Finance & Accounting Prompts to Make Better Decisions

You are an accounting controller. Triage these reconciliation exceptions into categories. Exception list: [Paste reconciliation exceptions here - use IDs, not customer names] Categorize each as: 1) Timing difference (expected to clear next period) 2) Missing documentation (need to retrieve supporting doc) 3) Transposition error (data entry mistake) 4) Potential fraud flag (investigate immediately) For EACH exception, recommend: - Next action (follow-up with whom) - Owner / investigator - Evidence needed Format clearly. Prioritize fraud flags at top.

You are a senior accountant. Review this list of recurring expenses and flag any missing accruals for month-end. Expense list: [Paste your recurring vendor list, contracts, or prior month accrual schedule] For each item, check: - Was an invoice received this period? (yes/no/unknown) - If no invoice: estimate accrual amount based on prior months or contract terms - Flag any amounts that changed >15% from prior month - Note any new vendors or contracts not yet in the accrual schedule Output: Table with columns: Vendor | Category | Prior Month | This Month Estimate | Variance | Action Needed Tone: Precise. Flag uncertainties clearly.

You are an internal auditor. Review these manual journal entries for potential issues. Journal entries: [Paste JE data: date, preparer, account, debit, credit, description] Check for: 1) Round-number entries (e.g., exactly $10,000 or $50,000) 2) Entries posted near period-end or after close date 3) Unusual account combinations (e.g., revenue + expense in same entry) 4) Entries with vague descriptions ("adjustment", "correction", "misc") 5) Entries by users who don't normally post to these accounts 6) Debit/credit imbalances For each flagged entry, explain WHY it's flagged and suggest follow-up. Format: Risk-ranked list. Highest risk first.

You are an intercompany accountant. Reconcile these intercompany balances and identify discrepancies. Intercompany data: [Paste: Entity A balance, Entity B balance, transaction type, period] For each intercompany pair: - Compare reciprocal balances (Entity A's receivable from B vs. B's payable to A) - Identify net difference - Categorize discrepancy: timing (in-transit), FX translation, posting error, or missing entry - Recommend resolution (which entity needs to book an entry?) Also flag: - Any pair with difference >$5K or >5% - Balances that have been unresolved for 2+ months - One-sided entries (exists in one entity but not the other) Format: Reconciliation table with action items column.

You are a staff accountant. Review this prepaid expense and deferred revenue schedule for month-end. Schedule data: [Paste: description, original amount, start date, end date, monthly amortization, remaining balance] Check for: 1) Amortization accuracy (does monthly amount x remaining months = remaining balance?) 2) Expired items (end date has passed but balance remains) 3) New items added this month (proper setup and amortization start date) 4) Unusual balances (negative amounts, amounts that don't change month to month) 5) Missing items (known contracts or insurance policies not on the schedule) 6) Proper classification (short-term vs. long-term split for balance sheet) Produce: - Summary of total prepaid/deferred balances by category - List of exceptions found - Recommended journal entries to correct any issues Format: Exception report with recommended actions.

You are a revenue accountant. Review these contracts and confirm proper revenue recognition treatment under ASC 606. Contract data: [Paste: customer, contract value, deliverables, payment terms, start/end dates] For each contract, walk through the 5-step model: 1) Identify the contract (is there an enforceable agreement?) 2) Identify performance obligations (distinct goods/services) 3) Determine transaction price (fixed, variable, discounts, financing) 4) Allocate price to obligations (standalone selling prices) 5) Recognize revenue (point in time vs. over time, and why) Flag: - Multiple deliverables that need allocation - Variable consideration requiring constraint analysis - Extended payment terms that might contain a financing component - Contract modifications vs. new contracts - Bill-and-hold arrangements Format: Contract-by-contract analysis. Include recommended journal entries.

You are a contracts reviewer. Summarize key financial terms from this [vendor type] contract. Contract excerpt: [Paste relevant sections of contract here - focus on pricing, payment, term, termination] Identify & extract: - Payment terms (net 30, net 60, etc.) - Pricing structure (fixed, variable, tiered) - Volume commitments or minimums - Price escalation clause (if any, what % per year?) - Termination clause (notice period, penalties) - Auto-renewal (yes/no, notice required?) - Key risks for accounting (contingent liabilities, warranties) Format: Structured table or list. Flag anything unusual or unfavorable.

You are a procurement analyst. Analyze our vendor spend data and identify optimization opportunities. Spend data: [Paste: vendor name, category, annual spend, contract status, payment terms] Analyze: - Top 20 vendors by spend (Pareto analysis) - Categories with 3+ vendors (consolidation opportunity?) - Vendors with no contract on file (risk) - Payment term distribution (how much is net 30 vs net 60 vs other) - Year-over-year spend changes by vendor (>20% increase = flag) Recommend: - Top 5 negotiation priorities (highest spend, worst terms) - Consolidation candidates - Contract renewal priorities Tone: Business-focused. Quantify savings opportunities where possible.

You are a procurement manager. Prepare a negotiation brief for improving payment terms with this vendor. Vendor details: - Vendor name: [Name] - Annual spend: [Amount] - Current terms: [e.g., net 30] - Desired terms: [e.g., net 60 or 2% 10 net 30] - Relationship length: [Years] - Payment history: [On-time %, any late payments] - Alternative vendors available: [Yes/No, names if known] Prepare: 1) Opening position and rationale 2) Value proposition to the vendor (volume, reliability, growth potential) 3) Concessions you can offer (faster payment for discount, longer contract, volume commitment) 4) Walk-away point (what's the minimum acceptable outcome?) 5) Industry benchmarks for this type of vendor/service 6) Anticipated objections and responses Format: 1-page negotiation brief. Bullet points for quick reference during the call.

You are an AP specialist. Help resolve these three-way match exceptions (PO vs. receipt vs. invoice). Exception data: [Paste: PO number, PO amount, receipt amount, invoice amount, vendor, description] For each exception, identify: 1) Which documents don't match (PO vs receipt, receipt vs invoice, or all three) 2) Variance amount and percentage 3) Likely cause: - Price variance (invoice rate differs from PO rate) - Quantity variance (received qty differs from PO or invoice qty) - Freight/tax added to invoice but not on PO - Partial shipment (receipt < PO quantity) - Over-shipment (received more than ordered) 4) Recommended resolution (adjust PO, request credit, accept variance, escalate) 5) Approval needed (within AP authority or needs manager approval based on $ threshold) Format: Exception table with resolution recommendations. Group by resolution type.

You are a credit analyst. Evaluate this customer for credit limit adjustment. Customer data: [Paste: customer name, current credit limit, current AR balance, payment history (last 12 months), order pipeline] Industry: [Customer's industry] Relationship length: [Years] Assess: - Payment behavior score (based on history: early/on-time/late pattern) - Utilization rate (AR balance vs. credit limit) - Trend direction (improving, stable, deteriorating) - Industry risk factors - Recommended credit limit (increase, maintain, decrease, or hold) - Conditions or monitoring requirements Format: 1-page credit memo. Include recommendation with supporting rationale.

You are a Controller. Help me calculate the bad debt reserve (allowance for doubtful accounts) for this period. AR aging data: [Paste: aging bucket, total balance, number of customers] Historical write-off data: [Paste: prior year write-offs by aging bucket, or overall write-off rate] Method: [Aging method / % of sales / specific identification / CECL] Calculate: 1) Reserve percentage by aging bucket (based on historical loss rates) 2) Required reserve balance (sum of bucket balances x loss rates) 3) Current reserve balance: [Amount] 4) Adjustment needed (increase or decrease to reserve) 5) Journal entry: Debit bad debt expense, Credit allowance Also provide: - Comparison to prior period reserve ($ and % of total AR) - Specific accounts recommended for full reserve or write-off - Sensitivity analysis: what if loss rates increase by 25%? Format: Reserve calculation table + recommended journal entry + narrative explanation.

You are a collections analyst. Analyze payment patterns for our top customers to optimize collection strategy. Payment history: [Paste: customer, invoice date, due date, payment date, amount, days to pay] For each customer, calculate: - Average days to pay (last 12 months) - Payment trend (getting faster, slower, or stable?) - On-time payment rate (% of invoices paid by due date) - Typical payment day of month (do they run payment batches on specific dates?) - Average invoice size and frequency Segment customers into: 1) Reliable payers (consistently on time — low touch needed) 2) Slow but predictable (always late but eventually pay — standard follow-up) 3) Deteriorating (getting slower — increase attention) 4) At risk (significant delays or broken promises — escalate) Format: Customer segmentation table with recommended collection approach for each segment.

You are a Treasury analyst. Build a revenue-to-cash bridge showing why revenue and cash collections differ this month. Data: - Revenue recognized this month: [Amount] - Cash collected this month: [Amount] - Gap: [Amount] Reconcile the gap by identifying: 1) Timing: Revenue recognized but not yet billed (unbilled AR) 2) Timing: Revenue recognized, billed, but not yet collected (AR increase) 3) Collections from prior period revenue (AR decrease) 4) Deferred revenue changes (cash collected before revenue recognition) 5) Write-offs and credit memos 6) Discounts taken by customers 7) FX impact (if applicable) Format: Waterfall bridge showing: Revenue → +/- Unbilled AR → +/- Billed AR change → +/- Deferred Rev → +/- Other → Cash Collected Include narrative explanation of the 3 largest reconciling items.

You are a budget analyst. Perform a deep-dive analysis on this department's budget variance. Department: [Name] Budget vs. actual data: [Paste: line item, budget, actual, variance $, variance %] For the top 5 variances by dollar amount: 1) Root cause — why did this happen? (2-3 possible drivers) 2) Controllable vs. uncontrollable — could the department have prevented this? 3) Timing vs. permanent — will this variance reverse or persist? 4) Impact on full-year forecast — does the budget need revision? 5) Recommended action — what should the department manager do? Also note: - Favorable variances that might mask problems (underspending on critical initiatives) - Pattern analysis: is this variance new or recurring? Format: Memo style. Written for a non-finance department manager.

You are a FP&A director. Narrate 3 scenarios for the upcoming fiscal year. Base case assumptions: [Paste: revenue growth, margin targets, headcount plan, capex, key initiatives] Create three scenarios: 1) Base case — current plan assumptions 2) Upside — [revenue +15%, costs -5%, or specific opportunity] 3) Downside — [revenue -10%, cost +8%, key risk materializes] For EACH scenario: - Revenue and EBITDA projection (directional) - Key drivers that differ from base case - Cash flow implications - Headcount impact - 2-3 strategic decisions that change across scenarios Format: Side-by-side comparison. Executive summary for each scenario.

You are an HR finance analyst. Build a headcount cost analysis for this department's hiring plan. Department: [Name] Current headcount: [Number] Proposed new hires: [Paste: role title, start date, base salary, location] For each new hire, calculate: - Fully loaded cost (salary + benefits at [X]% + payroll taxes at [X]%) - Partial year cost (based on start date) - Full year run-rate cost - Cumulative department cost Also include: - Total department cost increase ($ and %) - Cost per head trend - Comparison to budget (over/under) Format: Table + summary paragraph. Include "what-if" note: cost impact if all hires delayed 3 months.

You are an FP&A analyst. Update the rolling forecast based on this month's actuals. Current month actuals: [Paste: revenue, COGS, opex by category, headcount, key metrics] Prior forecast for remaining months: [Paste: monthly forecasted amounts for rest of fiscal year] Update the forecast: 1) Replace this month's forecast with actuals 2) Adjust remaining months based on: - Run-rate changes (if actuals differ from trend, adjust forward months) - Known changes (new contracts, lost customers, approved hires, price changes) - Seasonal patterns (apply historical seasonality to remaining months) 3) Recalculate full-year outlook (prior forecast vs. updated forecast) 4) Bridge the change (what drove the forecast revision — volume, price, timing, new info?) Format: Updated monthly forecast table + full-year comparison + 1-paragraph narrative on what changed and why.