Excel · Live online
The Digital Tax Office: Intake, Excel, and Security
Modernizing Tax Practice Operations
- When
- November 17, 2027
- Format
- Live online · 1 day · Central Time
- CPE
- Up to 8 credits
- Price
- $299 Early-bird pricing coming soon Payable with CPE Today credits · credit packages coming soon
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About the Conference
This one-day conference addresses the operational challenges of the modern tax practice. The program covers four critical areas: practice management, document intake, data security, and technical software skills. Participants will earn 8.0 CPE credits across Taxes, Information Technology, and Specialized Knowledge fields of study.
The curriculum focuses on the practical mechanics of a paperless office. Sessions cover the integration of practice management software with document systems to track returns and manage capacity. Attendees will review the cost of manual paper processes versus automated portals and e-signature mechanics for Form 8879. Security sessions provide a framework for creating a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) and implementing practical controls like MFA and vendor due diligence to meet IRS requirements.
The technical component of the day focuses on Excel for the tax professional. This training moves beyond basic spreadsheets to use Power Query, XLOOKUP, and dynamic arrays for complex tax tasks. Participants will learn to use these tools for basis tracking, multi-state apportionment, and reconciling client exports to tax returns.
What You'll Take Away
- Build a digital practice management stack to track tax returns and manage firm capacity.
- Implement automated client portals and e-signature workflows to eliminate manual document collection.
- Draft a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) that complies with IRS Publication 4557.
- Use Power Query and dynamic arrays in Excel to clean client data and calculate multi-state apportionment.
- Establish incident response and access control protocols for protecting client tax data.
Who Should Attend
- Firm owners needing to implement a mandatory Written Information Security Plan.
- Tax managers responsible for capacity planning and return pipeline tracking.
- Practitioners looking to replace manual email and paper intake with automated portals.
- CPAs who need to automate complex tax reconciliations and depreciation schedules in Excel.
Proposed Agenda
All times Central Time. Sessions, times and credits may change before the conference.
Workflow, Due Dates, and the Digital Practice Management Stack
Tracking returns through the pipeline, extension management, capacity planning against the calendar, and integration between practice management, the tax software, and the document system. Business Management & Organization
Learning Objectives
- Identify common integration gaps between practice management systems and tax preparation software.
- Develop a standardized pipeline for tracking individual and corporate returns through different stages of completion.
- Apply capacity planning techniques to balance staff workloads against compressed tax season deadlines.
- Establish a centralized extension management process to reduce the risk of missed filings.
- Evaluate the efficiency of current document routing protocols within the digital stack.
- Field of study
- Information Technology
- Level
- Intermediate
- Prerequisites
- Experience managing tax season deadlines and familiarity with basic practice management software concepts.
- Advance preparation
- None
- Delivery method
- Group Internet Based
The Paperless Intake: Client Portals, e-Signature, and Document Automation
The traditional tax season cycle often grinds to a halt during the document collection phase. Firms frequently find themselves stuck in a loop of chasing missing records through disorganized emails or managing the physical risk of client shoeboxes. This course examines the financial and operational costs associated with maintaining paper-based workflows and provides a roadmap for transitioning to a modern, automated intake system. The session explores the mechanics of client portals and automated request lists that handle follow-ups without staff intervention. It also addresses the technical requirements for Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) and e-signatures to ensure compliance with IRS Form 8879. By focusing on the practical application of these tools, practitioners can reduce administrative drag and improve the client experience during the busiest times of the year.
Learning Objectives
- Calculate the internal cost and billable time loss associated with manual document collection and paper-based tax workflows.
- Evaluate client portal features to determine which automation tools best fit a firm's specific client demographic.
- Implement automated document request lists that use conditional logic to follow up with clients automatically.
- Apply IRS compliance standards for e-signatures and Knowledge-Based Authentication to the finalization of tax returns.
- Field of study
- Taxes
- Level
- Intermediate
- Prerequisites
- A basic understanding of tax practice operations and familiarity with standard electronic filing requirements.
- Advance preparation
- None
- Delivery method
- Group Internet Based
Securing the Tax Practice: WISP, IRS Pub 4557, and Practical Controls
Every paid tax preparer is required to have a Written Information Security Plan (WISP), but many firms aren't sure what theirs is supposed to contain, and a downloaded template with the firm's name at the top rarely reflects how the practice actually operates. When a regulator, insurer, or breach investigator asks for documentation, the details matter. This session walks through the WISP section by section using IRS Publication 4557 as the guide, explaining what each part does, what it must address, and the records a firm should keep to show its plan is being followed. If you've ever looked at your WISP and wondered whether it would hold up, this session gives you the yardstick to measure it against. You'll learn the purpose of each required element, the security controls the IRS expects behind them, what to keep on file for the vendors who handle client data, and what an incident response plan needs to cover. You'll leave knowing what a complete plan looks like and where your own firm's plan likely needs work.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the required elements of a WISP and the purpose of each under IRS Publication 4557
- Describe the documentation that supports a WISP, including a risk assessment and evidence of security controls
- Apply the IRS-recommended security controls to common tax practice scenarios
- Determine what information to request and retain when vetting vendors that store or process client data
- Outline the components of an incident response plan, including roles, containment steps, and required reporting
- Field of study
- Taxes
- Level
- Basic
- Prerequisites
- None
- Advance preparation
- None
- Delivery method
- Group Internet Based
Excel for the Tax Practitioner
Tax professionals don't need to master every corner of Excel, but they do need a specific toolkit to survive the pressure of tax season. This session focuses on eight essential skills that solve the most common frustrations in the tax department, from messy client data to rigid workpapers. The presentation follows the arc of a tax engagement, showing how practitioners can use Power Query to clean up trial balances and XLOOKUP to handle complex data pulls. The course demonstrates how dynamic arrays and the LET function can simplify multi-state apportionment and basis tracking without the need for bloated formulas. By narrowing the focus to these high-impact techniques, the firm can build workpapers that are easier to review and far less likely to break during a deadline. This isn't a general overview; it's a targeted guide to making Excel work harder so the tax team doesn't have to.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the eight essential Excel functions and features that have the highest impact on tax workpaper efficiency.
- Apply Power Query techniques to automate the repetitive cleanup of inconsistent client data exports.
- Utilize XLOOKUP and dynamic arrays to replace outdated formulas in tax reconciliation schedules.
- Implement the LET function to improve the readability and reviewability of complex tax calculations.
- Develop standardized templates for multi-state apportionment and book-to-tax adjustments using modern Excel logic.
- Field of study
- Specialized Knowledge
- Level
- Basic
- Prerequisites
- A basic understanding of Excel functions like SUM and VLOOKUP, and familiarity with the standard tax preparation cycle.
- Advance preparation
- None
- Delivery method
- Group Internet Based
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