Small firms’ efforts to get more value from AI face a practical hurdle: the time required to learn and implement new tools. That was the most frequently cited barrier in a recent Financial Cents survey, ahead of cost, trust or skepticism.
The company’s State of AI in Bookkeeping & Accounting: 2026 Report drew on responses from nearly 500 accounting and bookkeeping professionals across North America. Financial Cents reported that 95% of firms surveyed were using AI in some capacity, yet only about one in five could identify a clear, measurable return.
Financial Cents framed the findings as a challenge for small accounting and bookkeeping firms, although the announcement did not provide a breakdown of respondents by firm size.
“Almost every firm we surveyed is already using AI, but very few are getting measurable value from it,” said Shahram Zarshenas, co-founder and CEO of Financial Cents. “The holdup isn’t skepticism, but time.”
The company cited the research in its Sept. 24 announcement of three AI document tools within its existing practice management platform. The tools apply file naming conventions, check client uploads against the requested document type and accounting period and sort documents into folders.
According to Financial Cents, firms can require approval of suggested names and folder destinations, with low-confidence decisions flagged for review. All three tools are included at no additional charge on every Financial Cents plan.
