Receiving the month's filing acknowledgements answers one question: what was submitted? Running your business requires other answers: what changed, why did it change, and what should you do next? Ask your accountant for a short report connecting balances, movements and decisions. Its value lies in helping you understand a difference and act on it, rather than simply accumulating documents.
An acknowledgement and a report serve different purposes
Original Fintax Instagram publication about tax support and SAT compliance.
The SAT states that submitting a return produces an acknowledgement and, where applicable, a payment reference known as a línea de captura. These are outputs of the filing procedure; by themselves, they do not show profitability or available cash. Keep them, but treat them as evidence of submission rather than an assessment of business performance. Source: SAT, monthly returns through the declarations and payments service.
Articles 28, 30 and 31 of Mexico's Federal Fiscal Code address accounting, document retention and the submission of returns. That framework does not make the management report proposed here a universally mandatory monthly deliverable. Comparisons, explanations and recommendations are service controls you can agree with your accountant. Source: Federal Fiscal Code.
Ask for a comparison that leads to decisions
Request current-month and previous-month figures prepared on the same basis. Each significant change should have an identified cause, available supporting evidence and a possible decision. If there was a reclassification or correction, the report should flag it so that a recording change is not mistaken for genuine growth or deterioration.
| Change to review | Cause to clarify | Decision it can support |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing compared with the previous month | More services, price changes or corrections to records | Adjust sales expectations and capacity |
| Collections compared with invoicing | Customer payment terms, unpaid invoices or collections from earlier months | Prioritize outstanding receivables |
| Bank balance compared with the previous balance | Collections, payments and financing identified separately | Set a cash reserve |
| Taxes compared with the previous month | Changes in inputs and the applicable base under the tax regime | Prepare funds and review differences |
| Outstanding reconciliation items | An unidentified transaction or an unresolved difference | Assign an owner and a review date |
The reconciliation summary should show which records match, which items remain unresolved and how much those differences represent. Ask for a reference to the transaction or supporting document without turning the report into an endless document archive. If your business has payroll or inventory, include relevant changes in those areas. If it does not, avoid empty sections that distract from decisions.
Example: MXN 70,000 came in, but it was not all revenue
Suppose a consultant invoices MXN 80,000 during the month, collects MXN 50,000 against those same invoices and receives a MXN 20,000 loan. To isolate these movements, assume a zero opening bank balance and no other bank transactions. The closing bank balance is MXN 70,000: MXN 50,000 in collections plus MXN 20,000 in financing. MXN 30,000 remains outstanding on the invoices in this example.
The MXN 80,000 represents invoicing; MXN 50,000 represents collections; and MXN 20,000 represents the loan received. The MXN 70,000 balance is neither service revenue nor evidence of profit in that amount. Profit requires reviewing revenue and expenses under the relevant accounting basis. The tax base is a separate measure: its determination must be explained under the applicable tax regime, without assuming it automatically equals invoicing, collections or the bank balance.
The practical decision would be to follow up on the outstanding MXN 30,000 and distinguish the loan when planning how to use cash. Ask which upcoming commitments the available money must cover before treating it as surplus. Also request a tax explanation that identifies its inputs and how they relate to the accounting records supporting the returns. Source: Federal Fiscal Code, articles 28 and 31.
How to run the monthly review
- Confirm the reporting period and comparison basis. Distinguish finalized figures from information still under review.
- Review differences affecting collections, payments and profit. Ask for a concrete cause and supporting evidence.
- Resolve unclassified items or agree who will obtain the missing information and when it will be reviewed.
- Compare alternatives: collect sooner, postpone an outlay or maintain a reserve. Ask about their expected effects.
- Finish with decisions, assigned responsibilities and a follow-up date. At the next meeting, check what happened.
Good advice is evident when your accountant explains the inputs, distinguishes differences and offers understandable alternatives. A recommendation should identify the information it depends on and what would change if that information were corrected. This work supports decisions; it does not guarantee that the SAT will agree with an interpretation.
Frequently asked questions
Should this report be included in my accounting fees?
Check your agreed service scope. You can agree on content, frequency and a review meeting; do not assume that preparing tax returns includes management analysis.
What should I ask if taxes increased?
Request a comparison of the inputs used and an explanation of the applicable base under your tax regime. The answer should connect the change to its causes rather than simply state the amount payable.
Can I make decisions while items remain unresolved?
Identify which decisions depend on those items. If a difference could change available cash or profit, ask for clarification before committing funds.
