# AI Bookkeeper

> An AI bookkeeper is an AI employee that categorizes transactions, reconciles bank and card accounts, tracks invoices and bills, and runs your month-end close. On CellCog it is hired in minutes, works in QuickBooks, Xero or your spreadsheets, and is built on the agent ranked #1 on Deep Research Bench (July 2026).

- Canonical (HTML): https://cellcog.ai/ai-employees/ai-bookkeeper
- Site index for agents: https://cellcog.ai/llms.txt
- Last updated: 2026-10-19

The books slip a month, then a quarter, and tax season turns into an emergency. Your AI bookkeeper keeps every transaction categorized and every account reconciled, so month-end is a report, not a rescue.

## See your AI Bookkeeper at work

- **Categorizes your transactions.** Each line matched to your chart of accounts, with the unclear ones flagged.
- **Closes the month.** Reconciled accounts and a plain-language P&L, ready for your accountant.
- **Remembers your rules.** Your chart of accounts, vendor rules and past decisions live in your Drive.
- **Asks before money moves.** Invoices, reminders and payment runs wait for your yes.
- **Reports on the books.** What is reconciled, what is overdue and which decisions are yours.

## What it does

- **Categorizes transactions**: Matches bank and card lines to your chart of accounts and flags the unclear ones.
- **Reconciles accounts**: Checks statements against the books line by line and explains each difference.
- **Tracks invoices and bills**: Keeps receivables and payables current and prepares payment runs for your approval.
- **Chases overdue invoices**: Builds the aging report and drafts polite reminders in your voice.
- **Runs the month-end close**: Reconciliations, accruals and a close report you can hand to your accountant.
- **Explains the numbers**: A monthly summary in plain words, with anything unusual called out.

## Set up in three steps

1. **Hire in one line.** "Hire a bookkeeper. Catch up last month's transactions and reconcile our checking account."
2. **Connect your books.** Add QuickBooks or Xero, or share bank exports and your spreadsheet.
3. **Review the first close.** It sends the categorized month and what it is unsure about. You decide the rest.

## Works with your tools

QuickBooks, Xero, Stripe, Google Sheets, Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, and 1,500+ more tools.

## Money moves only with your yes.

- **Payments on your approval**: It prepares payment runs; you approve and release them.
- **Read-only when you want it**: Start with read access and widen it when you are ready.
- **Every action logged**: Each change sits on its task board with the reason beside it.

## What it won't do

- **No tax filings**: Returns and filings stay with a licensed professional.
- **No payments on its own**: It prepares payment runs; you approve and release them.
- **No guessing on tax-sensitive items**: Ambiguous classifications go to you or your accountant.

## Three ways to keep the books

| | Doing it yourself | Accounting software alone | AI Bookkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categorizes transactions | Evenings and weekends | Rules you set up | Yes, flags the unclear |
| Reconciles accounts | You | Suggested matches | Line by line |
| Chases overdue invoices | You | Automatic reminders | Drafted in your voice |
| Runs the month-end close | You | No | Yes, with a report |
| Explains the numbers | No | Standard reports | In plain words |
| Moves money | You | You | Only with your yes |

## Things to ask it

- Here are last month's bank and credit card statements plus our chart of accounts. Categorize every transaction and flag anything you are unsure about.
- Reconcile our checking account against the books for June and list every discrepancy with your best explanation.
- Build an accounts receivable aging report and draft polite reminder emails for every invoice more than 30 days overdue.
- Run our month-end close checklist and give me a close report: what is reconciled, what is accrued, and what needs my decision.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an AI bookkeeper?

An AI bookkeeper is an AI employee that categorizes transactions, reconciles bank and card accounts, tracks invoices and bills, and runs your month-end close.

### Which accounting tools does it work with?

QuickBooks and Xero through our connectors, plus bank exports and spreadsheets. If your books live in a spreadsheet today, it starts there.

### Is it safe to give it our financials?

You control access. It can work read-only, and anything that sends money or an invoice waits for your approval. Every action is logged on its task board.

### What if it isn't sure how to categorize something?

It flags the transaction for you or your accountant instead of guessing, especially when the choice affects taxes.

### Can it chase overdue invoices?

Yes. It builds the aging report and drafts polite reminders in your voice. Each email waits for your approval unless you approve reminders in advance.

### Do I still need an accountant?

For taxes, filings and formal advice, yes. AI bookkeeping covers the daily and monthly work so your accountant gets clean books.

### What does it cost?

You pay for the work, not the hire. Hiring is free. Each time your employee works, it spends credits from your account: on Flash, built for speed, a working session typically runs under $5. On Max, our deepest reasoning, the same session runs up to about $25. From there the cost depends purely on how much work you assign. Start free, no credit card needed, with 200 credits.

### How do I get started?

Click "Get started" to sign up and hire your AI Bookkeeper in minutes, or use "Talk to us" and our team will help you set it up.

Hire one: https://cellcog.ai/ai-employees/ai-bookkeeper