Truewind at Lavoie CPA: What a Client Close Costs in Hours

Truewind sells AI software that drafts accounting work for CPA firms and outsourced CFO firms. On October 21, 2026, it published a case study on Lavoie CPA, a Charlotte firm founded in 2009. In it, a Lavoie staffer named Sherice says she closed one client's month "all at one time in about 30 to 45 minutes," "with me doing the balance sheet reconciliations." A reconciliation checks that an account in the books matches an outside record, such as a bank statement.

A close, or month-end close, is the work of finishing and checking a client's books for the month so the financial statements are right.

The case study is specific, and the tool looks good. It names the firm and the staff, and dates its metrics to October 16, 2026. But it's Truewind's own case study, and the quotes are Lavoie staff describing their own work.

The useful question for a firm owner isn't whether to buy it. It's where your own close stands today, and whether your books and staff are ready to let an AI agent handle any part of it. An AI agent here is a program that works through a set task and returns a draft for review.

Why one close in under an hour matters to a firm

If a full client close can take about 30 to 45 minutes at one firm, the question for every other firm is simple. How many hours is your close costing per client right now?

A firm owner can usually name the monthly fee per client. The hours behind it are harder to pin down. That's the number that decides whether a tool like this changes anything for you, and it's one you can measure before you talk to any vendor.

We won't turn Lavoie's quotes into savings math. The case study doesn't give a before time for Sherice's close, and we won't invent one.

What Truewind actually is

Truewind sells what it calls Workpaper Agents. A workpaper is the supporting file an accountant keeps to back up a number in the books, such as a schedule showing how a balance was reached. Per the case study, the agents draft entries and workpapers. Staff review and post them.

A journal entry is a single record in the books that moves an amount between accounts, such as recording a monthly expense or a depreciation charge. At Lavoie, entries post to Sage Intacct, the general ledger Lavoie uses for every client on Truewind.

That split matters. In this case study, the software drafts and a person decides. The review step stays human.

What Lavoie's numbers show

Truewind reports, as of October 16, 2026: 117 journal entries posted to Sage Intacct through Workpaper Agents since mid-April, 105 of them posted by Lavoie staff, with 70 live workpapers and 92 rollforwards completed. A rollforward is a schedule that carries a balance from one period to the next, showing what was added and what was taken out.

These are usage counts, not savings. They show the agents are part of real work at the firm, not a pilot sitting on the side.

Truewind also reports Lavoie went from 8 to 15 client entities on AI, April to October 2026, with 2 roles not backfilled: staff-level positions Lavoie no longer needs to fill as it grows. A client entity is one set of books the firm keeps, so one client with two companies counts as two. The case study gives no salary or dollar figure for those roles.

What Lavoie's VP said about a close

The case study also quotes Lavoie's VP, Matt DeWald, on closing one client's financials: "it took us an hour and a half to close the financials for them with one person," excluding revenue.

The case study doesn't say whether this is the same client as Sherice's, and it isn't a before time for hers. We're reading the two quotes side by side, not as a before and after. Both describe one person closing one client's financials and both are the firm's own account.

What the two quotes share is the shape of the work. One person, one client, one close. For a firm used to spreading a close across several days and several hands, that shape is the part worth noticing.

A second firm, on a different tool

For a separate benchmark, Botkeeper, another AI bookkeeping vendor, has an undated customer page on J A Rodriguez CPA. Per Botkeeper's case study, "By implementing the Botkeeper solution, J A Rodriguez CPA has grown their client base by 25%, saved $90k in salaries by not having to hire additional bookkeepers, and saved an additional 840 hours per year on write-up work using Botkeeper." Write-up work is the bookkeeping an accounting firm does for a client each month or quarter: recording transactions, categorizing them, and producing basic statements.

This is a different firm on a different tool, from an undated vendor page. It isn't new, and we won't combine it with Lavoie's numbers. It's here as one more self-reported example of the same idea: work a firm used to staff for, done with fewer hires.

Three clients, one month of timing

Truewind dates its counts, and both vendors name real firms. What most practices are missing is a clear picture of where their own close stands.

Start with time. Pick three clients of different sizes and track the hours each close takes next month, from first entry to final review. Write down who touched it and for how long.

Then look at what the time went to. Recurring journal entries, reconciliations, and workpapers each take a different kind of effort. The step that eats the most hours is the place to start.

Keep the timing honest. Count review time, not only preparation time. Also count the back and forth with the client when a statement or receipt is missing. If the hours go to chasing documents, a drafting tool won't fix that part. If they go to keying recurring entries or building the same schedules each month, that's the kind of work Truewind's case study describes its agents drafting.

Clean books and a named reviewer

An agent drafting journal entries needs a clean chart of accounts, the list of account names and numbers a client's books are organized under. It also needs consistent client setups. If every client is set up differently, an agent will spend its effort on exceptions, and so will your reviewers.

Then decide who reviews. At Lavoie, per the case study, staff posted 105 of the 117 entries, so people stayed in the loop. Name the reviewer for each client before any tool goes live, and write down what they check.

Finally, think about capacity before headcount. Lavoie's case study describes growing client entities without backfilling two roles. Whether your firm could do the same depends on your clients, your staff, and your books. Measure first, then decide.

For a related look at handing over bookkeeping tasks in order, see what to hand over first in QuickBooks upkeep. For audit-side prep, our AuditFile Agents post covers who signs off.

Truewind and Lavoie CPA questions from firm owners

What is Truewind?

Truewind sells AI Workpaper Agents that draft journal entries and workpapers for accounting firms. Per its case study, staff review the drafts and post them. In its October 2026 Lavoie CPA case study, 105 of 117 entries posted to Sage Intacct were posted by Lavoie staff.

How do I know if my firm is ready for an AI close tool?

Track the hours your close takes for a few clients and note which steps eat the most time. Then check that client setups are consistent and that every client has a named reviewer.

How much time can AI save on a monthly close?

Truewind's case study quotes one Lavoie staffer closing a client's month in about 30 to 45 minutes, a self-reported figure from one firm. Your result depends on your clients, your books, and your team, so measure your own close first.

If you want the long version of how we think about readiness, Start with a FREE quiz and Get Your AI Score.