One coffee.Wrong account, wrong bill.
£4.20 of flat white, paid from your business account and filed against your office supplies. Next stop: HMRC, in your Quarter 2 update. It happens to everyone.
Before anything is sent, it reads every line.
It goes back where it belongs.
Caught before it reaches HMRC.
Shield read all 214 lines, ran its eight checks and put one coffee back in its cup. Your update goes out right the first time.
Personal spending on a business card, a figure with a digit out, a subscription that wasn’t for work. Honest mistakes, and the kind HMRC asks about.
Shield runs on every update.
It runs in the background and only interrupts you when a line needs a decision.
Every line is checked as it arrives.
Shield checks each transaction in the background as it comes in. There’s nothing to run by hand.
Anything unusual is flagged.
A cost that looks personal, a figure far from your usual, the same payment recorded twice. Each flag names the rule that raised it.
You decide, then send.
Keep the line, take it out or correct it. Once every flag is settled, the update is ready to send to HMRC.
Before anything leaves, Shield asks eight questions.
These are the reasons quarterly updates fail or get rejected. Each answer is a plain yes or no, with the fix beside it.
Is HMRC expecting you?
Your HMRC connection, or your agent’s, is in place and hasn’t lapsed.
Is it the right year?
The year HMRC has you starting matches what your income says it should be.
Is every income source registered?
Rent coming in but no property business at HMRC? Shield spots it.
Do the dates match?
Your quarter dates line up with the periods HMRC expects.
Has it already gone?
No sending the same quarter twice by accident.
Is it too early to send?
HMRC accepts an update from 10 days before the period ends. Shield tells you when.
Are the books complete?
No unconfirmed lines and no empty quarter going out by mistake.
Same accounting basis?
Cash or accruals, your books and HMRC agree on which one you use.
Shield also catches the everyday slips.
Personal costs, duplicates and figures far outside your usual range. Each flag shows the rule that raised it.
Personal spending on a business account.
A weekend streaming charge, a personal phone top-up, the gym. Shield asks before it’s claimed.
One payment, two places.
The same bill from your bank feed and your spreadsheet, or a shop filed two ways. Shield lines it back up.
A digit out of place.
A figure far above your usual range for that category is held for you to confirm.
Every flag shows its reason.
Shield runs on written rules, so you can always see why it spoke up. Nothing about your money is sent to an AI model.
AI models reading your finances
Built in from Core.
Shield comes with Core and Ultra, and can be added to Basic at any time. Nothing extra to set up.
Shield then checks HMRC received it.
.EWA asks HMRC again five minutes later and once more after a day, and keeps a receipt: what was sent, when, HMRC’s reference and a fingerprint of the exact figures. If HMRC’s record doesn’t match, you’re told.
Example receipt. Filing switches on once HMRC approves .EWA’s software.
Shield questions
Does Shield stop me from sending?
No. Shield points things out; you decide. The one exception is a check HMRC would reject anyway, like sending an update more than 10 days before the period ends. Then Shield tells you why and when you can send.
Is Shield a person checking my books?
No. It’s a set of written rules that run on your figures every time, so every flag comes with its reason.
Does it replace my accountant?
No. It automates the routine checks. If you work with an accountant, they see the same flags and receipts you do.
What does it cost?
Shield is included in Core (£11 a month, billed annually) and Ultra. On Basic you can add it whenever you like.
Check every update before HMRC sees it.
Join the founding list for first access and two months free when .EWA opens.