For tax preparation firms
Double return capacity in tax season. Keep the team sane.
Independent tax preparation firms, EA practices, and seasonal preparers. The work is volume-intensive and calendar-compressed. We expand per-preparer capacity so the season stops breaking your staff.
Serving North America jurisdiction-specific requirements confirmed during scoping
Tax preparation firms outside the full-service CPA model face an especially sharp volume problem during tax season. An EA or non-CPA tax preparer can reasonably handle 8-15 returns per day at peak, and the season has only about 70 working days. The math says a solo preparer caps out around 800-1,000 returns; a firm of 4 preparers caps out around 3,000-4,000. Growing the firm means hiring seasonal staff, training them fast, and accepting uneven quality.
AI-assisted workflows change the per-preparer throughput ceiling. Client-portal document ingestion with automated field extraction (W-2, 1099, 1098, 1095, brokerage statements, etc.) plus prepopulated return data means preparers start from a 60-80% complete return rather than a blank one. Combined with AI-assisted review (catching common errors, missing Schedule A items, missing dependents), the per-preparer capacity can rise 40-60% in peak season without quality degradation.
Client communication is the other pain point. Clients chase their own returns, miss documents, and create friction. Automated client communication (status updates, document requests, pickup/e-file-authorization reminders) reduces the preparer's communication load.
We are explicit about what stays human: tax position decisions, professional judgment, e-file authorization. We automate the preparation mechanics; the preparer signs and delivers.
This page is not legal, regulatory, tax, or professional advice. Data handling and jurisdiction-specific requirements are documented in the engagement scope; no control or certification is implied. Read the scoped data-handling approach.
What we'd automate first
Where a carefully scoped workflow may earn its keep.
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01
Document collection blocking returns
Missing 1099s or clarifying questions delay returns. Automated client-portal with upload reminders and completeness checking reduces blockers.
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02
Return preparation from blank forms
Preparers start with a blank return and enter everything. Pre-populated returns from document extraction cut preparation time 50-70%.
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03
Seasonal staff quality variance
Newly trained seasonal preparers make different errors than experienced preparers. AI-assisted review catching common errors before preparer review levels quality.
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04
Client pickup and e-file authorization friction
Clients don't pick up returns or sign e-file authorization promptly. Automated reminder sequences speed the close.
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05
IRS notices and post-season correspondence
Post-season IRS notices create tail work. Automated notice triage and response-draft assembly compresses this work.
EA-led tax prep firm, 1,800 returns: per-preparer capacity
An EA-led firm with 4 full-time preparers and 3 seasonal processed about 1,800 returns per season, extending roughly 15% of them past April 15 due to capacity constraints. Preparer time per return averaged 2.1 hours including client collection and review. We built document ingestion with extraction plus pre-populated returns and assisted review. Per-return time dropped to about 1.2 hours. The firm processed 2,400 returns the following season with the same staffing, extended under 6%, and increased profit per preparer materially.
Result: Per-return time 2.1 hrs → 1.2 hrs; capacity +33%Rough numbers first
Estimate the opportunity in your own numbers.
Directional scenario only. This calculator does not validate inputs, estimate implementation cost, provide a quote, or predict a result. Confirm assumptions against your own records.
Common questions
Questions to resolve before implementation.
Do you work with Drake, TaxSlayer Pro, ProSeries, Lacerte?
Yes, all major preparer software.
IRS e-file compliance, handled?
E-file authorization and signing remain entirely in preparer hands. The automation preps the return; the preparer signs.
RTRP / EA / CPA differences?
The workflow fits any of these. Scope of preparer signature authority stays what it is by credential.
Describe what is actually happening in this workflow.
Glen replies in writing with whether a Nano-Pilot fits or the honest answer is “not yet.”
Send a written intakeRelated industry paths
Selected related paths.
- Categorize the easy ones automatically. Focus your people on the hard ones. Move up the value stack. Bookkeeping services serving 10-200 clients on QuickBooks Online, Xero, and adjacent platforms. The economic ceiling on manual categorization is real, and the way out is better tooling, not more bookkeepers.
- Survive tax season. Improve audit documentation. Take back advisory capacity. 2- to 20-partner CPA firms running 1040s and entity returns plus advisory and assurance work. Tax season is the compression season; the rest of the year is the advisory opportunity you can't serve well because staff is exhausted. We change the season.
- Quote faster across carriers. Retain more at renewal. Free the CSRs from portal purgatory. Independent P&C agencies and commercial insurance brokers. Producer time on carrier portals is the single biggest productivity drain, and renewal attrition is the silent margin killer. We address both.