For accounting and bookkeeping, Toowoomba
Claude for
accounting and
bookkeeping
New clients to set up, ID to sight, agent nominations to chase and records to keep. A small practice does a lot of admin before the tax work even starts.
Some of it's fine to hand to AI with a person checking. Some of it, like tax file numbers and client ID, needs a lot more care. I'll tell you which is which, and why.
It starts with a free 30-minute call. See a sample Audit.
Is it for you?
Does this sound like your practice?
Someone's tried it on a client job
A staff member's used a free AI tool on a client letter, and you're not sure what the Tax Practitioners Board would make of it.
New clients take ages to set up
ID, the agent nomination, the old accountant's files and the welcome email all come before any real work.
You set up the odd company or trust
And you're still working out what the AML/CTF changes from 1 July 2026 mean for your practice.
The admin
4 admin jobs before the tax work starts
Setting up a new client
Sighting their ID and filling in the record. For a client with an ABN that isn't a sole trader, it's also sending your agent number and the ATO's nomination steps, chasing until it's done and adding them within 28 days.
AI can draft the welcome email with what you need from them and keep the chase list. A person sights the ID and fills in the record.
Getting files from the last accountant
The old accountant can't hand anything over without your client's consent, so it starts with getting that in writing.
AI can draft the request once the consent's on file. Someone checks the consent's there before it goes.
Asking clients about AI
Before client information goes into an AI tool, the TPB says you may need the client's permission, and it suggests telling them where their data's stored.
AI can draft the lines for your fact find or consent form and keep track of who's said yes. You settle the wording.
Spotting AML work when it comes in
Setting up a company or trust is covered by the AML/CTF rules from 1 July 2026, and that work needs client checks before it starts.
AI can flag new jobs that mention a company or trust set-up. A person decides, and you settle with your adviser what's in.
Sample Audit
See a sample Audit for a practice like yours
It's the report for a made-up Toowoomba accounting firm, with one job set out in full and three in short form, with real products and prices as they were in October 2026. Yours follows the same layout, with your own jobs, and it may look different as I keep improving the Audit.
- Each job sorted into what AI can take on, what it does with a person checking, and what stays with your people
- The products for each job, with their prices
- Your industry's rules and guidance on AI
Your rules
What accounting and bookkeeping practices have to watch with AI
The Tax Practitioners Board registers tax and BAS agents and enforces the Code they work under, and CPA Australia and CA ANZ guide their members. This isn't legal advice. Your own adviser has the last word.
- Depending on how the tool's set up and used, get your client's permission before their information goes into it. A signed engagement letter or consent can cover it.
- Unless the law says you must, you can't pass on anything about a client's affairs to a third party without their permission.
- Check AI work for accuracy at each step, and write the checks down.
- Staff using AI need supervising, and your quality management policies need to be written down and followed.
- Tax file numbers come with extra rules under the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015. A data breach that touches TFNs comes under the notifiable data breach scheme whatever your size.
- Since 1 July 2026, some work is covered by AML/CTF law. AUSTRAC's own examples say drafting the papers to set up a company is covered, and a bookkeeper paying routine bills is less likely to be. If you're covered, the Privacy Act applies to that work whatever your turnover.
- CPA Australia says responsibility for AI-assisted work stays with the accountant, and where AI materially shapes your analysis, wording or conclusions, you should be ready to explain how it was used and what checks you did.
- CA ANZ says a firm that uses AI should have an AI policy and keep it up to date.
Where AI should stay out
- Sighting a client's ID. A person does it, in person or on video, and the practice keeps a record of the check. The TPB doesn't ask for a copy.
- Deciding whether a job is AML-covered work. That's the practice's call, with its adviser.
- Tax file numbers. When I set Claude up, they stay out of AI by default.
- Anything you put your name to as the registered agent. You answer for it, so a qualified person makes the call.
Book a callA free 30-minute call about your practice.
How I'd start
Three ways in
- Workflow Audit: I come to your office and sort every job into what AI can take on, what it does with a person checking, and what stays with your people.
- Claude Set-up and Onboarding: Claude set up properly from day one, with a written AI use policy.
- AI use policy: a written policy on its own, if you're not ready for a set-up.
Hi, I'm Chad.
AI is changing how small businesses work, and it's moving fast. I want to help you understand it well enough to make good decisions: what to hand over, what to check, and what to keep with your people.
I've built my own business on Claude. My social media runs on it, from writing the posts to scheduling them, and it works to rules I've set and maintain. I've got automated workflows right across the business, from mail and contacts to research and planning. Doing it myself is how I've learned what works and what doesn't.
I'm based in Toowoomba, I'll come to you, and you'll deal with me from start to finish.
- Privacy's part of every job.
- When I report on the AI tools your people use, I name the tools and the jobs. I don't say who uses what.
Questions
Things accountants and bookkeepers ask
Can tax file numbers go into Claude?
Not by default. When I set Claude up, tax file numbers stay out of it. The TPB says TFNs bring extra rules under the TFN Rule. A breach that touches them comes under the notifiable data breach scheme whatever your size. Check those rules with your adviser either way.
Do I have to tell clients I use AI?
The TPB suggests telling clients who their information goes to, where it's stored and whether AI tools may be used. A signed engagement letter, a signed consent or a fact find with consent can cover their permission.
Do the AML/CTF rules apply to my practice?
It depends on the work you do. AUSTRAC's examples say tax advice on selling a company isn't covered until there's a buyer and you're asked to act in the sale, and setting up a company is. Go through AUSTRAC's list of professional services with your adviser.
How do I book?
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll talk about your practice and where it makes sense to start.
Other industries I work with