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Claude for accountants

Claude for accountants: less drafting, more advising.

Accountants spend hours writing around the numbers: client emails, report commentary, explanations and engagement letters. Claude takes on the first draft, so your time goes on the judgement and advice clients pay for.

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Q3 management accounts

Skill · Report commentary
LineQ3Q2Change
Revenue£412k£368k+12%
Cost of sales£198k£171k+16%
Gross margin52%54%−2 pts
Overheads£141k£139k+1%

Draft commentary

Revenue rose 12%, led by the new wholesale contract. Cost of sales grew faster, at 16%, so gross margin slipped two points.

Question for the directors: were wholesale prices agreed before the supplier increase?

● Check every figureClient name removedAccountant signs off

Illustrative example

What Claude helps with

The numbers are yours. The writing doesn't have to be.

  1. 01

    Management report commentary

    Turn a set of figures into clear narrative on what changed and why, for you to check and refine.

  2. 02

    Variance analysis

    Spot the movements worth explaining in an anonymised trial balance or budget comparison, and draft the explanation.

  3. 03

    Client emails and queries

    Plain-English replies to common client questions, chasers for missing records and year-end reminders.

  4. 04

    Engagement letters and proposals

    First drafts built from your own templates and fee structures, in your firm's voice.

  5. 05

    Research summaries

    Summaries of guidance and changes relevant to a client, with sources linked for you to verify.

  6. 06

    Spreadsheet help

    Explain a formula, suggest a cleaner approach or check a model's logic, without sharing more data than you need to.

How it works

Month end, with the writing done for you.

  1. 01

    Close the books

    Your team closes the month in your accounting software, as now.

  2. 02

    Commentary drafted

    Claude drafts the narrative from anonymised figures and flags the movements worth explaining.

  3. 03

    Every figure checked

    An accountant checks each number against the source and edits the wording.

  4. 04

    Pack sent

    The reviewed pack goes to the client, with questions for the directors.

Prompts to try

Copy, paste, adapt.

Starting points written for accountants. Replace the [brackets], leave out names and anything personal or sensitive, and check the output before you use it.

  • Report commentary

    Here are this quarter's management figures and last quarter's for comparison, with the client's name and any identifying details removed. Write a short commentary for the client's directors: the three most significant movements, a likely reason for each, and one question we should ask them. Plain English, no jargon, under 250 words. Flag anything you are unsure about rather than guessing.

  • Chasing records

    Draft a friendly but clear email to a client who has not sent their bank statements and receipts for the year end. Explain why we need them, give a deadline of [date], and list the three items most often missing. Keep it under 150 words.

  • Explaining a change to a client

    Explain [topic, e.g. a change to a tax threshold] to a small business owner with no accounting background. Use one short example, say what they may need to do, and note that we will confirm the details for their situation.

Want prompts like these built into your team's setup? See Projects and Skills.

What we set up

Claude, set up for your firm, not just switched on.

  • 01

    A Project for each service line

    Your templates, standard wording and past examples, so drafts start in your firm's format.

  • 02

    Skills for routine outputs

    Report commentary, engagement letters and client chasers written the same way every time.

  • 03

    Clear client data rules

    What may be entered, what must be anonymised and what stays out, agreed and trained.

Safe use

Every figure checked by a person.

Good results come from good habits. These are the safeguards we build into every rollout for accountants, and train the team on.

Free AI usage policy template What would Claude cost your team?

  • Every figure Claude mentions is checked against the source before anything reaches a client.
  • Client names and identifying details are removed before figures go in, and only on an approved business plan, never a personal account.
  • Claude drafts and explains; a qualified person reviews, decides and signs off.
  • Your professional body's guidance on AI and confidentiality still applies, so build it into your policy.
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Questions

Good questions.

Something else on your mind? Ask us directly.

Can Claude do the accounts?

No, and it should not. Claude is very good at the writing and analysis around the numbers: commentary, explanations, client emails and research. The accounting itself, and the professional judgement, stay with your team and your accounting software.

Should we put client financial data into Claude?

Only what the task needs, with names and identifying details removed, and only on an approved business plan. Bank details, tax references, payroll and other personal information should never go in. Much of the value needs no identifiable client data at all: explaining a change, drafting a chaser, or commentary on anonymised figures.

Can Claude read our spreadsheets?

Yes, on an approved business plan. Strip out anything identifying or sensitive first, such as client names, bank details or payroll, and share only what the task needs. Check its conclusions against the source, especially any figures it calculates.

Further reading

From AI curious to AI capable

Find out what AI can do for your business.

Start with an audit. You will know exactly where AI fits, what to do first and what it should give back. Your report looks something like this.

Book an AI audit director@hizmedia.com