ChatGPT
Free / paidClient emails, plain-English explainers, and first-draft blog posts and FAQs. The most-used general tool.
Accountant
Most of the AI win here is the boring stuff: capturing receipts, categorizing transactions, and reconciling, plus plain-English client communication. The tools below are the ones firms actually use, grouped by what they help you do. Nothing on this page is tax advice, and every number an AI gives you needs checking.
From AI Skills
Deep, multi-step prompts built for accountant work: they interview you, research and verify, and hand back a finished deliverable. GeekThangs can install and tune any of these in your business.
Paste your messy list or spreadsheet. It profiles the mess, proposes cleanup rules before touching anything, then returns a deduped, standardized list with a log of every change it made.
See the SkillPaste your messy intake call notes. It cross-examines them for gaps and contradictions, asks you what is missing, and returns a structured brief you could hand to anyone.
See the SkillPaste a contract or policy. It translates every section into plain English, builds a risk-flag list sorted by severity, and hands you the questions to ask before signing.
See the SkillGive it a name, a company, and what you want from the meeting. It researches who you are walking in to meet and hands you a one-page prep sheet with a suggested agenda.
See the SkillWant something to paste right now? These are shorter, one-line prompts, good for a quick win. The skills above go deeper.
A confusing rule turned into plain English a client understands, with no jargon.
Act as an accountant explaining a tax or accounting concept to a client in plain english. Start by asking me which concept needs explaining (for example: the difference between a deduction and a credit, what a 1099 is, cash vs accrual) and who the client is. Wait for my answer before explaining anything. Then: Structure: 1. One plain sentence: what it is. 2. Why it matters to the client. 3. One simple everyday example. Rules: - General educational information only. This is not tax advice, and say so in one line. - Do not state specific dollar thresholds, rates, or deadlines unless I gave them to you, since these change year to year. Tell me to confirm current figures. - Do not include any client's personal or financial details. - Warm, clear, no jargon.
A friendly, specific nudge for the paperwork you are waiting on.
Write a short, friendly email asking a client for documents i am waiting on. Start by asking me what I am missing (for example: the last two bank statements, a 1099, a mileage log) and why it matters (for example: to finish the monthly close, to file on time). Wait for both before drafting. Then, using ONLY the details I gave you: Structure: 1. A warm one-line opener. 2. A short, clear list of exactly what I need. 3. One line on why it matters and an easy way to send it back. Rules: - Warm and clear, easy to reply to. - Do not invent any deadline or figure I did not give you. - Do not include sensitive personal details.
A dense statement boiled down to what the client should notice.
Act as an accountant summarizing a report for a client who is not an accountant. Start by asking me to paste in the general figures or notes, with no account numbers, and remind me to strip out client-identifying details first and use general terms. Wait for my answer before summarizing anything. Then, using ONLY what I gave you: Give me: 1. A three-sentence overview. 2. Three things worth the client's attention. 3. One clear question or next step. Rules: - Do not add numbers that are not in what I gave you. - I will verify every figure against the source before sending.
A plain-English article on a topic clients ask about, ready to edit.
Write a blog post or client faq for my accounting firm. Start by asking me two things: which format I want (a blog post or a client FAQ) and the topic (for example: how to organize receipts for tax time, what quarterly estimated taxes are, bookkeeping basics for a new LLC). Wait for both before writing. Then: Structure: 1. A headline. 2. A one-line note that this is general educational information, not tax advice. 3. Short sections with clear subheads, around 400 words total. 4. A warm closing line. Rules: - Do not cite specific dollar amounts, rates, or deadlines that change year to year without telling the reader to confirm current figures. - Warm and clear, no jargon.
Grouped by what they help you do. Each one links out to a real how-to.
Client emails, plain-English explainers, and first-draft blog posts and FAQs. The most-used general tool.
Same drafting and summarizing, strong on longer documents and a careful, plain tone.
AI built into QuickBooks: categorizes transactions, drafts, and surfaces insights. If you already use QuickBooks, start here.
Cloud accounting with AI features for bank reconciliation and everyday bookkeeping. A common QuickBooks alternative.
Snap or forward a receipt and it captures the data, then pushes clean records into QuickBooks or Xero.
Logs into your books, categorizes the bank feed, matches documents, and preps reconciliation, then routes exceptions to you.
Use AI to explain and draft, not to rule on a client's tax position. Anything that touches a filing decision is for a licensed professional, not a chatbot. Say "general information, not tax advice" on client-facing content.
Tax figures, thresholds, and deadlines change every year, and AI training data lags. Never trust an AI-stated rate, limit, or due date. Confirm it against current IRS or state guidance.
AI invents and misreads figures with total confidence. Treat AI output as a draft and tie every number back to the bank feed, the statement, or the source document before it counts.
Do not paste Social Security numbers, account numbers, or full statements into public AI tools. Client financial data belongs in vetted, contracted systems.
Do not let AI-drafted content promise a refund, a specific saving, or an outcome. Strip guarantees before anything reaches a client.
In person, accountant
The same twelve client questions every January, the month-end cleanup, the messy books someone hands you in March. An AI Quickstart is best booked well outside season, at your desk, and teaches it your chart of accounts, your client mix and your review standards, so it drafts to your rules and not to a template.
Travel is included within about 45 minutes of St Clair Shores, which covers most of Metro Detroit. Not sure whether you are in range? Ask, it is a short answer.
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