Claude Personal Finance lets you link your bank and card accounts and ask Claude questions about your money, in plain words. It’s a read-only beta for US users on the Pro, Max and Ultra plans, and it can’t move a single dollar.
Anthropic announced it on November 5. Here’s what it is, what it sees, how I’d use it as an owner, and where it stops.
What is Claude Personal Finance?
It’s a new hub in Claude’s side menu. You connect the accounts you choose, and Claude reads your balances and transactions.
Then you ask questions. “Where did my money go this month?” “Is that more than usual?” “Am I spending more than I make?” Claude answers from your real numbers and explains terms like APR.
It also builds a dashboard with your spending, cash flow, subscriptions and upcoming bills. You can add, edit and reorder the pieces.
Here’s Anthropic’s announcement and the setup guide in the Claude help center. TechCrunch covered the launch too.
Who can use it today?
Only some people, for now:
- Plans. Pro, Max and Ultra. Not Free, Team or Enterprise.
- Account type. A personal Claude account. If your company is on a Team plan, that login won’t show it.
- Region. US only, and only US banks. On a VPN from another country, it disappears.
- Rollout. It’s a beta rolling out gradually, so you might not see it yet.
- Apps. Web, the desktop app, and the iOS and Android apps.
Neither source mentions a separate price. It comes with those plans during the beta.
How does it connect, and what does Claude see?
You link accounts through Plaid, a service that connects apps to banks. You sign in to your bank inside Plaid, so Claude never sees your bank password.
You can link bank, credit card, loan and investment accounts, up to 16 banks. For the accounts you share, Claude sees:
- The bank name
- The account name, type and last four digits
- Balances and credit limits
- Up to 24 months of transactions: amount, date, merchant, category and the bank’s description
It doesn’t see your investment holdings, trades, interest rates or loan terms. One catch from the help center: if your bank puts a full account number in an account name or a transaction note, that can show up.
Anthropic says chats inside the Personal Finance hub aren’t used to train its models. Outside the hub, your normal privacy settings apply.
Can I use it for my business accounts?
It’s built for your personal money. The name says so, and the business plans are left out.
The help center only mentions a business login once, as an example of a second login at the same bank. It doesn’t describe any business features. So I’d treat it as a tool for your household, not your company books.
That still helps. If you ever put business costs on a personal card, this shows you where they went.
What I’d use it for as an owner
A few jobs it’s good at, on your personal accounts:
- Find forgotten subscriptions. Ask it to list every recurring charge. Anthropic says it flags duplicate charges, surprise fees and bills that crept up over the year.
- Spot spending trends. Ask how this month compares to the last six. Then ask which transactions are behind the number.
- Catch business costs on a personal card. Ask it to list charges that look like software, fuel or supplies. Those are the ones to move or reimburse.
- Prep questions for your bookkeeper. Before your next meeting, ask it to list anything odd. Bring that list instead of a shoebox.
- Check card interest. Ask what your card’s interest has cost you this year.
How to stay safe with it
It only reads, but it’s still your bank data. A few habits:
- Share only the accounts you need. Plaid lets you pick accounts at each bank.
- Keep business and personal separate. If your business account sits under the same bank login, leave it unticked in Plaid.
- Know how to disconnect. In Personal Finance, open your linked accounts and choose “Unlink” on a bank. “Unlink all banks” turns it off. You can also cut Claude off at my.plaid.com.
- Delete what you share. Unlinking stops new reads. Old chats, artifacts and shared links stay until you delete them.
- Watch shared links. A shared chat shows your account figures to anyone with the link.
If you’re about to trust AI with anything that matters, read what to check before you hand AI an important job.
What it can’t do
It can’t move, manage or invest money. Anthropic says it isn’t built to give investment advice, and it’s not accounting or tax advice either.
It can also be wrong. Balances can be a day or two old, and accounts linked twice can be counted twice. Anthropic’s own advice is to check important numbers with your bank.
Linked accounts also don’t work in scheduled tasks, Cowork or Claude Code. So it answers questions when you ask. It doesn’t do the work on its own.
Where real bookkeeping automation starts
Personal Finance answers questions when you ask. Bookkeeping is the work that has to happen every week, whether you look or not.
That’s receipts landing in your books with the right category. Invoices going out on time, and reminders chasing the late ones. Personal Finance does none of that, and it doesn’t touch your business software.
That’s what we build for clients. Here’s how business process automation works for a small team. If you want your books and invoices to run on their own, book a free call.
If you’re still choosing which AI your team should use day to day, I compared the two big ones in Claude vs ChatGPT for your team.
What to do now
Open Claude and look for Personal Finance in the side menu. If it’s there, link one personal card first and ask it to list every recurring charge. That’s the fastest way to see if it earns a place in your week.
FAQ
Is Claude Personal Finance free?
It’s included in the Pro, Max and Ultra plans during the beta. Anthropic hasn’t announced a separate fee. Free, Team and Enterprise plans can’t use it.
Can Claude move money from my bank account?
No. Access is read-only. Anthropic says it can’t move, manage or invest your money.
Does Claude see my bank password?
No. You sign in to your bank inside Plaid, and Claude never sees the password. It only reads the accounts you choose to share.
Can I use Claude Personal Finance outside the US?
Not yet. It’s US only, and only US banks can be linked. Outside the US, the option doesn’t appear.