AI for accounting and bookkeeping firms
Less chasing. More advice. With client permission built in.
Most practices already pay for more software than they use. The quickest wins usually sit in the work around the numbers: chasing documents, onboarding clients, following up proposals and keeping WIP moving. We start with what you already own, and with the Tax Practitioners Board's guidance on AI and client information.
What the TPB says
"Tax practitioners must obtain permission from each client prior to divulging client information to a third party", and the TPB notes this can include entering client information into AI models and tools, depending on how they are configured and used.
Source: Tax Practitioners Board, TPB(GS) 55/2026 The use of artificial intelligence and the Code of Professional Conduct, issued 22 July 2026.
The questions practice owners ask us
Can we put client files into AI under the TPB's guidance?
We pay for Xero, XPM, Karbon and Ignition. What are we actually paying for?
How do we stop chasing clients for the same documents every year?
Can AI draft management reports our clients will actually read?
Which jobs are stuck in WIP right now, and why?
What should we fix before 30 June?
Your rules first
Client permission, then the tools.
The Code of Professional Conduct's confidentiality obligations still apply when AI helps with the work. The TPB's July 2026 guidance recommends telling clients to whom and where a disclosure will be made, where their data will be stored and whether AI tools may be used, and says a general authority may also be acceptable.
So we start by listing the AI tools your team already uses, checking how each one handles client data, and helping you update your engagement letters and client consents before anything is connected.
How we keep AI safe for client work →"What are we paying for?"
A fair question when the subscriptions keep adding up. Before recommending anything new, we map what your current subscriptions can already do, which features are switched off, and where the same data is keyed in twice.
Works with Xero, XPM, MYOB, Karbon, Ignition and Microsoft 365.
Do I need to buy new AI tools? →Where the hours go
Five jobs that eat a practice's week.
Document chasing
Reminders, follow-ups and "did you get my email?" for the same records every year. Automated requests and checklists take much of the chasing off your team.
Management reporting
AI drafts the commentary from the numbers in Xero or MYOB, so your team reviews and adds the advice instead of starting from a blank page.
Client onboarding
Engagement letters, ID checks, authorities and system setup, done in the same order every time, without re-keying.
Emailing
Client questions, document requests and status updates that fill the inbox every day. AI drafts each reply in your practice's voice, from what you know about the client, and your team checks it and presses send.
WIP tracking
Jobs stalled in XPM or Karbon waiting on a client or a reviewer, surfaced early so they do not pile up.
EOFY and tax time
Busy season shows up every weak process at once. Fix the chasing and the handovers in a quieter month, and tax time runs on what you have already tested.
What to do before 30 June →Proof
What practice owners say
"Thank you, Mark. Your AI Opportunity Assessment has given me a clear path to win more business and deliver it more efficiently. Honestly, what more could I ask for?"
"I was very sceptical about what AI could do. Years ago, as head of tax at a professional body, I watched an AI research tool fail badly. Since Mark's assessment I've already implemented a couple of his suggested changes, and it's been a godsend."
Free for accounting and bookkeeping firms
Where practices usually start
AI Strategy and Roadmap
What to fix first across your stack and your team, from your own figures.
For the busy seasonAI Activation
Document requests, onboarding and follow-ups built on the systems you already use.
For sole practitionersAI Kickstart Program
One-on-one coaching to use AI confidently in your own practice.
Related reading
AI adoption for accounting and bookkeeping: what's actually working in 2026
Accounting and bookkeeping · EOFYWhat accounting and bookkeeping firms should do before 30 June
Context Matters 03 · SafetyIs it safe for staff to use personal AI accounts for client work?
Common questions
Do we need client permission before using AI on client work?
Often, yes. The Tax Practitioners Board's guidance says you need each client's permission before disclosing their information to a third party, and that can include entering it into an AI tool, depending on how the tool is configured and used. We help you work out which tools that applies to and how to ask.
Do we need to buy new software?
Often not. Part of what practices want may already be inside Xero, XPM, Karbon or Ignition, switched off or never set up. We check what you already pay for before recommending anything new.
When is the best time to start?
Before your busy season, not during it. Ideally in a quieter month, so the changes are bedded in before tax time.
Get ahead of the next tax time.
Twenty minutes to look at where your practice loses the most hours, and what you could fix with the software you already pay for.
Book a 20-minute discovery call →