AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Combine frequent cycle counts of a few high-value lines with occasional surprise full counts, done by someone other than the storekeeper and checked on video or by a second person. Reconcile each count with opening stock plus purchases minus recorded sales, investigate any gap above a set tolerance, and keep the count sheets as records for at least six years.
Stock is cash on a shelf. In a warehouse you do not visit, it is also the easiest place for money to disappear: goods leave without an invoice, deliveries are short, damaged stock is written off and then sold. An annual count tells you there is a gap but not when or why. A regular counting routine, checked against your sales and purchase records, tells you both.
Two kinds of count
| Cycle count | Surprise full count | |
|---|---|---|
| What | A small set of lines counted on a rotating schedule | Every line in the warehouse, without notice |
| How often | Weekly or daily, depending on volume | Two to four times a year |
| Who | A staff member other than the storekeeper | An outside person: accountant, auditor or trusted associate |
| Purpose | Catch errors and theft early on high-value or fast lines | Test the whole system and deter manipulation |
| Disruption | Low | Warehouse paused for hours |
Rank your lines by value and how often they move. The top 20 or so lines, which usually make up most of the value, should be counted every week or two. Slower, cheaper lines can be counted monthly or quarterly. Change the order so the storekeeper cannot predict which lines are next.
Running a count from abroad
- Freeze movements. For the lines being counted, no goods in or out until the count is done. Note the last delivery note and invoice numbers.
- Blind count. Give the counter a list of item codes and locations without the system quantity, so they count what is there rather than confirm a number.
- Two people, one camera. One counts, one records, and the count is shown on a live video call or recorded, with each shelf label visible.
- Sign and send. Both sign the count sheet; a photo goes to you and to the accountant the same day.
- Recount differences. Any line outside tolerance is recounted by someone else before the result is accepted.
Surprise counts
Ask the outside counter to arrive without warning, ideally at the start of a working day before stock moves. Tell the storekeeper only on arrival. Check sealed cartons by opening a sample, and weigh or measure bulk goods rather than accepting bag counts.
Reconciling with sales and purchases
For each line counted, the expected quantity is:
Opening count + goods received (on supplier invoices and delivery notes) − goods sold (on sales invoices) − approved write-offs = expected closing quantity.
The difference between expected and counted is the variance. Set a tolerance, such as 0.5% of quantity for packaged goods, higher for bulk goods that lose weight. Within tolerance, adjust and move on. Outside it, investigate before adjusting:
- Sales recorded but not delivered, or delivered but not invoiced?
- Supplier deliveries short against the delivery note?
- Returns from customers not booked back into stock?
- Damaged goods removed without an approved write-off?
- The same staff member on shift when gaps appear?
Worked example
Example only. Your Onitsha warehouse counted 400 cartons of a line on 1 June. In June it received 1,200 cartons on supplier invoices, invoiced 1,350 cartons in sales, and had 5 approved damaged write-offs. Expected closing is 400 + 1,200 − 1,350 − 5 = 245. The count on 30 June finds 225, a variance of 20 cartons, or about 8% of the expected quantity. At ₦18,000 a carton, that is ₦360,000. The recount confirms 225. The investigation finds 12 cartons loaded for a customer on a delivery note but never invoiced, and 8 unexplained.
Records and accounting
Count sheets, delivery notes and write-off approvals are accounting records. Section 31 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 requires records sufficient to determine tax, in English, kept for at least six years after the year of assessment. On valuation, PwC's Nigeria summary (reviewed 29 May 2026) says first-in first-out is common, average and standard cost are allowed, and last-in first-out is not permitted for tax. Use the same method each period.
If a staff member is found responsible for a loss, recovery from pay is restricted. The Labour Act allows a deduction for loss caused by wilful misconduct or neglect only with the prior written consent of an authorised labour officer, and caps all deductions at one-third of a month's wages (sections 5(1) and 5(7)). Prevention is cheaper.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Business Account, opened from any country, holds the payment side of the reconciliation: supplier payments and customer receipts sit in one place, with invoicing linking sales to what was paid. The Finance agent can prepare the expected-stock schedule from those records for your review. For broader controls, see preventing staff fraud from abroad and remote monitoring with cameras.
Questions people ask
How often should I count stock in my Nigerian warehouse?
Count high-value and fast-moving lines every week or two on a rotating schedule, slower lines monthly or quarterly, and run two to four surprise full counts a year.
What is a blind stock count?
The counter is given item codes and locations without the system quantity, so they record what is actually there.
How do I reconcile a stock count with sales?
Opening count plus goods received, minus goods sold and approved write-offs, gives the expected quantity. Compare it with the count and investigate any difference above your tolerance.
Can I deduct missing stock from my storekeeper's salary?
Only within the Labour Act: loss from wilful misconduct or neglect needs prior written consent of an authorised labour officer, and total deductions are capped at one-third of monthly wages.
Sources
- Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 (gazette copy) · accessed Oct 2026
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Nigeria corporate income determination (reviewed 29 May 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Labour Act (text) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.