The Accounting Podcast

Sponsors
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
R.E. Cost Seg - http://accountingpodcast.promo/recostseg
C&R Consulting - http://accountingpodcast.promo/c&rconsulting
Fishbowl - http://accountingpodcast.promo/fishbowl

Chapters
(00:00) - TAP 486

(02:25) - Firm of One AI Tax

(04:39) - Automating Firm Ops

(09:35) - Claude Connectors Tested

(17:45) - Sage Buys Doyen AI

(19:48) - AI Efficiency Paradox

(22:06) - Vibe Coding for CAS

(26:06) - KPMG Federal Audit Exit

(29:02) - Tariff Refund Lawsuits

(31:15) - Tariffs and Job Losses

(33:01) - IRS Lawsuit Snag

(33:28) - Hearing Conflict Question

(33:49) - Nonprofit Form 990 Shakeup

(37:30) - Autofill Tax Return Bill

(38:54) - IRS Whistleblower Boost

(40:38) - Fed Nominee And Rates

(42:39) - Jobs Data Doesn’t Add Up

(44:28) - Intuit Hiring And Benefits

(47:26) - Canopy AI Coworker Agents

(52:34) - AI Meeting Notes To Tasks

(54:58) - Procrastination Pays In AI

(58:42) - Wrap Up CPE And Events

 

Show Notes

The 2026 Best Accounting Firms for Technology
https://www.accountingtoday.com/list/the-2026-best-accounting-firms-for-technology

AI Can Boost Productivity, but Who Sustains the Customer Economy?
https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/ai-can-boost-productivity-but-who-sustains-the-customer-economy

Sage Acquires Doyen AI to Help SMBs Migrate and Go Live Faster with AI
https://www.sage.com/en-us/news/press-releases/2026/04/sage-acquires-doyen-ai-to-help-smbs-migrate-and-go-live-faster-with-ai/

KPMG Closes U.S. Federal Audit Practice, Trims Advisory Staff
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/kpmg-closes-u-s-federal-audit-practice-trims-advisory-staff

Gamers Sue Nintendo Over Tariff Refunds
https://www.gamefile.news/p/gamers-sue-nintendo-over-tariff-refunds

No, Tariffs Are Not Strengthening the Economy
https://fortune.com/2026/04/29/tariffs-not-strengthening-economy-trump-trade-war-data/

Trump's $10 Billion IRS Suit Hits Snag with Skeptical Judge
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/04/27/trumps-10-billion-irs-suit-hits-snag-with-skeptical-judge/182256/

IRS to Revamp Form 990 to Require More Info from Charities
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-to-revamp-form-990-to-require-more-info-from-charities

Congressman Introduces Bill to Autofill Tax Forms
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/congressman-introduces-bill-to-autofill-tax-forms

House Passes IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/house-passes-irs-whistleblower-improvement-act

Accountant Job Outlook & Demand Report 2026
https://www.intuit.com/blog/innovative-thinking/accountant-job-outlook-demand-report/

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Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

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Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

What does it mean when Big Four partners can be demoted—and AI still gets 1 in 5 accounting tasks wrong? Blake and David unpack KPMG’s audit partner cuts, EY and KPMG’s quiet partner demotions in the UK, PwC’s return-to-office push, and why firms like Decimal are rethinking tech-driven bookkeeping. They also debate AI’s limits in accounting, explore the future of CPE after a surprising Nasba warning, and explain what these shifts mean for accountants building their careers.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Fishbowl - http://accountingpodcast.promo/fishbowl

Chapters
(00:00) - TAP 485

(01:47) - Bookkeeping Market Shakeup

(02:38) - Decimal Pivots to Franchising

(05:31) - AI Accuracy Reality Check

(07:57) - Inventory Counts Still Human

(10:28) - H&R Block Goes Year Round

(11:55) - AI CEO Experiments and Limits

(16:34) - Earmark Sponsor and NASBA Letter

(21:37) - Context and CPE Reform Debate

(26:11) - CPE Checkbox Culture

(28:11) - Fixing CPE With AI

(32:07) - Live Chat and Teams CPE

(34:37) - Sponsor OnPay Break

(35:51) - Big Four Partner Cuts

(41:27) - AI Predicts Misstatements

(43:31) - Sponsor Fishbowl Break

(44:55) - Where Accountants Are Missing

(48:39) - 150 Hour Rule Changes

(49:19) - Wrap Up and Thanks

 

Show Notes
The Best AI Model Still Fails 1 in 5 Accounting Tasks
https://www.cfo.com/news/the-best-ai-model-still-fails-1-in-5-accounting-tasks-Claude-Opus-OpenAI-GPT/818100/

DualEntry AI Accounting Benchmark (Claude Opus 4.7 Results)
https://www.dualentry.com/blog/claude-opus-4-7-accounting-ai-benchmark-results

The Least Glamorous Side of Accounting That Still Can't Be Automated
https://controllerscouncil.org/the-least-glamorous-side-of-accounting-that-still-cant-be-automated/

Decimal Sells Its Accounting Firm to Franchise the Operating System Behind It
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/decimal-sells-its-accounting-firm-to-franchise-the-operating-system-behind-it-302753690.html

Collective Acquires Open Ledger to Accelerate All-in-One Financial Solution for Solopreneurs
https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2026/04/22/collective-open-ledger-acquisition

H&R Block Wants to Be More Than a Tax Company
https://fortune.com/article/hr-block-tax-year-round-financial-adviser-fintech-innovation/

An AI Agent Takes Over a Store and Orders Too Many Candles
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/an-ai-agent-takes-over-a-store-and-orders-too-many-candles-mobwrfw2

Customers Bank CEO Uses AI Clone on Earnings Call, Signs OpenAI Deal
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/openai-partners-with-customers-bank-in-push-to-automate-finance.html

KPMG Lays Off 10% of US Audit Partners
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/kpmg-lays-off-10-of-us-audit-partners

KPMG and EY Demote Partners in End of Job-for-Life Model in UK
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2026/04/24/kpmg-and-ey-demote-partners-in-end-of-job-for-life-model-in-uk/

PwC Tells Remote Tax Staff to Get Their Butts Into the Office
https://www.goingconcern.com/pwc-tells-remote-tax-staff-to-get-their-butts-into-the-office/

PwC Pays $166 Million to Settle HK Evergrande Audit Probe
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/pwc-agrees-to-pay-166-million-to-close-evergrande-probe-in-hk

Predicting Material Misstatements Using Machine Learning (Phys.org summary)
https://phys.org/news/2026-predicting-material-misstatements-machine-learning.html

Is Your State Running Low on Accountants? (Sam's List Accountant Shortage Index)
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/04/21/is-your-state-running-out-of-accountants/181991/

Kentucky Passes CPA Licensure Modernization Bill
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/kentucky-passes-cpa-pathway-bill

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? 
Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

Limited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessities
TeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merch

Subscribe
Apple Podcasts:

Can the accounting profession grow with fewer people? Blake Oliver and David Leary unpack how AI is reshaping firms, from PwC Australia’s staffing cuts and rising partner pay to new questions about performance metrics, CPA pathways, and the future of CAS. They also cover the IRS’s tax season recap, tariff refunds, Deloitte’s fake AI citations, and why firms need better ways to measure value in an AI-driven world.

Sponsors
Digits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/digits
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Wurthy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/wurthy

Chapters
(00:00) - Show kickoff and tax season

(01:05) - Sponsor Digits AI bookkeeping

(02:45) - IRS CEO tax season recap

(06:18) - Direct File and enforcement debate

(07:54) - Tariff refund portal CAPE

(09:54) - IRS CI pulled to ICE then back

(11:49) - CAS growth engine for firms

(15:12) - New firm metrics beyond hours

(24:02) - AI ROI metrics survey

(25:30) - Sponsor Cloud Staffing and OnPay

(29:45) - Rethinking Course Requirements

(31:44) - States Drop 150 Hours

(33:16) - Experience Sign Off Hurdles

(33:59) - Geopolitical Risk Survey

(35:25) - Deloitte Fake Citations

(38:46) - Big Four Cuts and Pay

(41:51) - Worthy Sponsor Break

(43:23) - ARR Metric Trouble

(48:37) - Shorter Contracts Shift

(49:49) - Ilhan Omar Filing Error

(53:18) - Wrap Up and Free CPE

 

Show Notes
IRS CEO Touts Successful Tax Season Despite Cutbacks
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-ceo-touts-successful-tax-season-despite-cutbacks

The CAPE Tariff Refund System Is Here — Are You Ready?
https://globaltrainingcenter.com/the-cape-tariff-refund-system-is-here-is-your-global-trade-team-ready/

IRS Shakes Up Leadership Ahead of Tax Season
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-shakes-up-leadership-ahead-of-tax-season

Looking to Grow Like a Top 100 Firm? Try CAS
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/looking-to-grow-like-a-top-100-firm-try-cas

Accounting Firms Need New Metrics for an Old Model
https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/accounting-firms-need-new-metrics-for-an-old-model

Only 18% of Organizations Track AI ROI
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/only-18-of-organizations-track-ai-roi

CPA Licensing Laws Are Constraining Accounting Firms in the AI Era
https://news.bloombergtax.com/tax-insights-and-commentary/accounting-firms-schools-must-craft-next-generations-future

Maryland Approves CPA Licensure Pathways Bill
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/maryland-approves-cpa-licensure-pathways-bill

Nevada Implements CPA Licensure Changes
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/nevada-implements-cpa-licensure-changes

Accountants Worried About War in Iran
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/accountants-worried-about-war-in-iran

Accounting Watchdog to Investigate Deloitte Over Fake Citations in $1.6M Healthcare Report
https://theindependent.ca/news/lji/accounting-watchdog-to-investigate-deloitte-over-fake-citations-in-1-6-million-healthcare-report/

PwC Australia Profit Drops, But Fewer Partners Split the Pot
https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report-international/pwc-australia-profit-drops-but-fewer-partners-split-the-pot

Deloitte US to Cut Benefits for Segment of Employees Amid Job Architecture Reshuffle
https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/2026/04/20/deloitte-us-to-cut-benefits-for-segment-of-employees-amid-job-architecture-reshuffle

What Is ARR? Behind the Least-Trusted Metric of the AI Era
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-07/what-is-arr-behind-the-least-trusted-metric-of-the-ai-era

AI Tools Are Upending Typical Software Contracts
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-25/ai-tools-are-upending-typical-software-contracts

Rep. Ilhan Omar Cites Accounting Error in $30 Million Financial Disclosure
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/18/rep-ilhan-omar-cites-accounting-error-30-million-financial-disclosure/

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info?

What happens when AI starts doing the audit work itself? Blake and David dig into KPMG’s prediction that routine audit testing could soon happen with almost no human auditors directly involved. They also cover the IRS’s unfinished AI projects, the end of Direct File, new tax-on-tips rules, and why firms investing more in marketing are growing faster. Press play to hear what these shifts could mean for accountants, firms, and clients.

Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Wurthy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/wurthy

Chapters
(00:00) - Audits Without Humans

(00:22) - Tax Day Show Kickoff

(02:30) - When Tax Day Hit Post Office

(04:34) - E Filing Ends The Party

(05:23) - This Week Top Stories

(05:58) - Warehouse Fire Accounting Impact

(08:52) - Compliance Time Cost

(11:04) - No Tax On Tips Rules

(13:44) - IRS AI Projects Stall

(14:43) - Direct File Cost Debate

(17:30) - Xero Os Buzzword Critique

(20:32) - Can Ai Replace QuickBooks

(21:23) - Reddit Claude Accounting System

(22:45) - Firms Lose Stack Control

(23:27) - AI Makes More Cleanup

(23:58) - Tidwell Spreadsheet Accounting

(25:13) - Tax Preparer Fraud Cases

(27:17) - Big Four Audit Automation

(30:58) - EY Office Mandate and Careers

(34:01) - Firm Growth Marketing and AI

(36:19) - Audit Lawsuits and Penalties

(40:19) - Juno AI Tax Prep Funding

(42:27) - Workers Skipping AI Review

(44:36) - Agentic Frameworks and Omni

(47:19) - Wrap Up and Free CPE

 

Show Notes
How Tax Day Turned Into Party Night at the Post Office
https://www.history.com/articles/tax-day-parties
Americans to Spend 11.6 Billion Hours Completing Federal Compliance Forms
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/03/16/americans-to-spend-11-6-billion-hours-completing-federal-compliance-forms/179866/

IRS Publishes List of Jobs That Qualify for 'No Tax on Tips' Provision
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/13/irs-tax-on-tips-big-beautiful-bill.html

IRS AI Projects Fall by the Wayside Due to Staff Cuts
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-ai-projects-fall-by-the-wayside-due-to-staff-cuts

IRS Inflated Direct File Costs by $45 Million in 2025
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/03/25/irs-inflated-direct-file-costs-by-45-million-in-2025/180237/

Xero OS: Your Operating System for the Future of Autonomous Finance
https://blog.xero.com/news-events/xero-os-ai-native-operating-system/

Tidwell — MCP Accounting Server (Reddit reference)
https://www.tidwell.com

Warehouse Worker Charged in $500M Arson Attack at Kimberly-Clark Distribution Center
https://abc7.com/post/employee-arrested-arson-kimberly-clark-distribition-center-destroyed-massive-fire-ontario/18851549/

New Jersey Tax Preparer Sentenced in Largest COVID-19 Tax Relief Fraud Case
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/new-jersey-man-sentenced-prison-largest-covid-19-tax-relief-fraud-scheme-country

Pennsylvania Tax Preparer Jessica Cordero Faces Federal Charges in New Fraud Scheme
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/allentown-woman-and-two-others-charged-federal-court-wire-fraud-and-aggravated-identity

In This Critical Part of Audits, the Accountant's Role Is Shrinking Fast
https://www.wsj.com/finance/accounting/auditors-ai-kpmg-pwc-ey-7f07d3a5

KPMG Plans to Cut Up to 440 Audit Jobs in UK
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-27/kpmg-set-to-shed-hundreds-of-auditors-as-attrition-remains-low

EY Requiring U.S. Tax Staff to Work In-Person 12 Days a Month
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ey-requiring-us-tax-staff-to-work-in-person-12-days-a-month

AI Is Changing How EY Recruits, Develops and Promotes Employees
https://www.businessinsider.com/ey-ai-talent-career-paths-accounting-2026

High-Growth Accounting Firms Spend Twice as Much on Marketing
https://hingemarketing.com/blog/story/marketing-financial-services-the-2025-forecast

Evergrande Liquidators and PwC Head to Court
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/evergrande-liquidators-and-pwc-head-to-court

Ontario Securities Commission Accuses KPMG of Botching Audits for Bridging Finance
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ontario-securities-commission-accuses-kpmg-of-botching-audits-for-bridging-finance

Juno Raises $12M Seed to Scale AI Tax Preparation Platform
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/04/13/juno-raises-12m-seed-to-scale-ai-tax-preparation-platform-that-automates-90-of-busy-work/181502/

AI Slop Survey: A Third of Workers Rarely Check AI Output Before Using It
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/04/08/ai-slop-survey-a-third-of-workers-rarely-check-ai-output-before-using-it/181191/

Agentic AI Frameworks and Artifact's Omni Platform Launch
https://www.artifact.build

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What happens when AI starts doing more than answering questions? Blake and David dig into Perplexity’s move into tax prep and bookkeeping, the IRS testing Palantir to help select audit targets, and why many firms still aren’t seeing real ROI from AI. They also unpack the surprising success of Trump accounts and what all of this could mean for accountants, firm workflows, and the future of the profession.

Sponsors
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
Cloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/cas
REFRAME 2026 - http://accountingpodcast.promo/reframe2026
Wurthy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/wurthy

Chapters
(00:00) - TAP 482

(02:37) - Trump Accounts Boom

(07:22) - CPE With Earmark

(08:38) - Perplexity Targets Taxes

(12:32) - AI Agents And Moats

(23:43) - Claude Cowork Bookkeeping

(30:25) - Digits Outcome Pricing

(30:58) - Digits Pay For Performance

(31:25) - Zero Touch Guarantee

(31:56) - Pricing Power Debate

(32:20) - Switching GL Friction

(33:11) - Reframe Conference Sponsor

(34:26) - AI Security Banter

(35:14) - IRS Palantir Snap Audits

(39:09) - AI ROI Wrong Math

(44:27) - Find The Bottleneck

(46:14) - Automate Client Intake

(48:02) - Claude PBC Workflow

(54:40) - Weekly Close Discipline

(56:13) - DHS Tax Extension Story

(57:48) - Mentoring And Webinars

(59:15) - Future Firm Tech Stack

(01:01:45) - Wrap Up And CPE

 

Show Notes
4 Million Children Have Been Signed Up for Trump Accounts with 1 Million Claiming the $1,000 Pilot Program Contribution
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/4-million-children-have-been-signed-up-for-trump-accounts-with-1-million-claiming-the-1000-pilot-program-contribution
Introducing Computer for Taxes
https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-computer-for-taxes
The IRS Wants Smarter Audits. Palantir Could Help Decide Who Gets Flagged
https://dnyuz.com/2026/03/30/the-irs-wants-smarter-audits-palantir-could-help-decide-who-gets-flagged/
Digits Announces Outcome-Based Pricing
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/digits-announces-outcome-based-pricing
Your AI Business Case Is Built on the Wrong Math
https://www.cfo.com/news/your-ai-business-case-is-built-on-the-wrong-math-throughput-accounting-productivity/816014/
Treasury and IRS Announce Tax Filing Relief to DHS Personnel
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0431

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Get in Touch
Thanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.

Sponsorships
Are you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.

Need Accounting Conference Info? 
Check out our new website - accountingconferences.com

Limited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessities
TeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merch

Subscribe
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Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page