Each client's advance tax payment schedule, amount and payment reference sit in a Google Sheet. Five days before every due date, the client gets a WhatsApp message with the exact amount, the reference and the payment link, then a short reminder on the day.
Typical results
≈2 hrs/wk
Manual reminder time saved
5 days
Lead time before each due date
2 messages
Per installment: early notice and due-date nudge
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Self-employed clients pay advance tax on a fixed schedule, but few remember the dates or the exact amount. The advisor's office sends reminders by hand when it can, clients pay late or pay the wrong figure, and the office spends time sorting out interest charges and misallocated payments that a timely reminder would have prevented.
Before and after
Late advance payments per 100 installments
−40%Payments with a wrong amount or reference, per quarter
−75%Office hours per week on manual reminders
−67%The automation
A Google Sheet holds each client's advance tax schedule, the amount for each installment and the payment reference. Each morning, a Make scenario checks the sheet for due dates five days ahead and sends those clients a WhatsApp message with the amount, the reference and a link to the tax authority's payment page. On the due date, a shorter reminder repeats the amount and the link. When the advisor updates an amount in the sheet, the next message uses it.
How it works
- 01
Schedule kept in a sheet
Each client's due dates, installment amounts and payment reference live in one Google Sheet.
- 02
Daily due-date check
Every morning the automation looks for installments due in exactly five days.
- 03
Five-day WhatsApp notice
The client gets the amount, the reference and a link to the tax authority's payment page.
- 04
Due-date reminder
On the due date itself, a short message repeats the amount and the payment link.
- 05
Changes picked up
When the advisor edits an amount after a reassessment, the next message uses the new figure.
Starts from
- Advance tax schedule sheet
Delivers
- Five-day WhatsApp notice
- Due-date reminder
- Payment link and reference
The impact
Late advance payments fall by about 40%, and payments with the wrong amount or reference become rare because each message carries the exact figures. The office stops sending reminders by hand, saving around 2 hours a week, and clients have one message to refer to when they pay.
Questions about this automation
Where do the amounts and dates come from?
The advisor's office keeps them in a Google Sheet, one row per client and installment, usually filled from the tax authority's assessment or the advisor's own calculation. The automation reads the sheet every morning, so any change made there is used in the next message without touching the automation.
Does the automation make the payment?
No. Clients pay through the tax authority's payment page themselves, using the link and reference in the message. The automation makes sure they know the exact amount, the reference and the date. A payment confirmation step can be added later by asking clients to reply with their receipt.
How quickly can this be running?
Once the sheet holds each client's schedule, amounts, reference and mobile number, and the office has a WhatsApp business number, simple automations like this are usually live within days. The office approves the wording of both messages before the first reminders go out.