Bizora Tax Technology Power List 2025

Throughout 2025, tax professionals managed rising workloads, tighter deadlines, and increasingly complex rules across federal, state, and global jurisdictions. Staffing shortages heightened the pressure on accuracy and documentation, making dependable technology a daily requirement rather than a long-term investment. As firms sought the top tax software for CPAs in 2025, research, preparation, reviews, and client communication relied more heavily on tools that kept teams organized and confident in their work.

The Bizora Tax Technology Power List 2025 highlights the companies that supported this shift across seven core areas: research and guidance, preparation and compliance, workflow and practice management, indirect/transaction tax, payroll & employment tax, document intake, and efficiency layer. These categories reflect the work tax professionals handle every day and the tools they use to manage steady, growing demands.

Companies featured on this list were selected for measurable impact. Their tools helped teams interpret complex rules more clearly, reduce manual tasks, maintain filing and review schedules, and support businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions. Whether through deeper research capabilities, smoother internal processes, or more structured operations, these companies influenced how tax work was completed in 2025.

Firms invested in technology that reduced unnecessary handoffs, minimized duplicate work, and made information easier to use throughout the tax cycle. Many moved from isolated systems to integrated platforms that support collaboration and create more predictable workflows, shaping how teams plan busy seasons and organize operations.

This Power List recognizes the companies that played meaningful roles in tax work throughout 2025 and points toward how the profession will continue to evolve.

Why Tax Tech Is Transforming in 2025

Tax teams spent much of 2025 managing growing workloads and more detailed requirements across federal, state, and global jurisdictions. Many departments had fewer experienced professionals available, which made it harder to keep work on schedule during busy periods. These conditions led organizations to rely more on tools that provided structure, organized information, and enabled consistent work across their teams.

Regulatory demands also became more detailed throughout the year. Professionals devoted more time to reviewing updates, preparing documentation, and ensuring their positions were well supported. Handling this level of work manually was challenging, especially for teams responsible for filings in multiple locations or for businesses operating across different markets.

Staffing limitations added to the pressure. With fewer people available, teams looked for tools that reduced repetitive steps, supported accurate reviews, and helped newer staff take on complex assignments with greater confidence. Technology became a practical way to maintain quality and meet deadlines when internal capacity was limited.

Throughout the year, software played a larger part in how tax work was organized. Research platforms helped professionals interpret rules more efficiently. Workflow systems provided clearer visibility into deadlines and reduced bottlenecks. Indirect tax and payroll tools supported businesses operating in more jurisdictions. Document intake tools reduced the time spent sorting and preparing information for review.

These conditions encouraged firms to adopt technology that removed unnecessary steps, improved communication, and made information easier to use across the tax cycle. This approach helped teams stay on schedule and maintain accuracy as responsibilities increased.

The experience of 2025 reinforced the need for reliable tools, steady processes, and systems that support consistent outcomes. These practices are shaping how many organizations plan their tax work and organize their operations for the years ahead.

Best Tax Technology 2025

Tax teams worked with a range of tools in 2025 to support research, compliance, workflow, indirect tax, payroll, and document intake. The companies listed in each category reflect solutions that played a meaningful role in daily work throughout the year.

The categories to be covered include:

1. AI Tax Research & Guidance

2. Tax Preparation & Compliance Software

3. Tax Workflow & Practice Management

4. Sales & Use / Indirect / Transaction Tax

5. Payroll & Employment Tax

6. Document Intake

7. The Efficiency Layer

Let’s begin!

A. AI Tax Research & Guidance

AI-supported research tools helped tax teams review tax codes and rules more efficiently in 2025. These platforms provided clearer interpretations, quicker access to information, and reliable support for handling detailed questions.

1. Thomson Reuters CoCounsel

Thomson Reuters CoCounsel is an AI-powered assistant that supports tax professionals with research, document review, and drafting. Built on the Thomson Reuters ecosystem, it connects to sources such as Checkpoint and other authoritative tax law materials, ensuring outputs remain grounded in verified guidance.

CoCounsel can summarize lengthy documents, extract key points from client files, compare versions, and generate structured drafts or explanations based on user inputs. Its workflows help teams organize information, identify relevant authorities, and produce consistent memos, workpapers, and client-ready communications with embedded citations.

CoCounsel supports tax teams with document-intensive or time-sensitive work, early-stage research, and initial draft creation. By handling much of the manual review and formatting, it frees professionals to spend more time on deeper analysis, apply their judgment, and engage directly with clients.

2. Bloomberg Tax Research

Bloomberg Tax Research provides tax professionals with federal, state, and international tax materials supported by expert-written analysis. Its content includes explanations, examples, news updates, and annotations that help users understand how tax rules apply in practice. Professionals rely on it to navigate statutes, regulations, court decisions, and agency guidance in one consolidated environment.

The platform includes tools for comparing state requirements, reviewing entity-level and transaction-level rules, and tracking regulatory changes across jurisdictions. Teams use Bloomberg Tax Research when they need deeper context on technical issues, support with drafting, or verification before finalizing a position. Its structured content and practical commentary make it a steady resource for complex or unfamiliar areas of tax law.

Bloomberg Tax Research also integrates up-to-date primary sources with timely news and emerging AI features such as quick summaries and cross-jurisdiction comparisons. These additions help professionals complete research tasks more clearly and quickly while maintaining accuracy.

3. Blue J

Blue J is an AI-powered tax research assistant that helps professionals analyze complex tax questions with citation-backed explanations. It draws on case law, administrative guidance, and statutory authorities to provide clear interpretations that support both technical research and early-stage drafting.

The platform also includes predictive tools that allow users to compare fact patterns, review relevant authorities, and see how adjustments in the facts could influence potential outcomes. Its visualization and explanation features break down the key factors driving these assessments, helping professionals understand how courts have approached similar issues and where interpretations may differ.

Tax professionals rely on Blue J when they need quick, well-supported research, insight into how judicial reasoning has applied in comparable situations, or help evaluating positions that depend on factual distinctions. The platform surfaces important details from authorities and past decisions, making it easier to draft or review tax positions with better clarity.

4. TaxGPT

TaxGPT is an AI-powered tax research and workflow platform built on a curated library of authoritative sources. Its coverage spans U.S. federal tax law, all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Canadian federal and provincial rules, supported by IRS guidance, court cases, and other primary authorities. Each answer includes citations and direct links to underlying materials, making it easy for professionals to confirm how conclusions were reached.

Research is only one part of the system. Agent Andrew reviews 1040, 1120-S, and 1065 returns to flag potential issues and identify possible savings. Client Intelligence builds ongoing profiles from uploaded documents, and the drafting tools help prepare memos and responses to IRS notices with citation-backed support.

Teams use TaxGPT to work through complex questions, review returns before filing, and prepare written analysis with clear citations. The platform helps professionals confirm positions, resolve issues early in the process, and document their reasoning in a way that aligns with internal and regulatory expectations. It supports daily research and review work for firms and in-house departments that want consistent, source-driven results.

5. Bizora AI

Bizora is an AI tax research tool trained solely on authoritative tax sources, including the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, IRS rulings, state-level guidance, and case law. It covers U.S. federal law, all 50 states, U.S. territories, and international materials such as Canada, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, and OECD Pillar Two guidance.

The platform supports direct research through a standard mode and deeper analysis through a multi-step research mode that brings together IRC provisions, regulations, rulings, court decisions, and treaty materials with precise citations. Users can upload Word, PDF, and Excel files to extract tax provisions, financial details, and compliance information in a structured format, while the Vault provides a secure workspace for organizing documents, annotations, and ongoing research threads.

Bizora offers API access so firms can embed its research capabilities into internal systems, portals, or broader workflows. Personalization features tailor the depth and structure of responses to a user’s practice area. Tax professionals rely on Bizora to reduce research time, prepare citation-backed memos, and address complex federal, state, and cross-border matters with documentation suitable for internal review and audit.

B. Tax Preparation & Compliance Software

Tax preparation and compliance tools helped professionals manage filings, organize data, and maintain accuracy across federal and state requirements in 2025. These platforms supported core compliance tasks by streamlining calculations, improving documentation, and reducing manual preparation time.

6. Thomson Reuters UltraTax

Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS is one of the best tax prep software used for individual, business, and fiduciary returns. It integrates with the CS Professional Suite, allowing firms to move data between accounting, trial balance, and engagement tools without manual entry.

The software includes diagnostics, e-file support, and built-in calculations that help preparers identify inconsistencies before filing. UltraTax CS also offers tools for state allocations, multi-state business returns, and consolidated filings, giving teams a structured way to handle more complex compliance work. Its integration across the suite helps teams maintain consistency throughout the compliance process and support clients with complete, timely submissions.

7. Wolters Kluwer CCH Axcess / ProSystem

CCH Axcess and ProSystem fx form Wolters Kluwer’s cloud and desktop tax preparation systems, supporting individual, business, and specialty returns. These platforms integrate with Wolters Kluwer’s research, planning, and workflow tools, enabling firms to transfer data across the compliance process without manual input.

Both systems offer comprehensive diagnostics, review tools, and multi-state capabilities that help preparers manage complex returns with greater consistency. CCH Axcess provides cloud-based access, API connectivity, and integrated workflow features, while ProSystem fx delivers a traditional desktop experience with extensive form coverage and a long-established library of tax content.

Firms use CCH Axcess and ProSystem fx to handle high-volume preparation, coordinate team reviews, and monitor filings across multiple jurisdictions. The integration with other Wolters Kluwer products helps maintain accuracy from data import through final submission, even during peak tax season workloads.

8. Intuit ProConnect / Lacerte / ProSeries

Intuit provides three professional tax preparation platforms—ProConnect Tax, Lacerte, and ProSeries—each designed for different firm sizes, return types, and workflow preferences. Together, they support individual, business, and specialty filings with varying levels of depth, automation, and data-handling capabilities.

ProConnect Tax Online is Intuit’s cloud-based system that requires no software installation and integrates directly with QuickBooks Online. It allows preparers to import client data, reconcile information, and collaborate from any location, making it a good fit for firms that prefer browser-based access and flexibility.

Lacerte Tax, available as a desktop or hosted product, is designed for firms managing complex individual and business returns. It offers extensive diagnostics, specialized forms, and support for multi-preparer workflows, and it integrates with QuickBooks Desktop Accountant.

ProSeries Tax serves small- and mid-sized practices preparing standard individual and small business returns. It is offered as a desktop or hosted solution and provides a forms-based interface with clear access to calculation details and essential preparation tools.

Firms choose among ProConnect, Lacerte, and ProSeries based on the complexity and volume of their filings, their preferred deployment option, and the depth of features required.

9. Drake Tax

Drake Tax is a desktop-based preparation system widely used by small and mid-sized firms for individual, business, partnership, and fiduciary returns. It includes unlimited multi-state support without add-on modules, automatic data flow from federal to state and city returns, and fast data entry through shortcut keys and macros.

The software incorporates several tools that support accuracy and review, including DoubleCheck diagnostics, LinkBacks for tracing calculations to source data, and Drake Tax Planner for scenario analysis, updated for recent federal tax law changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill provisions. Drake Workflow Beta connects Drake Tax with Portals, E-Sign, and Pay to support task routing, status tracking, and team coordination across the preparation process.

Drake Tax’s integrations with tools like GruntWorx help automate data extraction, giving practices a more streamlined workflow from document intake through final e-filing, particularly for routine compliance work.

10. Filed

Filed is a cloud-based automation platform that helps firms prepare review-ready tax returns within the software they already use. It reads and organizes client documents, extracts data, and assembles workpapers that support a return through the early preparation stages. This gives small and mid-sized firms a browser-based way to manage document-heavy work without replacing existing tax systems.

The platform supports secure drag-and-drop intake, automated data extraction, and structured workpapers that align with standard professional tax suites. Teams can track return progress, assign work, and review activity within Filed, which adds workflow visibility on top of their primary compliance tools.

Many practices adopt Filed to expand capacity without replacing their core preparation software and to maintain tighter control over data handling. Its security framework includes SOC 2 compliance, Azure hosting, encryption, and PII anonymization to support firms with strict confidentiality requirements. These features reduce manual data entry, giving preparers and reviewers more time for analysis and client work.

11. Instead

Instead is an AI-powered tax strategy platform that helps firms identify and implement tax savings opportunities for clients. The system analyzes tax returns, financial data, and QuickBooks records in real time to evaluate eligibility across more than 18 planning strategies, ranging from common credits and deductions to complex areas such as R&D credits, work opportunity credits, and depreciation optimization.

The platform generates detailed reports that document recommended strategies, calculate estimated savings, and outline steps for implementation. Firms turn to Instead to expand advisory services, moving beyond compliance work to deliver proactive planning that demonstrates measurable value to clients.

It surfaces opportunities that would otherwise require hours of manual analysis, helping practices systematize tax planning, scale advisory capacity, and create new revenue streams from strategy work throughout the year.

C. Tax Workflow & Practice Management

Tax workflow and practice management tools helped firms coordinate work, monitor deadlines, and manage client deliverables throughout 2025. These platforms supported daily operations by organizing tasks, improving visibility across engagements, and helping teams stay on schedule during busy periods.

11. Karbon

Karbon is tax workflow software that brings communication, tasks, and client requests into a single workspace, so firms can manage tax engagements without relying on scattered email threads or spreadsheets. Conversations, documents, and deadlines stay tied to the work being performed.

Firms use tools like Triage (the shared inbox), automated checklists, and a library of 400 workflow templates to keep return preparation and review steps consistent. FIFO queues help prioritize work during the busy season, and Progress Reports highlight deadlines and bottlenecks as filings move forward.

Karbon connects with StanfordTax for organizers and workpapers, TaxNow for transcript alerts, Intuit ProConnect Tax, Gmail, Outlook, and standard document systems. Extension tracking, automated reminders, eSignatures, and time and budget tools are built directly into tax workflows, giving firms clearer coordination and steadier turnaround times without replacing existing compliance software.

12. Canopy

Canopy gives firms a way to keep client work organized without sorting through long email threads or scattered folders. Client records, open items, files, and deadlines stay connected inside the platform, making it easier to see what still needs attention.

Smart Intake helps firms collect information by generating document requests, filling in known details, and matching uploaded files to the right items. The system also includes client portals, secure messaging, document storage, workflow templates, CRM tools, and features such as document matching, subtask checklists, MFA controls, and an updated module for proposals and billing.

Canopy can integrate with QuickBooks, Outlook, Google Workspace, and e-signature tools, so practices can oversee client activity in a central workspace while continuing to use their existing practice management software.

13. TaxDome

TaxDome manages client communication, file exchange, and engagement tracking in a unified system. Clients use the portal for messages, document uploads, organizers, reminders, and signatures, reducing follow-up and keeping important information in one location.

Pipelines show where returns or projects stand, and firms use tagging, approvals, and file management to keep incoming documents organized. Billing and payment tools are in the same portal, so invoicing and engagement remain part of the same workflow.

TaxDome integrates with email and cloud storage applications, enabling firms to track work from intake through delivery. Practices use it to maintain steady communication and monitor progress across all active engagements.

14. Double

Double is a bookkeeping practice management and workflow system built for firms that run recurring month-end close cycles and need one place to track tasks, client communication, and bookkeeping work. Month-end checklists, client requests, and supporting documents are grouped, keeping the process organized without relying on a mix of tools.

Automated file review flags coding inconsistencies before books are finalized, and firms use built-in tools for 1099 vendor tracking, W-9 requests, and secure client messaging. Customizable workflows outline the steps for reconciliations, reviews, and other routine bookkeeping tasks. Management reports summarize key performance indicators for each client, giving firms a clearer view of workload and progress.

Double connects directly with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Corrections and updates made during review can be synced back to the accounting system, keeping records aligned across platforms.

15. Financial Cents

Firms that want a straightforward way to monitor deadlines and track recurring work often turn to Financial Cents. Teams can quickly see what is due, who is assigned, and how returns or projects are progressing as work moves through the system.

Task lists, workflow templates, client-request tools, and time and budget tracking support day-to-day preparation and review work. Messages and files stay linked to the related task, keeping engagement details together and reducing follow-ups.

Financial Cents works alongside email and document storage tools, providing firms with structure for compliance and bookkeeping workflows without requiring changes to their existing software.

D. Sales & Use / Indirect / Transaction Tax

Sales & use tax, indirect tax, and transaction tax systems helped businesses stay compliant across growing state and global requirements. These tools supported registration, rate calculation, filing, and reporting, and gave tax teams control over multi-jurisdiction obligations in 2025.

16. Taxwire

Taxwire automates global sales tax compliance for businesses that operate across multiple jurisdictions. It identifies where a company has obligations, monitors economic nexus thresholds, manages registrations, and applies accurate rooftop-level tax calculations across billing systems, marketplaces, and direct sales channels.

Taxwire prepares and files sales tax returns, handles remittances, and manages government correspondence through a virtual mailbox that scans notices and flags items that need attention. The platform also supports product taxability mapping and exemption certificate management, which helps teams stay organized as sales expand into more states or countries.

Businesses adopt Taxwire to reduce manual compliance work, maintain accurate filings, and keep pace with changing sales tax rules without implementing a full enterprise tax engine.

17. Kintsugi

Kintsugi helps businesses understand their sales tax exposure before compliance issues surface. The platform reviews transactions, sales channels, and customer locations to show where a company has crossed economic-nexus thresholds or is subject to new registration requirements. It then organizes the steps, documents, and follow-up needed for registrations and highlights gaps in sales tax workflows, such as missing exemption certificates or inconsistent tax treatment across channels.

Firms use Kintsugi when they need a way to monitor nexus and state-by-state obligations as transaction volume expands across marketplaces, e-commerce platforms, or multiple operating states. It brings structure to the early stages of indirect tax compliance and supports businesses that want a reliable process without implementing a full-scale tax engine.

18. Numeral

Numeral focuses on sales tax compliance for modern e-commerce and SaaS companies that operate across multiple states. The platform identifies where a business has obligations, tracks economic nexus thresholds, and applies the correct sales tax treatment to transactions across billing systems, marketplaces, and other sales channels.

The system supports product taxability mapping, exemption certificate storage, and automated preparation of state returns. Businesses use Numeral to keep sales tax registration, calculation, and filing requirements aligned as they add new states, expand revenue streams, or sell through direct channels, subscription platforms, and online marketplaces. It offers a way for companies to manage compliance while maintaining accurate state filings without the complexity of an enterprise tax engine.

19. Anrok

Anrok provides sales tax compliance tools for SaaS companies with usage-based billing, recurring subscriptions, and customers in multiple regions. It connects to billing platforms to determine where tax or VAT applies and calculates the correct amount based on location, product rules, and customer type. Anrok also links to HR systems to identify when new hires create a physical nexus, giving teams an early signal when new states require registration.

The platform prepares and files state returns, manages registration steps, stores exemption certificates, and tracks economic nexus thresholds so companies can see where obligations are developing. Anrok expanded in 2025 to support physical goods, but its core focus remains on software businesses that want dependable sales tax compliance without adopting an enterprise tax engine.

E. Payroll & Employment Tax

Payroll and employment tax systems helped businesses process wages, calculate withholding obligations, and stay compliant with federal, state, and local requirements throughout 2025. These tools supported recurring payroll runs, multi-state reporting, and year-end filings while giving finance and HR teams clearer visibility into deadlines, adjustments, and employee records.

20. Gusto

Businesses that want a simple way to run payroll and handle employment tax filings often use Gusto. The platform calculates wages and withholdings, processes direct deposits, and prepares the federal, state, and local forms required for regular and year-end payroll cycles.

Gusto also supports onboarding, document collection, time tracking, and benefits administration, with an employee self-service portal that keeps payroll information and employee records together. It handles multi-state payroll and registers companies for new state tax accounts when they hire in additional locations, preparing filings such as Forms 940, 941, W-2, and 1099.

21. Rippling

Many companies use Rippling when they want payroll and employment tax to stay aligned with the rest of their HR and operational processes. Employee data, time tracking, device settings, and access permissions all sit in the same system, so payroll and tax calculations adjust automatically when employee information changes.

Rippling runs payroll, calculates withholdings, and prepares federal, state, and local tax filings, including year-end forms. Teams use its onboarding tools to set up new hires, collect required documents, and handle benefits enrollment, while time and attendance data moves directly into payroll without manual entry. The platform also supports multi-state payroll and manages tax registrations when companies add employees in new jurisdictions.

22. Deel

Deel is used by companies that employ people across different countries and need payroll and compliance handled under local rules. It calculates pay and withholdings, country-specific contributions, and prepares the payroll and statutory tax documents required in each jurisdiction.

They also provide tools for managing contractors, collecting employment documents, administering localized benefits, and generating country-specific agreements. It can also serve as the employer of record in locations where a business lacks a legal entity, allowing companies to hire internationally without establishing a local presence.

23. Papaya Global

Papaya Global helps companies manage payroll and employment tax across multiple countries through a single system. It calculates pay, handles withholdings and statutory contributions, and prepares the payroll and tax documents required in each jurisdiction.

Onboarding, document collection, benefits information, and contractor details feed into the same workflow, and data from in-country partners is consolidated, making payroll activity easy to review before approval. Papaya Global also monitors local compliance requirements, including social contributions and reporting deadlines.

F. Document Intake

Document intake tools helped firms gather and organize client materials more efficiently in 2025. These systems reduced manual sorting, extracted key information from tax documents, and kept files tied to the right engagement. They also gave teams a clearer view of what had been received and what was still outstanding.

24. Truss

Truss helps firms handle document intake by converting client uploads into organized workpapers ready for review. It can pull information from prior-year returns to create tailored checklists, read and categorize source documents, auto-rename files, and use Smart Split to separate multi-document PDFs into individual components.

Workpaper Mode brings questionnaires, uploads, worksheets, and client comments into a single bookmarked PDF arranged in return order. Preparers can annotate directly in the browser using tick marks, stamps, and calculation tape tools, which reduces the need for separate workpaper software. Clients send documents through passwordless links, making intake easier to manage during busy periods.

Truss connects with major tax systems, including UltraTax, Axcess, Lacerte, Drake, ProSeries, ProSystem fx, ATX, and GoSystem, and is SOC 2 Type II certified with AES-256 encryption.

25. StanfordTax

StanfordTax helps firms manage client intake and workpaper preparation through organizers that pull information directly from prior-year tax returns. Each organizer is tailored to the client’s specific income items, deductions, credits, and entity type, supporting 1040, 1065, 1120, and 1120S filings. Clients receive a document request list and questionnaire aligned with their actual tax situation rather than a generic form.

Uploaded documents flow into smart binders that auto-rename, categorize, and bookmark files in return order. A live checklist updates as clients upload materials, showing what has been submitted and what is still outstanding. Client responses, supporting documents, and worksheets stay connected in one organized workpaper, reducing the manual steps typically needed to prepare files for review.

StanfordTax integrates with major professional tax systems, including ProConnect, CCH Axcess, Lacerte, UltraTax, ProSystem fx, ProSeries, and Drake. Its deeper connection with Karbon allows firms to send organizers directly through Karbon for Clients and automatically move work forward when clients complete their intake, giving preparers a structured starting point before beginning the return.

26. Soraban

Soraban is an end-to-end tax workflow system built for firms that prepare individual returns. Its three modules—Collect, Connect, and Deliver—guide client information from intake through delivery by automating document gathering, data entry, and return handoff.

Collect uses AI-generated questionnaires based on prior-year returns and organizes client uploads as they come in. Documents are automatically sorted, and clients work through the intake process in a structured, branded environment. Connect transfers the collected data to UltraTax, Lacerte, and Drake with a high degree of accuracy for 1040 returns, reducing the manual entry required before review. Deliver provides a client portal where returns can be reviewed, signed, and paid for, with automated reminders for follow-ups.

Firms use Soraban when they want one system to handle intake, data transfer, and client delivery during tax season. It offers a unified workflow for practices focused on individual returns and helps teams scale preparation work without relying on several separate tools to manage each step.

G. The Efficiency Layer

Many firms now rely on tools that support work related to tax engagements, including communication, meeting documentation, client coordination, M&A tasks, and day-to-day workflow. These platforms act as a support layer around core tax systems, helping teams operate more smoothly, cut manual steps, and deliver stronger advisory services throughout the year.

27. Vinyl

Vinyl gives accounting and bookkeeping firms a structured way to handle client meetings without relying on handwritten notes or scattered follow-ups. It automatically joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls, captures the discussion, and produces organized transcripts, summaries, and action items tied to specific clients and contacts.

After each meeting, Vinyl can draft follow-up emails, scopes of work, and internal handoff notes so teams can keep work moving without having to rebuild context. Notes and tasks sync into systems such as Karbon, FYI, and Xero-focused workflows, creating a clear link between what was discussed and what needs to happen next.

A searchable history allows staff to revisit past conversations and quickly confirm decisions or commitments, which is especially helpful during advisory check-ins and planning discussions. Firms use Vinyl to cut post-meeting admin, maintain accurate records across engagements, and ensure that client requests and next steps don’t slip through the cracks.

28. Abacor

Abacor is an AI meeting assistant built for accounting firms. It prepares agendas, listens to client meetings, transcribes conversations in real time, and turns discussions into organized notes, action items, and follow-ups. Each summary is structured for accounting workflows, capturing decisions, tasks, and context that would otherwise require manual tracking.

The platform syncs transcripts, client details, and action items into systems like Karbon, so timelines, tasks, and client records are up to date without extra data entry. Meeting history becomes searchable, which helps teams stay coordinated on client activity and next steps.

Accounting teams adopt Abacor to reduce meeting preparation and follow-up work, maintain more precise documentation, and keep shared knowledge organized across engagements. It reduces the administrative burden associated with client conversations and gives staff more time to focus on substantive client matters.

29. Quanto

Quanto gives accounting firms a way to automate cleanups, reconciliations, and diagnostics directly inside QuickBooks. Its agents scan ledgers for miscoded entries, split transactions correctly, and complete multi-period cleanup work that would typically require hours of manual review. Firms often use it during onboarding or when taking over messy books, so the cleanup process follows a consistent standard every time.

It also evaluates client ledgers to highlight complexity, recurring issues, and trends that inform pricing and scope decisions. Firms can load their own SOPs into the system, allowing agents to run reconciliations, checks, and reporting in line with internal processes. This standardization creates predictable workflows that help firms demonstrate operational maturity, something particularly valued by private equity groups evaluating acquisition targets.

Many practices adopt Quanto to bring more structure to CAS workflows, increase capacity without proportional increases in staffing, and build the type of scalable, tech-enabled operations that support growth strategies or positioning for acquisition.

30. TaxNow

TaxNow monitors IRS transcripts through automated nightly checks, alerting practitioners to changes that affect client accounts. It tracks updated balances, notice activity, payment postings, audit indicators, ERC status updates, penalty assessments, and identity-theft flags, giving firms visibility into transcript shifts well before clients receive formal letters. Setup is straightforward, as it uses Section 7216 authorization and doesn’t require a CAF number.

Early alerts give teams time to investigate discrepancies, resolve issues, or prepare clients for upcoming notices before problems escalate. By reducing the need for manual transcript pulls, firms maintain steadier oversight of accounts and handle compliance matters more proactively throughout the year.

31. Tax Status

Tax Status provides client-permissioned access to official IRS data through automated retrieval and a streamlined consent process. Once authorized, it pulls Return, Account, Wage and Income, and Record of Account transcripts covering up to ten years of history into a single dashboard. The system compiles multiple transcript types into organized PDFs, giving practitioners a clear view of income sources, balances, notices, payroll filings, and other IRS-recorded activity without manual requests or document uploads.

The platform also analyzes thousands of IRS data points to help firms establish a complete financial baseline and spot planning opportunities or potential issues early. Real-time monitoring alerts practitioners to new notices, payment activity, audits, penalties, and identity-related flags so they can respond before problems escalate. Firms use Tax Status to speed up onboarding, reduce administrative work, and maintain dependable oversight of client accounts while keeping information secure through SOC 2 Type II controls and AES-256 encryption.

Predictions for 2026 and Beyond (Bizora POV)

The conditions tax professionals worked through in 2025 point clearly to what the next stage of tax technology will look like. Several themes are already taking shape and are expected to guide how firms operate in 2026 and beyond.

1. AI becomes the default layer across the tax workflow

AI moves from optional to expected. By 2026, most firms will start research, analysis, documentation, and planning with AI assistance. Teams skipping these tools will struggle with deadlines and accuracy as workloads grow and staffing stays tight.

This matters because rules keep getting more complex while headcount doesn't. AI handles technical questions by reading source material, surfacing relevant authorities, and generating early drafts, dramatically reducing manual hours.

Firms will begin work with AI outlines or analyses, then apply professional judgment through review and refinement. Human + AI becomes the standard tax workflow model.

2. Tax professionals shift from compliance to advisory

Automation absorbs routine data entry, reconciliations, and basic prep. Professionals redirect capacity to planning, structuring, projections, and cross-border strategy. Tax work's center of gravity moves from form production to judgment-driven guidance.

Clients demand more than compliance. They seek modeling, multi-jurisdiction navigation, and foresight. Freed capacity enables tax advisory and financial strategy practices where interpretation and scenario building dominate, with automated compliance running silently.

Teams adapting fastest will price for outcomes, not hours, turning technical expertise into strategic conversations.

3. International tax intelligence becomes a priority

More clients operate across borders. Firms need tools that can interpret foreign-source documents, apply multi-jurisdiction rules, and connect domestic and international tax positions. Global complexity is now part of everyday work, not just specialized practices.

Traditional U.S.only research falls short when clients have overseas income, expand into new markets, or manage foreign entities. Teams need systems that can read foreign filings, explain treaty interactions, and surface cross-border risks without hours of manual review.

Practices that build global capability early will deliver clearer guidance on international structures, withholding requirements, and multi-country planning. Expectations change from “we’ll look into it” to confident interpretation supported by technology that understands multiple jurisdictions.

4. Firms demand tax-specific document intelligence

Client files keep getting more complex. Tools need to read PDFs, K-1s, corporate filings, foreign returns, treaties, and M&A documents, then structure the information for analysis. Clients start to expect a shift from simple extraction to true contextual understanding.

Traditional OCR now falls short. Firms want systems that interpret provisions, connect findings to tax rules, and suggest next steps, reducing the need for manual sorting and reconciliation.

Early adopters cut review time, spot issues sooner, and feed planning with cleaner inputs. “Read, interpret, recommend” becomes the standard.

5. The modern tax stack expands beyond prep and research

Daily work now includes meeting transcription, client intelligence, anomaly checks, valuation support, and multi-country coordination. These tools operate alongside the core tax systems and shape how firms manage clients, organize information, and keep work moving.

Tax practices rely on communication as much as calculations. Automating follow-ups and digitizing interactions makes prep and review smoother and reduces the back-and-forth that normally slows teams down. Advisory work becomes easier when information arrives organized before a return is opened.

Firms that adopt these supporting tools respond faster and deliver clearer guidance. What were once add-ons become standard parts of the firm’s operating environment.

6. Data governance and defensibility become non-negotiable

Client data sensitivity keeps rising. Firms expect audit trails, source citations, SOC-level protections, and reasoning they can defend to clients or regulators. Opaque systems with unexplained outputs are no longer acceptable.

Questions like “why that position?“ or IRS scrutiny require tools that show the authority behind a conclusion, not just the conclusion itself. Clear reasoning cuts risk and builds credibility.

Firms prioritizing governance handle complex returns confidently. They explain positions, prove compliance, and win disputes. Tools without defensibility stop being part of the core stack.

7. Talent shortages accelerate AI adoption

Fewer accountants enter the profession while workloads grow. Teams turn to AI for research, documentation, data review, and triage to handle volume. Automation becomes a practical necessity, not a future consideration.

Firms can't scale through hiring alone. AI cuts time spent on fact-gathering, drafting, and routine review, freeing professionals to focus on interpretation and client outcomes. Capacity increases without adding headcount.

The workflow increasingly combines human judgment with automated first-pass work. “Human + AI” staffing becomes standard.

8. Real-time tax intelligence replaces static research

Tax guidance changes too quickly for static research cycles. Firms need instant visibility into rule changes, notices, transcript activity, and shifting state and global requirements. Workflows move from "check when needed" to continuous monitoring.

Static PDFs can't match monthly state updates, foreign adjustments, or rapid IRS shifts. Real-time signals help teams catch issues early, adjust positions sooner, and avoid filing surprises. 

Firms with this capability operate with fewer blind spots. They anticipate developments, update clients faster, and decide with current data rather than last quarter's guidance.

What Comes Next

The firms recognized in this Power List show how quickly tax technology is evolving and how much it now shapes day-to-day work. These tools aren’t just filling gaps in individual processes; they’re influencing how teams plan their workload, collaborate, and deliver work with greater consistency.

If you want to share these insights internally, you can download the Bizora Tax Technology Power List 2025 as a PDF for your team or clients.

For firms exploring how AI tax research fits into their own environment, you can start a Bizora trial and review the API to see how the platform integrates with existing workflows.