Tax Automation & Practice Management Articles

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Latest articles for tax and accounting firms

Featured image for tax blog article: IRS AI Guidelines for Tax Professionals: Five Duties Firms Still Miss
October 6, 2026
10 min read

IRS AI Guidelines for Tax Professionals: Five Duties Firms Still Miss

On June 24, 2026, the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility told tax practitioners how to use AI. Alert 2026-19, Introductory Guidelines for Responsible AI Use in Federal Tax Practice, applies existing Circular 230 duties to generative tools: verify every fact, citation, and calculation; bill for the work actually done; keep taxpayer data on secure, firm-approved systems; and write the procedure down. A chatbot does not carry those duties for you.

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Featured image for tax blog article: TIGTA IRS Cybersecurity Report 2026: What It Means for CPAs
October 6, 2026
10 min read

TIGTA IRS Cybersecurity Report 2026: What It Means for CPAs

On September 15, 2026, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration rated the IRS cybersecurity program not effective for fiscal year 2026. Report 2026-200-053 says three of six functions fell short: Identify, Protect, and Detect. Govern, Respond, and Recover were rated effective. The finding is an audit of the IRS under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act. It does not create a new rule for CPA firms. The taxpayer data on your own systems is still your responsibility, under the safeguarding duties you already have.

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Featured image for tax blog article: COSO's Generative AI Framework: A Mid-2026 Guide for CPA Firms
October 6, 2026
8 min read

COSO's Generative AI Framework: A Mid-2026 Guide for CPA Firms

COSO did not publish a new control framework in February 2026. Achieving Effective Internal Control Over Generative AI takes the five components and 17 principles of the 2013 Internal Control — Integrated Framework and shows how they apply when a firm uses generative AI. The practical move for the rest of 2026 is an inventory of those uses, a risk note on each one that touches client data, and a named owner. The publication does not set a compliance date.

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Featured image for tax blog article: 2026 State Privacy Laws: What They Mean for CPA Firms
October 6, 2026
9 min read

2026 State Privacy Laws: What They Mean for CPA Firms

Three comprehensive state privacy laws took effect on January 1, 2026: Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island. For a firm that prepares tax returns, they generally do not govern the client file. Each one exempts financial institutions and data subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the Federal Trade Commission treats tax preparers as financial institutions under the Safeguards Rule. The duties on that file are still the Safeguards Rule, a Written Information Security Plan, and Internal Revenue Code §7216. State law still matters for data that is not GLBA data, and for a firm large enough to be a California "business."

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