Written by Miriad with AI assistance and checked against the sources at the end. Practical guidance for small accounting and bookkeeping firms, not ethics advice: your professional body's rules decide.
TL;DR: An accounting firm can post every week without a single client detail. Deadlines, rule changes, common mistakes, how your office works and short explanations of terms are all public material. Client stories need the client's specific consent, and "anonymised" is often not anonymous in a small town. Keep every post honest, specific and free of promised results.
"We can't post anything, our work is confidential." It sounds like a rule, but it mixes up two things. The client's affairs are confidential. Your knowledge of tax rules, deadlines and the way your office works is not, and it is exactly what a prospect wants to see before they call.
This article lists post types that show expertise without client detail, then marks the lines you should not cross. It is part of our guide to accounting firm marketing strategies, which tests every channel against client confidentiality.
Why does confidentiality make accountants go quiet on social media?
Because the most natural content, "here is what we did for a client", is the one thing the rules restrict. The AICPA Code forbids disclosing confidential client information without the client's specific consent, so the instinct to stay silent is understandable. But client stories are a small part of what a firm can post about.
The rule itself is narrow and clear. AICPA 1.700.001 says a member does not disclose confidential client information "without the specific consent of the client" (AICPA Code, 2024). It covers what you know about a client. It does not cover what you know about tax.
The useful reframe: a social media feed for an accounting firm is not a portfolio of results. It is evidence that you understand the rules your prospects worry about, and that you are a person they could talk to. Both can be shown with public material only.
Which post types show expertise without client detail?
Eight post types cover a full year without touching a client: deadline reminders, rule-change explainers, common mistakes, term explainers, how your process works, behind-the-scenes office posts, answers to questions anyone could ask, and links to your own articles. Each starts from a public source or your own know-how.
| Post type | Example line | Source of the facts |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline reminder | "The online return deadline is coming. Here is what we need from you, and by when." | The tax authority's page |
| Rule-change explainer | "Making Tax Digital quarterly updates: what changes for a sole trader." | HMRC guidance |
| Common mistake | "Three things sole traders forget to keep for their year-end accounts." | Your own experience, no client detail |
| Term explainer | "What a bank reconciliation is, and why we ask for it monthly." | Your own know-how |
| How we work | "What happens in our first 30 days with a new bookkeeping client." | Your client onboarding process |
| Behind the scenes | "Our month-end close checklist, simplified." | Your procedures |
| Anyone's question | "Can I deduct my home office? The general rule, in four lines." | Published rules |
| Your article | A two-line summary and a link | Your website |
Two of these deserve a note. "Common mistake" posts must be general enough that no client recognises themselves. "Ten clients this year forgot X" is fine; "a restaurant client forgot X in March" is not. "How we work" posts double as sales material, because they answer the prospect's real question: what will working with you feel like?
Where are the lines in posts that mention clients?
Any post that mentions a client, even without a name, needs the test: could someone who knows them recognise the situation? If yes, you need the client's specific, written consent before posting. In a small town or a narrow niche, a business type plus a problem plus a month is often enough to identify someone.
Three practical cases:
- "Congratulations to our client on opening their second shop." This discloses that they are a client. Ask first, in writing, even if the opening is public news.
- "A local builder saved a lot by switching to monthly bookkeeping." In a town with six builders, this identifies someone. Leave it out, or get consent.
- "Many construction clients ask us about payroll for subcontractors." No individual is identifiable. This is fine.
Testimonials follow the same rule. A client's quote about your service is their information about their relationship with you. Get written consent, show them the final post, and keep the consent with your records.
The confidentiality line also applies to the drafting tool. Do not paste a client email into a public AI tool to "turn it into a post". Write the general version yourself, or describe the situation in general terms with no names, figures or recognisable details.
What do the advertising rules mean for a single post?
Every post is advertising, so the professional advertising rules apply to it. In practice that means three checks before posting: no promised results, no comparisons you cannot back up, and no credential claim you do not hold. AI drafts often overstate, so the check matters most on drafted posts.
The rules behind the three checks:
- ICAEW Code R115.2: be honest and truthful in marketing, with no exaggerated claims, disparaging references or unsubstantiated comparisons; R115.3 bans promotion amounting to harassment (ICAEW Code, 2024).
- AICPA 1.600.001: no advertising that is false, misleading or deceptive, and no coercive, over-reaching or harassing solicitation (AICPA Code, 2024).
- Circular 230, § 10.30: practitioners before the IRS may not use false, fraudulent, coercive, misleading or deceptive communications, and an enrolled agent may not describe themselves as "certified" (Cornell LII, 31 CFR 10.30).
The enrolled agent point is easy to miss in a bio line. "Certified tax expert" may sound harmless in an AI draft of a LinkedIn profile, but for an enrolled agent it is the wrong word. Write "Enrolled agent, licensed by the IRS to represent taxpayers", or simply "Enrolled agent".
A sample month of posts for a small firm
A month for a small firm can be twelve posts, three a week, drafted in one sitting during a quiet week and scheduled ahead. The mix below uses five of the eight post types, touches no client data, and takes one person about four hours, including the review of every rule and date.
Example (illustrative, not a real case): A three-person bookkeeping firm plans October. The office manager drafts 12 posts in one 3-hour block, using AI to shorten her own notes and the public HMRC and IRS pages she pastes in. A partner spends 1 hour checking every date and rule.
| Week | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadline reminder: 31 October paper returns | Term explainer: payment on account | How we work: our document request list |
| 2 | Common mistake: mixing business and personal accounts | Anyone's question: do I need a business bank account? | Behind the scenes: our month-end close in five steps |
| 3 | Rule-change explainer: quarterly updates | Term explainer: chart of accounts | Your article: link to the services page |
| 4 | Common mistake: missing receipts at year-end | How we work: what our fixed-fee pricing includes | Deadline reminder: 31 January online returns |
The two deadline dates come from HMRC's Self Assessment page: paper returns 31 October 2026, online returns and payment 31 January 2027 (GOV.UK, 2026). The prompt the office manager uses is simple: "Here is a public page and my notes. Write a post under 80 words for small business owners. No promises, no comparisons with other firms, no superlatives. End with one practical action." Then the partner reads each post against the three checks above.
How should the firm handle comments and messages?
Answer general questions in public and move anything specific to a private channel. A comment like "does this apply to me?" invites the commenter to share their affairs in public. Reply with the general rule, then invite them to contact the office, and never confirm in public that someone is a client.
A short reply pattern the whole team can use: thank them, give the general rule in one sentence, and add "for your own situation, call or email us and we'll look at it properly". The same applies to reviews; the accounting firm SEO article covers review replies in detail.
For the longer format that suits the same material, a monthly email to clients, see the tax-change newsletter template.
If you want posts that sound like your firm rather than like a chatbot, with the advertising rules built into the prompts, the Conversion Copywriting Pack is built for that. Get notified when it launches.
FAQ
What should an accounting firm post on social media?
Post material that needs no client detail: deadline reminders, explanations of rule changes, common mistakes in general terms, explanations of terms such as bank reconciliation, how your onboarding and month-end process works, and links to your own articles. All of this is built from public sources or your own know-how, so it can be drafted quickly and checked by a qualified person.
Can an accountant post about a client if the name is removed?
Only if no one could recognise the client from the post. In a small town or a narrow niche, a business type, a problem and a date are often enough to identify someone. The AICPA Code requires the client's specific consent before confidential information is disclosed, so when in doubt, get written consent or keep the post general.
Can an enrolled agent call themselves certified on social media?
No. Circular 230 section 10.30 says an enrolled agent may not describe themselves as certified. It also bans false, misleading or deceptive communications by anyone who practises before the IRS. Use the plain title, enrolled agent, and if you want, a short description of what it allows, such as representing taxpayers before the IRS.
Can we use AI to write accounting firm social media posts?
Yes, if the input is public material or your own notes and the output is checked. Paste in the tax authority's page or your notes, ask for a short post with no promises or comparisons, and have a qualified person check every date and rule. Never paste a client email or document into a public AI tool to turn it into a post.
Sources
- AICPA, "AICPA Code of Professional Conduct" (copy hosted by the Minnesota Society of CPAs), 2024. https://www.mncpa.org/mncpa/media/Documents-Shared/about-mncpa-info/AICPA-code-of-conduct.pdf
- ICAEW, "Professional behaviour in the Code of Ethics", 2024. https://icaew.com/-/media/corporate/files/about-icaew/who-we-are/governance-and-committees/professional-standards-committee/professional-behaviour-in-the-code-of-ethics-mar-2024.ashx
- Cornell LII, "31 CFR § 10.30 — Solicitation" (IRS Circular 230), rule applies from 2011, accessed 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/31/10.30
- GOV.UK (HMRC), "Self Assessment tax returns: deadlines", 2026. https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns/deadlines