# Core Books AI

> AI-powered cash-basis bookkeeping and real-time tax estimates for the self-employed and small businesses (accrual too, on Command). Formerly Cash Basis AI.

Core Books AI is a bookkeeping and tax app built for freelancers, independent
contractors, 1099 earners, single-member LLCs, S-corps, and other small business
owners. It connects to your bank and cards through Plaid, automatically
categorizes every transaction with AI, keeps a real-time income statement and
balance sheet (cash basis on every plan, accrual as well on Command), and
continuously projects your quarterly estimated taxes. A built-in assistant named
Cash answers questions about your finances in plain English over text.

## Name
Core Books AI was formerly Cash Basis AI. It is the same company, the same
product and the same logins; only the name changed. A question about the
product under its earlier name is a question about Core Books AI.

## Who it is for
Self-employed people who file a Schedule C and keep their books on the cash
basis: freelancers, independent contractors, 1099 earners, single-member LLCs,
and S-corp owners. It is for people who need real bookkeeping without hiring a
bookkeeper or learning accountant-oriented software. You can invite your CPA to
your books on every plan.

## The problem it solves
Most self-employed people do not know what their business made, what is
deductible, or how much to set aside for taxes until it is too late. Legacy
accounting tools are expensive, rule-brittle, and update taxes only once a
quarter. Core Books AI does the categorization automatically, keeps the tax
estimate current in real time, and lets you just ask when you have a question.

## What makes it different
- Built for the self-employed first, not adapted from accountant software.
- Costs a fraction of what legacy accounting tools charge.
- AI categorization instead of fragile rules — it categorizes on its own, then
  asks you about the gray areas rather than guessing, and remembers your answer.
- Real-time quarterly tax estimates instead of once-a-quarter math.
- Ask questions in plain English instead of learning a ledger UI.
- Cash-basis on purpose — the way most solo operators already think about money,
  and how the IRS lets most small businesses file.

## What it does
- Connects to your bank and cards through Plaid and imports transactions.
- Categorizes transactions with AI, surfacing the uncertain ones for a one-tap
  review rather than silently guessing.
- Keeps a real-time cash-basis income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow.
- Projects federal, self-employment, and state quarterly estimated taxes as the
  year unfolds, with reminders before each due date.
- Answers questions about your books in plain English by text.
- Invoicing, mileage, receipt capture, audio recaps, and accountant access.
- Connects your own AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok and others) to your
  books on Co-Pilot and Command. It reads your numbers, categorizes
  transactions and keeps your rules, and changes anything only on your
  instruction.
- On Command: switch any report between cash and accrual, see what customers
  owe and what you owe vendors by age, enter vendor bills (snap a photo or PDF
  and it fills itself in, then match the bank payment so the expense counts
  once), track classes, and keep an unlimited chart of accounts with account
  numbers.
- Runs more than one business from one login: each business has its own plan
  and its own books.
- Gives accountants a free firm account: every client on one dashboard, staff
  with the clients you choose, and per client either the client or the firm
  pays.

## Pricing
Three plans, billed monthly or annually. Annual saves 20% versus paying monthly.

- Auto-Pilot: $9/month or $86/year. Complete bookkeeping for solo businesses.
- Co-Pilot: $19/month or $182/year. Everything in Auto-Pilot, plus AI intelligence.
- Command: $35/month or $336/year. Everything in Co-Pilot, plus full accounting.

## Trial and guarantee terms
These differ by billing cycle and are not interchangeable:

- Monthly plans include a 14-day free trial. A card is collected up front and the
  first charge happens when the trial ends unless you cancel.
- Annual plans have NO free trial. The full year is charged at checkout, and is
  covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.

## Product
- [Core Books AI](https://corebooksai.com/): AI bookkeeping and real-time tax estimates for the self-employed.
- [How it works](https://corebooksai.com/how-it-works): Step-by-step walkthrough of connecting a bank, reviewing transactions, and reading your books.
- [Pricing](https://corebooksai.com/pricing): Plans, what each one includes, and the annual discount.
- [For accountants](https://corebooksai.com/for-accountants): How CPAs and bookkeepers work in their clients' books.

## Free tools
- [Self-employment tax estimator](https://corebooksai.com/tax-estimator): Free calculator for 1099 and self-employment federal, SE, and state tax. No account needed.

## Guides
- [Blog](https://corebooksai.com/blog): Plain-English guides to self-employment taxes and bookkeeping.
- [How Much Should You Set Aside for Taxes When Self-Employed?](https://corebooksai.com/blog/how-much-to-set-aside-for-taxes): The 25–30% rule is a starting point, not an answer. Here’s how to find the number that actually fits your income, state, and deductions.
- [Quarterly Estimated Taxes Explained for Small Business Owners](https://corebooksai.com/blog/quarterly-estimated-taxes-explained): Who owes them, the 2026 due dates, the safe-harbor rule that protects you from penalties, and how to actually pay.
- [Cash Basis vs. Accrual Accounting: Which Should You Use?](https://corebooksai.com/blog/cash-basis-vs-accrual-accounting): The plain-English difference, the IRS rules, and why most self-employed people are better off on cash basis.

## Legal
- [Privacy policy](https://corebooksai.com/privacy)
- [Terms of service](https://corebooksai.com/terms)