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Unlocking the future of accounting: How technology is bridging the talent gap

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It’s no secret that the accounting profession has grappled with a major talent crisis in recent years. About three quarters of certified public accountants are set to retire in the next decade and we’ve seen fewer candidates sitting for the CPA exam. On top of that, training to become a CPA is no mean feat. The CPA exam is a difficult test — so difficult that even AI couldn’t pass it first time around.

However, there’s a glimmer of hope. Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates undergraduate accounting enrollment rose by an impressive 12% in fall 2024 compared to the previous year. This surge brings us close to pre-pandemic levels of accountants-in-training, which could be a positive signal of renewed interest in the field.

While the uptick in student enrollments is encouraging, a growing number of accounting students is not going to solve the problem many firms are facing today. What’s more, the demand for accountants isn’t going anywhere. So, with no shortage of work and likely too few people available to do it, what can firms do to stay ahead? Technology can have an immediate impact on helping to unlock the future of work for tax professionals. Let’s dive into some of the ways advancements in AI and automation are helping firms bridge the talent gap today.

Automating the mundane

Driving efficiency remains the top strategic priority for firms, and streamlining processes and workflows to free up time for accountants to focus on more complex work is essential. Time savings are largely being driven by the automation of repetitive tasks in the tax workflow. That means things like supporting data gathering, simplifying mundane tasks or streamlining the tax preparation process. On top of this, more tax professionals than ever are using AI to assist with tax research. In fact, tax firms believe that investments in AI will save them five hours per week in the first year for each staff member, increasing to 14 hours saved weekly in five years. That’s the equivalent of 250 hours a year saved for every team member.

Strategic advice is in hot demand

With technology handling routine tasks, human judgment and consultation are becoming the areas in which humans can really thrive. Efficiency driven by automation means accountants are freed up to focus on providing valuable advisory services. This pivot in firms’ business models is essential for two reasons. First, it helps firms bring greater value to their clients by illuminating the deeply specialized expertise their teams can apply to supporting their clients’ needs. Second, it creates an avenue of differentiation for firms to evolve to complement the basic tax services that can now be handled by automation and AI.

Two-thirds of firms strongly agree that most clients now want business advice, ranging from tax strategy and financial planning to decision support. Clients today have access to a wealth of information, including real-time data. They’re looking to their accountants as a trusted advisor who can navigate this data-rich landscape. AI can augment that effort too, by providing insights to support firms with elevating their roles from number crunchers to business advisors. Technology empowers accountants to extract valuable insights from massive datasets, and they can apply this intel to the advice and recommendations they put forward to their clients.

Attracting the CPAs of the future

Millennials and Gen Z are the CPAs of the future. These young professionals are digital natives, and they value the use of technology in their work. By showcasing how accounting intersects with technologies like AI, the profession becomes more appealing to tech-savvy students, dispelling the outdated image of accounting as a dry, monotonous field. Additionally, cloud-based software enables remote work, offering the flexibility that’s highly valued by today’s workforce.

Tax and accounting is somewhat notorious for its grueling workload. Striking the right work-life balance is an ongoing challenge for many, particularly during peaks like busy season that bring a relentlessly demanding schedule for CPAs. But time savings brought by AI and automation are alleviating the burden by augmenting the work of humans. Long term, changing the reality of what work-life balance means for accounting professionals could well be the final hurdle in elevating the popularity of the profession as a career choice for generations to come.

While the recent enrollment increase is heartening, technology is the key to this sustained interest. By embracing technological advancements, the accounting profession can transform its image and become more attractive as a destination for an exciting, evolving career path for the accounting workforce of the future.

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Accounting

CrowdStrike says DOJ, SEC sent inquiries on firm accounting

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CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. said U.S. officials have asked for information related to the accounting of deals it’s made with some customers and said the cybersecurity firm is cooperating with the inquiry.

The Austin, Texas-based company said in a filing Wednesday that it has gotten “requests for information” from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission “relating to the company’s recognition of revenue and reporting of ARR for transactions with certain customers.” ARR refers to annual recurring revenue, a measure of earnings from subscriptions.

The company said the federal officials have also sought information related to a CrowdStrike update last year that crashed Windows operating systems around the world.

“The company is cooperating and providing information in response to these requests,” the filing states.

U.S. prosecutors and regulators have been investigating a $32 million deal between CrowdStrike and a technology distributor, Carahsoft Technology Corp., to provide cybersecurity tools to the Internal Revenue Service, Bloomberg News first reported in February. The IRS never purchased or received the products, Bloomberg News earlier reported.

The investigators are probing what senior CrowdStrike executives may have known about the $32 million deal and are examining other transactions made by the cybersecurity firm, Bloomberg News reported in May.

Asked for comment about the filing, CrowdStrike spokesperson Brian Merrill said, “As we have told Bloomberg repeatedly, this is old news and we stand by the accounting of the transaction.” 

A lawyer for Carahsoft previously declined to comment on the federal investigations, and representatives didn’t respond to subsequent requests for comment about them.

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Elon Musk urges Americans take action to ‘kill’ Trump tax cut bill

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Tech titan Elon Musk ratcheted up his offensive against Donald Trump’s signature tax bill on Wednesday, urging that Americans contact their lawmakers to “KILL” the legislation.

“Call your Senator, Call your Congressman,” Musk wrote in a social media post. “Bankrupting America is NOT ok!”

The post came one day after Musk lashed out at the tax bill, describing it as a budget-busting “disgusting abomination” as Republican fiscal hawks stepped up criticism of the massive fiscal package. 

Trump hasn’t publicly responded to Musk’s comments, but the White House put out a statement Wednesday saying the legislation “unleashes an era of unprecedented economic growth.” 

And House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Musk is “dead wrong” about the bill and that the tax cuts will pay for themselves through economic growth.

Musk’s public condemnation pits him against the president at a critical time as Trump is personally lobbying holdouts on the bill. His campaign against the legislation threatens to stiffen resistance and delay enactment of the tax cuts and debt ceiling increase. 

Musk has attacked the legislation days after leaving a temporary assignment leading the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative to cut federal spending. The Tesla Inc. chief executive officer’s high-profile role in the Trump administration eroded his business brand and sales of his company’s electric vehicles plunged. 

The House-passed version of the tax and spending bill would add $2.4 trillion to U.S. budget deficits over the next decade, according to an estimate released Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO’s calculation reflects a $3.67 trillion decrease in expected revenues and a $1.25 trillion decline in spending over the decade through 2034, relative to baseline projections. The score doesn’t account for any potential boost to the economy from the bill, which Johnson and Trump argue would offset the revenue losses. 

Musk, the world’s richest man with a net worth of about $377 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has become a crucial financial backer of the Republican party. After making modest donations most years, Musk became the biggest U.S. political donor in 2024, giving more than $290 million.

Johnson said Musk had promised to help reelect Republicans just a day before savaging Trump’s bill. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. 

Most of Musk’s giving was aimed at electing Trump but he also supported congressional candidates. America PAC, the super political action committee that Musk largely funded, spent $18.5 million in 17 separate House races. Though that total pales in comparison to the roughly $255 million he spent backing Trump, the spending means a lot in a congressional election, where challengers on average raise less than $1 million.

Control of the House will likely be decided by the outcome of fewer than two dozen close races in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP’s chances of holding their majority would suffer a major blow if Musk were to withdraw his financial support.

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Accounting

M&A Watch: PE fuels deals for CRI, UHY, Prosperity

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Three private equity-backed firms have made deals: Carr, Riggs & Ingram has expanded into East Texas by merging in Axley & Rode; UHY is continuing its expansion in St. Louis by adding Sabino & Co.; and Prosperity Partners moved into Vermont by adding Danaher, Attig & Plante. Meanwhile, Top 100 Firm Sensiba has acquired Australia-based cybersecurity audit and risk assurance firm AssuranceLab.

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