A reliable supplier today can enter insolvency tomorrow. A customer who pays invoices on time can appear on the unreliable VAT payers blacklist in three months. A one-off check gives you a snapshot of a single day β but an ongoing business relationship requires ongoing monitoring.
This guide explains why company monitoring is essential, what exactly you need to track, and how to set up automatic alerts without manually checking before every invoice.
Why a one-off check is not enough
The Insolvency Register (ISIR) changes in real time. An insolvency petition can be filed without warning and typically appears in ISIR within 24 hours of the court's decision. If you check a company once at the start of a relationship and then forget about it, you usually find out about a problem when it is already too late:
- Your supplier is in insolvency and your receivable is one of many in a creditor notification process
- Your customer is listed as an active debtor and extending new credit is extremely risky
- A business partner has been on the VAT blacklist since last month β and you have paid three invoices since then, for whose VAT you may now be jointly liable
What to monitor for each business partner
The key signals worth setting up automatic monitoring for:
Insolvency status (ISIR)
The most important signal. A transition from "clean" to "active debtor" is an immediate red flag. If you have open receivables with the company, you must file them in the insolvency proceedings immediately β deadlines are strict and missing them means losing your claim.
VAT status
Being added to the unreliable VAT payers list directly affects your joint liability for VAT on subsequent invoices. If you monitor a supplier with a high invoice volume, this monitoring literally pays for itself.
Management changes (directors)
A sudden director change just before a large receivable falls due or a contract is signed is a warning signal. Changes in the Commercial Register are recorded with some delay β monitor them systematically, not by chance.
Who needs company monitoring most
Accountants and tax advisors
You manage clients with dozens of active suppliers. Manually checking each one before every invoice is not realistic. A watchlist automatically monitors VAT status and insolvency for you β you catch a change immediately, not at the year-end audit.
Procurement teams
A portfolio of 30β200 active suppliers. A single unreliable VAT payer in the portfolio can cause six-figure joint liability costs. Systematic monitoring is prevention, not a luxury.
Business owners and sole traders
You have 3β5 key clients or suppliers who represent most of your turnover. Their insolvency or VAT problem would directly affect you. A free plan covers these companies.
Lawyers and solicitors
Monitor counterparties for the duration of a contract or dispute. Active insolvency proceedings change the entire procedural strategy β knowing early is a decisive advantage.
How Firmometr company monitoring works
Firmometr's watchlist checks your monitored companies every hour. It automatically compares the current status with the last recorded state and sends an email when anything changes, describing exactly what changed.
- Add a company to monitoring β search by company ID (IΔO) or name and click "Monitor company". No configuration required.
- Firmometr monitors for you β every hour it checks ISIR and the unreliable VAT payers register. No manual check before each invoice.
- Email on change β you receive a message describing the specific change: a new insolvency proceeding, a VAT status change, or the closure of proceedings.
Which plan is right for you
Firmometr offers monitoring on both free and paid plans:
- FREE β monitor 3 companies at no cost. Suitable for freelancers and sole traders with a small number of key partners.
- BASIC (299 CZK/month) β monitor up to 50 companies, email alerts, and company import. For accountants and small businesses with a larger supplier or client portfolio.
For both plans: alerts are sent as soon as a change is detected, not just once a day. If a company's status changes at 2 a.m., your email arrives within the hour.
How to import a portfolio of companies at once
If you manage dozens of companies, you do not have to add them one by one. The BASIC plan supports bulk import via CSV or Excel. Export a list of company IDs from your accounting software and upload it to Firmometr.
Practical setup: how to start monitoring in 5 minutes
- Go to search and enter the company ID (IΔO) of the first supplier or client.
- On the company profile, click "Monitor company". If you do not have an account, register β it is free.
- Repeat for each company you want to monitor (up to 3 on the FREE plan).
- Done. Firmometr will check the status every hour and send an email when anything changes.
Summary
Company monitoring is not a luxury β it is a safety net that runs in the background until you need it. And when you need it, it must work immediately. The Firmometr watchlist monitors ISIR and the VAT register every hour and alerts you before it is too late to act. Setup takes under 5 minutes and monitoring the most important companies is free.