AI for professionals
AI for Accountants and CAs: ChatGPT, Claude and Excel for Real Accounting Work
Use ChatGPT, Claude and Excel for reconciliations, macros and research in accounting work, while keeping client data safe.
AI for Accountants and CAs: ChatGPT, Claude and Excel for Real Accounting Work is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for accountants, chartered accountants, auditors and finance students. It has 9 modules and takes about 4 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 4 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Accountants, chartered accountants, auditors and finance students
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A free account on ChatGPT or Claude, Microsoft Excel (any recent version), and a free Google account for Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM). Hardware: A laptop or desktop. Excel automation needs Excel for Windows or Mac.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Write prompts that name the standard, the format and the checks
- Draft a chart of accounts and speed up reconciliations
- Get Excel macros written by AI and test them safely
- Research and summarise circulars with a grounded tool
- Design a custom assistant for a repeatable firm task
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Accountants, chartered accountants, auditors and finance students.
Level: Beginner. Beginner in AI. You should already do accounting, audit, tax or bookkeeping work; no coding or AI background is needed.
What you need
Software: A free account on ChatGPT or Claude, Microsoft Excel (any recent version), and a free Google account for Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)..
Hardware: A laptop or desktop. Excel automation needs Excel for Windows or Mac.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 4 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Set up and start: an AI assistant for accounting work32m
- 2AI basics for finance professionals, with lab practice: 3m
- 3Prompting for accounting tasks, and the mistakes to avoid54m
- 4Data analysis, reconciliations and invoice extraction, with lab practice: 43m
- 5AI in Excel: Copilot, Claude and AI-written macros9m
- 6Research, policy questions and grounded notebooks, with lab practice: 38m
- 7Custom assistants for an accounting practice14m
- 8Security, privacy, audit trails and professional responsibility, with lab practice: 27m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (4 tools)
Required
- 01Free web version with limits
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Account
- A free Microsoft account
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Excel page on microsoft.com and select Sign up for free, or Sign in.
- 2.Create or sign in to your Microsoft account.
- 3.Select Open Excel to start Excel for the web.
- 4.Upload the course workbook to OneDrive and open it.
- 5.If a lesson needs a desktop-only feature, consider the Microsoft 365 free trial.
- Most formulas, tables and charts work in Excel for the web; some advanced tools, such as Power Pivot and many add-ins, need the desktop app.
- Check the Python in Excel availability page before a Python lesson.
Official download pagemicrosoft.comAlternatives
- LibreOffice Calc: Free desktop spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Google Sheets: Free browser spreadsheet with a Google Account.
- 02Free with limits
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account (age verified)
Free with a personal Google account. Usage limits apply and paid Google AI plans give higher limits and extra features.
Steps
- 1.Open notebook.google (the old notebooklm.google address redirects there).
- 2.Sign in with your Google account and verify your age if asked.
- 3.Create a new notebook.
- 4.Add sources such as PDFs, web links or Google Docs, then ask questions about them.
- NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook in July 2026. Existing notebooks and links still work.
- Only upload documents you have the right to share.
Open Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)notebooklm.google
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 03Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 04Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise checking an AI's accounting work in the AI Workbench: find the wrong ratio and the adding-up slip, keep client data out, and ask for sourced answers.
- Check the AI's work: financeAI Workbench, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Check the AI's work: finance
- Privacy firstAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Privacy first
- Answers with sourcesAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Answers with sources
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 7 hours
An AI-assisted month-end close for a small manufacturer: prompt library, exceptions register, firm AI policy and close report
Run a month-end close for a small manufacturer the way a modern practice does. Build a library of tested prompts for the close tasks, use AI to propose bank and ledger matches while you clear and record every exception, write the firm's AI use policy and deliver the close report with the reconciliations tied out. Invented data only. The sample pack shows each document for a machine-parts manufacturer.
- 4documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 4things to hand in
- 7 hof work, at your pace
- RegisterMonth-end close prompt library
- RegisterBank reconciliation exceptions register, September
- ProcedureAlder & Partners: rules for using AI tools
- ReportMonth-end close report: Northgate Components, September
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
AI for Project Management
Eight short weeks of using AI for charters, schedules, risks, minutes and status reports, and of knowing where its estimates fall short: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Analyst
- Operations specialist
- Project coordinator
- Team lead using AI tools
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Value Pricing Academy, CA Monk. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Value Pricing Academy · CA Shivam Palan (CA Monk). If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Will AI replace accountants?
The evidence so far says no. AI is expected to take over routine tasks rather than the job itself. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of accountants and auditors to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than average. It says some routine tasks may be automated, making advisory and analytical duties more prominent. This course teaches you to use AI for routine work such as reconciliations and Excel macros. You still clear every exception yourself.
Is it safe to put client data into ChatGPT?
Not into a personal ChatGPT account with default settings. OpenAI says it may use content from services for individuals to train its models. You can turn this off under Settings, Data controls, by switching off Improve the model for everyone. By default it does not use ChatGPT Business, ChatGPT Enterprise or API content for training. Your confidentiality duties still apply, so anonymise data before it goes into any AI tool. Every exercise uses invented or anonymised data.
Is this course for CAs only?
No. It is written for accountants, trainees, auditors, tax practitioners and bookkeepers. The methods apply in any country, and the worked examples follow the rules of the site you are reading.
Do I need to know coding for the Excel automation module?
No. The AI writes the VBA from your description. The course teaches you enough to read what a macro does and to test it safely on a copy.
Can I use real client data in the exercises?
No. Every exercise uses invented or anonymised data. The course teaches you what must never go into a public AI tool.
Is this a professional body's AI certification?
No. Professional accountancy bodies run their own AI courses for members. This is an independent free course by EDWartens, built on public lessons credited on each module, and it does not count towards any professional body programme or CPD hours.
How long does the AI for Accountants and CAs course take?
About 9 hours of video lessons and study across nine modules, plus about 7 hours if you do the optional month-end close project. The course plan spreads it over about four weeks, but you can go at your own pace.
Is it tax advice?
No. The course teaches how to use AI tools in accounting work. It gives no tax, legal or audit advice.
Is the AI for Accountants and CAs course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the AI for Accountants and CAs course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a professional qualification and we never describe it as one.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the AI for Accountants and CAs course cover, module by module?
The AI for Accountants and CAs course has 9 modules. It opens with "Set up and start: an AI assistant for accounting work", goes through "AI basics for finance professionals", "Data analysis, reconciliations and invoice extraction", "Research, policy questions and grounded notebooks" and "Security, privacy, audit trails and professional responsibility" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the AI for Accountants and CAs course?
After the AI for Accountants and CAs course: Set up an AI assistant safely for accounting work; Write finance prompts that name the rules, the format and your check; Speed up bank reconciliations and clear every exception yourself. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the AI for Accountants and CAs course, and does it cost anything?
For the AI for Accountants and CAs course, software: A free account on ChatGPT or Claude, Microsoft Excel (any recent version), and a free Google account for Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM). Hardware: A laptop or desktop. Excel automation needs Excel for Windows or Mac. The course itself is free.
Is the AI for Accountants and CAs course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AI for Accountants and CAs is rated beginner. Beginner in AI. You should already do accounting, audit, tax or bookkeeping work; no coding or AI background is needed. It is written for accountants, chartered accountants, auditors and finance students, and takes about 4 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AI for Accountants and CAs course?
Skills from the AI for Accountants and CAs course (for example: set up an AI assistant safely for accounting work) are used in roles such as analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools, and in accountant work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
AI for Accountants and CAs: ChatGPT, Claude and Excel for Real Accounting Work, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.