Setting up my own practice and trying to figure out the software situation. I know Drake and UltraTax but wondering what people are actually using vs what just has the biggest marketing budget. Mainly individual returns with some small business.
The pattern elsewhere in accounting has been elevation more than replacement, bookkeeping automation didn't eliminate bookkeepers, it shifted which tasks justified their time, and that logic probably applies to tax prep as well,
Junior preparer roles currently spend a significant portion of busy season on data extraction from W-2s, 1099s, and brokerage statements, work with clear automation potential, but whether firms use that freed capacity to reduce headcount or redirect it toward review and client work is really a firm strategy question more than a technology one