Top 5 Things ChatGPT Gets Wrong About Bookkeeping
ChatGPT can explain bookkeeping. It can suggest categories, show examples, even generate checklists.
Download Our Free Brochure →But when it comes to actually doing your books, it falls short — and sometimes, it gets things flat-out wrong.
Here are the top 5 things ChatGPT consistently gets wrong about bookkeeping — and why trusting AI without human review could cost your business more than you think.
1. It Treats Bookkeeping Like a List — Not a Ledger
ChatGPT may show a sample chart of accounts or suggest expense categories. But it doesn’t understand how those entries connect to actual account balances.
Real bookkeeping = data that matches your real-world bank and credit card records.
We reconcile every account monthly — AI doesn’t.
2. It Doesn’t Understand Context
If you ask ChatGPT where to categorize a transaction for “office supplies,” it will suggest a default answer.
But what if that expense is for furniture depreciation? Or part of a client invoice?
AI doesn’t know your business. It doesn’t see your books.
Our bookkeepers do – and every report is reviewed by a CPA.
Download Our Free Brochure →3. It Doesn’t Flag Mistakes – Even Obvious Ones
ChatGPT can’t tell you:
- When your bank statement doesn’t match your QuickBooks balance
- That your credit card payments are posted twice
- That your revenue was inflated by a Stripe sync issue
It assumes the numbers you give it are right — even when they’re not.
We catch those problems before they become IRS or lender issues.
4. It Can’t Prepare Tax-Ready Reports
ChatGPT may show you what a P&L looks like. But it can’t:
- Generate your actual report from live data
- Validate it for IRS or state tax filings
- Sign off on a financial package for SBA or grant applications
Only CPA-reviewed financials are trusted for filing and funding.
RemoteBooksOnline delivers that – monthly.
5. It Doesn’t Track Deadlines or Reconcile Accounts
ChatGPT won’t remind you that Q2 estimated taxes are due.
It won’t close out last month’s books.
It won’t reconcile a $75.42 discrepancy between your checking account and your QuickBooks balance.
Bookkeeping isn’t static. It’s ongoing, live, and detail-sensitive.
AI can’t keep up – but we do.
Use ChatGPT to learn bookkeeping.
Use RemoteBooksOnline to do it right.
Test Case
An e-commerce seller used ChatGPT to build a chart of accounts — helpful start. But their real books were off by $11,000 due to uncategorized deposits. We cleaned the file, reconciled 12 months, and delivered CPA-reviewed reports they used to file and qualify for a $60,000 SBA loan.
FAQs
Q1: So should I stop using ChatGPT for bookkeeping?
No — just don’t trust it to run your books. Use it for ideas. Use us for accuracy.
Q2: What do you do that ChatGPT doesn’t?
We reconcile, organize, and CPA-review your books monthly – using real data, not AI guesses.
Q3: Can you fix my QuickBooks file?
Yes. We offer full cleanup and catch-up services.
Q4: Is this service month-to-month?
Yes. Flat-rate, no contracts, CPA-reviewed.
Q5: Can I keep using ChatGPT too?
Absolutely. It’s a great assistant. We’re your full-time bookkeeper.
Internal Links:
Midway CTA:
ChatGPT is helpful – but it doesn’t know your numbers. We reconcile your books, review with a CPA, and deliver real reports every month.
End CTA:
Smart business owners use AI to ask questions – and RemoteBooksOnline to deliver real answers. CPA-reviewed. Flat-rate. Done right.
