Tools for Accounting

Buyer's guide

AI tools for tax professionals compared

These are the 9 tools in our Income Tax category, listed alphabetically, not ranked. Each summary below comes from the vendor's own pages and public reviews, with every fact cited. Use it to build a shortlist for tax professionals, tax preparers and tax firms, then confirm details with each vendor.

At a glance

ToolWho it's forPublished pricing
AprilFinancial platforms that want embedded tax features.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
Black OreCPA firms preparing tax returns.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
Blue JTax professionals from sole practitioners to local and larger firms.Individual: $1,498/year per user; Team: contact for pricing; 7-day free trial, no credit card required
CCH Axcess (Wolters Kluwer)Accounting firms, with packages for firms needing 15 licenses or fewer.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters)Tax professionals and firms. Thomson Reuters positions the CoCounsel Tax Essentials plan for staff who prepare, review, organize or draft tax work, and for firms new to CoCounsel.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
Column TaxMobile banks and fintech platforms.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
FiledAccounting firms preparing 1040, 1065, 1120, 1120-S, 1041 and 990 returns.Custom monthly pricing scoped to the client book
GruntworxAccounting firms during tax season.Pricing not published, contact vendor.
SurePrepTax professionals and firms preparing individual (1040) returns.Pricing not published, contact vendor.

April

april offers an AI-powered tax engine that platforms use to provide tax filing, planning and estimation tools. It is sold as a white-label solution. [1]

Who it's for: Financial platforms that want embedded tax features. [1]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Many users find it fast, simple and free through partner apps. [2]
  • Document extraction and clear prompts are praised. [3]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Users report unsupported forms and complex income, and document import errors. [2]
  • Some users report limited support. [4]
  • Some state-specific features are missing. [2]

Full April listing

Black Ore

Black Ore's Tax Autopilot automates tax return preparation for CPA firms. The vendor emphasizes review speed and a defensible audit trail. [5]

Who it's for: CPA firms preparing tax returns. [5]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Strong document extraction and audit trails are cited. [6]
  • Suited to mid-to-large firms with complex returns. [7]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Pricing is quote-only, and accuracy claims are vendor-reported. [7]
  • Some firms report difficulty getting demos or implementation updates. [8]
  • Requires onboarding and workflow changes. [7]

Full Black Ore listing

Blue J

Blue J is an AI-powered tax research platform that returns answers to tax questions. The vendor says 6,000+ firms use it. [9]

Who it's for: Tax professionals from sole practitioners to local and larger firms. [9]

Published pricing: Individual: $1,498/year per user; Team: contact for pricing; 7-day free trial, no credit card required [10]

Pros cited in reviews

  • A CPA reviewer says it delivers fast, authoritative, well-cited answers. [11]
  • Fast research with source citations. [12]
  • Practitioners say it drafts detailed replies to client questions quickly. [12]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Cost can be high for small firms. [13]
  • Some state coverage is incomplete, and answers still need checking against the cited sources. [12]
  • Public review counts are small and dated: Capterra's Blue J Tax page shows 6 reviews from 2019 that describe the older Tax Foresight product. [14]

Full Blue J listing

CCH Axcess (Wolters Kluwer)

CCH Axcess is Wolters Kluwer's cloud platform for tax, audit and firm management. It includes AI-enabled features such as CCH Axcess Scan for source documents and CCH Axcess Intelligence, an embedded AI tax assistant. [15]

Who it's for: Accounting firms, with packages for firms needing 15 licenses or fewer. [15]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Users value comprehensive tax coverage and integrations. [16]
  • Form coverage and integration score well in practitioner surveys. [17]
  • Workflow features are valued by reviewers. [16]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Steep learning curve, slow performance and complex navigation. [16]
  • Price and support are recurring complaints. [17]
  • Installation and data transfer are flagged in practitioner surveys. [17]

Full CCH Axcess (Wolters Kluwer) listing

CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters)

CoCounsel is Thomson Reuters' generative AI assistant, with versions for tax (CoCounsel Tax) and legal professionals. [18]

Who it's for: Tax professionals and firms. Thomson Reuters positions the CoCounsel Tax Essentials plan for staff who prepare, review, organize or draft tax work, and for firms new to CoCounsel. [19]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Accountants report fast research, useful citations and time savings. [20]
  • Document summaries save time, per practitioners. [20]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Essentials caps citation-backed answers grounded in Checkpoint at 20 per user per week; document uploads, summaries and standard AI conversations do not count toward it. [19]
  • Some practitioners find it less detailed than Blue J. [21]
  • No prices are published; the Tax Research add-on is priced per user. [19]

Full CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters) listing

Column Tax

Column Tax lets mobile banks and fintech companies embed tax filing in their own apps or websites. It is sold to platforms, not directly to firms. [22]

Who it's for: Mobile banks and fintech platforms. [22]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Filing can be free or low cost, with prefilled financial data. [23]
  • Embedded in bank and fintech apps users already have. [24]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Can't be used directly; pricing and support vary by partner app. [23]
  • Tax data may be shared with the host app for marketing if you consent. [25]
  • Some users report rejected returns and delayed state filing. [26]

Full Column Tax listing

Filed

Filed is AI tax preparation and review software for accounting firms. It works inside CCH Axcess, UltraTax, Lacerte, Drake and ProConnect. [27]

Who it's for: Accounting firms preparing 1040, 1065, 1120, 1120-S, 1041 and 990 returns. [27]

Published pricing: Custom monthly pricing scoped to the client book [28]

Integrations listed: CCH Axcess, UltraTax, Lacerte, Drake, ProConnect, Excel, Karbon, Canopy [29]

Pros cited in reviews

  • Broad tax software integrations and source-linked review are strengths. [30]
  • Includes tax planning tools. [30]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Pricing is opaque and firm-wide, with an eight-week onboarding commitment. [31]
  • Practitioners report extraction errors with prior-year data and multi-state K-1s, so human review remains essential. [32]
  • Some practitioners report costly contracts and implementation issues. [32]

Full Filed listing

Gruntworx

GruntWorx automates tax document processing for accounting firms. It organizes, extracts and verifies data from tax documents. [33]

Who it's for: Accounting firms during tax season. [33]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • An independent reviewer calls it inexpensive and easy to use for standard 1040 documents. [34]
  • Works with Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax and CCH. [35]
  • Low-cost automation with broad tax software integrations. [35]

Cons cited in reviews

  • OCR errors and incomplete state data are reported. [34]
  • Turnaround can slow near tax deadlines. [36]
  • OCR errors and incomplete state data population require thorough review. [34]

Full Gruntworx listing

SurePrep

SurePrep, part of Thomson Reuters, automates 1040 tax preparation. It helps tax professionals gather, prepare, review and deliver returns. [37]

Who it's for: Tax professionals and firms preparing individual (1040) returns. [37]

Published pricing: Pricing not published, contact vendor.

Pros cited in reviews

  • Can save time on medium-complexity returns and brokerage statements, per practitioners. [38]
  • Integrates with CCH, Lacerte and UltraTax. [39]
  • Binder and workpaper organization with cross-references saves time on mid-complex 1040s. [38]

Cons cited in reviews

  • Practitioners call it slow and clunky for simple returns. [40]
  • Cost is a recurring complaint. [38]
  • Steep learning curve and OCR errors on poor scans. [38]

Full SurePrep listing

Related comparisons

How to choose

  • Confirm it works with your tax software (for example CCH Axcess, UltraTax, Lacerte, Drake or ProConnect).
  • Check which return types it supports (1040, 1065, 1120S and so on).
  • Ask how answers and prepared figures are cited or traced to source.
  • Review data security and retention terms.

Frequently asked questions

What AI tools help tax professionals and tax preparers?

Income tax tools in this category cover AI tax research, document extraction, return preparation and planning. Tax professionals and tax preparers still review and sign the work.

Can AI prepare income tax returns?

Some tools draft returns from source documents inside your existing tax software, but a preparer still reviews and signs.

How did you choose these 9 tools?

They are every tool currently listed in our Income Tax category. Listings are not paid, and the order is alphabetical.

Sources

  1. https://getapril.com
  2. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/getapril.com
  3. https://www.reddit.com/r/RobinhoodApp/comments/1r6ov21/filing_taxes_through_robinhood/
  4. https://www.reddit.com/r/chimefinancial/comments/1qq9say/i_would_suggest_not_to_use_april_for_taxes/
  5. https://blackore.ai
  6. https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/black-ores-tax-autopilot-now-generally-available
  7. https://agent-finder.co/reviews/black-ore-tax-autopilot
  8. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1vazaf8/does_anyone_have_experience_with_black_ore/
  9. https://www.bluej.com/
  10. https://www.bluej.com/pricing
  11. https://www.taxtech500.com/all-products/blue-j/reviews/289
  12. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1l8jdne/bluej_ai_tax_research/
  13. https://axoonai.com/tools/blue-j/
  14. https://www.capterra.com/p/182577/Foresight/
  15. https://wolterskluwer.com
  16. https://www.capterra.com/p/176070/CCH-ProSystem-fx/
  17. https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2022/aug/2022-tax-software-survey/
  18. https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/cocounsel-tax
  19. https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/products/cocounsel-tax/plans-pricing
  20. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1mqivie/thomson_reuters_cocounsel_tax/
  21. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1o98zd0/cocounsel_checkpoint_edge_vs_bluej_vs_cch/
  22. https://columntax.com
  23. https://litmustools.com/review/column-tax/
  24. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/fintechs-are-embedding-tax-prep-help-in-their-apps-banks-may-be-next
  25. https://www.columntax.com/privacy-policy
  26. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/columntax.com
  27. https://filed.com
  28. https://filed.com/pricing
  29. https://filed.com/integrations
  30. https://www.itechguides.com/best/ai-tax-software/filed/
  31. https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/filed/
  32. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1v8d43m/anyone_ever_used_filed/
  33. https://gruntworx.com
  34. https://www.wealthyaccountant.com/2022/07/10/gruntworx-review/
  35. https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2020/08/17/2020-review-of-gruntworx-tax-automation-and-organization/39613/
  36. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/vjycpb/sureprep_vs_gruntworx_human_verification/
  37. https://sureprep.com
  38. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1ifch8f/does_anyone_have_any_experience_using_sureprep/
  39. https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2020/08/17/2020-review-of-sureprep-1040scan/39611/
  40. https://www.reddit.com/r/taxpros/comments/1o98y67/any_experience_with_sureprepautomated_tax_prep/

Last checked: 2026-10-16