AI in your workflow
See where AI fits in your finance work, one step at a time
Pick a job you already do every month, like paying bills, running payroll or closing the books. Each walkthrough follows one real-looking example through every step and shows what AI can take off your plate, what a person still decides, and which tools do it today.
- 8 workflows
- 56 steps, each with a control
- 71 tools with live scores
- 8 things AI won't do, on purpose
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Every workflow, at three settings
Turn the dial. The same 56 steps, done by hand, with AI beside you, or run by AI with a person on the steps that matter.
56 of 56 steps done by hand.0 of 56 steps done by hand. AI drafts every one and a person checks it.12 of 56 steps still need a person. AI runs the rest and sends exceptions to you.
Money going out Bills, spend and the vendors you pay.
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You key bills into QuickBooks and chase approvals by email.
- 1Invoice arrives
- 2Capture the data
- 3Code to the GL
- 4Check and match
- 5Approve
- 6Pay
- 7Sync and reconcile
-
Employee expensesExpense to close
Receipts arrive as photos, late, or not at all.
- 1Before the spend
- 2Capture the receipt
- 3Code and categorize
- 4Check against policy
- 5Approve
- 6Reimburse
- 7Sync and close
-
PurchasingPurchase request to PO
Spend shows up before anyone approved it.
- 1Raise the request
- 2Check the budget
- 3Pick the supplier and price
- 4Flag policy exceptions
- 5Approve the spend
- 6Raise and send the PO
- 7Receive and match the bill
-
Vendor onboardingRequest to payable vendor
New vendors send W-9s and bank details by email.
- 1Request a new vendor
- 2Collect the vendor's details
- 3Collect and check the tax form
- 4Verify bank details
- 5Create one clean record
- 6Approve the vendor
- 7Keep the vendor current
-
Software spendSubscription to renewal
Subscriptions renew before anyone checks who uses them.
- 1Find every subscription
- 2Give each tool an owner
- 3Catch renewals early
- 4Check usage against seats
- 5Benchmark and negotiate
- 6Renew or cancel
- 7Pay on a locked vendor card
Paying your people From hours worked to the payroll journal entry.
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PayrollHours to journal entry
Hours, changes and taxes all land on payroll day.
- 1Collect hours and changes
- 2Set up hires and new states
- 3Calculate the pay run
- 4Check for anomalies
- 5Approve and release pay
- 6File and pay payroll taxes
- 7Book the journal entry
Closing and reporting Locking the books and explaining the numbers.
-
Month-end closeClose to locked books
The close runs on a spreadsheet checklist and late nights.
- 1Kick off the checklist
- 2Match bank and cash
- 3Book accruals and entries
- 4Reconcile the balance sheet
- 5Explain the variances
- 6Review and sign off
- 7Report and lock the period
-
Budget vs actualClosed books to board pack
Every month you rebuild the same variance deck.
- 1Pull actuals after close
- 2Map to the budget lines
- 3Calculate budget vs actual
- 4Flag what needs a look
- 5Get commentary from owners
- 6Update the rolling forecast
- 7Send the board pack
Coming next: Collections and AR follow-up, Bank reconciliation, 1099 and year-end filings, Sales tax, Audit requests.
Not sure where to start?
Pick the one that sounds most like your month.
Your starting point shows up here.
Start with
Where AI fits when you pay a bill
Follow one invoice from the inbox to the bank. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Invoice arrives, Capture the data, Code to the GL, Check and match, Approve, Pay, Sync and reconcile
- A person always signs off
- Approve, Pay
- AI won't, on purpose
- “We changed banks. Please send future payments to the new account below.”
Start with
Where AI fits in employee expenses
Follow one expense from the card swipe to the month-end close. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Before the spend, Capture the receipt, Code and categorize, Check against policy, Approve, Reimburse, Sync and close
- A person always signs off
- Approve, Reimburse
- AI won't, on purpose
- “I lost the hotel receipt. Can you just approve it?”
Start with
Where AI fits in purchasing
Follow one purchase from the moment an employee needs something to a matched invoice you can pay. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Raise the request, Check the budget, Pick the supplier and price, Flag policy exceptions, Approve the spend, Raise and send the PO, Receive and match the bill
- A person always signs off
- Approve the spend
- AI won't, on purpose
- “Can you split this $12,000 order into three $4,000 POs so it skips approval?”
Start with
Where AI fits in vendor onboarding
Follow one new vendor from the first request to a verified record you can pay. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Request a new vendor, Collect the vendor's details, Collect and check the tax form, Verify bank details, Create one clean record, Approve the vendor, Keep the vendor current
- A person always signs off
- Approve the vendor
- AI won't, on purpose
- “The CEO needs this vendor paid today. Can we skip the checks?”
Start with
Where AI fits in software spend
Follow one software subscription from the day you find it to a renewal you chose on purpose. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Find every subscription, Give each tool an owner, Catch renewals early, Check usage against seats, Benchmark and negotiate, Renew or cancel, Pay on a locked vendor card
- A person always signs off
- Renew or cancel
- AI won't, on purpose
- “Can I put a new AI notetaker on my own card and expense it? It's only $30 a month.”
Start with
Where AI fits in payroll
Follow one pay run from collecting hours to paying people, filing taxes and booking the journal entry. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Collect hours and changes, Set up hires and new states, Calculate the pay run, Check for anomalies, Approve and release pay, File and pay payroll taxes, Book the journal entry
- A person always signs off
- Approve and release pay
- AI won't, on purpose
- “I switched banks. Can you change my direct deposit before Friday's payroll?”
Start with
Where AI fits in the month-end close
Follow one month-end close from the checklist to locked books. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Kick off the checklist, Match bank and cash, Book accruals and entries, Reconcile the balance sheet, Explain the variances, Review and sign off, Report and lock the period
- A person always signs off
- Review and sign off, Report and lock the period
- AI won't, on purpose
- “Can you book the Acme deal in September? It signs on October 2.”
Start with
Where AI fits in budget vs actual
Follow one monthly budget review from the closed books to the board pack. Turn the dial to see what AI takes off your plate at each step, what it hands back to you, and which tools do it today.
- Steps
- Pull actuals after close, Map to the budget lines, Calculate budget vs actual, Flag what needs a look, Get commentary from owners, Update the rolling forecast, Send the board pack
- A person always signs off
- Update the rolling forecast, Send the board pack
- AI won't, on purpose
- “Can you move $25k of my September spend into October so I come in on budget?”
Free email course
Where AI Fits, in five short emails
One lesson every few days, each a four-minute read with one small thing to try that week. It starts with the jobs almost every business has: paying bills, payroll and the month-end close.
- Your finance work at three settings
- Paying bills
- Payroll
- The month-end close
- Your first 30 days
What AI won't do, on purpose
Every walkthrough has one request AI turns down. These are the controls that make it safe to hand AI the rest.
- Invoice to pay
“We changed banks. Please send future payments to the new account below.”
AI won't do this, on purpose. Bank details stay frozen until someone calls a number already on file.
- Employee expenses
“I lost the hotel receipt. Can you just approve it?”
AI won't approve this, on purpose. It drafts a request to the hotel for a copy and sends the claim to finance.
- Purchasing
“Can you split this $12,000 order into three $4,000 POs so it skips approval?”
AI won't split it, on purpose. Splitting an order to stay under an approval limit is a classic way around the control, so it sends the full $12,000 to the budget owner.
- Vendor onboarding
“The CEO needs this vendor paid today. Can we skip the checks?”
AI won't skip the checks, on purpose. Urgent requests to bypass verification are a common fraud pattern, so it routes this to the controller.
- Software spend
“Can I put a new AI notetaker on my own card and expense it? It's only $30 a month.”
AI won't approve this, on purpose. Tools bought on personal cards skip review and become subscriptions nobody owns. It opens a request so the tool gets an owner and its own card.
- Payroll
“I switched banks. Can you change my direct deposit before Friday's payroll?”
AI won't change bank details from a message, on purpose. Direct deposit change requests are a common payroll fraud pattern, so it points Chris to self-service and alerts the payroll admin.
- Month-end close
“Can you book the Acme deal in September? It signs on October 2.”
AI won't do this, on purpose. September is closed, and the deal books when it signs. It sends the request to the controller.
- Budget vs actual
“Can you move $25k of my September spend into October so I come in on budget?”
AI won't do this, on purpose. September actuals tie to the closed ledger, and moving spend to hit a budget misstates the results. It sends the request to the controller.
The tools, and where they show up
71 tools appear across the walkthroughs. The number is the Audit Friendly Score from each review, checked 2026-10-04.
Ramp85Invoice to payEmployee expensesPurchasingVendor onboardingSoftware spend
Stampli80Invoice to payPurchasingVendor onboarding
Zip Larger teams80PurchasingVendor onboardingSoftware spend
Vertice77PurchasingVendor onboardingSoftware spend
ApprovalMax72Invoice to payPurchasingVendor onboarding
Lightyear68Invoice to payPurchasingVendor onboarding
BILL78Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Ottimate76Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Spendesk75PurchasingSoftware spend
Melio73Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Procurify72PurchasingVendor onboarding
Trustpair Larger teams72Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Show all 71 tools
PaymentWorks Larger teams71Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Xelix Larger teams69Invoice to payVendor onboarding
Volopay65PurchasingSoftware spend
Remote87Payroll
ADP84Payroll
Brex83Employee expenses
Sage Intacct83Month-end close
Coupa Larger teams82Purchasing
Navan82Employee expenses
Tipalti82Vendor onboarding
Workiva Larger teams82Month-end close
Deel81Payroll
Payhawk80Vendor onboarding
Payworks80Payroll
Pigment Larger teams80Budget vs actual
NetSuite79Month-end close
Wagepoint79Payroll
Warp79Payroll
BlackLine Larger teams78Month-end close
FloQast78Month-end close
QuickBooks Online78Month-end close
Vena78Budget vs actual
Workday Adaptive Planning Larger teams78Budget vs actual
Numeric77Month-end close
OneStream Larger teams77Month-end close
Cube76Budget vs actual
Emburse76Employee expenses
Justworks76Payroll
Planful76Budget vs actual
Pleo76Software spend
Prophix76Budget vs actual
Expensify75Employee expenses
Trintech Larger teams75Month-end close
Vic.ai Larger teams75Invoice to pay
BILL Spend & Expense74Employee expenses
Gusto74Payroll
Tropic74Software spend
UKG Larger teams74Payroll
Agicap73Budget vs actual
Paycom Larger teams73Payroll
Paylocity Larger teams73Payroll
Rho73Employee expenses
Trolley73Vendor onboarding
Zoho Expense73Employee expenses
Datarails72Budget vs actual
isolved72Payroll
Mesh Payments72Software spend
Routable72Vendor onboarding
AppZen Larger teams71Employee expenses
Fathom71Budget vs actual
Paychex71Payroll
CFO.ai70Budget vs actual
Dext70Invoice to pay
Precoro70Purchasing
Soldo69Software spend
Order.co68Purchasing
QuickBooks Payroll68Payroll
Rippling68Payroll.png)
Sastrify65Software spend
How these are built
- Every tool line traces to a review. If our review can't back it up, it isn't on the page.
- No vendor-claimed numbers. No "saves 80% of time". Examples are made up and labelled.
- Scores update. Pages are rebuilt from the live review scores, and vendors never pay for one.
- A control at every step. Each step names who decides and the check that keeps it safe.
Questions
What is the difference between AI-assisted and AI-run?
AI-assisted means AI does the work at a step and a person checks every result before it moves on. AI-run means AI handles the routine cases on its own and only sends exceptions, and the steps a person must always own, to a person. Each walkthrough shows both, step by step.
Do I have to replace QuickBooks or my accounting system?
No. None of the walkthroughs assume you replace your ledger. Each tool card says what the tool does inside one step, and its review covers which accounting systems it connects to.
How are the tools chosen and scored?
Every tool line comes from an Audit Friendly review, and every score is the Audit Friendly Score from that review, using our published rubric. Vendors never pay for a score. Tools that suit larger teams better than small businesses are tagged Larger teams.
Are the numbers on these pages real?
Names, amounts and messages in the examples are made up and labelled as examples. We leave vendor-claimed time savings off the pages. The cost calculators use only the numbers you type in.
What will AI not do in these workflows?
In every walkthrough there is one request AI turns down on purpose, such as changing bank details from an email, approving an expense with no receipt, booking revenue in a closed month or splitting an order to dodge approval. Those are the controls that keep AI safe to use in finance.