Compile deductions and Schedule C with Claude Code
Claude Blattman — not quite a CPA. Task: Claude Blattman used Claude Code to automate tax preparation tasks, including assembling charitable contributions from Google Sheets, compiling itemized deductions from scattered receipts and credit card statements, and building a Schedule C for consulting income. The tool handled grunt work like sorting transactions, filtering by category, parsing CSV exports, and assembling data into spreadsheets ready for tax software. Human involvement remained critical for manual review of ambiguous charges (e.g., medical vs. childcare) and final data entry into tax software.; tools: Claude Code. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: This approach is not tax advice and uses fictional examples for educational purposes. Privacy is a major concern, as local files are sent to Anthropic's API when processed by Claude. Users must manually handle sensitive data like SSNs and bank account numbers, which should never be pasted into the AI. The workflow requires familiarity with Claude Code and may not suit complex tax situations without professional oversight..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
Claude Blattman — not quite a CPA.
Workflow
Claude Blattman used Claude Code to automate tax preparation tasks, including assembling charitable contributions from Google Sheets, compiling itemized deductions from scattered receipts and credit card statements, and building a Schedule C for consulting income. The tool handled grunt work like sorting transactions, filtering by category, parsing CSV exports, and assembling data into spreadsheets ready for tax software. Human involvement remained critical for manual review of ambiguous charges (e.g., medical vs. childcare) and final data entry into tax software.
Reported result
The workflow saved significant time, with the author estimating that tasks completed in three hours would have cost $1,000 if outsourced to an accountant. The primary value was not just speed but error detection, as the AI helped catch mistakes the author would have missed. However, the author emphasized that human verification of every AI output was non-negotiable, particularly for sensitive financial data.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
This approach is not tax advice and uses fictional examples for educational purposes. Privacy is a major concern, as local files are sent to Anthropic's API when processed by Claude. Users must manually handle sensitive data like SSNs and bank account numbers, which should never be pasted into the AI. The workflow requires familiarity with Claude Code and may not suit complex tax situations without professional oversight.
Try it
I want to use Claude Code to prepare my taxes for [replaceable: tax year]. My documents are located in [replaceable: folder path or email account]. I have [replaceable: types of income, e.g., W-2, 1099-NEC, consulting income] and [replaceable: deduction types, e.g., charitable, medical, childcare]. Please guide me through the following steps: 1. Install the /tax-guide skill if not already present. 2. Run /tax-collect to search for tax documents in my email and local folders. 3. Use /tax-compile to organize deductions into a spreadsheet, categorizing transactions by type. 4. Flag any ambiguous charges for my manual review. 5. Generate a summary of key figures for entry into [replaceable: tax software name]. Before proceeding, ask me clarifying questions about my specific tax situation. Do not enter any sensitive data like SSNs. After generating the spreadsheet, show me a sample of the categorized transactions for my approval before finalizing. Measure success by the accuracy of categorization and the time saved compared to manual entry.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.