Accounting & tax / bookkeeping software, built around IRS, CPA and client tax-return / engagement tracker

Arkathos gives a accounting & tax a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around moving tax and bookkeeping engagements through the filing calendar — organizer intake, prep/review status, and per-return billing. Arkathos tailors a accounting & tax workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Scribe, Quartermaster, Herald.

Compliance a accounting & tax can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a accounting & tax, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A accounting & tax must maintain a CPA license, through the State Board of Accountancy, which renews every two years.
• The CPA license carries a continuing-education requirement of 80 hours every two years (4h Ethics, 24h Accounting & auditing, 16h Taxation, 36h General / other).
• A accounting & tax must maintain a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number), through the IRS, which renews every year.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a Enrolled Agent (EA) enrollment, through the IRS, which renews every 3 years.
• The Enrolled Agent (EA) enrollment carries a continuing-education requirement of 72 hours every 36 months (6h Ethics, 66h Federal tax law & updates).
• A accounting & tax must maintain a EFIN e-file provider authorization, through the IRS, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a Local business license, which renews every year.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a Accountants professional liability (E&O) insurance, which renews every year.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a General liability insurance, which renews every year.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a Cyber / data-breach liability insurance, which renews every year.
• A accounting & tax must maintain a Workers' compensation insurance, which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a accounting & tax

These are the agents set up first for a accounting & tax — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Courier, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Watchtower, Bulletin Board, Client Portal.

• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Scribe — Document & contract templates, E-signature, Proposal & form builder, PDF / Word export.
• Quartermaster — Online booking & appointments, Calendar & availability, Events & waitlists, Automated reminders, Job dispatch & scheduling.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored accounting & tax workspace

These are net-new, accounting & tax-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• Client tax-return / engagement tracker (Sentinel): Return as an object: entity type, tax year, forms (1040/1120/1065/sales/payroll), assigned preparer, status (organizer→in-prep→review→e-filed→accepted), and e-file acknowledgement — the pipeline that drives season.
• Tax organizer + secure document request (Scribe): Digital organizer questionnaires and a per-client required-document checklist (W-2s, 1099s, K-1s) with received/outstanding status, so preparers stop chasing paperwork by email.
• Multi-client filing-deadline calendar (Treasury): Each client's filing obligations (annual returns, quarterly estimates, sales-tax, payroll) with due dates, extension status, and e-file confirmation — distinct from the firm's own filings.
• Per-return + recurring bookkeeping billing (Treasury): Fixed-fee-per-return pricing, monthly bookkeeping/advisory retainers, and value-billing with realization tracking.
• IRS e-file authorization e-sign (8879/8453) (Scribe): KBA-compliant e-signature flow for IRS authorization forms with retained audit trail, meeting e-file signature requirements.
• Preparer credential tracker (PTIN / EA / CPA CPE) (Watchtower): PTIN renewal, EA/CPA license, and CPE credit-hour totals per preparer with due-date alerts.

The agents and tabs you get

Treasury for a accounting & tax surfaces Filings, Calendar, Invoices, Financial sheet, Chat. Sentinel for a accounting & tax surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Scribe for a accounting & tax surfaces Documents, Templates, Chat. Quartermaster for a accounting & tax surfaces Calendar, Bookings, Availability, Chat. Herald for a accounting & tax surfaces Brief, Compose, Get found, Directories, ✦Studio, Schedule, Chat, Brand voice.

Frequently asked questions

best practice management software for accounting firms

TaxDome, Canopy, Karbon, Financial Cents, and Jetpack Workflow lead the market, bundling client management, workflow, and billing. Arkathos folds finances, CRM, scheduling, billing, and compliance into one flat-priced platform tailored to firms.

how much does accounting practice management software cost per month

Usually $30-$90 per user/month, cheaper billed annually; solo plans run $19-$60, enterprise $100+/user. Per-seat pricing climbs with headcount. Arkathos uses flat pricing with no per-seat fees.

do i need practice management software for my bookkeeping firm

Not required, but most growing firms benefit: it centralizes clients, automates recurring workflows, and tracks deadlines and billing so you add clients without adding staff. Solo firms can start light.

best client portal for accountants to collect documents securely

SmartVault, TaxDome, Liscio, and Content Snare lead for secure, white-label portals with e-sign and mobile document scanning. Arkathos includes a secure client portal and document intake in the same platform.

how do i keep track of tax season deadlines and client returns

Use workflow software with stage tracking (received, preparing, reviewing, awaiting client, ready to file) plus automated client reminders. Firms average 200-800 returns across 6-12 deadline types, so spreadsheets don't scale.

do accountants need e-signature software for form 8879

Not legally required, but IRS Publication 1345 requires knowledge-based authentication (KBA) to e-sign Form 8879 remotely, so use a compliant tool. It speeds engagement letters and busy-season turnaround.

how to get more clients for my accounting firm

Referrals drive roughly 81% of firm leads, so ask for them; then niche down, optimize your website and SEO, run targeted Google Ads, and network. Arkathos's CRM and marketing agents handle outreach and follow-up.

best software for a bookkeeping firm to manage multiple clients

Pair a ledger (QuickBooks Online Accountant or Xero) with workflow software (Jetpack Workflow, Financial Cents, Uku) to track overdue bank feeds, reconciliations, and payroll hours. Arkathos consolidates both sides.

all-in-one software for accounting firm vs separate tools

Firms often stack tax prep, portal, workflow, billing, and CRM separately, creating cost and data-silo headaches. All-in-one platforms like Canopy, TaxDome, or Arkathos (16 agents, flat pricing, no per-seat fees) cut logins and duplicate data.

What licenses and insurance does a accounting & tax need?

Arkathos tracks 9 items for a accounting & tax, including CPA license, PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number), Enrolled Agent (EA) enrollment, EFIN e-file provider authorization. Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

What continuing education is required for a accounting & tax?

The CPA license carries a continuing-education requirement of 80 hours every two years (4h Ethics, 24h Accounting & auditing, 16h Taxation, 36h General / other). The Enrolled Agent (EA) enrollment carries a continuing-education requirement of 72 hours every 36 months (6h Ethics, 66h Federal tax law & updates). Watchtower logs hours by category and flags shortfalls before the deadline.

Which Arkathos agents does a accounting & tax get?

Arkathos tailors a accounting & tax workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Scribe, Quartermaster, Herald.

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