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Claude for finance teams

Claude for finance teams: the story behind the numbers.

In-house finance teams close the month, explain the variances and write the board pack, usually against the clock. Claude drafts the narrative around your numbers and answers routine policy questions, so your team spends more time on analysis and less on writing it up.

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Budget vs actual · £k · Q3

Project · Finance
  • Marketing96 / 80
  • Operations117 / 120
  • Technology71 / 60
  • People88 / 90

Draft commentary

Marketing is 20% over budget after the autumn campaign was brought forward. Ask: is this timing, or extra spend?

Illustrative example

What Claude helps with

Your analysis, written up for you.

  1. 01

    Month-end commentary

    Narrative on what moved and why, drafted from anonymised figures for you to check.

  2. 02

    Budget vs actual

    Highlight the variances worth explaining and draft a short explanation for each.

  3. 03

    Board pack narrative

    Turn the numbers into a clear story for the board: performance, risks and decisions needed.

  4. 04

    Expense policy questions

    Answer routine questions from staff using your own finance policies.

  5. 05

    Contract summaries

    Summarise payment terms, renewal dates and obligations from supplier contracts.

  6. 06

    Scenario write-ups

    Explain the impact of best, base and worst cases you have modelled.

Prompts to try

Copy, paste, adapt.

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

  • Variance commentary

    Here is this month's budget versus actual by cost centre, with no personal or payroll data. Pick the five variances that matter most, and for each give a likely reason and the question I should ask the budget holder. Use the numbers exactly as given.

  • Board narrative

    Using these figures and notes, write the finance section of the board pack: a headline, three key points, the main risks and any decisions needed. Under 300 words, plain English.

  • Contract summary

    Summarise this supplier contract: payment terms, price changes, renewal and notice dates, and any obligations or penalties. Quote clause numbers, and list anything unusual for me to check.

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

How it works

Month end, with the write-up handled.

  1. 01

    Close the month

    Your team closes the books in your systems, exactly as now.

  2. 02

    Narrative drafted

    Claude drafts the commentary and flags the variances worth explaining.

  3. 03

    Checked and refined

    The team checks every figure and adds the context only they know.

  4. 04

    Pack published

    The board and budget holders get a clear, consistent pack, on time.

Safe use

Every number checked by a person.

The safeguards we build into every rollout for finance teams, and train the team on.

  • Every figure is checked against the source before it is reported.

  • Bank details, payroll and personal information never go into Claude.

  • Commentary is drafted by Claude and owned by the finance team.

  • Only trusted spreadsheets are opened with AI tools.

Free AI usage policy template How ready is your team? Take the scorecard What would Claude cost your team?

Questions

Good questions.

Something else on your mind? Ask us directly.

How is this different from Claude for accountants?

Accountancy firms serve many clients; in-house finance teams report on one business to its leadership. The setup reflects that: one deep finance Project, board pack Skills and Claude for Excel.

Can Claude work in our spreadsheets?

Yes. Claude for Excel can explain formulas, update assumptions and find errors inside your workbooks. Check every result and keep sensitive data out.

Is it safe to put financial data into Claude?

On an approved business plan, summary figures with no personal or payroll data are generally fine. Bank details, payroll and personal information should never go in.

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