Isaac M. O'Bannon is the managing editor and digital content manager for CPA Practice Advisor (www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com), drawing on two decades of experience covering the areas of professional accounting, taxation, business productivity and consumer technologies. Prior to CPA Practice Advisor, O'Bannon was a consultant at firms in San Francisco, Denver and Tulsa, serving clients that included Logitech, Polycom, Hilti, Microsoft, the Stanford Research Institute, the University of Oklahoma's College of Engineering and other technology leaders. He is a U.S. Navy veteran. Email: isaac.obannon - @ - cpapracticeadvisor.com
September 9, 2014
The American Institute of CPAs has announced the 10 winners of the 2014-2015AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship. The award and scholarship are presented each year to undergraduate and graduate-level accounting students who plan to pursue their CPA license. The recipients have demonstrated academic excellence, while showing exceptional leadership. Each recipient will receive a $2,500 award for the…
September 9, 2014
Thomson Reuters has released a new white paper for tax professionals, Unlocking the Limits of the Keyword: 5 Ways to be a Better Tax Researcher. The paper addresses key challenges practitioners face when answering complex tax questions — exploring the evolution of the tax research process from print to digital and examining the viability of…
September 8, 2014
Cloud sales tax and compliance systems provider Avalara has formed a strategic alliance with PayPlus Software, Inc., (www.payplus.com), a payroll and employee management software company serving the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) industry.
September 8, 2014
Americans love a deal, and despite the increasingly digital economy, they still rely on coupons, according to a new study shows that reports that 96 percent of Americans are coupon users.
September 8, 2014
Intuit's report also shows that the labor market may be warming, as there have been increases in hours worked, compensation and revenue. The report is produced monthly and is based on aggregated data from small businesses across the nation who use Intuit Online Payroll and QuickBooks Online Payroll.
September 5, 2014
866-723-7409 www.issimage.com With thousands of jurisdictions across the country that have varying sales and use tax rates, the various filing requirements and frequencies of the 45 states that have sales taxes, and the potential penalties that can result from errors or missed deadlines, sales tax compliance can be complicated enough. But another significant challenge for...…
September 5, 2014
877-780-4848 www.Avalara.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Businesses with sales across dozens, hundreds or even more taxing jurisdictions across the United States and Canada, with the need to automate tax rate lookup into their sales and ecommerce systems. Strengths Seamless integration into accounting system Rates are maintained by Avalara, no updates required...…
September 5, 2014
888-885-0206 http://onesource.thomsonreuters.com/indirect-tax/ 2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit Mid-sized and larger enterprises with significant sales tax liability exposure across a large number of jurisdictions who want to automate rate management and outsource compliance functions. Strengths Complete tax lifecycle management from tax determination to returns preparation & remittance Automated rate lookup & application Hands-free/hassle-free...…
September 5, 2014
ACI Systems Inc. — TaskTracker 800-749-3554 http://acisystems.net ACI TaskTracker is a simple due-date tracking program developed for accounting and tax firms, offering tools for monitoring federal and state compliance due dates. While the system is primarily focused on income and franchise tax returns, and includes more than 150 predefined reports for those items, it also...…
September 5, 2014
Commercial Logic, Inc. — Advance Practice Management 603-643-1900 www.cli-usa.com APS Advance Practice Management, offered in the U.S. by Commercial Logic, Inc., is a widely used practice management system, and is part of the broader APS Suite, which includes document management, CRM, resource planning, online business intelligence and business process automation. The system is designed to...…
September 5, 2014
800-343-1157 www.taxtools.com 2011 Overall Rating 4 Best Fit: Small and mid-sized businesses with multiple locations and reporting requirements in CA or NY, or firms managing multiple businesses with such requirements. Strengths: Easy to use Gross summary reports E-filing to CA PDF output Good client communication templates Multi-client management tools Automation of system...…
September 5, 2014
877-584-2309 www.eFileSalesTax.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Fit: Generally small and mid-sized businesses, or accounting firms managing multiple such businesses, with filing requirements in CA, CO, FL or IL. However, some very large national retail outlets also use the system, particularly for CA and CO. Strengths: Very easy-to-use E-filing of returns to...…
