Best of
Top 9 AI Tools for Accounting and Tax Professionals in 2026: Ranked by What Actually Saves You Hours
Sep 13, 2026 · 18 min read
C
CPA Pilot
AI tax workspace for U.S. CPAs, EAs and tax firms: review, research, planning
From $29/mo cpapilot.com
Own CPA Pilot? Claim it, free to correct the facts and get the verified badge.
cpapilot.com
Pricing
From $29/mo
Free trial
Yes
Company
CPA PilotUnited States
Platforms
Web
What is CPA Pilot?
CPA Pilot is an AI tax assistant for U.S. CPAs, EAs and tax firms. It brings return review, tax research, client emails, organizers, projections and tax planning reports into one workspace.
It doesn't depend on open-ended prompts. CPA Pilot offers 10 built-in workflows, each with its own tax-specific instructions, checks and output format. You can upload individual or business returns (1040, 1120, 1120-S, 1065) and supporting documents. The workflows flag review issues, write client-ready summaries, turn a prior-year return into an organizer, map PDF, Excel or CSV data into fields your tax software can import, and compare entity options. The CPA reviews the findings and makes the final call.
Pricing is based on monthly message allowances, not seats. Every plan includes all workflows, and annual billing saves 16%. It is useful during filing season and also for year-round work such as IRS notice research and advisory planning.
Key features
- Tax return review that flags risks and inconsistencies
- Client-ready summaries of 1040, 1120, 1120-S and 1065 returns
- Tax organizer generated from a prior-year return
- Drafts researched replies to client emails
- Federal and state tax research with code citations
- Tax projections and scenario modeling
- Entity selection comparison: Schedule C, LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp
- Maps PDF, Excel or CSV data into tax software fields
Use cases
Who it's for
CPAsEnrolled AgentsTax firmsSolo tax practitioners
Pre-sign-off return QA
Upload a return and supporting documents to flag issues before partner review.
Client communication
Paste a client email to get a professional draft reply, or send an organizer built from last year's return.
Year-end advisory
Run projections, compare entity structures and produce tax planning notes for clients.
IRS notice research
Research federal or state issues with relevant code sections and citations.
CPA Pilot pricing
From the vendor's site, checked Oct 26, 2026; we re-check prices monthly. Prices change — confirm on their pricing page.
CPA Pilot 20
month
$29/mo
- 20 AI messages/month
- All AI tax workflows
- Rollover messages
- Standard support
CPA Pilot 60
month
$49/mo
- 60 AI messages/month
- Extended document analysis
- Entity selection and year-end planning
- Priority email support
CPA Pilot 150
month
$119/mo
- 150 AI messages/month
- Batch return review workflows
- Advisory workflow suite
- Priority chat support
CPA Pilot Unlimited
month
$199/mo
- No usage limits
Which plan do you need?
- CPA PilotCPA Pilot 20$29/mo
- Intuit TurboTax / Intuit AssistExpert 365 Business$61/mo
- PilotTax - Single Member LLC$83.33/mo
The cheapest paid plan with a published price that fits. Custom and sales-quoted plans aren't included.
How CPA Pilot compares
- CPA Pilot has no free plan, while 1 of the 4 alternatives below has one.
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Free trial | API | Open source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCPA Pilot | $29/mo | — | — | — | ||
| B | Quote | — | — | — | — | CPA Pilot vs Bloomberg Tax |
T Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge | Quote | — | — | — | CPA Pilot vs Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge | |
I Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | — | — | — | — | CPA Pilot vs Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | |
P Pilot | $99/mo | — | — | — | CPA Pilot vs Pilot |
Compare 5 capabilities
| Capability | CPA Pilot | Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill pay | — | — | |
| QuickBooks/Xero sync | — | — | |
| Reconciliation | — | — | |
| Forecasting | — | ||
| Human experts included |
Capabilities as stated on each vendor's own site; — means the site doesn't say. The closest alternatives in our directory by category. “Starts at” is the cheapest paid plan per month, as each vendor lists it.
CPA Pilot data and privacy
Trains AI on your content
No
“CPA Pilot does not use client data, uploaded documents, prompts, or generated outputs to train AI models.”
Data retention
Uploaded documents and outputs auto-deleted after 90 days; account data 30 days post-cancellation
“Uploaded documents and generated outputs are retained for 90 days from the date of upload, after which they are automatically deleted from our systems.”
Where data is stored
Not stated
Security and compliance
None stated
From CPA Pilot's own privacy and security pages , checked Oct 28, 2026. We only show what the vendor states in writing; “not stated” means the pages don't say.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Every plan includes all AI workflows
- Pricing is by messages, not seats, with unlimited devices
- Annual billing saves 16% and unused messages roll over
- Outputs can be exported as PDF, CSV or text
Limitations
- Credit card required to start the free trial
- Lower plans have small message allowances (20/month on the $29 plan)
- Subscriptions can't be paused
- Focused on U.S. tax only
CPA Pilot FAQ
How much does CPA Pilot cost?
Plans are $29/mo (20 messages), $49/mo (60), $119/mo (150) and $199/mo (Unlimited). Annual billing saves 16%.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. There is a 7-day free trial with 20 messages, and a credit card is required to sign up.
Can I export my data?
Yes. You can export workflow outputs, saved research and client notes as PDF, CSV or text at any time, including after canceling.
What is the cancellation policy?
Monthly plans can be canceled at any time and access continues until the end of the billing period. Annual plans include prorated refunds within the first 30 days.
Which returns does it handle?
Individual 1040 returns and business returns on forms 1120, 1120-S and 1065.
User reviews
No reviews yet. Used CPA Pilot? Be the first.
Sign in to rate this tool and share how you use it.
CPA Pilot in our articles
CPA Pilot
From $29/mo
Tools similar to CPA Pilot
B
Bloomberg Tax
Tax research platform with AI answers and an assistant for tax professionals
T
Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge
AI tax research with cited answers from Checkpoint content for tax professionals
I
Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist
Guided tax filing software with AI answers and optional help from tax experts