Anyone using better outsourced tax prep services than Xpitax?

I've been in practice for over 15 years and have tried several outsourcing options. Xpitax is one of the better known services, but definitely not the only game in town. I've had good experiences with both SurePrep and Taxfyle - both offer different pricing structures that might work better for a solo practitioner. The key is finding a service that matches your workflow and client base. If you're handling mostly individual returns, you might find TaxDome's partnership options more economical. For more complex business returns, I've found that Taxfyle's pricing can be more competitive than Xpitax. One thing to consider: as a solo, your volume will be lower which can affect pricing. Some services offer better rates for consistent volume, while others have more favorable per-return pricing. What types of returns are you mainly handling?

I started using https://taxr.ai last tax season when I went independent and it's been a game changer compared to traditional outsourcing services. Instead of paying per return, it helps analyze client documents and automates data extraction which cut my prep time by about 40%. I still do the actual prep work, but the heavy lifting of document organization and data entry is handled much more efficiently. It's been especially helpful with self-employed clients where I need to sort through pages of expenses and receipts. The AI identifies and categorizes everything, saving me hours of tedious work. It's been a great middle ground between doing everything myself and fully outsourcing.

I decided to give https://taxr.ai a try after seeing it mentioned here, and I've gotta admit I was impressed. I was super skeptical that it would just be another half-baked AI tool, but it actually saved me a ton of time with my first few clients this season. It recognized all my client's 1099 forms (even the weird ones) and organized all their business expenses without me having to manually sort through everything. Ended up saving me at least 2 hours per complex return. Not completely replacing outsourcing for me, but it's definitely reducing how many returns I need to send out, which is helping my bottom line a lot.

If you're struggling with IRS verification or need clarification on anything before filing outsourced returns, I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to the IRS quickly. I wasted days trying to reach someone at the IRS about some confirmation issues with returns we'd outsourced, then used Claimyr and got connected in under 15 minutes. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When dealing with outsourced returns, sometimes you need quick verification from the IRS on certain items, and waiting on hold for hours isn't practical when you're running your own practice. This service literally calls the IRS for you and then connects you once they reach an agent.

Ok I'll admit I was dead wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment last week, I decided to try it for a client case that's been sitting on my desk for months because I couldn't get through to the IRS. Got connected in about 25 minutes (which is literally 5 hours less than my previous attempts). The IRS agent was able to resolve my question about a discrepancy on an outsourced return in one call. Saved me having to send the return back to the outsourced preparer for revision and potentially missing the filing deadline. Definitely keeping this service in my toolkit going forward.

I've been using a small offshore team in India that I hired directly. Started with one preparer three years ago and now have a team of three. Cost is about 40% less than Xpitax for similar work. The key was spending time training them on exactly how I want things done. First tax season was rocky but now it runs pretty smooth. If your going solo this might be an option. Just need to be really clear about your standards and processes. Also need good security protocols for client data.

Has anyone tried both Xpitax and GKM for comparison? I'm currently using GKM but wondering if Xpitax would be better for the types of returns I handle (mostly complex individual with some partnership work).

I made the switch from Xpitax to a hybrid approach last year and it's working really well for my solo practice. I use TaxDome's outsourcing for about 40% of my returns (the straightforward individual ones) and handle the complex stuff in-house with some AI assistance for document prep. The cost savings have been significant - went from around $8,000 annually with Xpitax to about $4,500 with this setup. TaxDome's per-return pricing is more predictable for smaller volumes, and their turnaround times are actually faster than what I was getting with Xpitax. For the returns I do myself, I've started using document automation tools which has cut my prep time way down. The key was finding the right balance - not everything needs to be outsourced, especially when you're building your own practice and want to maintain that personal touch with clients.