"Claude finance" isn't one product. It's five different things that get lumped together: the Claude for Excel add-in, a free finance and accounting plugin, a set of financial services plugins built for analysts and bankers, a sales-led Enterprise package called Claude for Financial Services, and connectors to tools like QuickBooks and Xero. Most small and mid-size finance teams only need the first two. This guide shows which one you need, what each does (with the exact commands), how to install them without touching code, and six real workflows with prompts, as of October 2026.
TL;DR
If you work in spreadsheets, start with Claude for Excel, which comes with any paid Claude plan. If you do the books or run the close, add the free finance plugin, which gives you commands like /journal-entry, /reconciliation and /variance-analysis. If you build models or pitch materials, add the financial-analysis plugin for /dcf, /comps, /lbo and /3-statement-model. Claude for Financial Services is an Enterprise package you buy through Anthropic's sales team, and you don't need it to use any of the above. Check every number before it leaves your desk. The free Claude Cowork course teaches the setup step by step.
Which Claude finance tool do you need?
| You are... | Start with | What it costs | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anyone who lives in Excel | Claude for Excel add-in (officially "Claude for Microsoft 365") | Included with Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. Not on Free. | Claude in a sidebar that reads your workbook, writes formulas, fixes errors and builds models |
| Bookkeeper, accountant, controller, owner doing the books | Finance plugin (accounting) | Free plugin; works on paid Claude plans | Commands for journal entries, reconciliations, income statements, variance analysis, SOX testing |
| Analyst, banker, PE or equity research | Financial services plugins | Free plugins; data connectors usually need the provider's own subscription | DCF, comps, LBO, 3-statement models, pitch materials, plus 10 named agents |
| Large bank, fund or insurer | Claude for Financial Services (Enterprise) | Contact sales; no public price | Enterprise plan with expanded limits, connectors, onboarding and implementation support |
| Small business on QuickBooks, Xero, Mercury, Ramp, Brex or Stripe | Accounting and payments connectors | Comes with your Claude plan; you need an account with that tool | Claude can pull your real business data instead of you pasting it in |
If you're managing household money, not a company's, read Claude for personal finance instead. Different tools, different advice.
Claude for Excel: the everyday entry point
For most finance people, this is where Claude starts paying for itself. Claude for Excel is an Office add-in (not a browser extension or a download) that opens in a sidebar inside Excel. Anthropic now sells it under the name Claude for Microsoft 365, because one install covers Excel, PowerPoint and Word. It became generally available on May 7, 2026, for Mac and Windows users on paid plans. Source: Anthropic's announcement (opens in a new tab).
According to Anthropic's Excel docs (opens in a new tab), it can:
- Answer questions about your workbook with cell-level citations you can click to jump straight to the source cell
- Change assumptions while keeping formula links intact, so everything downstream recalculates
- Trace errors like
#REF!and#DIV/0!back to the root cause - Build new models or fill in templates, including a three-statement model from a trial balance
- Work across multi-tab workbooks, sort, filter, edit pivot tables, and add conditional formatting and dropdowns
It warns you before overwriting data and asks before risky operations. It does not handle What-If data tables, macros or VBA.
Our step-by-step install guide covers the Mac, Windows and web versions, plus how IT can push it to the whole team. If you just need one formula fast, the free Excel formula generator writes it without any AI account.
The finance plugin (for accounting and the close)
This is the one most small-business finance teams overlook. Anthropic publishes a free finance plugin in its knowledge-work-plugins repository (opens in a new tab). It's built for month-end close, journal entries, reconciliation, financial statements, variance analysis and SOX work.
A plugin is a bundle of commands and skills. A command is something you type, like /reconciliation. A skill is a set of instructions Claude pulls in on its own when the task calls for it. That's what people mean when they search "Claude finance skills."
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/journal-entry | Prepares journal entries with supporting detail |
/reconciliation | Reconciles accounts, for example the bank against the GL |
/income-statement | Builds an income statement from your data |
/variance-analysis | Explains budget vs. actual or period-over-period changes |
/sox-testing | Helps with SOX control testing |
The skills behind those commands are journal-entry-prep, reconciliation, financial-statements, variance-analysis, close-management and audit-support.
The same repository also has a small-business plugin with skills named cash-flow-snapshot, close-month, invoice-chase, pay-the-bills, payroll-prep, tax-prep and tax-season-organizer. If you're an owner doing your own books, it's worth a look alongside the finance plugin.
The financial services plugins and finance agents (for analysts)
The second set lives in anthropics/financial-services (opens in a new tab) on GitHub. When people search "Claude finance plugin" or "Claude finance agents," this is usually what they mean. It's aimed at investment banking, equity research, private equity, fund administration and wealth management.
There's a core plugin, financial-analysis, which you install first. Then you add the vertical plugins you need: investment-banking, equity-research, private-equity, fund-admin, operations and claude-for-financial-advisors, plus partner plugins from LSEG and S&P Global.
The commands
| Plugin | Command | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| financial-analysis (core) | /comps | Comparable company analysis |
/dcf | Discounted cash flow valuation | |
/lbo | Leveraged buyout model | |
/3-statement-model | Linked income statement, balance sheet and cash flow | |
/debug-model | Audits an existing Excel model for errors | |
/competitive-analysis | Competitor landscape | |
/ppt-template | Works with your PowerPoint template | |
| investment-banking | /one-pager, /cim, /teaser | Company profiles and marketing materials |
/buyer-list, /merger-model | Buyer universe and merger math | |
/process-letter, /deal-tracker | Deal process paperwork and tracking |
Anthropic's plugin docs (opens in a new tab) also list /earnings, /ic-memo, /source and /client-review across the other plugins.
The 10 finance agents
The repo also defines named agents, each a packaged role you can hand a job to:
| Agent | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Pitch Agent | Pitch materials |
| Meeting Prep Agent | Briefings before client or management meetings |
| Market Researcher | Industry and market research |
| Earnings Reviewer | Earnings results and calls |
| Model Builder | DCF, LBO, 3-statement and comps models built live in Excel |
| Valuation Reviewer | Checks valuation work |
| GL Reconciler | General ledger reconciliation |
| Month-End Closer | Close tasks |
| Statement Auditor | Reviews financial statements |
| KYC Screener | Know-your-customer screening |
The data connectors (and the catch)
The core plugin ships with 12 connectors to financial data providers: Daloopa, Morningstar, S&P Global (Kensho), FactSet, Moody's, MT Newswires, Aiera, LSEG, PitchBook, Chronograph, Egnyte and Box. The catch, in the repo's own words, is that access "may require a subscription or API key from the provider." If your firm doesn't already pay for FactSet, the plugin won't give you FactSet data. Without a connector, Claude works with whatever you upload.
Is there a "Claude finance model"?
No. Anthropic doesn't sell a separate finance-tuned model. All of the above runs on the regular Claude models. People searching "Claude finance model" usually want help building a financial model, which is exactly what /dcf, /lbo and /3-statement-model do.
Claude for Financial Services (the Enterprise package)
Anthropic launched Claude for Financial Services (opens in a new tab) on July 15, 2025. It bundles the Claude models, Claude Code and Claude for Enterprise with expanded usage limits, data connectors, and onboarding and implementation help. Launch partners included Box, Daloopa, Databricks, FactSet, Morningstar, Palantir, PitchBook, S&P Global and Snowflake. It's sold through Anthropic's sales team and AWS Marketplace, and there's no public price.
In October 2025 Anthropic expanded it (opens in a new tab) with the Excel add-in beta, more connectors (Aiera, Chronograph, Egnyte, LSEG, Moody's, MT Newswires and others) and six finance skills: comps, DCF, due-diligence data packs, teasers and company profiles, earnings analyses, and initiating coverage reports.
For a 10-person finance team, this is overkill. Everything in the plugins above is free to install on a regular paid plan. The Enterprise package makes sense when you need procurement, security review, admin controls and a vendor relationship.
Accounting and payments connectors
Connectors let Claude read data straight from the tools you already use. Claude's connector directory includes official listings for QuickBooks, Xero, Mercury, Ramp, Brex and Stripe. That covers the books, banking, spend cards and payments for a lot of small businesses. Once connected, you can ask "what were our top five expense categories last quarter?" and Claude pulls the answer from your real data instead of a pasted export.
Our guide to Claude connectors explains how to add one and what permissions to check before you do.
How to install the finance plugins (no code)
Claude Cowork is now built into the regular Claude desktop app, so you install plugins from the same place you chat. You need a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise) and the desktop app on Mac or Windows.
To add the accounting (finance) plugin:
- Open the Claude desktop app.
- Go to Customize, then Browse plugins.
- Choose Personal, then click + and pick Add marketplace from GitHub.
- Paste
https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-pluginsand confirm. - Find finance in the list and install it. Add small-business too if you run your own books.
To add the analyst plugins:
- Repeat steps 1 to 3 above.
- Paste
https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services. - Install financial-analysis first. It's the core the others depend on.
- Then add the vertical plugins you need, like investment-banking or private-equity.
Once installed, type / in a chat to see the commands. Anthropic's plugin install docs (opens in a new tab) have screenshots if a menu looks different.
For developers: Claude Code commands
If your team uses Claude Code (the terminal version, and the reason people search "Claude Code for finance"), these are the install commands from Anthropic's repos.
Finance and accounting plugin:
claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
claude plugin install finance@knowledge-work-pluginsFinancial services core plugin:
claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/financial-services
claude plugin install financial-analysis@claude-for-financial-services6 Claude finance workflows with prompts
These work in a regular Claude chat with your files uploaded, in Claude for Excel, or with the plugins installed. The plugins make them faster and more consistent, but the prompts work either way. Swap the bracketed parts for your details.
1. Month-end close checklist
I run the month-end close for a [industry] business with [number] entities,
using [QuickBooks / Xero / NetSuite]. Build me a close checklist for [month]
organized by day (Day 1 to Day 5). For each task, include the owner role,
what "done" looks like, and the supporting document we should keep.
Flag any task that depends on another task finishing first.
Then list the 5 accruals small businesses most often forget.With the finance plugin installed, the close-management skill picks this up automatically. Pair it with /journal-entry for the accruals.
2. Bank reconciliation
/reconciliation
Attached are our bank statement export for [month] and the GL detail for the
operating cash account. Match transactions by amount and date (allow a 3-day
window). Give me: (1) matched items, (2) items in the bank but not the GL,
(3) items in the GL but not the bank, (4) a short list of likely causes for
each unmatched item. Don't propose journal entries yet. Ask me first.No plugin? Drop the first line and the prompt still works. Upload CSV exports rather than PDFs; they're easier for Claude to match line by line.
3. Budget vs. actual variance analysis
/variance-analysis
Compare actuals to budget for [month] using the attached file. Show every line
where the variance is over [10% and $5,000]. For each one, write a one-sentence
explanation using only the notes I've given you below. Where you don't know the
reason, write "[ASK: owner]" instead of guessing.
Notes: [paste what you know: timing of invoices, a new hire, a one-time cost]The "[ASK]" instruction turns gaps into a to-do list instead of invented explanations.
4. A 3-statement model or a DCF
In Claude for Excel, with your trial balance open:
Build a linked three-statement model from the trial balance on the "TB" tab.
Put assumptions on a separate "Inputs" tab, color inputs blue and formulas
black, and use formulas, not hard-coded values. Project 5 years using these
assumptions: revenue growth [x%], gross margin [y%], DSO [z days].
When you're done, list every assumption you had to make that I didn't give you.With the financial-analysis plugin, /3-statement-model and /dcf run the same job with a standard structure. Then run /debug-model on the result to check it for broken links before anyone else sees it.
5. Board deck commentary
Using the attached monthly financials and KPI sheet, draft board commentary for
[month]: a 3-sentence summary, then one short paragraph each on revenue, margin,
cash and headcount. Plain language, no jargon. Every number you mention must
come from the attached files. Cite the tab and cell. End with 3 questions the
board is likely to ask, and a suggested answer for each.Claude for PowerPoint shares the same conversation as Claude for Excel, so you can build the numbers in Excel and ask Claude to put the commentary on your slides without re-explaining anything.
6. 13-week cash forecast
Build a 13-week cash flow forecast in Excel from the attached AR aging, AP aging
and last 3 months of bank transactions. Columns are weeks, rows are receipts by
customer group and payments by category. Collections: assume customers pay on
their historical average days late. Highlight any week where the ending balance
drops below [$ minimum]. Put every assumption on its own tab so I can change it.Owners using the small-business plugin can also try its cash-flow-snapshot skill for a quicker read. If you're connected to Mercury, Ramp or QuickBooks, ask Claude to pull the data directly instead of uploading exports.
For more prompts aimed at accounting firms, see our ChatGPT for accountants guide. The prompts work just as well in Claude.
Honest limits: what to check before you trust it
Verify every number. Claude can misread a cell, pick the wrong row or make an arithmetic slip, and a confident tone doesn't mean a correct figure. The cell-level citations in Claude for Excel make this faster: click each one. Anthropic's own docs say the add-in isn't recommended for final client deliverables without review, or for audit-critical calculations without verification.
No live market data without a connector. Claude doesn't know today's share prices, rates or filings unless you connect a data provider or upload the data. Out of the box, a DCF uses whatever inputs you give it.
It's not investment, tax or accounting advice. Anthropic's financial services repository says it plainly: "Nothing in this repository constitutes investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice." Claude prepares the work. A qualified person signs off on it.
Know where your data goes. For the Excel add-in, Anthropic says inputs and outputs are deleted on its backend within 30 days (with some exceptions), and chat history is stored locally in your browser. The add-in doesn't follow your org's custom retention settings and isn't in Enterprise audit logs. For sensitive or regulated data, check with IT first. Anthropic also warns to use the add-in only with trusted spreadsheets, because a file can contain hidden instructions.
Big workbooks need patience. Claude reads up to 2,000 cells at a time and works best on workbooks under about 1 million used cells. Name the sheet and range you want, and split large jobs into steps.
Frequently asked questions
What is Claude for finance?
Claude for finance covers several Anthropic tools: the Claude for Excel add-in, a free finance plugin for accounting work like reconciliations and journal entries, free financial services plugins for analysts (DCF, comps, LBO), and an Enterprise package called Claude for Financial Services. Most small and mid-size finance teams only need the Excel add-in and the finance plugin.
Is Claude for Financial Services only for enterprises?
The Claude for Financial Services package itself is sold through Anthropic's sales team with no public price. But the plugins behind it are free on GitHub and install on regular paid Claude plans. Data connectors like FactSet or PitchBook usually need your own subscription with that provider.
How do I install the Claude finance plugin?
In the Claude desktop app, go to Customize, then Browse plugins, choose Personal, click the plus button and pick Add marketplace from GitHub. Paste the URL of Anthropic's knowledge-work-plugins repository for the accounting plugin, or the financial-services repository for the analyst plugins, then install finance or financial-analysis.
What are Claude finance agents?
They're named roles in Anthropic's financial services repository that each handle one kind of job. There are 10: Pitch Agent, Meeting Prep Agent, Market Researcher, Earnings Reviewer, Model Builder, Valuation Reviewer, GL Reconciler, Month-End Closer, Statement Auditor and KYC Screener.
Can Claude build a financial model?
Yes. Claude for Excel can build a three-statement model from a trial balance or fill in a template, and the financial-analysis plugin adds commands like /dcf, /lbo and /3-statement-model. Always check the formulas and assumptions before using the model, and run /debug-model to catch broken links.
Start with one workflow this month
Install Claude for Excel, add the finance plugin, and run one real reconciliation or variance analysis on last month's numbers. You'll know within an hour whether it saves your team time.
When you're ready to use Claude across the rest of your business, the free Claude Cowork course walks through plugins, connectors and Projects step by step, with no coding required.