SAT, CFDI and a five-day monthly close: what outsourced accounting must actually deliver
Mexican statutory accounting is not “bookkeeping plus a stamp.” CFDI, SAT reconciliations and an auditable close calendar are the product. Here is the operating brief.
Direct answer: In Mexico the accounting product is CFDI-complete books + SAT-reconciled taxes + a dated close. If an outsourcing pitch talks only about “accountants per entity,” you are buying seats, not a close.
Why CFDI sits in the critical path
Every deductible expense and most income traces to a stamped CFDI. That means AP, AR, payroll receipts and credit notes are not back-office trivia — they are tax evidence. Auto-reconciliation of entries (the share that matches without a human) is a real KPI. We treat ~91% auto-reconciled as an operating target on clean books, not a slogan.
A close calendar an auditor can follow
Day 0: cut-off. Days 1–2: bank, SAT download, CFDI vs GL. Days 3–4: exceptions, provisions, intercompany. Day 5: pack and sign-off. Anything that cannot be resolved is an open item with an owner, not a reason to slip the whole close.
Tax is a workflow, not a May surprise
ISR, IVA, DIOT-style information returns and local taxes need a named calendar. The outsourcer should show you last month’s pack: trial balance, SAT diffs, CFDI missing list, and tax computation — the same every month.
How this ties to collections and banks
Unapplied cash and unstamped invoices create both a collections dispute and a SAT difference. Finance operations only work when accounting, fintech rails and collections share the same customer key.
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Questions operators actually ask
What is CFDI in one sentence?
CFDI is Mexico’s mandatory electronic invoice/tax receipt format; if it is not stamped correctly, your VAT and deduction file is already wrong.
Can a five-day close work with SAT lag?
Yes if you close on a defined cut-off, reconcile SAT downloads on a cadence, and park exceptions instead of holding the entire close.
What should stay in-house?
Judgement on provisions, related-party policy, and sign-off. Transaction processing and reconciliations are the outsourceable factory.
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