Find out why you missed budget, not just by how much: have an AI compare actuals to budget and last year, and split every big gap into price, volume, mix and timing, with the follow-up questions for each owner: AI agent prompt
On Oct 29, 2026 Microsoft added 25 finance skills and partner plugins to Copilot in Excel and Cowork through its Frontier programme, reported by Accountio. One of them compares actual results with budgets, forecasts or prior periods and explains the differences by price, volume, mix, rate or timing; others build forecasts from actuals, run reconciliations and prepare tax and audit workpapers for review. The wording puts sign-off with the accountant. The prompt below does a price, volume and mix explanation of your own numbers in any AI assistant.
The prompt
Act as my financial analyst. Here are my numbers for [month or quarter]: budget, actual and the same period last year, by [product / service line / location], with units sold and average price where I have them: [paste table]. 1) Show total variance against budget and against last year, in money and %. 2) For each line with a gap over [threshold, e.g. 5% or $2,000], split it into price effect (we charged more or less), volume effect (we sold more or fewer), mix effect (we sold a different blend of products) and timing (revenue or costs that moved between periods), showing the arithmetic. If I'm missing data for a split, say what you'd need and mark the estimate as [CHECK]. 3) Rank the 5 biggest drivers in plain English, one sentence each. 4) For each driver, write the question to ask the person responsible and what evidence would confirm it. 5) Suggest whether the forecast for the rest of the year should change, and by roughly how much. Do not invent numbers that aren't in my table.
Fill in the blanks, then copy
This prompt has 4 [bracket]s to fill in. Type your details below and the prompt updates as you go. Your answers stay in this browser and are reused on other prompts with the same blanks. Nothing is sent to us.
Example values are fictional, just to show how a filled-in prompt reads. Replace them with your real details.How to use it
- Copy the prompt above.
- Replace every [bracket] with your own details (use the fill-in-the-blanks box above, which remembers your answers for the next prompt).
- Paste it into Microsoft Copilot in Excel, Claude, ChatGPT and review the answer before you use it.
Works with: Microsoft Copilot in Excel, Claude, ChatGPT, Excel, Google Sheets
Real-world example: accountio.co.uk/news/microsoft-copilot-for-accountants-finance-skills/
Featured in: ChatGPT prompts for business email, replies and follow-ups · AI prompts for Google Sheets and Excel work
Before you use it: what to check
Already built into this prompt
- Do not invent numbers that aren't in my table.
Check yourself
- Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
- Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
- Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.
Using an AI agent? Download this prompt as a SKILL.md agent skill with these checks built in, or get the .zip for Claude.ai. How to install skills.
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