The Art of Prompting for Chartered Accountants
A comprehensive guide designed to help Chartered Accountants, auditors, and finance professionals create precise and effective prompts for AI tools.
This guide is designed to help Chartered Accountants, auditors, tax consultants, and finance professionals create precise and effective prompts for AI tools. It focuses on improving efficiency in tasks like research, summarizing laws, tax planning, and financial analysis.
Simple Prompt Template
Master this 9-step framework to craft effective AI prompts for any professional task:
| Step | Element | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Act as a | Chartered accountant, auditor, tax consultant, FP&A analyst |
| 2 | My goal is to | Identify risks, draft email, summarize law, prepare working paper |
| 3 | Context | Advising client, cost optimization, statutory compliance, tax planning |
| 4 | Reference attachments | Doc.pdf / Sheet1 of workbook.xlsx |
| 5 | Focus on | Income Tax, Ind AS, GST, ICAI guidelines |
| 6 | Output format | Table, checklist, step-by-step guide, summary bullets |
| 7 | Use tone | Professional, simple, client-friendly |
| 8 | Avoid | Generic examples, irrelevant content |
| 9 | Follow-ups | "Make it more detailed/concise with examples" |
Pro Tip: The more specific your context and constraints, the better the AI output will be.
Case Studies
The following case studies demonstrate real-world applications of prompt engineering for CA work.
Case Study 1: Joint Development Agreement Research
Tool Used: Perplexity Research
Objective: Prepare a comprehensive note on Joint Development Agreements (JDAs), covering definitions, use cases, relevant case laws, the process from creation to compliance, and accounting and financial reporting considerations.
Prompt:
1. Act as a Chartered Accountant who is acting as RERA and Tax Planning Consultant.
2. My goal is to develop a comprehensive Guide on Joint Development Agreement from a 360° perspective covering:
- Definitions & Scope: Legal, accounting, and taxation definitions
- Practical Use Cases: Industry-specific applications (real estate, infrastructure)
- Process Flow: Creation, registration, compliance requirements, timelines
- Regulatory Framework & Case Laws: Judicial precedents, CBDT circulars, ICAI guidelines
- Accounting & Financial Reporting: Ind AS, Schedule III, disclosure requirements
- Taxation Aspects: Income Tax, GST, TDS, deferred tax implications
- Risks & Mitigation: Compliance risks, litigation risks, financial statement risks
- Best Practices: Industry practices, audit considerations, controls, checklists
3. Tone: Professional
4. Format: Content in paragraphs with checklists and tables where suitable
5. Make it detailed with examples wherever possible
Case Study 2: Trade Payable Analysis
Tool Used: Perplexity Research
Objective: Perform analytical testing on the trade payables of Hero MotoCorp and compare the results with the industry average.
Prompt:
1. Act as a Chartered Accountant appointed as statutory auditor of Hero Motocorp (listed company)
2. My goal is to:
- Identify 5 competitors of Hero Motocorp
- Fetch Trade payable balances from annual reports for FY 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
- Calculate Average Trade payable balances for three years
- Compare the industry average with Hero Motocorp
3. Context: Analytical testing of Accounts Payable
4. Output Format: Table with columns for each financial year
- Row 1: Industry Average Trade Payable Balance
- Row 2: Hero Motocorp Trade Payable Balance
- Row 3: Difference (%)
Case Study 3: Annual Report Summarization
Tool Used: Gemini 2.5 Pro
Document: Reliance Industries Annual Report
Objective: Analyse the corporate structure of RIL and summarise the auditor's report.
Prompt:
1. Act as an Investor of Reliance Industries Limited
2. My goal is to:
- Read and understand the Annual report of RIL
- Identify all entities (Subsidiaries, Associates, Joint Ventures)
- Create an Organisation Chart of RIL
- Summarise Auditor's report including all key discussions
3. Context: Investor analysing annual report
4. Reference: RIL-Integrated-Annual-Report-2024-25.pdf
5. Focus on:
- Adverse or negative comments by auditor
- Any financial concerns of the entity
- Fraud or errors
6. Format: Summarised report
7. Tone: Simple, investor-friendly
8. Avoid: External content to the attachment
Case Study 4: Legal Document Summarization
Tool Used: Mistral Small 3.2 24B
Objective: Summarise court judgements on various acts to easily understand.
Income Tax Act Case
Prompt:
1. Act as a Lawyer doing legal research
2. My goal is to:
- Obtain understanding of the Court Judgement in an easy summary
- Include all relevant sections
3. Context: Legal Research
4. Reference: M_S_Prosperous_Buildcon_Pvt_Ltd_New_vs_Pr_Cit_New_Delhi.PDF
5. Focus on: Income Tax Act
6. Format: Summary
7. Tone: Professional
8. Avoid: Referring to outside attachment
GST Act Case
Prompt:
1. Act as a Lawyer doing legal research
2. My goal is to:
- Obtain understanding of the Court Judgement in an easy summary
- Include all relevant sections
3. Context: Legal Research
4. Reference: M_S_Radha_Krishan_Industries_vs_The_State_Of_Himachal_Pradesh.PDF
5. Focus on: CGST/SGST Act
6. Format: Summary
7. Tone: Professional
8. Avoid: Referring to outside attachment
Tool Recommendations
| Tool | Best For | Context Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | Research, web-based queries | Varies |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Long document analysis, annual reports | 1M+ tokens |
| Mistral Small 3.2 24B | Legal research, court judgements | 128k tokens (~60-70 pages) |
Note: Mistral Small 3.2 24B can be accessed through OpenRouter Portal.
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