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
Before you start, get a written subcontract that defines the deliverables and acceptance test, how changes are priced, who owns the work and when ownership passes, the currency and payment dates, and whether the agency's payment depends on its own client paying. Also agree in writing how Nigerian withholding tax will be handled, because a Nigerian company paying a non-resident for professional services generally deducts 10%.
Nigerian digital, creative and engineering agencies increasingly bring in specialists abroad for a piece of a bigger job: a motion designer for a bank campaign, a data engineer for a fintech build, a copywriter for a diaspora launch. As a subcontractor you sit between the agency and its client. That position has two risks: scope that grows because the end client keeps asking, and payment that slips because the end client has not paid the agency. Both are solved on paper before work starts, not by email afterwards.
Scope: describe the output, not the effort
A good scope says what you will hand over and how anyone can tell it is finished. "Design support for Q1 campaign" invites endless requests. "Twelve social assets in three formats, two rounds of revisions, final files in the agreed format by 14 March" can be checked.
- List deliverables with quantities, formats and deadlines.
- State the number of revision rounds included.
- Write the acceptance test: who signs off, and what happens if nobody responds within a set number of working days.
- Name what is excluded, for example stock licences, printing, translations or hosting.
- Say who your contact is at the agency; avoid taking instructions directly from the end client unless the agency agrees in writing.
Change requests: price them before you do them
Agree a short change process: you receive a written request, reply with the cost and time, and start only when the agency confirms. A day rate or hourly rate in the contract makes this quick. Without it, every extra request becomes a negotiation after the fact, and the agency may have already promised the change to its client at no cost.
Who owns the work
The agency usually needs to pass ownership of the work to its own client, so it will ask you to assign your rights. That is normal, but tie the assignment to payment: rights pass when your invoice for that deliverable is paid in full. Keep the right to show the work in your portfolio unless the agency's client forbids it, and list any tools, code libraries or templates you already owned that stay yours. The detail is in assigning IP to Nigerian clients.
Payment terms that survive a slow end client
Agencies sometimes propose "pay when paid": you are paid when their client pays them. That moves the end client's credit risk onto you. If you accept it, cap it: payment within a fixed number of days of invoice, or within a set period after the agency is paid, whichever comes first.
| Term | What to write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | The invoice currency and who bears conversion costs | Avoids disputes when the naira moves |
| Deposit | A share of the fee before work starts | Tests that the agency can and will pay |
| Milestones | Payments tied to accepted deliverables | Limits how much is unpaid at any time |
| Due date | A fixed number of days from invoice | Gives a clear point at which payment is late |
| Late payment | What happens after the due date: pause, interest, notice | Gives you a lever without going to court |
| Withholding tax | Fee is gross; the agency deducts and gives you the receipt | Lets you claim the credit or record the cost |
On tax, PwC's summary of the 2024 withholding regulations (reviewed 29 May 2026) gives 10% for professional, consultancy, technical and management fees paid to non-residents, against 5% for residents. The Danol Partners note on Mondaq adds that the deductor should issue a receipt showing your name, address, Tax ID, the nature of the payment, the gross amount and the amount deducted. More in withholding tax on your fees as a foreign freelancer.
A labelled example of the numbers
Example only. A subcontract is worth $4,000, invoiced in dollars: 30% deposit ($1,200), 40% on acceptance of the first set ($1,600), 30% on final delivery ($1,200). If the agency withholds 10% on each payment, you receive $1,080, $1,440 and $1,080, a total of $3,600, with $400 of tax deducted and receipts to show for it. If the contract had said "net of tax", the agency would instead have to gross up the payments so you still received $4,000.
Confidentiality, non-solicitation and ending the contract
Agency subcontracts often add three clauses that freelancers sign without reading. A confidentiality clause is reasonable, but check that it ends at a set point or excludes information that becomes public. A non-solicitation clause stops you working directly for the end client; ask for a time limit, such as twelve months, and for it to apply only to clients you actually worked on. A termination clause should say how much notice either side gives and, above all, that work completed and accepted before termination is paid in full, with any work in progress paid pro rata.
Finally, agree governing law and where disputes go. A Nigerian agency will usually propose Nigerian law; that is workable, but you should know what it means before signing. See governing law in contracts with Nigerian clients.
What to check first
- Search the agency's name on the CAC register and check the signatory works there.
- Ask who the end client is, or at least which sector, so you know the brand and data rules.
- Get the subcontract signed before any files are shared.
- Send the deposit invoice on day one.
Where Pryme fits
Send invoices from Pryme invoicing and receive the agency's payment into your Pryme Business Account in naira or a foreign currency; the Finance agent prepares reminders for unpaid invoices, and nothing goes out until you approve. See the Finance agent.
Questions people ask
Should I accept pay-when-paid from a Lagos agency?
Only with a long-stop date: pay within a fixed number of days of your invoice or of the agency being paid, whichever is earlier. Otherwise the end client's delays become yours.
Will a Nigerian agency deduct tax from my fee?
Generally yes. PwC's summary gives 10% withholding for professional and consultancy fees paid to non-residents. Ask for the receipt every time.
Who owns the work I do as a subcontractor?
Whatever the contract says. Agencies usually need an assignment so they can pass rights to their client; tie it to full payment.
Can I deal directly with the agency's client?
Only if the agency agrees in writing. Many subcontracts include a non-solicitation clause; read it before you accept.
Sources
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Nigeria, corporate withholding taxes (reviewed 29 May 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq (Danol Partners): Overview of the Deduction of Tax at Source (Withholding) Regulations 2024 (16 Oct 2024) · 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.