{"id":89966,"date":"2021-12-08t00:20:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-08t05:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=89966"},"modified":"2023-05-26t23:16:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-27t03:16:08","slug":"tax-tech-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2021\/12\/08\/tax-tech-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"automate tax season with apps you already use"},"content":{"rendered":"

make automation take the load off this busy season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by donny shimamoto
\ncenter for accounting transformation<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

between tax law changes and the pandemic, the last two busy seasons have been a bear for tax preparers to deal with.<\/p>\n

related: discover your accountant superpowers<\/a> | what auditors know about amazon product ratings<\/a> |\u00a0non-cpa \u201ccpa\u201d firms? really?<\/a> |<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

while there is still some volatility and uncertainty around what the next busy season will look like, tax preparers should consider the following technology-related initiatives now so they can proactively equip their firms for the coming busy season. this should enable staff to have more work-life balance during the busy season and increase the firm\u2019s ability to recruit and retain talent.<\/p>\n

tax return automation technologies<\/strong><\/p>\n

technologies to help reduce the manual work associated with tax return preparation are mature and have been around for years now. the diagram below shows a standardized tax return workflow .<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
figure 1<\/em> <\/strong>– standardized tax return workflow, via intraprise blueprint\u00ae for tax return services (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

there are technologies that support various aspects of this workflow. each type of technology, the process(es) that it supports, and key benefits are described below.<\/p>\n

electronic signature<\/h3>\n

with the covid-19 variants continuing to make people leery about meeting in person, these technologies allow you to obtain a legally binding signature on engagement letters and other documents without having to meet in person, print, scan, or fax documents. note that the irs requires that you use knowledge-based authentication (kba) if obtaining a signature on form 8879. some electronic signature platforms also allow you to collect payment via credit card or ach, so if you use it to get a client\u2019s signature on your engagement letter, you could also collect a retainer or payment at the same time.<\/p>\n