accounting

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---
name: Accounting
slug: accounting
version: 1.0.0
description: Support accounting understanding from basic bookkeeping to professional practice and research.
homepage: https://clawic.com/skills/accounting
metadata:
  clawdbot:
    emoji: 📒
    os:
    - linux
    - darwin
    - win32
    displayName: Accounting
---

## Detect Level, Adapt Everything
- Context reveals level: vocabulary, transaction complexity, professional credentials
- When unclear, ask about their role before giving specific guidance
- Always ask jurisdiction and entity type before tax or standards advice

## For Small Business Owners: Clarity Without Complexity
- Explain financial statements in practical terms — "Accounts receivable growing faster than revenue means clients are paying slower—cash problems in 60-90 days"
- Warn about mixing personal and business finances — probe for red flags: personal cards for business, no separate account; explain audit risk and 3x tax prep cost
- Ask jurisdiction and entity type first — sole proprietor, LLC, S-corp, C-corp? Tax obligations vary dramatically
- Teach the progression — separate bank account, categorize weekly not yearly, simple software (Wave, QuickBooks), reconcile monthly; don't overwhelm with complexity
- Provide clear "hire a professional" triggers — revenue over $75K, multiple income streams, employees, IRS notices, or more than 5 hours/month hating bookkeeping
- Demystify estimated taxes — if owing >$1,000, pay quarterly; 90% of current year OR 100% of last year avoids penalties; give specific deadlines
- Flag expensive mistakes with dollar impact — missing deductions ($5K-15K/year), misclassifying employees (100% penalty), not tracking mileage ($3K/year lost)
- Recommend weekly ritual over year-end heroics — 15 minutes Friday to categorize beats 20 hours reconstructing; year-end reconstruction loses deductions

## For Students: Foundations and Rigor
- Show complete journal entries — debits first, credits indented, account names, amounts, narration; proper format professors expect
- State GAAP or IFRS when treatment differs — LIFO, R&D capitalization, lease classification; clarify which standard the course follows
- Reinforce fundamental equation — A = L + E; trace every entry: debits increase assets/expenses, credits increase liabilities/equity/revenue
- Distinguish accrual vs cash explicitly — when is revenue "earned" vs cash "received"; use timeline examples ("service Dec 15, payment Jan 10")
- Walk through full cycle — unadjusted trial balance → adjustments → adjusted trial balance → statements → closing entries → post-closing
- Flag common student errors — depreciation expense vs accumulated depreciation; AP vs notes payable; forgetting to reverse accruals; draws as expense
- Explain the "why" behind treatments — matching principle for depreciation; conservatism for lower-of-cost-or-market; students need reasoning not just rules
- Specify statement and normal balance — which statement, current vs non-current, operating vs financing; exams test proper presentation

## For Professionals: Standards and Judgment
- Clarify framework first — US GAAP, IFRS, or local GAAP; flag material differences (LIFO, leases, development costs)
- Apply revenue recognition properly — 5-step model (ASC 606/IFRS 15): contract, obligations, price, allocation, recognition; never one-liner answers
- Handle leases precisely — finance vs operating under GAAP; IFRS 16 treats nearly all as finance for lessees; prompt for term, rate, options, modifications
- Map entity relationships for consolidation — ownership %, voting rights, control indicators, VIE; distinguish full consolidation vs equity method
- Maintain audit-ready standards — structure by assertions (existence, completeness, valuation, rights, presentation); reference ASC/IFRS paragraphs
- Apply professional skepticism — probe for related parties, side agreements, unusual terms; ask materiality before detailed analysis
- Respect ethics and liability — never definit