The verdict in three sentences
For a services SME with 75 vehicles in Dublin, automating the reconciliation of fuel cards, toll tags and expense claims costs between 8,000 and 16,000 EUR in 2026. The direct gain is about 30 hours a month of finance work, plus detection of off-route refuelling and duplicates. The project ships in 6 weeks without changing your card provider or accounting software.
Why manual reconciliation costs so much
Every month, finance receives three feeds that never match on their own: the fuel card statement (around 600 transactions for 75 vehicles), the toll statement (300 to 400 passages, including the M50) and technicians' expense claims (parking, meals, fuel paid on personal cards). Each line must be assigned to a vehicle, a driver and a cost centre, VAT must be checked, and anomalies spotted.
| Manual task | Current monthly time | After automation |
|---|---|---|
| Downloading and formatting statements | 3 h | 0 h, automatic import via API or SFTP |
| Assigning vehicle, driver, cost centre | 8 h | 0.5 h of exception review |
| Matching expense claims and receipts | 7 h | 1 h, automatic receipt reading |
| Checking reclaimable VAT on diesel | 4 h | Automatic calculation |
| Spotting anomalies (fills, duplicates, weekends) | 5 h | Automatic alerts |
| Journal entries and accounting export | 4 h | 0.5 h of approval |
| Total | 31 h | About 2 h |
What the project includes and what it costs
The core imports statements, applies assignment rules and produces a journal file for your accounting software. Options add OCR receipt reading, cross-checks with telematics and a per-driver dashboard.
| Component | Description | 2026 budget |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel card and toll statement import | API or SFTP connector, normalisation | 2,000 to 3,500 EUR |
| Assignment rules | Vehicle, driver, cost centre, VAT | 2,000 to 3,500 EUR |
| Expense claims with OCR | Receipt photo, amount and VAT extraction | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR |
| Off-route refuelling check | Cross-check with schedule or telematics | 1,300 to 3,500 EUR |
| Accounting export | Format of your accounting package, dedicated journal | 1,200 to 1,500 EUR |
| Dashboard | Consumption per vehicle, anomalies, cost per km | 0 to 1,000 EUR |
Running costs are then 100 to 250 EUR a month (hosting, OCR, light maintenance). An expense SaaS typically charges 8 to 12 EUR per user per month, or 7,200 to 10,800 EUR a year for 75 drivers, without reconciling fuel cards.
The rules that actually catch misuse
The most profitable checks are simple: a fill larger than the tank capacity, two fills less than 150 km apart, a weekend transaction outside on-call duty, a fuel type that does not match the vehicle, or a station more than 30 km from the day's route. On a 75-vehicle fleet, these rules usually flag 1 to 3 % of transactions, some due to assignment errors and some to personal use.
Mini case study
Siobhan, finance director of a maintenance SME in Dublin, spends 19,000 EUR a month on fuel for 75 vehicles. Her accounts assistant spends 30 hours a month on reconciliation, about 1,200 EUR of loaded cost at 40 EUR an hour. After a 13,000 EUR project, time falls to 2 hours, and alerts catch 1.5 % of abnormal spend, or 285 EUR a month recovered or avoided. The 28 hours freed are worth 1,120 EUR, so the monthly gain is about 1,235 EUR after 170 EUR of running costs: payback in roughly 11 months.
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FAQ
Do we need to change fuel card provider?
No, the automation reads your current provider's statements, by API where available or by daily SFTP file. Major issuers provide these exports at no extra cost.
Is VAT on fuel handled correctly?
Yes, the rules apply the reclaimable VAT treatment for diesel used in business vehicles and exclude petrol where it is not reclaimable, according to the declared vehicle type. Every special case stays configurable.
Do drivers need to install an app?
Only for expense claims: they photograph the receipt and OCR extracts amount and VAT in under 5 seconds. Fuel cards and toll tags need no action.
What happens to flagged transactions?
They land in a review queue with the alert reason, and the manager approves or asks for justification. Out of 900 lines a month, usually 10 to 25 cases remain to review.
How long does it take?
Allow 6 weeks: 2 weeks of scoping and connectors, 2 weeks of rules and export, then 2 weeks running in parallel with the manual process before cutover.
Let's scope your project. Share your fleet size, card providers and accounting software: we will price an automation between 8,000 and 16,000 EUR delivered in 6 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
