How to run a month-end close check with Claude

Updated October 29, 2026 · from lesson 18 of the course

A month-end close with Claude takes minutes. It compares what's in your accounting software with the receipts you actually have, and tells you what to fix before you rely on the profit figure.

What you need

• A paid Claude plan and the Claude desktop app.
• Your accounting app connected (QuickBooks or Xero) under Customize › Connectors.
• The month's receipts in one folder (PDFs or photos are fine).
• Optional: Anthropic's Small Business plugin, which adds a guided close workflow.

The prompt

Let's close [month] in [QuickBooks / Xero]. Our [month] receipts are in [folder] on my Desktop: check them against the books and give me the close checklist with anything that needs attention.

What Claude checks

1. The month's profit and loss and every transaction in the books.
2. Uncategorized or miscategorized lines.
3. Each receipt in the folder, matched against recorded expenses.
4. Possible duplicates and missing income.
5. That money owed to you still adds up to your open invoices.

Example: a profit that wasn't

In the course, the demo bakery's books showed September at +$1,714.50, with no expenses recorded at all. Claude matched the receipts folder against the books and found 10 receipts worth $2,046.27 that had never been entered. With them, September was a loss of $331.77. It also flagged sales tax missing from two invoices ($145.73) and walk-in card sales that never reached the books.

After the check

• Enter or fix what the checklist lists, then run the same prompt again.
• Keep the receipts folder for the month as your audit trail.
• Have your accountant review anything tax-related.