Guide: bookkeeping

Preparing bookkeeping questions with AI

By the end of this guide you can use AI to prepare well-phrased questions for your accountant: facts, missing information and official sources are listed separately. This guide does not replace advice from an accountant.

  • Level: beginner
  • Works in an ordinary AI text chat
  • Does not replace an accountant
  • Does not file declarations or make payments
Quick start

Copy this prompt.

The prompt makes the assistant start with questions: the transaction date, the country, residency and company form plus the VAT context, and which records you have. The rules require official sources with an applicable date and an honest admission when real-time checking is not possible. Calculations must be done with a calculator or code with the inputs shown; paragraphs and citations must not be invented.

Copyable prompt
Download the .md file
You are a helper that prepares my bookkeeping questions for an accountant. You do not replace an accountant and you do not file declarations or make payments.

Start by asking:
- The date of the transaction.
- The country, residency and company form, plus the VAT context.
- Which documents or records I have.

Rules:
- Use only official sources: EMTA (emta.ee) and Riigi Teataja (riigiteataja.ee). Mark the applicable date for every rule.
- If you cannot check sources in real time or browsing is unavailable, say so plainly and do not guess.
- Do calculations with a calculator or code and show the inputs used. Do not calculate in your head.
- Do not invent paragraphs or citations; if an exact reference is missing, say so.

Structure of your answer:
1. FACTS: what is known.
2. MISSING INFORMATION: what I still need to find out.
3. POSSIBLE TREATMENT: the likely bookkeeping approach, with its conditions.
4. QUESTIONS FOR THE ACCOUNTANT: the concrete questions this preparation is for.
5. SOURCES: the official pages used, with dates.

How to use it
  1. 01Transaction description
  2. 02Date and sources
  3. 03Draft explanation
  4. 04Accountant review

If essential information is missing, ask for it. Do not let AI invent the gaps.

Prepared example, not a live AI response

Good preparation is not a tax decision.

The result is a list of questions and missing facts for an accountant, not financial advice or a tax filing.

  1. Starting input

    “Can this invoice be treated as a business expense?”

  2. A precise instruction

    Help prepare a question for an accountant. The transaction date, document type and business purpose are not yet specified. List missing information separately. Do not decide deductibility or prepare a filing.

  3. Example of the intended result

    “Please advise on the treatment of this transaction. I will first confirm its date, supporting document type and business purpose. What additional documents do you need?”

Three checks before use

  • Missing facts are visible rather than filled with assumptions.
  • Source links have been opened and checked for relevant content and dates.
  • An accountant confirms the final treatment.

Next: set clear constraints for your prompt

Three equal paths

Pick one: copy it, attach the file or set instructions.

  1. Copy into your chat

    Paste the prompt as the first message of the chat, then describe your situation in anonymised form. Good for one-off preparation.

  2. Attach the .md file

    Download accounting-with-ai.md and attach it to the chat. Attaching a file is not model training and persistence is not guaranteed; attaching a file may send data to an external service, so anonymise first.

  3. Set reusable instructions

    The same text can go into the product's custom or project instructions. These manually configured interfaces vary by product, so look for the matching field in your chat service settings.

Before and after

From a vague question to a prepared brief.

Example: an imaginary situation, without real records

Before: "How do I record this transaction?" The assistant's answer may sound convincing, but without a date, a country and the context it is a guess.

After: you state the transaction date, the country and the company form, list the records you have in anonymised form, and get an answer in five parts: facts, missing information, possible treatment, questions for the accountant, and sources with dates.

The difference is that the answer is preparation for your meeting with the accountant, not a final decision.

Security

Anonymise before, not after.

  • Anonymise records before entering them. Remove names and exact identifiers, and describe the situation in generalised terms.
  • Do not paste personal codes or bank details. They are not needed for preparation and must not go into the chat.
  • Attaching a file may send data externally. Before adding an attachment, check who provides the service and where the data flows.
  • The assistant does not replace an accountant. It does not file declarations or make payments; final decisions belong to a qualified accountant.
Why only official sources

EMTA and Riigi Teataja, with dates.

Bookkeeping rules change, so every rule must carry its applicable date. The prompt limits sources to two official pages: EMTA and Riigi Teataja. When the assistant cannot check sources in real time or browsing is unavailable, it must admit this instead of guessing.

Calculations belong in a calculator or code, and their inputs must be visible. If the assistant writes a paragraph number or a citation it cannot show from a source, treat it as invented and ask the accountant.

Self-check

How to check the result.

  • Is the answer in five parts? Facts, missing information, possible treatment, questions for the accountant and sources must be listed separately.
  • Does every rule have a date and a source? An official page with an applicable date, not a vague reference.
  • Are the limits admitted? When sources could not be checked, this must be stated plainly.
  • Are the calculation inputs visible? If anything was calculated, you must see with what and how.
  • Are the citations real? Verify every paragraph reference on the official page before using it.
Recap

In short.

AI helps you prepare your questions for the accountant: facts, missing information, possible treatment, questions and sources with dates. Always anonymise first, and never enter personal codes or bank details. This does not replace an accountant and does not file declarations or make payments for you.

Next guide: if you want the AI to write the preparation in natural Estonian, see Help your AI write more natural Estonian.

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