Reference

Claude Surfaces Quick Guide

A printable one-page guide for deciding which Claude product someone is talking about.

Claude Chat

Best for: quick questions, drafts, summaries, explanations, formulas, checklists.

Where: claude.ai, desktop, or mobile.

Accounting examples: draft a client email, explain a variance, summarize a policy, create a reconciliation checklist.

Claude Cowork

Best for: multi-step tasks where Claude plans, works, and returns a finished output.

Where: paid plans on web, desktop, and mobile, depending on rollout and employer settings.

Accounting examples: organize a messy folder, prepare a report draft, create a spreadsheet, synthesize several documents.

Claude Code

Best for: software development: reading code, editing files, running commands, fixing bugs.

Where: terminal, IDE, desktop app, and browser.

Accounting examples: usually not needed unless she works with scripts, databases, automations, or technical finance systems.

Safety rule for accounting work

Before putting client, payroll, tax, bank, or personally identifiable information into Claude, ask the employer what is approved. Claude can help prepare work, but a human remains responsible for financial accuracy and confidentiality.