Year-end and month-end close procedures
The order work happens in and the checkpoints a senior applies before a file moves on.
CaseWareExcelSharePoint
For Canadian accounting & bookkeeping firms
Your firm's years of closes and review notes have a buyer now
Short answer: Yes. Canadian accounting and bookkeeping firms can license firm-owned records, such as close procedures, de-identified review notes, SOPs and practice workflow, to AI developers. Client-confidential information stays out under the CPA Code (Rule 208 in Ontario), engagement letters, PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25. Published buyer ranges generally start around $100K per licence.
AI developers are paying established firms to license a copy of how accounting work actually gets done. We help Canadian firms work out what's theirs to license, keep client information out, and reach the buyers that accept accounting practices.
Last updated · Sources linked inline · Buyer figures observed Oct 16, 2026
Free to start. No files or logins needed.
How does licensing work for an accounting firm?
In four steps, with no cost to start: share the basics, scope what the firm owns, get matched to buyers whose published criteria fit, then sign directly with the buyer, who pays you.
Tell us the basics
Headcount, years of records and the systems you use. No files, no logins, no client names.
We map what's yours
We separate firm-owned material (procedures, review trails, workflow) from client-confidential information under the CPA Code and your engagement letters.
We match you to buyers
Only programs whose published criteria fit a Canadian accounting firm of your size and record language.
You sign with the buyer
The buyer handles de-identification under a written agreement and pays your firm directly. You keep your originals.
What records do AI buyers want from accounting and bookkeeping firms?
The accounting records AI buyers value most: Buyers want to see how trained people make judgment calls. The most licensable material is what your firm wrote itself.
Review notes and sign-off trails
How a reviewer questions a file and how each point gets cleared. This judgment is what buyers pay for.
CaseWare Working PapersKarbon
Reconciliation and adjustment history
Why entries were booked or reversed, with client identifiers replaced before anyone samples it.
QuickBooks OnlineXeroSage 50
Internal SOPs, checklists and training
Firm-authored and usually the cleanest material to license.
SharePointGoogle DriveNotion
Practice workflow
Job templates, deadlines and handoffs through T1/T2 season and year-end.
KarbonTaxDomeJetpack WorkflowCanopy
Which AI buyers accept accounting and bookkeeping firms, and what do they pay?
Buyer programs that list accounting work. Public terms only. Canadian eligibility is confirmed buyer by buyer, because several programs say they prioritize US companies.
| Buyer | What they publish | Who they say qualifies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode (data.mode.inc) | Indicative $100K–$5M; about 3 months from first call to payment; no broker fee charged to the company. As published · verify | Minimum 6 staff for legal, 10 for accounting and finance, 30 for other businesses. Teams based mainly in the US are its strongest fit. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
| Centific | No amounts published; pays on acceptance and covers extraction and anonymization costs. As published · verify | Lists operational data in finance and accounting, IT service management, people operations and sales workflows. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
| Turing (Project Lazarus) | A single payment of up to $1M, confirmed after sampling (usually within a week). As published · verify | Operating, winding-down or closed companies. Wants communications, tickets, wikis and databases; code alone doesn't qualify. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
| micro1 | Published tiers of $100K+, $500K+ and $1M+ (its referral page cites $100K–$2M+ for approved packages). As published · verify | 30+ employees. US companies prioritized, then other Western markets; primarily English. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
Amounts are each buyer's own published ranges, ceilings or tiers, not offers, and they change. Most buyers are US companies and don't always state a currency, so confirm it in writing. Buyer names describe their public programs only. How the process works.
The Canadian line for accounting and bookkeeping firms
What can't a Canadian accounting firm license?
Client information stays with your clients. Canada has no direct copy of the US tax-preparer disclosure statute that American sites talk about. Your limits come from your profession's code, your engagement letters and privacy law. Here's how we apply them.
- CPA Code. In Ontario, Rule 208 of the CPA Code of Professional Conduct restricts disclosing confidential client information, or using it for anyone else's advantage, without the client's consent. Other provincial CPA bodies have equivalent rules, and in Quebec professional secrecy also applies. So we scope client files out by default and focus on records the firm itself authored.
- Engagement letters. Many include their own confidentiality and data-use terms. We read them before anything is scoped.
- PIPEDA and provincial law. Your records hold personal information about clients, client staff and your own team. Alberta, BC and Quebec have their own private-sector laws, and PIPEDA still applies when information crosses provincial or national borders, which a sale to a US buyer does.
- Quebec's Law 25. Quebec treats de-identified information as personal information. Sending it outside Quebec calls for a privacy impact assessment and a written agreement, so Quebec offices need this step.
- CRA material. Returns, slips, T183 authorizations, SINs, business numbers and CRA correspondence stay out entirely. Your own CRA e-filing commitments also apply; confirm with counsel.
- CASL. We email you only about the request you made, or after you opt in, and every message carries an unsubscribe link.
Sources: CPA Ontario Code of Professional Conduct · OPC: privacy laws in Canada · Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec · CRTC: CASL FAQ
Never included, for any accounting firm
- Tax returns, slips and anything prepared to file them
- SINs, business numbers, CRA program account numbers and T183s
- Bank, card and investment account numbers or statements
- Payroll you run for clients, and your own staff's HR and payroll files
- Client names and contact details (replaced with consistent stand-ins)
- Anything an engagement letter or NDA keeps confidential
General information, not legal advice. We ask every firm to confirm scope with its own counsel or regulator before signing.
What does a typical accounting firm deal look like?
An illustrative case: a 40-person Ottawa firm (compilation, bookkeeping, corporate tax) with 14 years in CaseWare, Karbon, QuickBooks Online and Microsoft 365. Client files are scoped out; the licensable set is close checklists, de-identified review-note trails, SOPs and practice workflow. Buyers' published tiers put a firm this size around $100K–$500K per licence, with micro1 (30+) and Mode (from 10) as likely fits. The buyer pays the firm directly.
Illustrative only. Bands come from buyers' published tiers; not an offer or a valuation.
What do Canadian accounting firms ask?
How many people do we need on staff?
It depends on the buyer. Mode lists accounting firms from 10 staff, Handshake wants 20+ full-time, micro1 asks for 30+ and Scale prefers 40+ (as published, observed Oct 16, 2026). Years of history and the number of systems matter too.
Do we need every client's consent?
Not for firm-authored material that has been scoped to exclude client information. Anything client-confidential needs the client's consent under your CPA Code. Confirm the scope with your counsel or your provincial CPA body's practice advisory service.
Can we include tax files?
No. Returns, slips and CRA material are excluded by default.
We're in Quebec, or work mostly in French. Does that matter?
Yes, twice over. Buyers mostly license English-language records today, so a mainly French archive may fit fewer programs. And Law 25 calls for a privacy impact assessment before de-identified information leaves Quebec.
Will this get in the way of busy season?
Starting takes a 20-minute call and no file access. We schedule any scoping work around April 30, June 15 and your year-end peaks.
Is this a sale? Do we lose our data?
Most programs license a copy and you keep your originals. Some terms are exclusive by default, so we flag that before you sign.
What does it cost?
Nothing to start. The estimate and the first call are free, and any terms are set out in writing before you sign anything.
We've already applied to a buyer. Can you still help?
Tell us which one. We won't submit you twice, and we can still help with scoping.
Which guides help accounting and bookkeeping firms?
Start with the pillar guide: licensing your firm's data to AI in Canada.
What could your firm's records be worth?
Three answers give you a rough range based on what buyers publish. Add your details if you want us to follow up. There's no cost to start.