The short answer
Ten ready-to-use prompts for the real work of an Australian SME finance team — variance commentary, invoice chasing, reconciliation prep, supplier comparisons and more. Copy any prompt below, fill in the brackets with your own figures, and use it in Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini. Or grab the whole pack as a PDF.
These are the same ten prompts behind AI for finance teams: real tasks for Australian SMEs, built using the prompt method from how to write an AI prompt. Every one is written for a real recurring finance task, not a generic example — save the ones you use and keep them as your own reusable prompt pack.
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All 10 prompts in one printable PDF. Free, no sign-up.
The 10 prompts
1
Monthly P&L variance commentary
When to use it: you've got this month's figures next to last month's and need to explain what changed, for someone who isn't across the detail.
Act as our finance manager writing for the business owner, who isn't across the detail. Using the figures below [paste this month vs last month], write a 6-8 line variance summary: what changed, by how much, and one plain-English reason for the biggest movement. Flag anything that needs their attention. Friendly, no jargon, under 150 words.
2
Tiered overdue invoice chase
When to use it: you've got a list of overdue accounts and don't want to send the same generic reminder to everyone.
Act as our accounts receivable lead. This customer [name] is [X] days overdue on invoice [number] for $[amount]. They are [a reliable customer who's just running late / a repeat late payer]. Write a follow-up email in a [warm and understanding / firm but professional] tone. Include the amount, due date, and a clear next step. Under 120 words.
3
Reconciliation discrepancy summary
When to use it: before you sit down to reconcile an account, you want a clear starting picture instead of a blank spreadsheet.
Act as our bookkeeper. Compare the two statements below [paste bank statement + ledger]. List every line that doesn't match, the dollar difference, and a short note on where to look first. Sort by the largest discrepancy first. Keep it to a table: date, description, difference, note.
4
Supplier quote comparison
When to use it: you've got two or three supplier quotes in different formats and need a clear side-by-side before deciding.
Act as our procurement lead. Compare these supplier quotes [paste quote 1, quote 2, quote 3] on: total price, payment terms, delivery time, and any notable conditions. Present as a table, then a 2-line recommendation with your reasoning.
5
Cash flow forecast narrative
When to use it: you've built the numbers in a spreadsheet but need a written summary to go with them.
Act as our finance manager. Using the cash flow forecast below [paste figures], write a short narrative covering: the lowest point in the period and when it occurs, the main driver of that low point, and one action worth considering. Plain English, under 150 words, for a non-finance owner.
6
Budget vs actual explanation
When to use it: you need to explain a budget variance to someone outside finance without using technical language.
Act as our finance manager explaining to a department head who isn't financially trained. Using the budget vs actual figures below [paste figures], explain in plain English: what's over or under budget, the likely reason, and whether it's a one-off or a trend to watch. Under 130 words.
7
Pricing or rate change impact summary
When to use it: a supplier or cost has changed and you need to quickly understand what it does to your margins.
Act as our finance manager. A [supplier cost / rate] is changing from $[old] to $[new], effective [date]. Based on our current volume of [X units/month], calculate the monthly and annual dollar impact, and note whether this changes our margin on [product/service] meaningfully. Show your working.
8
Expense report review
When to use it: you've got a stack of expense claims and want anomalies flagged before you approve them.
Act as our finance manager reviewing expense claims. From the list below [paste expense list], flag any claims that are unusually high for their category, missing a receipt reference, or duplicated. List each flagged item with a one-line reason. Don't flag anything that looks routine.
9
Board-ready finance summary
When to use it: you need to turn a full set of monthly figures into a short summary a board or owner can actually read.
Act as our finance manager preparing a board update. Using the figures below [paste P&L / key metrics], write a one-page summary: 3 headline numbers, what drove them, one risk to watch, and one thing going well. Confident, concise, no filler. Suitable to read aloud in 90 seconds.
10
Debtor ageing priority summary
When to use it: you've got a full debtor ageing report and want to know where to focus collection effort first.
Act as our accounts receivable lead. From the debtor ageing report below [paste report], identify the top 5 accounts to chase this week, ranked by a combination of amount owed and days overdue. For each, give a one-line reason it's a priority and the recommended next action.
A note on using these
These are starting points, not magic words — adjust the tone, the details and the format to fit your business. Keep AI working from figures and information you provide rather than asking it to recall numbers from memory, and always check anything it states as fact before you rely on it — AI can be confidently wrong, especially with specific figures.
— Build a full prompt pack for your role
Every learner leaves with 5-6 reusable prompts
In our AI Training & Enablement program, your team builds and saves reusable prompts for their own real recurring tasks — not generic examples, their actual work.
Book a call →Frequently asked questions
Are these prompts free to use?
Yes. Every prompt on this page and in the PDF is free to copy, adapt and use with any AI tool — Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini. No sign-up required.
Do these prompts work with any AI tool, or just Claude?
Any of them. The prompts are written to be tool-agnostic — the skill of structuring a clear prompt (role, context, task, format) transfers across Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and whatever comes next.
How do I use the bracketed placeholders in each prompt?
Replace anything in square brackets, like [paste this month vs last month], with your own real figures, names or details before sending the prompt. The brackets mark exactly where your real information goes.