Can an accounting firm sell its data to AI companies, and what has to stay out?
Quick answer, updated
Buyers name the records: 6 of the 51 buyers in the index name accounting workpapers, ledgers, bookkeeping, reconciliations or close processes in their own words, and Mode publishes a lower minimum for accounting firms (10+ employees). The record that can be licensed is the firm’s own: its procedures, checklists, close workflows, review notes and training material, which is what Regulr’s accounting example describes. Client files, client correspondence and tax records usually need client consent or anonymization before anyone can license them, and we flag that before any introduction.
By David Persson, editor of Data Licensing Index.
Who names accounting records
6 buyers in the index name accounting workpapers, ledgers, bookkeeping, reconciliations, tax or audit files, or close processes on their own pages. The table comes straight from the index and changes when a row does.
| Buyer | Tier | Type | How it names the data | Published range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protege | established | broker or intermediary | Back-office finance (general ledgers, invoices, receipts, P&L statements) | Not published |
| Databounties | new | broker or intermediary | Accounting ledgers | Not published |
| Miro Advisory | new | broker or intermediary | Operating datasets (tickets, reconciliations, dispatches, approvals) | Operating datasets $100K to $4M+; private codebases $10K to $1M+ (indicative) |
| Polyshares | new | AI data company | Accounting and ERP exports | Typically $100K to $2M, higher for large records; case studies from $110,000 to $450,000 |
| Sanctus Data Labs | new | AI data company | Accounting, invoices, bookkeeping and general ledger | $100K to $3M+ per license |
| Sell Business Data | new | broker or intermediary | ERP, WMS, CRM, accounting, ticketing and project systems | Not published |
Regulr describes the firm’s own procedures, checklists, close workflows and training material, while stating its examples have not been independently verified. Sanctus Data Labs names accounting, invoices, bookkeeping and the general ledger with FP&A. Appen names ERP, finance, contracts, HR, payroll and procurement records. AI Training Data Broker publishes a sample lab request for a 40-person accounting firm with 12 years of records: client email threads, review notes, reconciliation workpapers and a full ticket history. A sample request is what the broker says labs ask for, not a deal.
The line that decides the deal: your records or your clients’
An accounting firm holds two kinds of record. Its own, such as procedures, checklists, close workflows, review notes, training material, engagement timelines and the internal email about them, show how experienced accountants do the work, and that is what Regulr’s accounting example describes. Its clients’, such as ledgers, returns, workpapers prepared for a client and client correspondence, usually need the client’s consent or anonymization before anyone can license them. Buyers do not refuse the second kind; the consent step comes first, and we flag it before any introduction. The sample request above names client email threads and reconciliation workpapers, which is exactly where that step applies.
Lower minimums for professional firms
Mode publishes 6+ employees for legal, 10+ for accounting, finance and medical, and 30+ for all other businesses. Mode does not say why. The rest publish their general rules: Handshake AI 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, AI Training Data Broker 30+ and 3+ years on the same tools, Nyne 20+ US W-2 employees. The size guide lists every published minimum.
Rules that apply
- Country. Montlake Licensing takes US businesses only, and Anthroly takes companies headquartered and operating in the US only. McKays is a UK intermediary. The geography guide has the rest.
- Language. AI Training Data Broker, micro1, Polyshares and Sanctus Data Labs ask for English records.
- Who does the de-identification. Mercor, Appen and Centific say they cover extraction, anonymization and transfer at no cost to the company; AI Training Data Broker says the AI lab usually pays.
What buyers publish about money
Published figures are the companies’ own claims, not offers. Mode publishes $100K to $5M across industries with its calculator marked indicative, and Handshake AI $100K to $4M+. The published range guide lists every figure.
Next step
The free value check compares the buyers that fit your company on size, country and the records you hold, names the consent step up front, and introduces you only with your approval. If you already hold an offer, the free offer review reads its exclusivity, payment and de-identification clauses against what the buyer publishes. The data type guide lists every buyer by the records it names.
Frequently asked questions
Can an accounting firm sell its data to AI companies?
Several buyers say so and name the records. Sanctus Data Labs names accounting, invoices, bookkeeping and the general ledger. Mode publishes a 10+ employee minimum for accounting, finance and medical firms.
Can client files be included?
Usually not without the client’s consent or anonymization. Client data from accounting, tax and law firms is the data that most often needs consent before anyone can license it, and we flag it before any introduction. The firm’s own records, such as its procedures, checklists, review notes and close workflows, are the usual starting point.
Why do some buyers publish a lower minimum for accounting firms?
Mode publishes 6+ employees for legal and 10+ for accounting, finance and medical, against 30+ for other businesses. Mode does not say why. A lower floor does not change the consent question for client data.
How much do buyers say they pay an accounting firm?
Telegraph Lab lists a $350,000 deal for a 60-person accounting firm; Regulr shows the same figure and says its examples have not been independently verified. Count it once. Mode publishes $100K to $5M across industries with its calculator marked indicative.
What about tax and audit files?
They are client records with their own confidentiality and regulatory rules, so they sit on the client-consent side of the line. Longitude Labs, which licenses financial documents with substantive analysis, names deal materials and investment committee memos rather than tax returns. Ask before listing anything a client gave you or that you prepared for a client.
Sources
- 1.Regulr AI (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 2.Sanctus Data Labs (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 3.Appen Accessed .
- 4.AI Training Data Broker (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 5.Mode (BizBuyData) (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 6.Handshake AI Accessed .
- 7.Nyne Accessed .
- 8.Montlake Licensing (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 9.Anthroly (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 10.McKays Accessed .
- 11.micro1 Accessed .
- 12.Polyshares (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 13.Mercor Accessed .
- 14.Centific Accessed .
- 15.Telegraph Lab (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
- 16.Longitude Labs (Data licensing desk) (link withheld: company identity not independently corroborated) Accessed .
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