How-to
How to use ChatGPT with a trial balance, tax return or SAF-T without exposing the client
By Hugo Ribeiro · Updated · 5 min read
The principle is always the same: the AI gets the structure and the numbers; the data that identifies the client stays on your computer.
1. Excel trial balance
- Open the file in Velado (desktop app or in the browser). Customer and supplier names, tax IDs (even stored as numbers) and IBANs are detected and marked.
- Review. You see everything covered and everything left visible, and can add a missing term by hand.
- Export the pseudonymised Excel. Amounts and formulas stay.
- Ask the AI, e.g.: "Analyse this trial balance, find the five most significant changes from last year and suggest explanations to check with the client."
- Restore. Copy the answer, click Restore, and the codes become the real names and tax IDs again.
2. PDF return or report
For a text PDF, Velado extracts the text and covers identifiers. A scanned PDF or a photo goes through OCR first, also on your computer. Check digits in the preview, as with any OCR.
3. SAF-T file
SAF-T holds customer and supplier master data with name, tax ID and address. Velado covers those fields throughout the file and keeps account codes, documents and amounts, so you can ask for customer concentration, average collection periods or unusual invoices without revealing the client's book of business.
Time savers
- One vault per client: the same company is always
[ENTIDADE_1], so the AI can compare periods. - Firm dictionary: import your client list once (name and tax ID) and it's always covered.
- Never-cover list: your firm's name or the tax authority don't need hiding.
Try it with your own file: open Velado in the browser. Processing happens on your computer; nothing is sent to any server.
FAQ
Can AI analyse a trial balance without client names?
Yes. To analyse variances, ratios, unusual balances or draft notes, the AI needs amounts and accounts, not who the client is.
What about SAF-T? Won't account codes break?
They shouldn't. Velado covers customer and supplier master data (names, tax IDs, addresses) and leaves account codes, amounts and file structure intact.
Can I paste the AI's answer straight into the client email?
After restoring the data, yes, and always review it. The answer comes back with [ENTIDADE_1] and [NIF_1]; Velado swaps the codes back for the real data in one click.
Try it with your own document
Velado runs in your browser, on your computer: nothing is sent to any server.