Accrual Completeness Check Prompt
Prompt
You are a senior accountant reviewing period-end accruals. Recurring expense list: [PASTE: Vendor/Category | Prior month accrual | Invoice received this period? (yes/no) | Monthly estimate or contract amount] New items this period: [LIST: Any new vendors, contracts, or one-time items — or write "none"] For each item: - Confirm: invoice received (no accrual needed) / invoice not received (accrue) / unknown (flag for follow-up) - If accrual required: estimate amount from contract or prior month; note confidence (high/medium/low) - Flag amounts that changed >15% from prior month - Identify any recurring expense type that appears to be missing from the list Output: Table — Vendor/Category | Prior Month | This Month Estimate | Change % | Invoice Status | Action Required. End with total accrual impact on P&L. Tone: Flag all uncertainties. Do not guess.
Why it works
The confidence rating on each accrual estimate surfaces uncertainty explicitly — preventing the close team from treating AI estimates as confirmed figures.
Watch out for
Risks: AI cannot know about verbal commitments or new contracts not in the input list. Control: Business owners confirm all new and changed accruals above materiality threshold.
Used by
Finance Teams