Empowering Accountants, Together

SmartPractice was built to solve real challenges faced by accountants in practice. In 2014, a group of South African accountants, including founders Casper de Waal, Arend de Waal and Ettean Smit, recognised the inefficiencies holding firms back.

They identified common pain points, including:

Multiple databases with unreliable backups
A lack of structured client communication
Clients who weren't properly informed about processes
Unclear task allocation within teams
Difficulty identifying high-value clients
Overpriced software that failed to deliver

Determined to find a better solution, Casper, Arend and Ettean partnered with Hugo to develop a system that accountants actually needed. The result was Accufile, which later evolved into SmartPractice, a dynamic, cloud-based practice management solution designed specifically for South African accountants.

What started as an internal tool quickly grew into a powerful platform now used by over 290 accounting practices across the country.

Today, SmartPractice continues to evolve, driven by accountants, for accountants, helping firms streamline operations, improve client communication, and stay ahead of compliance requirements.

Our Journey

2014

Identifying the Challenges

2015

Development of Accufile Begins

2015

First Accounting Firm Joins (Longest continious active client since 13-10-2015)

2026

Trusted by 260+ Accounting and Audit Firms
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Launch new version of SmartPractice.online

What Sets Us Apart?

At SmartPractice, we believe in a team-first approach. Our people are the backbone of everything we do, bringing together diverse skills and perspectives to create innovative solutions for accountants across South Africa.

We're not only led by experts in practice management, but we're a group of passionate individuals dedicated to making accounting easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. From development to client support, our team is united by a shared goal: to empower accountants to succeed.

Every member of our team plays a crucial role in building the SmartPractice experience, and we're proud of the culture we've created: one of respect, growth, and a shared vision of success.

Collaboration

We thrive on working together, whether it's solving problems, or supporting one another through challenges.

Innovation

We're always looking for ways to improve, whether it's fine-tuning our software or staying ahead of industry trends.

Integrity

We're transparent, accountable, and committed to doing what's right for our clients and our team.

Strength in Numbers

260+Accounting Practices Served

9 SecMedian AI Support Response Time

1:46MinAverage Support Response Time

1.4M+Files Uploaded On SmartPractice

2100+Satisfied Users

Our Team

Our services can only be as good as our people. That's why we invest in the development of all our staff, at all levels.

We have a host of expertise from accounting and software development to product experts. This benefits our clients as they can have easy and regular access to executive directors (who are also the founders of the visionary product), senior staff and their teams, plus the peace of mind that there is a depth of knowledge in key areas, should they need it.