Starting with Automated Tax Workflows
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Crash Course: How to get started with Automated Tax Workflows
A crash course in three steps — featuring insights from Nada Rihaoui, Global Tax Manager at Dayco
Introduction
Automated Tax Workflows may sound complex at first — but the process becomes entirely manageable when you approach it step by step. In this crash course, we'll walk you through the three building blocks every successful implementation starts with: mapping your entities, assembling your team, and setting up your workflows.
To guide you through it, we've partnered with Nada Rihaoui, Freelance Tax Advisor specialised in International Corporate Tax Law and currently Global Tax Manager at Dayco, where she oversees operations across 20 countries.
"An Automated Tax Workflow is the first step towards the future of Tax. As the world changes rapidly and compliance requirements continue to increase, the role of the Tax Advisor will also evolve. You will need to stay focused — which is why worrying about your data should be a thing of the past."
— Nada Rihaoui
Step 1
Map out your entities
Before setting up any workflow, you need a clear picture of the entities you're responsible for and how they operate locally. The number of entities is just the starting point — what really matters is understanding their individual filing obligations. How to get started:
1. Secure commitment from the board
Introducing Automated Tax Workflows can feel like an extra burden on top of daily responsibilities. That's why it's important to demonstrate the benefits clearly and get a firm statement from leadership that this is the direction the company is taking.
2. Start with a small selection of entities
Don't try to tackle everything at once. Nada's approach at Dayco was straightforward: "We focused on the most active countries and set aside smaller branches in the initial phase." Starting small gives you room to learn and refine before scaling.
3. Understand filing obligations for each entity
Each entity operates under different national laws, which means their filing processes vary significantly. To structure this information, Nada created an Excel template — which you can download below to avoid starting from scratch.
4. Schedule meetings with each entity
Once you've collected the initial information, meet with each entity to review the data and gain deeper insight into how they work. As Nada puts it:
"Close collaboration at this stage is crucial — this first step will form the blueprint for your Automated Tax Workflow."
Your turn:
Take a moment to list your entities. Which ones would you start with, and what information would you need from them? This simple exercise is your very first step.
Step 2
Assemble your team
Automated Tax Workflows are only as effective as the people driving them. Knowing who is involved in each process — and what their role is — is essential for getting workflows completed on time.
A practical example: Imagine a US company with a quarterly VAT filing obligation in the Netherlands. The company has an internal finance team working alongside a Dutch advisory firm. Multiple people are involved in preparing the return. For the process to run smoothly, each person — whether internal or external — needs to be assigned the tasks they're normally responsible for.
This is exactly the kind of clarity you need before building any workflow.
Steps to map your team:
1. Identify who is involved
List all internal and external parties who play a role in each filing obligation.
2. Know where they are responsible
Roles and responsibilities should be linked to the specific entities or companies each person is connected to. Geography and legal structure matter here.
3. Know what they are responsible for
Define each person's role in the process. Are they a reviewer? An approver? An information provider? Getting this clear upfront prevents bottlenecks later.
The full picture:
When you combine your entities and registrations, your filing obligations, and your team structure — you have everything you need to set up a well-organised tax workflow.
The next step is putting it all together.
Step 3
Set up your workflows
Congratulations — you've done the hard part. You've gathered the information, aligned your team, and mapped your obligations. Now it's time to turn that foundation into actual workflows.
Nada shares three key principles for this final step:
1. Map out all types of workflows
You now know which returns each entity must submit, who is responsible for each step, and what the deadlines are. Use this information to map out a workflow for every return — VAT, CIT, Transfer Pricing, and beyond. A structured template aligned with tax legislation is a great starting point.
2. Visualise before you build
"During the process of collecting all the information for the workflows, I learned that it is essential to visualise the workflow. Otherwise, it remains too abstract, and people will struggle to comprehend it." — Nada Rihaoui
A visual overview — even a simple one — makes the workflow tangible for everyone involved and surfaces gaps before they become problems.
3. Match your workflows with an automation tool
"My golden tip is to explore automation tools while you are still visualising your workflows. This way, you'll have a clear view of what's available and be ready to implement more quickly. At Dayco, we discovered too late that not all options were compatible with the tool we had chosen." — Nada Rihaoui
Testing tools early means fewer surprises — and a much smoother implementation.
You're ready to get started
By following these three steps, you'll build a tax function that is:
- Compliant — structured around the actual obligations of each entity
- Efficient — with clear ownership across your team
- Future-proof — automated and built to scale
This is what it looks like to move from reactive to proactive tax management.
Your tax workflows are mapped. Time to automate them.
You've mapped your entities, aligned your team, and visualised your workflows. The framework is clear. The only thing left is putting it into a system that actually runs it for you.
That's what Keeyns is built for.