# Monthly cost share review brief prompt: free ChatGPT template > A copy-ready prompt that turns a client's monthly P&L totals into a one-page review brief: cost shares, what changed and three takeaways. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/monthly-cost-share-review-brief-prompt · Updated 2026-10-13 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Reports and planning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-reports-and-planning) · [Accounting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-accounting) · [Finance](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-finance) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 13, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when you have already cleaned a client's profit and loss export and have monthly totals for sales and each cost group, and you need a short brief for the review meeting. It turns the totals into cost-as-a-share-of-sales, flags the months that moved and gives three takeaways, each backed by a number you supplied. It does not clean the file, categorize rows or do the arithmetic for you. Do those first, as in the lesson, and give it your own totals. Treat its percentages as a draft until you have rechecked them against your sheet. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are a senior accountant at [FIRM], preparing a one-page review brief for a client meeting with the owner of [CLIENT]. Context: Here are the monthly totals for [PERIOD], in dollars: [TOTALS]. Use only these numbers. Do not invent figures, do not estimate missing months, and if something looks odd, say "needs review" instead of explaining it. Task: Show each cost group as a share of sales for every month, name the two months where a share moved the most, and give three takeaways for the owner. Each takeaway must cite a number from the totals and end with one suggested question to ask the owner. Format: A table with the months across and the cost groups down, then a numbered list of three takeaways. Plain words, under [WORD LIMIT] words, with no accounting jargon the owner would not use. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[FIRM]`** Your firm name. **`[CLIENT]`** The client business name, or a placeholder if your policy requires one. **`[PERIOD]`** The months covered, such as January to June. **`[TOTALS]`** Sales and each cost group by month, pasted from your cleaned sheet. **`[WORD LIMIT]`** 300 keeps it to one page. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Analyze a Client's P&L Export with ChatGPT (Accounting & Bookkeeping Firms)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-analyze-client-pl-export-accounting). Millbrook Accounting is the made-up firm in the Analyze a Client's P&L Export lesson, preparing a mid-year review for Copper Pot Kitchen, a made-up restaurant. The figures below are an illustration, not the lesson's data. Copy example ```text Role: You are a senior accountant at Millbrook Accounting, preparing a one-page review brief for a client meeting with the owner of Copper Pot Kitchen. Context: Here are the monthly totals for April to June, in dollars: April sales 52,000, food 16,900, labor 17,500, rent 4,800; May sales 55,000, food 18,700, labor 17,900, rent 4,800; June sales 49,000, food 17,200, labor 17,500, rent 4,800. Use only these numbers. Do not invent figures, do not estimate missing months, and if something looks odd, say "needs review" instead of explaining it. Task: Show each cost group as a share of sales for every month, name the two months where a share moved the most, and give three takeaways for the owner. Each takeaway must cite a number from the totals and end with one suggested question to ask the owner. Format: A table with the months across and the cost groups down, then a numbered list of three takeaways. Plain words, under 300 words, with no accounting jargon the owner would not use. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - Each share is shown for every month, so you can scan across and see the trend. - Every takeaway cites a figure you supplied and ends with a question for the owner. - Anything unclear is marked "needs review" instead of being explained away. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Recompute every percentage in your spreadsheet. Language models can make arithmetic mistakes. - Check the totals against the cleaned file, not against the brief. - Follow your firm's policy on which client details may go into an AI tool, and use a placeholder if needed. - Have a reviewer read the brief before it goes to the client. ## Why this prompt works Fixing the numbers in the Context and forbidding new ones keeps the model describing your data instead of producing its own. Asking for a question per takeaway turns a report into a conversation for the meeting. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Analyze a Client's P&L Export with ChatGPT (Accounting & Bookkeeping Firms)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-analyze-client-pl-export-accounting)**: Upload a client's Profit and Loss Detail export to ChatGPT, catch duplicate bank-feed entries and uncategorized rows first, then get a monthly P&L summary, a chart and three takeaways for the client review. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/accounting-pl-analysis) ## Terms used here [Gross margin](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gross-margin) · [Expense categorization](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/expense-categorization) · [Executive summary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/executive-summary) ## Related prompts - [KPI commentary prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/kpi-commentary-prompt): Explain a month's numbers in plain words: what moved, likely reasons you confirm, what to watch next, and no conclusions the… - [Executive summary from a report prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/executive-summary-from-report-prompt): Turn a long report into a one-page executive summary: the bottom line first, key findings, decisions needed and risks, using… - [Bank reconciliation exceptions memo prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/bank-reconciliation-exceptions-memo-prompt): A copy-ready prompt that turns a reconciliation's exception list into a short memo for the owner: what each row is, the fix, and… ## More reports and planning prompts - [NDA key terms summary prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/nda-key-terms-summary-prompt): Pull the key terms out of a nondisclosure agreement into one table with clause numbers, and flag anything beyond confidentiality… - [Plain-English document summary prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/plain-english-document-summary-prompt): Paste a contract, lease or policy and get a plain-English summary with section numbers, every date and dollar amount, and… - [Presentation outline prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/presentation-outline-prompt): Plan a short talk or slide deck: one point per slide, a headline and visual for each, minutes that fit your time, and a list of… ## Frequently asked questions **Can ChatGPT calculate cost percentages?** It can, but it can slip on arithmetic. Calculate them yourself or recheck its numbers before the brief goes out. **Should I paste the whole P&L export?** Usually not. Paste the monthly totals you need, and follow your firm's rules on client data. [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)