IRC §7216
Limits how preparers use and disclose tax return information. IRS guidance notes a civil penalty of $250 for each unauthorized disclosure.
For you: the agent says only what your consent policy allows, and only to a verified caller.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 115,300 openings for accountants and auditors every year through 2035, mostly to replace people who leave. Firms cannot hire their way through busy season. An AI receptionist for accounting firms answers every call, books new-client intake, and routes IRS-notice calls to the right partner. Codeora Vision builds it agent-native, not retrofitted, on LangGraph, MCP, and Claude, with TaxDome, Karbon, or Canopy status lookups built per firm.
Picks up in under 5 seconds. Every call, 24/7, January to April.
Setup takes 3–4 weeks. Book by 15 December for a 15 January go-live.
Built for CPA firms, enrolled agents, and tax practices with 2 to 50 preparers. Serving US firms in US business hours.
Scripted demo · 0:50 · names and details are fictional
A “where’s my return?” call, then a new S-corp client booked.
Assistant: Thanks for calling Harbor Lane Tax Group. This is the firm's AI assistant. How can I help?
Caller: Hi, I'm checking on our S-corp return.
Assistant: I can help with that. Can I have your name and the last four digits of the phone number on file?
Caller: Mark Ellison. 4417.
Assistant: Thanks, Mark. Your 1120-S is in review with Dana. She expects to send it for e-signature by Thursday.
Caller: Perfect, thanks.
New caller: Hi, I just started an S-corp and I need someone to do my taxes.
Assistant: Happy to help. Is the business already taxed as an S-corp, and which state is it in?
New caller: Yes, since last June. It's in Ohio.
Assistant: Have you filed an extension for this year yet?
New caller: Not yet.
Assistant: Dana works with new S-corps. She has Tuesday at 10 or Wednesday at 2. Which works?
New caller: Tuesday at 10.
Assistant: You're booked with Dana for Tuesday at 10. I've texted you a confirmation and the document checklist.
An accounting answering service is a front desk that picks up a firm's calls when staff cannot. Traditional services take messages. An AI answering service also answers status questions, books consultations, and routes urgent calls, 24/7, through the January to April surge.
Tap a card to see what the AI front desk does instead.
A 24/7 answering service for accounting firms changes who absorbs the surge. Calls climb before the March 15 and April 15 deadlines, then again before the September 15 and October 15 extension dates. The agent scales to those peaks and drops to maintenance mode between them.
Illustrative shape of a typical tax-practice year. Not measured data.
We size the agent to your firm's peaks, not to an average week.
At these numbers, missed new-client calls could cost about $117,000 in lifetime fees from one season.
This is an estimate from your own inputs, not a forecast or a guarantee. It assumes every missed caller would have become a client, so treat it as a ceiling.
Hear what those calls sound like when they're answered →Send us your three most common call types. A status question, a new-client inquiry, and an IRS notice are typical. Within 48 hours we send back a recording of the agent handling each one in your firm's name and vocabulary. The demo needs no integration and no access to client data.
An answering service for accountants handles six call types: return status, new-client intake, missing documents, booking, urgent routing, and firm policy questions. Each runs on rules the firm approves. The agent books, logs, and transfers. It never gives tax advice.
Each card includes a sample line from the call. It's the AI receptionist capability behind this page, shaped for a tax practice.
Verifies the caller, then reads status from TaxDome, Karbon, or Canopy and says it in your words. Preparers stop answering "where's my return?" calls.
"Your 1120-S is in review with Dana. She expects to send it for signature by Thursday."
Asks entity type, 1040 or 1120-S or 1065, states filed, and deadline. Then books the right preparer, not the next free one.
"Is this for you personally, or for the S-corp? And which states do you file in?"
Calls and texts clients who still owe a W-2, 1099, or K-1, with a link to your client portal. Runs on our outbound voice agents for document chasing.
"We're still missing your 1099-B from your brokerage. You can upload it with the link I just texted."
[Firm name]: Hi Maria, it's Harbor Lane Tax Group. We're still missing your 2026 W-2 to finish your return. Upload it securely here: [portal link]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Books into each preparer's real calendar. Days you block for return prep are never offered.
"Dana has Tuesday at 10 or Wednesday at 2. Which works better?"
CP2000 notices, audit letters, and extension requests go to the right partner by warm transfer. If nobody is free, it captures the notice number and response date and books the first slot.
"What's the response date printed on the notice? I'll get this to a partner now."
Answers hours, services, and document checklists from a private knowledge base for firm policies that you approve line by line.
"Yes, we still take new 1040 clients after March 1. I'll text you what to bring."
These limits are written into the agent's rules, not left to its judgment.
A CPA answering service built by Codeora Vision connects to TaxDome, Karbon, and Canopy for status and client records. It books through Google Calendar, Outlook, or Calendly and texts through Twilio. Each read path is scoped per firm and built on request.
We build agent-native, and the difference shows in data access. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, gives the agent governed, read-only access to TaxDome. It can see that a return is in review without the power to change anything. That is the part your WISP reviewer will ask about first.
LangGraph runs the branching a status call needs. Is this a client? Which return? Which preparer? Did the caller pass verification? Claude then writes the answer in your firm's words. Voice runs on Retell AI or Vapi, with Deepgram for speech recognition and ElevenLabs for the voice. Claude Sonnet is the default model. Firms that prefer GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5, Llama 3.3, or Mistral Large can use them. LangChain and LlamaIndex handle retrieval over firm policies, LangSmith traces every call, and n8n runs follow-up workflows.
| Integration | What the agent uses it for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| TaxDome | Return status, client portal links, document requests | Corebuilt per firm, on request |
| Karbon | Work status, assigned preparer, client contacts | Corebuilt per firm, on request |
| Canopy | Engagement status, client records, document requests | Corebuilt per firm, on request |
| Financial Cents | Workflow status for smaller practices | Extendedon request |
| QuickBooks Online Accountant | Client lookup for bookkeeping clients | Extendedon request |
| Drake, UltraTax CS, Lacerte, CCH Axcess | Tax software, usually reached through the practice management layer | Extendedon request |
| Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly | Booking into real preparer openings | Standard |
| Twilio | Calls, texts, and call recording | Standard |
Need deeper sync, like creating Karbon work items from a call? That is our TaxDome and Karbon workflow automation work.
Client tax data is protected by design, not by promise. The agent verifies identity before any status answer, reads only what the firm allows, and logs every access. The build is designed for compliance with IRC §7216 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.
Encryption in transit and at rest · Role-based access control · Audit logging of every data read · AI disclosed at call start · Recording with caller consent, including two-party consent states
Your firm stays responsible for its own security plan. We supply the documentation about the agent that the plan needs.
What if it can't answer?
It warm-transfers to the right person. If nobody is free, it logs the question and books a callback, so the caller leaves with a time, not a voicemail.
Will clients know it's AI?
Yes. It says so in its first sentence, by design, not as a setting someone can switch off.
Does it sound like a robot?
Judge for yourself. The demo at the top of this page runs 50 seconds. Play the demo →
What happens in May?
It drops to maintenance mode: after-hours calls, booking, and IRS-notice routing. It scales back up for the September 15 extension surge.
Most firms don't hand over the whole front desk on day one. The lowest-risk start covers calls after 5 p.m., on weekends, and whenever every line is busy. Your staff keep answering during business hours. You read every transcript, then decide what to hand over next.
Tax-season front-desk coverage costs more than a wage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $18.27 an hour in May 2025, or $18.56 in professional and technical services. One hire still covers only 40 of 168 weekly hours.
| Option | What it costs (published figures) | Hours covered | Reads your practice data? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal front-desk hire, mid-January to April 15 | About $9,650 in wages for 13 weeks at the BLS median for professional services, before payroll taxes, overtime, and training | 40 of 168 hours a week | Only if trained on your software |
| Human answering service | $200 to $400 or more a month, per Quo's comparison page | Depends on plan | No, takes messages |
| AI answering app | From $25 a month (Quo Sona) or from $38 a month (Integra Balance), per their own pages | 24/7 | Not listed on their pages |
| Custom AI front desk (Codeora Vision) | From $2,500 setup, then $599/month in season with 500 minutes included and $0.60/minute after. Maintenance months from $249. | 24/7, sized to your peaks | Yes, built per firm |
Wage arithmetic: $18.56 × 40 hours × 13 weeks. Sources: BLS, Receptionists (May 2025 data, page updated August 27, 2026) · Quo Sona for accountants · Integra Balance
BLS also notes that most receptionists get short-term training lasting a few days to a month. In a tax practice, that month is February.
Modelled on published industry benchmarks, not a client result. The day below is built from public filing deadlines and six common call types.
28 March. Thirteen days after the March 15 S-corp and partnership deadline, eighteen days before April 15. A 12-preparer firm has 200 returns open, and the phone does not stop.
| 7:42 a.m. · Status check | 9:15 a.m. · New S-corp owner | 11:30 a.m. · CP2000 notice |
|---|---|---|
| A client asks where her 1040 stands. The agent verifies her and reads "ready for e-signature" from TaxDome. No preparer is interrupted. | A new owner needs a 1120-S and an extension. The agent asks entity type, state, and deadline, books the S-corp preparer, and logs a note in Karbon. | A caller has an IRS notice. The agent captures the notice number, tax year, and response date, then tries a warm transfer. The partner is in a meeting, so it books her first open slot and texts a checklist. |
Want this modelled on your firm? Send your call mix and we'll build the day in your firm's name, with your preparers and your deadlines.
Model My Firm's Busiest Day →An accounting firm virtual receptionist is usually a person who takes messages. An AI answering app answers 24/7 but rarely reads a firm's practice data. A custom AI receptionist answers, looks up status, and writes back to the firm's software. Volume and stack decide which fits.
| Criteria | Custom AI front desk (Codeora Vision) | Virtual receptionist for accountants (human or hybrid) | AI answering app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | AI agent, warm transfer to your staff | Live operators, some with AI assist | AI agent |
| “Where’s my return?” | Answered from TaxDome, Karbon, or Canopy, after an identity check | Message taken | Message taken |
| Writes back to your practice software | Yes, scoped per firm | Varies, often CRM only | Rarely |
| Missing-document chasing | Calls and texts, on request | Not typical | Some send texts |
| Tax-season surge | Sized to your peaks, 24/7 included | Depends on staffing | Plan call limits apply |
| Price model | From $2,500 setup, then $599/month in season; from $249 in maintenance months | Monthly plan with a call cap, overage per call | $25 to $38 a month, call cap |
| Who owns the system? | Your firm | The vendor | The vendor |
| Right for | 2 to 50 preparers, 150+ returns a season | Firms that want human operators | Solo preparers under 150 returns |
If your firm files fewer than 150 returns a season, the app column is the right answer, and we’ll say so. Above that, the question is whether the person taking messages costs more than the system that answers them.
Filing fewer than 150 returns a season, or running without practice software? A $25 to $38 a month app is the better buy. Answer three quick questions about your firm. If a custom build doesn't fit, we'll say so and point you to the right category, even when it isn't us.
An AI receptionist for accounting firms is a voice agent that answers the firm's phone 24/7. It verifies callers, answers return-status questions, books consultations, and routes IRS-notice calls to a partner. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 115,300 accountant and auditor openings a year through 2035. Many firms use one to cover a front desk they cannot staff.
Yes, once the firm approves it. The agent checks the caller's name and the last four digits of the phone number on file. It then reads status from TaxDome, Karbon, or Canopy and states it in the firm's words. Codeora Vision builds this read path per firm, on request.
Setup takes three to four weeks. A firm that books by December 15 can go live by January 15, before the filing rush. The build follows The ORACLE Build Method™: Observe, Reason, Architect, Calibrate, and Evolve. Firms starting with after-hours coverage can go live sooner.
It is designed for TaxDome, Karbon, and Canopy first, with Financial Cents and QuickBooks Online Accountant as extended options. Tax software such as Drake, UltraTax CS, Lacerte, and CCH Axcess is usually reached through the practice management layer. Each connection is scoped per firm and built on request.
No. A virtual assistant for CPAs is usually a remote person who handles bookkeeping, email, or scheduling. An AI receptionist handles only the phone and text front desk. Many firms use both: a virtual accounting assistant for back-office work, and the AI for every inbound call, evenings and weekends included.
An accountant answering service picks up when staff cannot. Human services usually take messages. An AI service also books intake, texts missing-document reminders, and transfers urgent calls with the notice number and deadline already captured. Each call is logged as a note in TaxDome, Karbon, or Canopy.
No. Circular 230 governs practice before the IRS, and the agent is not a practitioner. It answers only from the firm's approved knowledge base: hours, services, document checklists, and deadlines. Questions about deductions, amended returns, or entity elections go to a preparer by booking or live transfer.
The agent is designed for compliance with both. It discloses return status only to verified callers and only as the firm's IRC §7216 consent policy allows. For the FTC Safeguards Rule, Codeora Vision documents encryption, access control, and audit logging. The firm can then include the agent in its written information security plan.
The best answering service for accountants depends on size and software. Solo preparers with low volume often do well with a $25 to $38 a month app. Firms with several preparers and practice software need status lookups, document chasing, and partner routing. Check identity verification, tax-advice guardrails, and system ownership before choosing.
A $25 app, such as Quo's Sona, answers and takes messages. A custom AI answering service for accountants reads the firm's own data, chases documents, and writes notes back. Codeora Vision builds it agent-native on LangGraph, MCP, and Claude, and the firm owns the system rather than renting it.
A January go-live means setup in November and December, while your team still has room to breathe. Book a 30-minute readiness call. We'll map your call types, check your practice software, and show you the agent answering in your firm's name. You get an agent built on LangGraph, MCP, and Claude, owned by your firm.
Book a 30-Minute Tax-Season Readiness Call → Hear it answer 'Where's my return?'Replies within one business day. Calls scheduled in US business hours.
Online scheduling is not connected yet. Your details have been sent, and we reply within one business day.
