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Accrual is an AI tax preparation platform built for accounting firms, and it is best suited to mid-size and large CPA firms that prepare many complex individual returns. Its agents read client documents, ask clients for what is missing and hand back a draft return for review. The company says preparation time drops by more than 85% and review time by up to 60%. Pricing, trials and public ratings are not yet available, so firms buy through a demo and a quote; publishing more of that detail would help buyers compare.

Accrual launched in February 2026 with $75 million led by General Catalyst, and by September its users included Armanino, Aprio, H&R Block, Creative Planning, BMSS and Stephano Slack. In September it also launched Arc, a general agent platform for firm work, and agreed to buy Puzzle’s accounting-firm business. This review is based on Accrual’s announcements and trade press coverage; we have not tested it hands-on.

The $75 Million Launch and Accrual’s Early Figures

Accrual is new, so most hard figures come from its own launch materials and trade press coverage of its two big announcements since. Each item was checked on the source page.

The customer list is the strongest signal here. Armanino, which its tax leader described as a top 20 firm, said returns from Accrual come back at manager-review quality and that the platform catches issues that could have led to amended returns. H&R Block and Creative Planning are large, demanding buyers, and that is unusual traction for a company only months past launch.

The time savings figures are best read as early results. They come from Accrual and describe early deployments, mostly on complex individual returns where manual data entry is heaviest. A firm with simpler returns, or with staff already using strong document intake tools, may see smaller gains and can measure its own during a pilot.

Tax Prep Agents Plus Arc, the Two Halves of Accrual

Accrual has two layers: tax preparation agents that work on individual returns, and Arc, a general agent platform for other firm work. Both are designed so the agents do the assembly and the professional keeps the judgment.

Tax Preparation Agents

1. Collect client inputs. Clients and staff upload what they have: K-1s, 1099s, brokerage statements running to hundreds of pages, spreadsheets, emails and even photos of documents.
2. Organize and structure. The agents read everything and structure the data as it arrives, so it can be reused through preparation, review and later client advice.
3. Find gaps. The agents identify what is missing and generate targeted follow-up questions for the client instead of generic organizer requests.
4. Draft the return. They produce a draft return ready for professional review, pulling prior-year data and carry-forwards from the firm’s existing tax engine.
5. Review and file. A preparer or manager reviews the draft, and the return is finalized and filed through the firm’s current tax software.

Accrual says it integrates with existing tax engines so firms can keep their current systems, but its public materials do not name specific products. Ask which engines and versions are supported before committing.

Arc for Multi-Step Firm Work

Arc, launched in September 2026, extends the agent approach beyond return preparation. A practitioner gives Arc an objective. Arc gathers the information it has permission to access, asks questions when something material is unclear and proposes a plan. After the practitioner approves the plan, Arc works across connected systems to combine information, run calculations and produce the deliverable, such as an Excel workbook, client report, analysis or workpaper.

Jobs can run for minutes or hours, and several can run at the same time while staff do other work. Each result comes with a record of the sources, tools and actions used. Tax notices are a typical example: Arc reviews the notice against client records and firm templates, identifies missing information, asks questions and prepares the supporting work once approved. Arc launched with 20 agents for common firm workflows, and firms can teach it their own processes, save them as reusable agents, share them across teams and schedule recurring work.

Client Accounting Services

The Puzzle acquisition, announced in September 2026, brings an AI-native ledger and month-end close product into Accrual. Its client accounting offering is in early access, with broader availability planned by the end of 2026. Accrual’s stated goal is one intelligence layer across tax, audit, client accounting and advisory.

Review and Sign-Off Still Belong to the CPA

Professionals review every draft return, approve Arc’s plan before it acts and remain responsible for final judgment and sign-off, according to Accrual. Permissions limit what Arc can reach, and its recorded actions give reviewers an audit trail. The firm still owns client relationships, engagement terms and filing decisions.

Per-Return Rates Shared Through Demos and Custom Contracts

Accrual sells through demos and custom contracts. It has not published plans, per-return rates or seat prices.

Capacity Math for a Firm Filing 500 Complex Returns

Without published prices, the useful math is about capacity, which is how Accrual frames its own value. These scenarios apply Accrual’s figures to example workloads; treat the outputs as the vendor’s upper estimate rather than a promise.

A firm with 500 complex individual returns. Accrual says every 50 complex returns adds the capacity of one accountant. Applied to 500 returns, that claim works out to the capacity of 10 accountants freed for review, advisory or more clients. Compare that with the quote you receive and your fully loaded cost per staff member.

A preparer spending four hours on each complex return. If preparation time falls by 85%, as Accrual reports, four hours becomes 36 minutes, saving 3.4 hours a return. Across 200 such returns a season, that is 680 hours. Your own baseline will differ, so time a sample of returns before and after a pilot.

Review time. If a manager spends one hour reviewing each of those 200 returns and review time falls by the full 60% Accrual cites, review drops to 24 minutes a return and saves 120 hours a season. Simpler returns will see less.

Hidden and variable costs. Budget for onboarding time, staff training, changes to client intake and possibly separate pricing for Arc or client accounting modules. Because the agents feed your existing tax engine, you keep paying for that software too.

Accrual Compared With Black Ore, Filed and Basis

Accrual competes with a small group of AI-native tax and firm automation vendors. Black Ore and Filed focus on tax preparation inside existing software; Basis targets broad firm workflows.

Black Ore is the easiest of the four to price, which matters for small firms. Filed is the closest match for firms that want AI data entry into named tax packages across more return types. Accrual and Basis are the broader options: both aim to cover more of the firm, and both are sold to larger practices. Accrual’s advantage is its public list of named adopters, and adding business returns, which are on the roadmap, would widen its fit. More options are on our accounting firm agents page.

CPA Firms Heavy on K-1s and Brokerage Statements

• Firms buried in complex individual returns: returns with many K-1s, 1099s and long brokerage statements are where Accrual reports the largest savings.
• Mid-size and large CPA firms: its named users include top 100 firms, and its sales-led model fits firms with formal technology evaluations.
• Firms with capacity problems in tax season: if hiring seasonal preparers is the bottleneck, Accrual’s capacity claim is the metric to test.
• Firms that want agents beyond tax season: Arc covers tax notices, workpapers and analyses year-round. See more on our accounting agents page.

When Solo Preparers and Business Return Shops Might Start Elsewhere

• Solo practitioners and very small firms: pricing is shared on request, so a per-return option such as Black Ore may be easier to budget.
• Business return specialists: Accrual focuses on individual returns for now.
• Firms that need bookkeeping automation today: the client accounting module is in early access; tools such as Booke AI or the Intuit Accountant Suite are available now.
• Buyers who rely on peer reviews: public ratings on review sites have not appeared yet.

Vendor-Reported Savings and Individual-Return Coverage

• Vendor-reported results: the 85% and 60% figures and the capacity claim come from Accrual and early customers, not independent tests.
• Narrow return coverage: individual returns only for now; ask for the business return roadmap in writing.
• Integration list: Accrual says it works with existing tax engines; a public list would help firms confirm fit.
• Security documentation: launch materials stress controls and auditability, and naming certifications would help buyers; request SOC 2 reports and data handling terms.
• Puzzle integration timeline: merging a ledger product into a tax platform takes time, and client accounting features are early.
• Newer vendor: Accrual launched publicly in February 2026, so its long-term support history is still building.

Arc’s Launch and the Puzzle Deal in September 2026

On September 24, 2026, CPA Practice Advisor reported that Accrual launched Arc, an agent platform for delegating multi-step work across a firm’s systems, with 20 agents at launch and new ones added weekly.

On September 2, 2026, Accrual agreed to acquire Puzzle’s accounting-firm technology and business, its first major acquisition, bringing Puzzle founder Sasha Orloff and his team into the company. On February 5, 2026, Accrual launched with $75 million in funding led by General Catalyst.

Why Larger Firms Should Pilot Accrual Despite a 5.2

For larger CPA firms with heavy individual tax volume, Accrual deserves a pilot. It scores 7.6/10 on our scale. The agents do real preparation work, from reading messy client documents to drafting returns and client questions, and Arc extends that to multi-step jobs with a plan the practitioner approves first. The customer list, including H&R Block, Armanino and Aprio, is strong for a company this young.

Published pricing, a trial, public reviews and named security certifications would lift the score. A pilot on a sample of last season’s complex returns is a good next step: time preparation and review against your baseline, and get pricing for Arc and client accounting in writing. Smaller firms may find Black Ore’s per-return pricing easier to plan around.

Tax Professionals Ask About Accrual Fees and Returns

How Much Does Accrual Cost?

Accrual does not publish prices. Firms book a demo and receive a custom quote, so ask how fees scale with return volume and whether Arc and client accounting are included.

Which Tax Returns Can Accrual Prepare?

Accrual focuses on individual tax returns for now and plans to expand to other return types over time. It handles complex inputs such as K-1s, 1099s and long brokerage statements.

Does Accrual Replace Our Tax Software?

No. Accrual works with a firm’s existing tax engine for prior-year data, carry-forwards and final filing. Its agents prepare the draft, and filing still runs through your current software.

What Is Accrual Arc?

Arc is Accrual’s agent platform for multi-step firm work, launched in September 2026. It proposes a plan, runs the approved job across connected systems and returns workbooks, reports, analyses or workpapers with a record of its sources and actions.

How Does Accrual Compare With Black Ore?

Both draft review-ready individual returns. Black Ore publishes a starting price of $60 per return for small firms, while Accrual is quote-only but adds Arc agents and a client accounting roadmap.