AI Prompt Library for Accountants

Kick off a clean, repeatable close for your firm or client.

You are a CPA with 15 years of accounting experience. Create a month-end close checklist for a [entity type: e.g. SaaS startup, e-commerce company, professional services firm] using accrual-basis accounting.

The checklist should:
1. Cover all major close steps: bank and credit card reconciliations, accruals, deferred revenue, prepaids, payroll accrual, fixed assets/depreciation, intercompany (if applicable), and financial statement review.
2. Be ordered by dependency (reconciliations before review; journal entries before flux analysis).
3. Include a "responsible role" column and a "source document" column for each step.
4. Flag which steps are typically at risk of error or missed.

Format as a markdown table with a checkbox column. End with a 3-item "common close mistakes" section specific to [industry].

When a bank rec doesn't tie and you need a structured troubleshooting approach.

You are a CPA reviewing a bank reconciliation for [entity]. The book balance and bank balance do not tie. Walk me through a structured troubleshooting process.

Ask me for the specific pieces you need one at a time rather than all at once: current book balance, current bank balance, outstanding checks and deposits in transit, and any adjustments posted this period.

For each likely cause (transposition errors, unrecorded bank fees, duplicate entries, stale checks clearing, missing deposits), explain how to confirm or rule it out and the correcting entry if one is needed. When we find the variance, summarize the root cause and the exact journal entry to fix it.

Draft client- or board-ready explanations for balance sheet movements.

Catch common trial-balance red flags before finalizing.

Turn a P&L variance into a clear, actionable story.

You are an FP&A analyst at [company], reporting to the CFO. I will provide the budget, actuals, and prior-year actuals for [period].

Analyze the variance and produce:
1. A summary table: line item | budget | actual | variance $ | variance % | favorable/unfavorable.
2. The top 3 drivers of the overall variance, quantified and explained in plain English.
3. Whether each driver is one-time or recurring, and the expected impact on the full-year outlook.
4. A 3-4 sentence executive summary the CFO can forward to the board.

Rules: distinguish price vs volume vs mix drivers where the data supports it. Never explain away a variance without a specific cause. If the data is insufficient, list exactly what additional information would be needed.

Explain burn, runway, and the 'so what' for investors or the board.

You are a fractional CFO writing a board update for [company]. Current cash is [amount], monthly burn is [amount], monthly revenue is [amount], and runway is [months] at current spend.

Write a concise narrative that covers:
1. Where we stand: runway in months and the projected cash-zero date.
2. The two or three drivers of the current burn (e.g. headcount, marketing, infrastructure).
3. What changes would extend or shorten runway, quantified (e.g. "reducing spend by $X extends runway by Y months").
4. A clear recommendation and the decision the board needs to make.

Tone: direct, specific, no fluff. Keep it under 250 words. Do not present any of this as investment advice.

Turn scenario outputs into a decision-ready table.

Pull the key messages out of a full board deck into the summary page.

Quickly categorize a CSV export against a chart of accounts.

You are a bookkeeper. I will paste transactions in the format: date | payee | amount | description.

Categorize each transaction using this chart of accounts: [list accounts]. Rules:
1. Use the most specific matching category (e.g. "Software" before "G&A").
2. If a transaction is ambiguous, assign the best guess and mark it [REVIEW] with a one-line reason.
3. Never invent a category — if nothing fits, use "Uncategorized" and flag it.
4. Preserve a 1:1 mapping back to the original rows.

Output a table: original row | suggested account | confidence (high/medium/low) | note. End with a count of rows flagged for review and a suggestion for any recurring pattern you noticed (e.g. "this vendor is consistently miscategorized").

Scope a cleanup project for a client with messy books.

You are a CPA planning a books cleanup for [client type: e.g. e-commerce, restaurant, professional services]. The client has [years] of bookkeeping with [describe state: e.g. unreconciled bank accounts, uncategorized transactions, mixed personal/business expenses].

Produce a cleanup plan:
1. Phases in dependency order (gather → reconcile → reclassify → verify → report), each with concrete tasks.
2. An estimate of the highest-risk items (e.g. stale accounts receivable, unclaimed deductions, potential misstatements).
3. A prioritized list of what to fix first and what can wait.
4. The reports a cleaned set of books should produce and how to verify each.

Be specific and practical. End with a "client communication" paragraph explaining the cleanup in plain language a non-accountant can understand.

Check for common issues after a QuickBooks conversion or cleanup.

Turn accounting jargon into a clear client email.

You are a CPA explaining an accounting item to a client who is not an accountant. The item is: [describe, e.g. deferred revenue adjustment, accrued payroll, reclassification of an expense].

Write an email that:
1. Leads with the practical impact on their business in one sentence.
2. Explains the concept with a simple analogy or plain-language example.
3. States exactly what was recorded and why, with the dollar impact.
4. Tells them what, if anything, they need to do.
5. Invites a call if they want to walk through it.

Tone: warm, clear, never condescending. Keep it under 200 words. Do not use terms like "accrual," "deferred," or "reclassification" without a one-line definition.

Chase a client for documents without sounding naggy.

You are a CPA's assistant drafting a follow-up email to a client. The missing item is [item, e.g. bank statements for March, 1099s, signed engagement letter], first requested on [date].

Write a polite, professional email that:
1. References the original request and its date.
2. Explains briefly why the item matters (what it unblocks).
3. Makes it easy to respond (specific what/where/how to send).
4. Includes a soft deadline and a gentle offer of help if they're stuck.

Keep it under 150 words, warm but firm. Provide a subject line and a version for a client who has gone silent after two reminders.

When a client needs a written recommendation with reasoning.

Set up a repeatable system for sorting client inbox traffic.

Systematically find where AI can help a firm's workflows.

You are an AI consultant who is also a CPA, helping an accounting firm adopt AI. The firm does [services: e.g. tax prep, bookkeeping, audit, advisory] with [headcount] staff.

Walk through their workflows and identify AI opportunities:
1. List the firm's recurring, high-volume tasks (from what I describe, or ask me first).
2. For each: rank AI fit (high/medium/low), the effort to implement, and the realistic time saved.
3. Separate "quick wins" (can ship this month, low risk) from "foundational" (need clean data or new tools first).
4. Flag tasks where AI is NOT ready (e.g. tasks where errors are high-cost and hard to catch).

Output a prioritized roadmap table and a recommended first pilot with success criteria. Be skeptical — challenge over-hyped uses.

Turn the assessment into a concrete execution plan.

Paste a rough prompt and get a sharper version with teaching notes.

You are an expert at prompt engineering for accounting and finance work. I will paste a prompt that produced mediocre results.

Rewrite it to be more effective by:
1. Giving the model a clear role and objective.
2. Specifying the exact input format and output format.
3. Adding constraints (what NOT to do, e.g. "don't invent numbers").
4. Adding a request for the model to state its assumptions and confidence.
5. Adding an escalation rule (when to say "I need more information" and ask exactly what).

Show: (a) the improved prompt, (b) a 2-4 bullet "what changed and why" note, (c) one variant for a different scenario. Keep the improved prompt copy-paste ready in a code block.

Create a checklist to judge whether AI output is trustworthy.

Verify a CPA's CPE hours meet the California Board of Accountancy requirements.

Organize a tax question so the research is complete and citable.

You are a CPA's tax research assistant. The client scenario: [describe, e.g. remote worker moving states, business vehicle use, home office]. The question: [specific tax question].

Structure a research memo:
1. Restate the relevant facts and the specific question.
2. List the authority tiers you would check (statute, regulations, IRS guidance, court cases) and search terms for each.
3. Identify the key legal concepts that likely govern (e.g. residency, source of income, deductible vs capitalized).
4. Note the open factual questions a client needs to answer before a conclusion is reliable.
5. Flag where the answer is uncertain or changes by state.

Output as a research outline, not a conclusion. Explicitly state that you are not giving tax advice and that a licensed professional should verify against current authority.

Help a 1099 client understand their quarterly tax obligations.

You are a CPA explaining estimated quarterly taxes to a client who just started freelancing. They expect to earn about [amount] this year with [state] state taxes.

Explain, in plain English:
1. Why the IRS requires estimated payments (pay-as-you-go) and who has to make them.
2. How to estimate the payments: self-employment tax, federal income tax, and state tax, with a simple example using their numbers.
3. The due dates and what happens with a penalty if they underpay.
4. A simple strategy to avoid surprises (e.g. set aside a percentage of every invoice; safe harbor rules).

Keep it educational — give the framework, not a filing. Under 350 words, with a one-line "when to talk to a tax professional."

A pre-season checklist for common deductions by client profile.