How OpenAccountants Works: From Question to Source-Cited Draft
Product wording checked on 17 October 2026. Tax examples retain their stated dates; check the current official source before acting.
Connect your AI
Follow the instructions for your AI app on the setup page. The hosted connection allows limited guest use, then asks you to sign in with a free account. Some AI apps ask you to connect an account during setup. Your AI provider may charge separately.
Find the relevant skill
Ask your question and name the countries and tax year involved. The AI can call start to scope the question, search_rules for specific facts and sources, and get_skill to retrieve a skill. Those are technical tool names; the documents are called skills on the website.
The AI chooses whether to call a tool. Check that it retrieved the relevant material rather than assuming the connection makes every answer sourced.
Check what the skill actually says
A skill is reference material. Read its applicable year, author, review record and official sources. Team-written material, an engine draft awaiting approval, an accountant-authored skill and a skill with an independent check are different things. The review-method page explains the labels.
An independent accountant check concerns the method of the stated version. It is not a guarantee that every figure remains current. Open the official source for a rate, threshold or deadline before relying on it.
Treat the answer as a draft
Your AI produces the answer. It may omit a condition, use the wrong year or misattribute a citation. Check its assumptions and working. Neither the skill nor the free AI connection files a return or makes a payment.
Hosted tool calls send their arguments to OpenAccountants. We log usage and redacted question text under our Privacy Policy. Reading a downloaded skill locally does not call our server; the AI provider’s terms govern what you send to that provider.
Engage us when you want the work done
You can book a free introductory call or explicitly request professional help through the available tool. Sending a request does not automatically assign an accountant or create an engagement.
We confirm availability, the selected services, total fee, start date and responsible accountant in a written engagement with OpenAccountants. The published prices apply to their stated services, markets and limits. Marked exceptions need a separate quote; other unlisted accounting work uses the published hourly rate.
The accountant who contributed a skill is not automatically responsible for your client work. Your engagement names who is.
What is free and what is open source
Our software is open source. The skills are free to read and use personally under the OpenAccountants Guide License; redistribution and incorporation into a product or service require written permission.
The skills and AI connection are free. Paid accounting services and any explicitly free introductory offers are listed separately. Compare the three ways to use OpenAccountants.