AI and Accounting
How to adopt AI in your accounting firm without losing clients
July 23, 2026
At a Glance. In short: You can adopt AI without losing your clients, provided you keep the CPA as the responsible signatory, establish clear guidelines for each tool (data, provider, usage), comply with Law 25 and the transparency standards expected by the Ordre des CPA du Québec, and clearly communicate this to your clients. AI handles repetitive tasks, while the professional validates and endorses the results.
AI isn’t replacing your firm, it’s replacing the routine aspects of your work: data entry, categorization, reconciliations, and initial drafts of notes. What clients continue to want is a vetted professional who understands their situation, signs off on their financial statements, and is accountable for their advice to the professional association. It is precisely this combination, automating repetitive tasks while maintaining professional judgment, that distinguishes a thriving firm from one that is struggling.
The Ordre des CPA du Québec is not hindering this adoption, it is guiding it. Its Best Practices Guide for Artificial Intelligence offers a simple rule to remember before going any further: the CPA remains accountable for the work, regardless of the tool that produced it. AI never diminishes your professional responsibility; it simply shifts it toward supervision.
The dividing line must be clearly defined, not implied. In a firm, every task assigned to an AI tool must have a designated human point of oversight. Here is the breakdown that should be documented:
A best practice is to maintain a log of the firm’s use of AI: which tool, on what data, and approved by whom. This log serves as proof of due diligence if a client, the Professional Association, or the Commission on Access to Information (CAI) raises questions.
1. Map out your tasks before purchasing a tool. Make a list of tasks that are repetitive, require little judgment, and involve high volume, these are your top candidates for automation. Keep anything related to audit opinions, tax planning, and signing out of the scope.
2. Evaluate the provider, not just the feature. Where is the data hosted? Is it used to train the model? Does the provider offer a written agreement? Under Law 25, disclosing clients’ personal information to a third party outside Quebec requires a privacy impact assessment. A free, consumer-facing tool that automatically processes your uploads is not compliant.
3. Appoint a data protection officer. Law 25 already requires this of all businesses in Quebec. This person validates each new AI tool before it is deployed.
4. Keep the CPA on the critical path. No AI-generated output is sent to a client without human review. The AI speeds up the drafting process; it never replaces professional approval.
5. Document and train. A one-page internal policy that the team is familiar with is better than a powerful tool used without guidelines.
There are three requirements that directly affect a firm that integrates AI. First, transparency regarding automated decisions: Law 25 specifically addresses decisions based on exclusively regarding the automated processing of personal information; in this case, the client must be informed and have the information used corrected. In practice, since you retain a CPA who reviews and signs off on the work, you fall outside this strict requirement, but the spirit of transparency remains an expectation that must be met. Next, data minimization: only enter data that is strictly necessary into a tool. Finally, oversight of data transfers: document and assess any data that leaves Quebec, which is common with cloud-based AI tools.
The Commission on Access to Information is the leading authority on these topics. Addressing these requirements early on will save you from having to rebuild your processes later.
Clients aren’t afraid that you’ll use AI. They’re afraid of losing the human touch when it comes to their accounts. Your message must therefore be positive and clear: “We use AI to speed up repetitive tasks, which frees up our time for your tax strategy and decisions. A CPA reviews and signs off on everything that concerns you.” Focus on the benefit for the client, not the technology itself.
This approach also serves as a selling point. Entrepreneurs looking for an accountant today specifically want a professional who is comfortable with AI but remains accountable. This is the profile that Bankeo identifies and promotes. Of the more than 15,000 requests received since 2023, the added value has never been volume, but rather the right matching process: each firm’s credibility is assessed through the matching process Bankeo Trust Index, with more than 20 criteria to reassure clients of the professionalism of the expert behind the tool.
It can help you gain clients if it frees up time for consulting, but it can cause you to lose them if it replaces the personal relationship. A firm that automates data entry to remind clients in a timely manner about tax optimization creates perceived value. A firm that automates to distance itself from the client erodes the one thing software can’t replicate: trust and personal accountability.
This is also what the qualified clients that Bankeo refers to the firms in its network are looking for. The model is simple and transparent: the professional keeps 100% of their fees, Bankeo is free for the business owner, and the firm pays a fee per file, an amount known in advance, never a percentage of your fees. Learn how it works from the professional’s perspective on the page Bankeo Pro, and explore this topic in greater depth in our feature AI and Accounting.
Adopting AI is therefore not a technological gamble. It’s an organizational decision: defining what the machine does, safeguarding what the CPA is responsible for, and communicating this clearly. Firms that do this don’t lose clients. They become the kind of firm that clients in the AI era are actively seeking.
Yes. The Order regulates the use of AI rather than prohibiting it, notably through its Guide to Best Practices in Artificial Intelligence. The key rule: the CPA remains accountable for the work produced, regardless of the tool used. AI never reduces your professional liability.
Only if the provider offers written guarantees, you limit the data to what is strictly necessary, and you evaluate any data transfers outside of Quebec. A free consumer-facing tool that reuses your uploads to train its model is not compliant. Appoint a privacy officer to validate each tool.
Law 25 specifically targets decisions based exclusively on automated processing: in this specific case, the client must be informed. Since you retain a CPA who reviews and signs off on everything, you are not strictly in this situation, but transparency remains an expected best practice. Frame it positively: AI speeds up repetitive tasks, while a CPA reviews and signs everything related to the client.
Not if AI frees up time for consulting rather than replacing the personal relationship. Clients aren’t afraid of technology; they’re afraid of losing the person who handles their account. A firm that uses automation to provide better advice builds trust.
Map out your tasks: identify which ones are repetitive, require little judgment, and involve high volume. These are your top candidates for automation. Exclude opinion work, tax planning, and signing, these remain the domain of the professional.
Bankeo connects clients who value a professional who is comfortable with AI but remains accountable to firms in its network. The model is transparent: the firm keeps 100% of its fees; Bankeo is free for the business owner; and the firm’s contribution takes the form of a fee per file, an amount known in advance, never a percentage of your fees.
General information provided for informational purposes only, based on known 2026 tax rules. It is not a substitute for the advice of a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA): always consult a professional regarding your specific situation.
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