Tax season hits and suddenly you're juggling K-1 allocations across three states, chasing down missing documents, and trying to remember which IRC section applies to that client's situation, all while the filing deadline creeps closer.
Complex tax workflows are the multi-step processes you manage when handling engagements beyond straightforward individual returns. The complexity comes from several directions at once:
When you're managing dozens of engagements with overlapping deadlines, small inefficiencies compound quickly. A ten-minute delay here, a missed handoff there, and suddenly you're working weekends to catch up.
Limited staffing makes this worse. Most firms can't hire their way out of the problem. Eight in 10 firms report difficulty hiring skilled professionals, so existing team members absorb more work. Manual processes (copying data between systems, chasing down documents, searching multiple sources for guidance) create bottlenecks that slow everything down.
Clients now expect faster turnaround and more proactive communication. Streamlined workflows help you meet those expectations without burning out your team.
A typical engagement moves through several distinct stages. Each has its own challenges, and identifying friction points helps you prioritize improvements.
Document management involves intake, organization, and secure storage of client documents - prior-year returns, financial statements, correspondence, and supporting schedules. A centralized system with version control prevents the confusion that comes from scattered files across email threads, shared drives, and desktop folders.
Client collaboration encompasses request lists, status updates, and signature collection. Secure client portals reduce back-and-forth email chains. When clients can upload documents directly and see engagement status, you spend less time answering "what do you still need from me?"
Tax research is where you locate and interpret Internal Revenue Code sections, Treasury regulations, IRS notices, and case law. The goal is citation-backed support that holds up under review. This stage usually takes longer than it appears, especially with ambiguous fact patterns or conflicting guidance across sources.
Creating technical memos, client emails, IRS and state responses, and regulatory filings consumes significant hours. A well-drafted memo can take hours, even when you already know the answer.
Maintaining a consistent firm voice across these documents shows professionalism and builds client trust.
Review and quality control
Review involves preparer-reviewer handoffs, standardized checklists, and formal sign-off protocols. This stage catches errors that would create problems downstream. It's also where bottlenecks form, especially when senior reviewers are stretched thin.
Tax workflow automation uses software to handle repetitive, manual tasks - data entry, status tracking, reminder emails. This frees professional staff to focus on judgment-intensive work that requires their expertise.
The shift isn't about replacing professional judgment. It's about removing the friction that slows it down.
Less time on repetitive tasks means faster turnaround on client engagements. You move from question to answer, or from issue to draft, in far less time than manual processes allow - saving 5 hours weekly per professional according to Thomson Reuters.
Reduced manual effort allows your firm to handle higher client volume without adding headcount.
Automated checks and integrated data flows reduce transcription and calculation errors. Fewer mistakes mean fewer corrections, less rework, and fewer awkward client conversations.
Built-in deadline tracking and automated checklists help ensure all filing requirements are met. Missing a deadline is expensive - both financially and reputationally.
Faster answers and proactive status updates lead to better client experience. Clients notice responsiveness, and they remember when it's lacking.
Document each stage of your current engagement process, from intake to filing. Identify handoffs between team members and note where bottlenecks occur.
Look for repetitive, time-consuming, or error-prone tasks. Data entry, status updates, and routine research lookups are prime candidates.
Evaluate tools based on integration capabilities, security protocols, tax-specific features, and ease of adoption. Key categories include document management, research, drafting, and project tracking. Focus on what solves your specific pain points.
Start with a small pilot group to gather feedback before expanding firm-wide. Adequate training and ongoing support make adoption smoother.
Keep all client files, documents, and communications in a single, secure location with version control. This eliminates the "which version is current?" problem.
Connect your tax preparation software with document management and research tools. An integrated system eliminates manual data transfers and their accompanying errors.
Tools that enable preparers, reviewers, and clients to work together in shared digital environments provide real-time visibility into project status.
Build mandatory review checkpoints into each stage of the engagement workflow. Catching errors early costs far less than fixing them after filing.
Standardized templates and automated reminders for routine communications keep clients informed without adding manual work. Consistency reinforces firm professionalism.
Lingering paper-based steps or disconnected digital systems create chokepoints. Even one manual step in an otherwise automated process slows everything down and introduces error risk.
Staff hesitate to adopt new tools without clear training and demonstrated benefits. Change management matters as much as the technology itself.
Siloed software that doesn't communicate forces duplicate data entry and increases error risk. Prioritize integration when evaluating new tools.
Without a centralized system, critical institutional knowledge and client context get lost between team members or from one year's engagement to the next.
Artificial intelligence represents the next evolution beyond basic automation. Unlike simple automation, AI-powered tools offer contextual understanding, process natural language, and perform complex tasks like citation retrieval. 81% of accountants report AI boosts productivity, particularly in these judgment-intensive areas. Automation follows rules; AI interprets and responds to nuance.
Ask complex federal or state tax questions in plain English and receive instant, citation-backed answers linked directly to the relevant IRC section, Treasury regulation, or IRS notice. Marble's Intelligence agent delivers the right answer with links straight to the source - no more hunting through multiple databases.
AI generates first drafts of memos, client emails, and IRS responses in your firm's specific voice and format. These drafts are ready for quick review and finalization. The time savings on a single technical memo can be substantial.
Modern AI tools maintain engagement memory. Marble's Projects feature allows you to upload client documents and add key context, so the AI assistant remembers important facts throughout the engagement. You don't re-explain the situation every time you ask a question.
For professional-grade adoption, client data stays private and encrypted. With Marble, your data is never used to train public AI models.
Tip: When evaluating AI tools for tax work, ask specifically about data handling. Where is data stored? Is it encrypted? Will it ever be used to train models outside your firm?
Several categories of software are relevant for managing complex tax workflows:
Purpose-built AI platforms like Marble combine research, drafting, and project context into a single, secure platform designed specifically for tax professionals.
Modern workflow tools position your firm to handle increasing complexity, serve clients more effectively, and free up professional time for high-margin advisory work. By spending less time chasing answers, your team dedicates more time to strategy and planning.
Join Marble's waitlist to bring secure, professional-grade AI into your tax workflow.
The four common types are sequential (tasks performed in a specific order), parallel (multiple tasks happening simultaneously), conditional (the workflow branches based on certain criteria), and cyclical (processes that repeat, such as annual filings).
A multi-member partnership with operations in several states. This type of return requires complex Schedule K-1 allocations, state tax apportionment calculations, and navigating multiple entity-level elections.
Consolidated corporate tax returns with multiple US and foreign subs are also usually very complex.
A typical five-step workflow includes: 1) intake and document collection, 2) data entry and preparation, 3) internal review and quality control, 4) client approval, and 5) final filing and delivery.
Professionals use centralized workflow and project management systems to track each jurisdiction's unique rules, deadlines, and filing requirements. Comprehensive research tools that cover both federal and state tax guidance are essential.
Choose platforms that provide end-to-end data encryption, logically segregate all client information, and contractually guarantee that firm and client data will never be used to train public AI models.
