These twelve prompts cover the jobs that actually eat an Australian tax season. Each works pasted into Claude with the relevant file attached; together they are the manual version of what Claude Cowork runs on schedule against real client folders and Xero. One disclaimer up front, once: everything below is preparation. A registered agent reviews the output before it touches a client, a declaration or the ATO. At charge-out rates of $160 to $220 an hour, even the manual versions repay their setup time in the first week.
Data and reconciliation prompts
1. Bank statement extraction: Extract every transaction from this bank statement PDF into a table with date, description, amount and a suggested account code from the attached chart of accounts. Flag anything you are less than confident coding. Use when a client sends statements instead of feeds; check the flagged lines first.
2. W1/W2 variance check: Compare the attached payroll activity summary to the W1 and W2 labels on these lodged BAS. List every variance by quarter with the likely cause. Use before STP finalisation; check terminated employees before trusting causes.
3. GST exception scan: Review this GST audit report against the general ledger. List transactions where the GST treatment looks inconsistent with the account, with your reasoning. Use quarterly; the reasoning column is where you apply judgment.
4. Movement commentary: Compare this trial balance to prior year. Draft one-line commentary for every movement above 15 per cent or $10,000, flagging which need a client question. Use at workpaper time; rewrite the flagged lines in your own words.
Client communication prompts
5. Document chase email: Draft a friendly second reminder to this client listing exactly these outstanding items, in the tone of the attached example email. Two sentences maximum of preamble. Check the item list is current before sending.
6. Tax estimate explainer: Turn this tax estimate into a plain-English email a client with no accounting background will understand, covering what they owe, why it changed from last year, and the payment date. Check the why paragraph carefully; it is doing the advisory work.
7. Engagement letter first draft: Draft an engagement letter for this client and scope using the attached template, updating the schedule of services and fees. Legal review your template annually; the prompt only fills it.
8. Div 293 letter: Explain this Div 293 assessment to the client in plain English, including their election options and dates. Verify the figures against the actual assessment before sending.
Compliance season prompts
9. FBT data request: From last year's FBT return for this client, build this year's data request list, grouped by benefit type, with a one-line explanation the client will understand for each item. Send it in February, not May.
10. TPAR contractor scan: Scan this ledger for payments that look like contractor or subcontractor services. List payees with totals and ABN status, and flag payees that might be materials rather than services. The flags are the judgment calls; make them yourself.
11. Workpaper index build: From this trial balance, build a year-end workpaper index in the attached format, grouping accounts into lead schedules and noting which need external support documents. Your template does the standardising; attach it every time.
12. Div 7A flag list: Review these loan accounts for Div 7A exposure: shareholder or associate loans, movements this year, and whether minimum repayments appear to have been made. List what needs an accountant's decision. Never let the output decide; Div 7A positions are yours.
How to get better output from all twelve
Three habits separate firms that get real value from these prompts from firms that try them once and drift back. Attach your templates and examples every time: Claude matching your workpaper format or your email tone is the difference between output you use and output you rewrite. Ask for flags, not conclusions: every prompt above requests a list of what needs a human decision, which keeps the professional in charge and makes review faster. And keep a shared prompt file in the practice: when the senior who wrote prompt six improves it, everyone inherits the improvement. Firms that treat prompts as personal tricks plateau; firms that treat them as shared procedures are halfway to skills already. On data, use business Claude accounts with training off, per your firm's AI policy, and keep client identifiers out of prompts where the job does not need them. The Privacy Act does not care how convenient the consumer account was.
From prompts to workflows
Prompts are the demo; the payoff is when they stop being manual. Claude Cowork runs these same jobs as skills on a schedule: the chase list rebuilds itself every morning, the GST scan runs before each BAS cycle, the workpaper index appears when the last document lands in the folder. Staff go from writing prompts to reviewing outputs, which is the correct place for a professional to be. A fixed-fee Claude Cowork setup is $3,500 and turns roughly this list into your firm's default operating rhythm. Book a brainstorm call if you want the twelve tailored to your templates.
