Practice Context Template — CPA / Accounting Practice
Fill in each section with your firm's details. Once complete, upload this file to your Claude Project's knowledge base. Claude will use these details to produce output that matches your practice — not a generic accounting firm.
Instructions: Replace everything in [brackets] with your information. Delete the example text. Leave any section blank if it doesn't apply — you can always update this later.
Firm Identity
Firm name: [Your firm name]
Your name and title: [e.g., David Chen, CPA, Managing Partner]
Credentials: [e.g., CPA, EA, CMA — list all relevant designations]
Years in practice: [e.g., 18 years]
Firm tagline or positioning statement (if you have one): [e.g., "Year-round tax and advisory for small business owners." — Leave blank if you don't have one.]
Website: [URL, if applicable]
Service Lines
List every service your firm offers. Be specific — Claude uses these when writing engagement letters, fee communications, and advisory materials.
Compliance Services
| Service | Typical Volume | Typical Fee Range |
|---|---|---|
| [e.g., Individual tax returns (1040)] | [e.g., 250/year] | [e.g., $350-$1,200] |
| [e.g., Business tax returns (1120/1120S/1065)] | [e.g., 80/year] | [e.g., $1,500-$5,000] |
| [e.g., Monthly bookkeeping] | [e.g., 30 clients] | [e.g., $500-$1,500/month] |
| [e.g., Payroll processing] | [e.g., 25 clients] | [e.g., $200-$600/month] |
| [Add more rows as needed] |
Advisory Services
| Service | Typical Engagement | Typical Fee Range |
|---|---|---|
| [e.g., Tax planning] | [e.g., Quarterly meetings] | [e.g., $2,000-$5,000/year] |
| [e.g., CFO/Controller services] | [e.g., Monthly retainer] | [e.g., $2,000-$5,000/month] |
| [e.g., Business advisory] | [e.g., As-needed] | [e.g., $250/hour] |
| [Add more rows as needed] |
Current advisory vs. compliance split: [e.g., 20% advisory / 80% compliance]
Target split: [e.g., 40% advisory / 60% compliance]
Client Types
Client mix: [e.g.,
- 60% small business owners ($500K-$5M revenue)
- 25% high-net-worth individuals
- 10% nonprofit organizations
- 5% estates and trusts ]
Industry concentrations (if any): [e.g., Real estate investors, medical practices, restaurants — or "generalist"]
Geographic focus: [e.g., Metro Atlanta / Tri-state area / National — virtual practice]
How they find you: [e.g., Referrals from existing clients, CPA society directory, local networking]
Tax Season Profile
Total returns filed annually: [e.g., 350 individual + 80 business = 430 total]
Peak capacity (returns per week during season): [e.g., 25-30]
Extension rate: [e.g., 15% of individual, 40% of business]
Season start date: [e.g., We start accepting documents January 15]
Season end pattern: [e.g., Most individual returns done by March 31, push complex to extension]
Biggest tax season bottleneck: [e.g., Missing client documents / Staff review capacity / Complex returns backing up]
Pricing Model
How you charge:
| Service Type | Pricing Method |
|---|---|
| Tax returns | [e.g., Fixed fee by form complexity] |
| Bookkeeping | [e.g., Monthly fixed fee] |
| Advisory | [e.g., Hourly / retainer / value-based] |
| Payroll | [e.g., Per-employee monthly fee] |
When you last raised fees: [e.g., January 2024 — 8% across the board]
Fee communication method: [e.g., Annual letter in November / engagement letter at onboarding / verbal]
Payment terms: [e.g., Due on receipt / Net 30 / 50% deposit for returns over $1,000]
Communication Style
How you describe your approach to clients: [e.g., "Straightforward and proactive. I don't wait for clients to ask — I bring them the insights." — Write 1-2 sentences in your own voice.]
Formality level: [e.g., Professional but approachable — first names, plain language over jargon]
Engagement letter style: [e.g., Formal / conversational header with formal terms / all-digital via portal]
Words or phrases you use often: [e.g., "Let's look at the numbers." / "Here's what this means for your tax position." / "Planning opportunity."]
Words or phrases you never use: [e.g., "Tax loophole" / "Guarantee" / "Aggressive position"]
Team
Team size: [e.g., Solo / 3 people / 8 people]
Team roles: [e.g.,
- David (me) — complex returns, advisory clients, firm management
- Lisa (CPA) — individual returns, review
- Maria (EA) — bookkeeping clients, payroll
- Tom (Staff accountant) — data entry, workpaper prep
- Amy (Admin) — scheduling, client portal, document collection ]
Seasonal staff: [e.g., 2 seasonal preparers from January-April]
Who reviews what: [e.g., I review all business returns and complex individual. Lisa reviews standard individual returns.]
Software and Platforms
| Category | Tool |
|---|---|
| Tax preparation | [e.g., Lacerte, UltraTax, Drake, ProConnect] |
| Accounting / bookkeeping | [e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks] |
| Practice management | [e.g., Karbon, Canopy, TaxDome, Jetpack Workflow] |
| Client portal | [e.g., SmartVault, ShareFile, TaxDome, Liscio] |
| Payroll | [e.g., Gusto, ADP, Paychex] |
| [e.g., Gmail, Outlook] | |
| Calendar / scheduling | [e.g., Calendly, Acuity, Google Calendar] |
| Document management | [e.g., Google Drive, SharePoint, SmartVault] |
| CRM | [e.g., HubSpot, practice management built-in, spreadsheet] |
Additional Context
Anything else Claude should know about your practice: [e.g., "I'm trying to shift from a compliance-heavy practice to advisory-led. My biggest constraint is that I personally touch every return and don't have documented processes for my team to follow." — Write 2-3 sentences about where you are right now.]
Current priorities: [e.g., "Documenting SOPs before next tax season. Building an advisory tier for my top 20 business clients. Raising fees on clients I've undercharged for years."]
Seasonal notes: [e.g., "I'm completely unavailable January through April 15. My planning season is October-December. Summer is when I do firm development."]