Create a practical set of copy-paste AI prompts for my accounting work. MY ROLE AND ENTITY TYPE: [MY ROLE AND ENTITY TYPE] ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORK AND POLICIES: [ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORK AND POLICIES] SYSTEMS AND SOURCE DOCUMENTS: [SYSTEMS AND SOURCE DOCUMENTS] RECURRING WORK: [RECURRING WORK] REVIEWER EXPECTATIONS: [REVIEWER EXPECTATIONS] Produce 8 prompts, each 90 to 150 words, tailored to the information above. Cover the highest-value tasks from this list where relevant: bank or balance-sheet reconciliation; month-end close checklist; flux analysis; journal-entry support; accounts receivable or payable aging review; fixed-asset rollforward; expense coding review; management-report narrative; client information request; and workpaper review. Each prompt must include labeled fields for source data, period, materiality threshold, policy reference, and required output. Tell the AI to return an auditable workpaper structure: purpose, data used, procedures, exceptions, proposed follow-up, and reviewer-ready conclusion. For calculations, require a visible formula or reconciliation bridge rather than an unsupported number. For journal entries, require debit and credit amounts to balance and ask for evidence required before posting. Do not ask the AI to determine authoritative accounting treatment from incomplete facts, approve a posting, sign an audit conclusion, or invent invoices, contracts, balances, citations, or management representations. For tax, audit, or GAAP/IFRS questions, direct it to identify issues for review by the responsible qualified professional. Before answering, self-check that every prompt has a clear evidence trail and that no prompt turns estimates or missing documents into stated facts. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if an input needed to tailor the prompt set is absent.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [MY ROLE AND ENTITY TYPE] | Describe your role and the type of organization, such as staff accountant at a SaaS company. | Senior accountant at a 120-person B2B software company |
| [ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORK AND POLICIES] | State the applicable framework and any relevant close, capitalization, revenue, or approval policies. | US GAAP; close in 8 business days; capitalize software purchases above $5,000; controller approves manual journal entries. |
| [SYSTEMS AND SOURCE DOCUMENTS] | List systems and records you use, such as NetSuite, bank feeds, invoices, and contracts. | NetSuite, Ramp, Bill.com, Stripe exports, bank statements, signed customer order forms. |
| [RECURRING WORK] | List the monthly, quarterly, or client-service tasks you perform most often. | Bank reconciliations, prepaid amortization, monthly flux analysis, deferred revenue rollforward, auditor support. |
| [REVIEWER EXPECTATIONS] | Describe what your controller, manager, or audit reviewer expects in a complete workpaper. | Tie every balance to source records, explain variances above $10,000, attach open-item owners and due dates. |
How to use
- Paste your framework, policies, and the reviewer standard before generating the set.
- Select one prompt and attach only the records approved for use in your AI environment.
- Check that every conclusion identifies the supporting record, calculation, and unresolved exception.
- Follow up with: "Adapt prompt 3 for our [MONTH] close and add the exact evidence checklist our controller needs."
Variations
Reconcile an account
Use this for a bank, clearing, prepaid, or balance-sheet reconciliation.
Prepare a reconciliation workpaper for this account. ACCOUNT AND PERIOD: [ACCOUNT AND PERIOD] GENERAL LEDGER BALANCE: [GENERAL LEDGER BALANCE] SUPPORTING RECORDS: [SUPPORTING RECORDS] PRIOR MONTH OPEN ITEMS: [PRIOR MONTH OPEN ITEMS] MATERIALITY: [MATERIALITY] Return a tabular reconciliation from ledger balance to support balance, with each reconciling item, amount, date, aging, owner, and proposed resolution. Separate timing differences from errors. Show all arithmetic and require debits and credits to balance for proposed entries. List evidence still needed and draft concise reviewer notes. Flag, rather than resolve, any item without support.
Explain variances
Use this for month-over-month or budget-to-actual review.
Analyze these account variances for a monthly management package. CURRENT PERIOD DATA: [CURRENT PERIOD DATA] COMPARISON PERIOD DATA: [COMPARISON PERIOD DATA] MATERIALITY THRESHOLD: [MATERIALITY THRESHOLD] BUSINESS EVENTS: [BUSINESS EVENTS] ACCOUNTING POLICIES: [ACCOUNTING POLICIES] Return a table with account, dollar variance, percent variance, driver, supporting evidence, and follow-up question. Then write a 150-word management narrative covering only material, supported movements. Separate volume, price, timing, classification, and one-time effects. Recalculate all percentages and flag any explanation that is only an assumption. Do not invent operational causes or call an account immaterial without the stated threshold.
Draft client request
Use this when you need source documents or explanations from a client.
Draft a precise accounting information request for a client. ENGAGEMENT AND PERIOD: [ENGAGEMENT AND PERIOD] OPEN ITEMS: [OPEN ITEMS] REQUESTED DOCUMENTS: [REQUESTED DOCUMENTS] DUE DATE: [DUE DATE] CONSEQUENCE OF DELAY: [CONSEQUENCE OF DELAY] Write a professional email with a short context sentence, a numbered list of each item, its purpose, acceptable evidence, and requested date. Distinguish documents from management explanations. Include a reply format the client can use for each item. Do not state that the records prove a conclusion before review. Keep it under 275 words and avoid making promises about filing, audit, or tax outcomes.
Tips
- Use one workpaper prompt per account or process instead of pasting an entire close binder; reviewers can trace narrower outputs more easily.
- State the materiality threshold and the comparison basis before requesting a variance narrative, because they determine what deserves explanation.
- Require the AI to label open items as timing differences, errors, or unsupported rather than silently netting them.
- Never treat an AI-generated accounting memo as authority; verify treatment against the applicable standards, contracts, and your firm or company policy.
FAQ
Can ChatGPT prepare a reconciliation?
It can organize supplied balances, identify differences, and draft a workpaper. You still need to inspect source evidence and approve any entry or conclusion.
Can I use AI for audit or tax research?
It can help frame issues and find questions to investigate, but it should not replace qualified review of current standards, facts, and authority.
What source data should I provide?
Provide the account balance, period, relevant extracts, prior open items, and policy references. Mask personal or confidential details unless your organization has approved the tool and data handling.