Claude for CFO / Finance

Last verified: 13 February 2026 | Applies to: All plans (plugins require Pro or above)

In 30 seconds

The Finance plugin is one of Claude’s strongest domain-specific tools — it knows GAAP presentation standards, can run reconciliations, produce variance analysis, and generate workpapers. For CFOs and finance teams, Claude handles the structured, repetitive work that consumes most of month-end and frees you to focus on analysis, strategy, and decisions.

Recommended setup

Component	What to set up	Why
Plan	Pro (solo) or Team (finance team)	Full platform access
Finance plugin	Install first — this is your primary tool	Reconciliations, journal entries, variance analysis
Productivity plugin	Seed with chart of accounts, fiscal year, standards	Persistent financial context
Connectors	Google Sheets, your accounting system (if available)	Pull live data
Skills	Document creation (Excel, PDF)	For workpapers and reports

Essential plugins

1. Finance — the core. Reconciliations, variance analysis, journal entries, month-end close.
2. Productivity — memory of your chart of accounts, fiscal year, and team.
3. Data — for deeper analysis, dashboarding, and cross-referencing financial data.

Typical workflows

Month-end close: See Month-End Close for the complete workflow — reconciliations, variance analysis, adjusting entries, and close package generation.

Reconciliation:

/reconciliation — Match our bank statement against the GL for February [upload both]. Flag discrepancies over $100.

Variance analysis:

/variance-analysis — Compare February actuals vs. budget. Highlight anything over 10% or $5,000. Suggest explanations.

Board-ready financials:

Take our February close data and produce a board-ready financial summary. Include P&L, balance sheet highlights, cash position, and 3 key call-outs for the board.

Audit prep:

Compile workpapers for our Q1 audit. Include reconciliation summaries for cash, AR, and AP. Format per our auditor's template [upload template].

Time saved

Task	Before Claude	With Claude
Monthly reconciliations	1-2 days	3-4 hours
Variance analysis	3-4 hours	45 minutes
Board financial package	4-6 hours	1-2 hours
Journal entry prep	30 min each	5 min each

What to watch out for

• Claude can make arithmetic errors — always verify calculations before acting on them.
• The Finance plugin defaults to US GAAP; specify your standards if different.
• Reconciliation output needs human review before posting.
• Cowork sessions are not captured in enterprise audit logs.

Related

• Month-End Close — the full close workflow
• Finance Plugin — complete plugin reference
• Data Analysis — deeper financial analysis
• Operations guide — related content for cross-functional reporting
• Legal / Compliance guide — related content for financial compliance
• Choosing a Plan — which plan fits your needs
• Security & Privacy — how Claude handles your data

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