Tunisian PMEs and their expert-comptables often lose time to duplicate data: sales issues invoices in one tool, finance emails PDFs monthly, and the cabinet re-enters lines into comptabilité software. Hesabi works best when both sides agree on roles, exports, and review cadence upfront.
This guide describes a collaboration model—not legal advice on fiscal obligations. Your cabinet may require different export formats or retain final submission authority for TEJ and VAT declarations.
Define who owns what
- PME: daily invoicing, customer master data, payment recording, TTN clearance execution
- Accountant: declaration validation, TEJ alignment, year-end closes, interpretation of DGI changes
- Shared: chart of accounts mapping, export field definitions, audit trail retention policy
Ambiguity appears when sales can finalize invoices without finance review, or when accountants edit master data without telling operations. Write a one-page RACI and attach it to your engagement letter.
Access models that work
Prefer read-only or export-only access for external accountants when Hesabi supports it, rather than sharing owner credentials. Owner credentials shared over WhatsApp defeat audit trails and break when staff turnover occurs.
Monthly rhythm
- Week 1 close
Finance locks invoice period, resolves uncleared TTN items, exports sales and payment reports.
- Accountant review
Cabinet checks VAT totals, TEJ-relevant payments, and missing attachments within agreed SLA.
- Adjustments
Credit notes and corrections issued in Hesabi with audit log—not parallel shadow spreadsheets.
- Declaration prep
Accountant pulls final numbers for VAT/TEJ filings; PME provides bank reconciliation support.
Exports your accountant will ask for
- Cleared invoice register with TTN references
- Customer and supplier balances
- Withholding-relevant payment lines for TEJ
- Credit notes linked to original cleared invoices
Agree on file format (CSV, PDF annex, structured XML) before go-live. Switching formats mid-year frustrates both sides.
Common friction points
- Accountant discovers TTN rejections after customer already paid
- PME edits issued invoice data without credit note process
- Contractor payments tracked outside Hesabi, breaking TEJ exports
- No backup when primary finance contact is on leave
Quarterly 30-minute retrospectives between PME finance and cabinet prevent small drift from becoming year-end crises.
Onboarding a new cabinet mid-year
Export opening balances and cleared invoice register from Hesabi, walk through TEJ payment history, and grant access before they inherit VAT filing deadlines. Mid-year handoffs fail when prior accountant used incompatible chart mapping.
Use shared terminology: PME staff may say invoice while cabinet says pièce; align on credit note, avoir, and brouillon statuses inside Hesabi to avoid talking past each other on calls.
Security hygiene: rotate accountant access when staff rotate at the firm; disable former trainee accounts promptly.
Successful collaborations treat Hesabi as shared infrastructure—invest one hour monthly to refine exports rather than reverting to email chaos every closing period.
Tools beyond email attachments
Shared drives fill with duplicate PDFs named Facture_final_v3.pdf. Hesabi exports should replace that habit when both parties agree on field definitions and delivery schedule.
For TEJ, align contractor payment exports with bank statement categories your cabinet uses—mislabeled transfers force manual matching that delays declarations.
Escalation path when PME and cabinet disagree on a VAT treatment: pause clearance on affected lines, document decision in writing, apply consistently going forward.
Annual review: verify accountant access still matches active staff, update RACI after org changes, and test disaster scenario when primary Hesabi admin is unavailable.
Cabinet clients on Hesabi Cabinet should standardize export templates across PME portfolio—partners review one format, not twelve custom Excel layouts.
When PME hires internal bookkeeper, redefine accountant role toward review and declaration rather than data entry—Hesabi should shrink retyping, not duplicate headcount.
Sample agenda for first working session
Agenda (60 minutes): tour Hesabi roles, live export generation, agree delivery day each month, list TEJ fields accountant needs, confirm TTN clearance owner, schedule 30-day check-in. Send notes within 24 hours.
Follow-up email should attach sample export files, not screenshots alone—files reveal encoding and delimiter issues early.
Trust builds when PME fixes master data within 48 hours of accountant feedback; delays erode confidence faster than software bugs.
Document agreed response SLAs in writing: e.g. PME exports by day 5, cabinet feedback by day 10, adjustments by day 12—simple calendars prevent month-end blame cycles.
When cabinet adopts Hesabi Cabinet for multiple clients, PME still benefits from standardized export names and UTF-8 CSV conventions—small conventions, large time savings.
Year-end close runs smoother when monthly exports matched—catching mapping drift in March beats discovering it in December inventory adjustments.
Invite accountant to week-one Hesabi setup call even if they claim exports-only role—early alignment prevents catalog VAT codes they will reject later.
Treat collaboration as ongoing product work, not a one-time IT project with a go-live date and no owner afterward.
Small PMEs without dedicated finance should still name one person as Hesabi admin—shared logins destroy audit trails accountants rely on.
Does accountant need full Hesabi license?
Depends on firm model—some use client exports only; multi-client firms may use Cabinet features.
Who submits TTN clearance?
Typically PME finance with certificate; some firms centralize—document your choice.
Excel still required?
Minimize parallel books; use Excel for analysis, not as second system of record.
Data residency concerns?
Hesabi is Tunisia-focused; discuss hosting and export policy with your cabinet.
Hesabi outside Tunisia?
Not available today.
