A3 Wolters Kluwer vs dvimpuestos: Tax Compliance in BC

A very common dilemma for Spanish companies running Business Central: is it better to stick with the traditional external advisor + A3 model for tax compliance (Spanish Tax Agency forms), or move to a model where tax compliance is integrated inside BC itself with dvimpuestos?

This article compares both options honestly — when each one makes sense, what each costs, and which architecture fits each company profile.

Context note: dvimpuestos is a Davisa Informática product. We’ve tried to be fair to A3 Wolters Kluwer, which is an excellent, mature product. If your case fits A3, we say so too.

The two architectures

Architecture A — traditional model (ERP + advisor with A3)

• Your company keeps day-to-day accounting in Business Central.
• Your external tax advisor runs tax compliance in their own system (A3 Wolters Kluwer, Sage Despachos, or equivalent).
• Every month there’s a two-way reconciliation: your accounting goes to the advisor, the advisor sends back the forms to be filed.
• The advisor files the forms (303, 390, 347, etc.) from A3.
• Any recurring tax question goes through the advisor.

Architecture B — integrated tax compliance (BC + dvimpuestos)

• Your company keeps accounting and tax compliance in the same BC.
• dvimpuestos generates the Spanish Tax Agency forms automatically from accounting entries.
• The advisor moves to a consultative role: planning, advising, validating special cases.
• Forms are filed directly from BC (or exported to the advisor for filing, if preferred).
• The two-way reconciliation disappears — the data already lives in a single system.

Side-by-side comparison

Dimension	A3 (external advisor)	dvimpuestos (BC-integrated)
Origin / positioning	Wolters Kluwer, historical leader in Spanish accounting firms	Davisa Informática, BC Spain specialist
Where tax compliance lives	At the advisor, separate system	Inside Business Central, AL extension
Double data entry	Yes (ERP + A3)	No (single source)
Monthly ERP↔A3 reconciliation	Yes	Not applicable
Spanish Tax Agency form coverage	Very broad, every form	Broad, all critical forms covered
Regional (Basque/Navarre) form coverage	Yes	Yes (Vizcaya, Guipuzkoa, Álava, Navarre)
Who files the forms	The advisor	The company directly (or export to advisor)
Advisor dependency for routine work	High	Low
Tax question response time	1–3 days (advisor)	Immediate (data lives in BC)
Annual cost (mid-sized company)	€6,000–15,000 advisor + internal hours	Annual license + reduced consultative advisor
3-year TCO	High baseline	Typically 40–60% lower

Where A3 (with an advisor) is the right choice

There are profiles where the traditional model is genuinely superior:

1. Companies with complex tax situations

Multinational groups with tax consolidation, frequent M&A transactions, aggressive tax planning, regulated sectors (banking, insurance, energy). Here the advisor’s value is strategic, not operational — and A3 gives them the tools to do it well.

2. The advisor is a strategic CFO partner

In some companies the external tax advisor is essentially a “fractional CFO” — they take part in investment, financing, dividend and corporate-structure decisions. In that case, having everything in their system gives flow and speed to the conversation.

3. Plan to replace BC within 1–2 years

If your company is going to migrate BC to SAP, Sage Enterprise or another ERP in the short term, it’s not worth investing in a BC-specific extension you’ll lose at migration.

4. Very low volume

Micro-businesses with few filings per year (quarterly 303 + annual 200 + little else) — the simplicity of “the advisor does it all for a fixed monthly retainer” makes sense.

Where dvimpuestos on BC is the right choice

1. Mid-sized Spanish company with BC consolidated

50–300 employees, 1–3 BC tenants, standard Spanish tax compliance (303, 390, 347, 349, 200, 111, 115, 123, 130, possibly 232, 720, Intrastat). Here dvimpuestos eliminates double entry and monthly reconciliation, and frees the advisor for higher-value work.

2. You want operational autonomy

Having to wait for the advisor to answer “how much VAT have we paid this quarter?” is frustrating. With dvimpuestos, the data is live in BC.

3. The advisor bills you by the hour

If your advisor’s model is hourly (not a fixed retainer), automating the routine workload directly reduces the monthly invoice.

4. You’ve had BC ↔ A3 reconciliation errors that cost money

If in the last 2 years there was a corrected filing because advisor data didn’t match BC data, you already know the dual-system model has a real hidden cost.

The key detail: the advisor’s role under each model

A common misconception: thinking dvimpuestos = “I don’t need an advisor”. That’s not the case.

What the advisor still does with dvimpuestos

• Annual tax planning: structuring depreciation, deductions, applicable tax credits.
• Reviewing the filings generated by dvimpuestos before submission.
• Spanish Tax Agency audits: representation and technical defense.
• Special transactions: mergers, spin-offs, restructurings, inheritances.
• Regulatory changes: interpreting their impact on the company.
• Strategic advice: where to tax, what to deduct, how to optimize.

What the advisor no longer does with dvimpuestos

• Day-to-day bookkeeping (BC does that).
• Generating the routine forms (dvimpuestos generates them).
• Maintaining a parallel system to your ERP.
• Monthly reconciliations.
• Answering operational questions like “how much VAT do I owe?”.

The result: the advisor charges less for operations, more for strategic value. Good advisors welcome this change because that’s where they want to be.

3-year TCO calculation — typical company

Mid-sized Spanish company (50 employees, 1 BC tenant, standard tax compliance):

Option A: ERP + A3 advisor

• Advisor fees: €800/month × 12 = €9,600/year.
• Internal BC↔A3 reconciliation hours: 80 h × €35/h = €2,800/year.
• Error / restatement cost: ~€1,000/year.
• Annual total: ~€13,400.
• 3-year TCO: ~€40,000.

Option B: BC + dvimpuestos + consultative advisor

• dvimpuestos license: annual (quoted).
• Consultative advisor (3–5 h/month for review + special cases): €300–500/month × 12 = €3,600–6,000/year.
• Internal hours (minimal, pre-filing review): ~10 h × €35/h = €350/year.
• Annual total (estimated): ~€6,000–10,000.
• 3-year TCO: ~€18,000–30,000.

Net 3-year savings: typically €12,000–22,000 for companies in this profile, with a HIGHER level of tax control (because you have live data, not a monthly close lag).

The transition process — step by step

For a company moving from A3 (advisor) to dvimpuestos:

Month 1 — Diagnostic + conversation with the advisor

• Inventory of forms the advisor currently files.
• Mapping of what A3 generates vs. what dvimpuestos generates.
• Conversation with the advisor about a new collaboration model (consultative role).
• Agreement on reduced fees (usually 30–50% less).

Months 2–3 — dvimpuestos deployment

• Installation in BC, form setup by case (corporates, professionals, sector-specific).
• Loading updated tax catalogs.
• Training the internal finance team.

Months 3–4 — Parallel run

• Your BC generates the forms with dvimpuestos.
• The advisor also prepares them as before.
• You compare results. Differences → diagnostic (advisor better? dvimpuestos better? same result, different format?).

Month 4+ — New operating model

• dvimpuestos generates and files (or exports to advisor).
• Advisor reviews before submission (consultative role).
• Monthly reconciliation disappears (data lives in BC).

When the advisor pushes back (and how to handle it)

Some advisors see dvimpuestos as a threat to their fees. It’s understandable — operational tax compliance has historically been their bread and butter. The operational reality:

• Large advisors / consulting firms: usually see it as natural evolution. Their value is strategic, not in mechanically filing forms.
• Small / family advisors: sometimes resist. Better to frame it as a negotiated fee reduction, not a breakup.
• Switching advisor: in some cases, this is the moment to switch to one aligned with automation + strategic value.

Closing — the dual model was necessary, not anymore

A3 Wolters Kluwer is an excellent product — it remains the reference tool for professional Spanish accounting firms and for companies with complex tax situations. The question is whether your company needs that level of service for its routine operations.

For most Spanish SMEs and mid-market companies running BC with standard tax compliance, dvimpuestos on BC eliminates double data entry, reduces operational advisor dependency and lowers TCO without losing tax safety. The advisor is still needed — but in their most valuable role.

Want an honest assessment of which architecture fits you? Talk to a Davisa advisor — 30 minutes, we’ll tell you straight whether dvimpuestos applies or whether your case better suits the traditional model. No commitment.