specific set depends on the company’s activities, VAT status, employees and applicable requirements.
Accounting area | Reports and documents prepared in the system |
|---|---|
Company financial statements | Annual report, balance sheet, profit and loss statement |
Corporate income tax | Corporate income tax (UIN) declaration |
For VAT payers | VAT return for the tax period |
For employers | Employer’s report, employee notifications, statement of amounts paid to an individual |
Accounting registers | Transaction journal, general ledger |
Fixed assets and intangible assets | Calculation of depreciation, amortisation and write-offs |
Not all these documents need to be submitted to the State Revenue Service; some are required for the company’s own accounting records. Before submitting, review the data that forms the accounting records and make sure everything needed specifically for your SIA has been prepared.
The tax calendar helps you keep track of reporting and payment deadlines. Entering transactions, preparing reports, submitting them through EDS and paying taxes are separate steps in the process.
Start with help: 30 days of free accountant support
An SIA starting its bookkeeping in pats.lv can receive 30 days of free help from an accountant. At the start, during the first month, some accounting support or services may be free if this is included in the particular offer. This lets you begin with support while you get to know the system and establish your everyday workflow.
It is worth using this period to clarify anything you do not understand about starting your bookkeeping and to discuss questions that arise during the first steps in choosing the most suitable working model for your company. If you are moving from another system, pay particular attention to opening balances and unfinished transactions.
We have a team of accountants who can clarify the specific scope of the initial help and how to receive it in pats.lv. This does not automatically mean taking over all your bookkeeping for the month.
Since introducing the new features, pats.lv has also seen fewer enquiries to its support team. Users now have more opportunities to get explanations for everyday questions and spot mismatches within the system itself. If that is not enough, human help remains important and available.
Accounting costs for an SIA: when is a separate consultation better value?
If most of your company’s transactions are similar and you can process them yourself, you may only need professional tax advice at specific moments. For example, before an unusual transaction, a change in your business model or the choice of a particular tax solution.
In this situation, compare two annual cost models:
a regular outsourced accounting service, which can be quite expensive over a year;
a pats.lv subscription, where you can receive written advice about a specific situation.
Accounting service prices start at EUR 65 per month and can reach EUR 800 per month. These prices are usually quoted excluding VAT.
Illustrative example. If an accounting service is quoted at €100 per month, the annual fee is €1,200. With monthly payments, pats.lv Pro costs €19 per month, or €228 per year. The difference is €972 before consultations, any additional services and the cost of your own time.
€100 is a hypothetical outsourced service quote for a very small SIA, not the average price in the Latvian market. Compare quotes on the same VAT basis and check what the current plan includes. If you need a broader service or regular professional oversight, the cost comparison will also be different.
A one-off consultation can be better value if you need to resolve a specific question or obtain individual accounting services. If you need a specialist’s assessment on an ongoing basis, regular collaboration with an accountant can be justified even for a small SIA.
When switching to pats.lv, you can continue working with your accountant
If you do not want to take everything on yourself, you can use pats.lv together with your accountant. Add the accountant to the company profile and agree on the division of work.
When choosing an outsourced arrangement, it is worth checking that accounting services in Latvia are provided in line with the requirements for a licensed business.
For example, you issue customer invoices, add expense documents and explain the substance of transactions. The accountant reviews the books, assesses complex questions and checks or submits reports according to your agreement; such a service provider must hold a State Revenue Service licence and civil liability insurance.
You can see your company’s accounting records between conversations with your accountant too. You can open a document, check payment and view the reports prepared. The accountant, in turn, does not have to start each time by searching for documents across different emails, conversations and folders - our system makes this workflow clearer.
Before starting to work together, agree who enters data, who checks it, who submits reports and how this division of work can be adapted to your company’s situation and different businesses. An organised document workflow can reduce manual work, but the service price changes only by agreement between you.
Start with your SIA’s transactions
To understand whether this model suits you, try a specific workflow: issue an invoice, add an expense document, match a payment and run a check. See how these data form the accounting records and where questions arise, so you can understand whether solutions that complement accounting services or a self-service model suit you better.
You can then make an informed decision: keep the books independently, bring in a specialist for individual questions, become an actively involved participant in the process or continue working together with your accountant - choose the option that works best for you.
