Getting Started, Your First Hour With AI (Safely)
⚡ The 30-second version. If you've never really used AI, or you have it but no one's using it, start here. Three steps: (1) get the right kind of account, (2) spend 5 minutes setting it up safely, (3) do three small wins. No client data required to start. Then pick a topic guide.
If you "feel behind," you're not, most of the profession is right where you are. This page gets you from zero to your first real win without putting a client at risk. No jargon; if a term trips you up, the glossary has it in one line.
Step 1, Get the right account (5 minutes)
There are two kinds of AI accounts, and the difference matters for a CPA:
| Personal / free account | Business account (what you want) | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Free or "Pro" Claude/ChatGPT | Claude Team/Enterprise, ChatGPT Team/Enterprise |
| Your inputs used to train the AI? | Often yes | No (excluded by the business terms) |
| OK for real client info? | Never | Only with the right setup, see below |
| Cost | Free–$20/mo | ~$25–30/user/mo |
Recommendation: get a business/Team plan (the Lab's default is Claude). A personal/free account is for scrubbed or generic text only. A business plan is what makes real-client work possible and defensible, but here's the part people get wrong:
⚠️ A business account is not a free pass to paste client PII. Sending a client's tax return information to any outside AI, even a no-training, business-tier tool, is still a disclosure under IRC §7216 (only a fully self-hosted model isn't). The business plan makes that disclosure defensible; it doesn't make it automatic. Before real client data goes in, you still need: it to fit a §7216 exception or client consent, a confidentiality basis under the AICPA Code, and the tool covered by your firm's WISP. So even on a business plan, anonymize when you can (the Redactor tool makes it one click), and save real client data for when you've done that setup. (Full detail: Regulatory Foundation, the tool-tier section and §7216.)
If you already pay for a Team plan but "no one's using it," that's exactly what this library fixes, you're not wasting money, you just haven't been shown the path.
Step 2, Set it up safely (5 minutes, once)
Do these four things and you're on solid ground:
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[ ] Confirm training is off. On a business plan it's off by default, good. On a personal plan, turn off "use my data to improve the model" in settings (and still don't put client info in it).
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[ ] Create a "Project" (Claude) or a saved space. This is where the AI remembers your instructions so you don't repeat yourself. Name it something like "Firm, drafting."
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[ ] Paste a standing instruction so its answers fit your firm. A simple starter: "You help me with my CPA practice. Be concise and professional, explain the 'why' briefly, and never invent facts, figures, or citations, if you need something I didn't give you, leave a [BRACKET] for me to fill in."
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[ ] Know the one rule before you paste anything real: no client names, SSNs, EINs, or account numbers go into AI unless you've scrubbed them, or you're on a firm-approved tool and have the §7216 / WISP basis in place (above). When in doubt, scrub. (More: Guardrails.)
Step 3, Your first three wins (15 minutes)
Pick tasks with no client data so you can build confidence with zero risk:
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Proofread & tighten. Paste a non-client email or paragraph you wrote and ask: "Make this clearer and more professional, keep my meaning." Feel how fast it is.
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Summarize something long. Paste a long article, a standard, or your own notes (nothing client-identifying) and ask for "the 5 bullet takeaways." This is the "save me 20 minutes" moment.
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Try the redaction tool. Open Redactor, it shows you exactly how client info gets removed before AI ever sees it, right in your browser. This is the habit that makes everything else safe.
That's it, you've now used AI safely three times. You're started.
Where to go next
You're ready for the topic guides. Most people start with Module 1 (the easiest win):
- Module 1, Client Communication, drafting emails. Start here.
- Module 2, Tax Research, reliable answers without exposing clients.
- Module 3, Writing & Memos, SOPs, memos, summaries.
- Module 4, Automating Busywork, more advanced; come back to it.
- Module 5, Data Cleanup, extracting and cleaning data.
And keep these two handy: Guardrails (the safety rules) and the Glossary (any term you don't know).
The one rule under everything: anonymize or use a firm-approved tool; verify before you rely; the license and the signature are yours, not the AI's.