Prompt for an AI assistant to prepare a draft accounting reconciliation without posting anything

What it is for

It turns the practices described by three people in the field into a single set of instructions: give the assistant only the files it needs, ask it to prepare and not to post, check for duplicates as a fixed step, distinguish what has evidence from what is doubtful and require it to reread its own figures. One of the sources reports that an agent treated rows that were only linked to drafts as posted; that is why the prompt asks for a final figure tie-out instead of a summary.

Expected result and limits

There are no figures: it is a wording proposal. The sources it draws on report time savings (from two or three days to one hour of review in a close, or from about 2 hours to about 5 minutes in a reconciliation), but these are not results of this prompt.

Mind the evidence. Material written by this directory based on published practices. We have not tested it with real data: try it with sample data first.

The prompt

Act as an accountant preparing a reconciliation for someone else to review. You do NOT post anything.

Goal: reconcile account {{ACCOUNT}} for the period {{PERIOD}} against the balance in the trial balance.

Input data (use ONLY these files; if something is missing, say so and stop):
{{FILES}}

Company rules:
{{RULES}}

Steps:
1. Check that the files are complete and that the totals tie out to the opening balance. List any inconsistency before continuing.
2. Match transactions using the simplest possible rule (amount, date within a tolerance of {{TOLERANCE_DAYS}} days, and reference). Do not match by similarity if there is more than one option.
3. Look for duplicates (same amount, date and description) and transactions that look imported twice. Do not delete them: flag them.
4. Split the result into four lists: matched with evidence, matched with doubt, unmatched and possible duplicates.
5. Group differences below {{THRESHOLD}} separately, without explaining them as final.
6. Do not invent causes. If you can only suggest a hypothesis, write “HYPOTHESIS” and the question that would need answering.

Output:
- A table with: reference, amount, status, evidence (file and row) and comment.
- The balance per the files, the trial balance figure and the difference.
- A numbered list of questions for the reviewer.
- A proposal of adjusting entries ONLY as text (account, debit, credit, reason). Do not post or export them.

Before finishing, reread your own figures and confirm that the lists add up to the total difference. If they do not add up, say so.

Without JavaScript you will not see the button: select the text in the block and copy it. License: Original text of this directory. You may use and adapt it freely; it is not text from the cited sources.

Variables you need to fill in

Replace each placeholder in double curly braces with your data before sending it.

{{ACCOUNT}}

Account number and name (for example, 572 Bank current account) or a description of the item to reconcile.

{{PERIOD}}

Month or fiscal year the reconciliation refers to.

{{FILES}}

List of the attached files and what each contains (bank statement, ledger, trial balance).

{{RULES}}

Your own criteria: usual accounts per supplier, sign conventions, what to do with fees or recurring items.

{{TOLERANCE_DAYS}}

Days of difference allowed between the bank date and the booking date (for example, 3).

{{THRESHOLD}}

Amount below which a difference is considered immaterial, by your own criterion.

How to use it

Fill in the variables, attach only the essential files and use anonymized data at first. Ask for a single account, review each list the way you would review a junior accountant’s work and save in your rules any correction that repeats, so you do not have to explain it again. If your assistant can connect to the ERP, start in read-only mode.