During tax season, the bottleneck in most CPA firms isn't the accountants — it's the administrative overload surrounding them.
Before diving in, learn how to hire a virtual assistant and understand virtual assistant pricing so you can make an informed hiring decision.
CPA firms and accounting practices run on precision, deadlines, and a constant flow of client documents, emails, and data requests. When partners and staff accountants are spending time chasing tax documents, scheduling client calls, and managing billing, they're not doing billable work. That's a direct hit to the firm's revenue capacity. A virtual assistant for CPA firms can handle the administrative layer of your practice — freeing your licensed professionals to focus on the technical work they were hired to do.
Why CPA Firms Need a Virtual Assistant
Tax and accounting firms face a uniquely cyclical workload. The months between January and April are brutally busy; the rest of the year involves ongoing bookkeeping clients, payroll, extensions, planning work, and business development. Throughout all of it, there's a continuous stream of non-billable administrative tasks that need to get done: collecting organizers, sending reminders, managing the firm's inbox, coordinating with clients, and keeping the practice management system current.
A VA for a CPA firm can own this administrative infrastructure. They can collect client documents, send deadline reminders, maintain your client database in tools like Canopy, TaxDome, or Practice CS, and handle the scheduling and communication workflows that otherwise fall to your best-paid staff. The result is a firm that runs more efficiently, retains clients better, and maximizes every hour of professional time.
Beyond tax season, VAs can support year-round client services — managing bookkeeping client communication, coordinating payroll cycles, and helping with business development outreach. For sole practitioners and small firms in particular, a VA can be the difference between controlled growth and chaotic overwhelm.
50 Tasks a Virtual Assistant Can Do for Your CPA or Accounting Firm
Administrative & Scheduling (Tasks 1–10)
- Manage partner and staff calendars — schedule client meetings, discovery calls, and internal reviews
- Send appointment reminders to clients before scheduled calls or in-office meetings
- Update client records in your practice management system (TaxDome, Canopy, Practice CS, Drake)
- Prepare and send client onboarding packets with engagement letters and organizer forms
- Track and follow up on unsigned engagement letters and outstanding retainer payments
- Manage the firm's general inbox and route emails to the appropriate staff member
- Handle inbound phone inquiry callbacks using scripted responses for common questions
- Coordinate new client intake — collect contact information, entity type, and prior-year returns
- Organize and maintain the firm's digital file system for client folders and workpapers
- Prepare weekly task and deadline summaries for staff and partner review
Client Communication & Follow-Up (Tasks 11–20)
- Send document request emails to clients at the start of tax season with itemized checklists
- Follow up with clients who haven't submitted their tax documents by internal deadlines
- Notify clients when their returns are complete and ready for review or signature
- Send extension notifications to clients whose returns cannot be completed by the filing deadline
- Distribute quarterly estimated tax payment reminders with amounts and due dates
- Communicate with clients about IRS or state notices received, gathering details for the preparer
- Send year-end tax planning questionnaires and schedule planning calls for eligible clients
- Follow up with bookkeeping clients on missing bank statements, receipts, or reconciling items
- Send client satisfaction surveys after tax season to gather feedback and testimonials
- Draft and send renewal outreach to clients who haven't re-engaged for the current tax year
Marketing & Lead Generation (Tasks 21–30)
- Manage and post content on LinkedIn and Facebook to build the firm's thought leadership presence
- Draft and distribute monthly email newsletters with tax tips, deadline reminders, and firm updates
- Manage the firm's Google Business Profile — post updates and respond to client reviews
- Research and compile lists of prospective clients by business type, industry, or geography
- Submit the firm to accounting directories, local business listings, and professional associations
- Set up email drip campaigns for prospects who have inquired but not yet engaged
- Coordinate referral outreach to attorneys, financial advisors, and business bankers
- Track referral activity and report on which sources produce the most new client revenue
- Assist with webinar or workshop logistics — registration, reminders, and follow-up emails
- Compile and format client testimonials for use on the firm's website or marketing materials
Document Management & Compliance (Tasks 31–40)
- Collect, organize, and label client tax documents (W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, brokerage statements) as received
- Maintain a return status tracker showing where each client is in the preparation workflow
- Track federal and state filing deadlines across your full client roster in a shared calendar
- Monitor extension lists and track which extended returns have been filed or are still open
- Prepare and route e-file authorization forms (8879) to clients for electronic signature
- Track IRS PTIN renewals, state CPA license renewals, and CPE credit requirements by staff member
- Organize workpaper files per firm quality control standards for peer review readiness
- Track and log all client-authorized IRS transcript requests and power of attorney filings
- Maintain the firm's master list of payroll tax clients with EIN numbers and filing frequencies
- Archive prior-year client files according to the firm's document retention policy
Operations & Reporting (Tasks 41–50)
- Build and maintain a master tax season deadline tracker covering all clients and entity types
- Prepare weekly return count reports showing returns in process, completed, and filed
- Track WIP (work in progress) billing for each client engagement and flag overruns
- Assist with billing — prepare draft invoices for partner review based on engagement terms
- Follow up with clients on unpaid invoices past the firm's payment terms
- Compile payroll processing data for bookkeeping clients (hours, salaries, deductions)
- Research and summarize recent tax law changes or IRS guidance for internal staff briefings
- Prepare new staff onboarding documents and process guides for administrative procedures
- Track and log CPE certificates received by staff and maintain CPE logs for each licensee
- Compile annual firm performance data — client count, return volume, revenue, and growth year-over-year
How Much Does a CPA Firm Virtual Assistant Cost?
A VA for a CPA firm typically costs between $8 and $20 per hour — dramatically less than a full-time administrative hire or the billable rate of a staff accountant doing non-billable work. Virtual Assistant VA places pre-vetted VAs with accounting firms of all sizes, from sole practitioners to regional multi-partner firms. Their VAs are trained in accounting firm workflows, practice management software, and the deadline-sensitive nature of tax practice operations. Many firms engage a VA on a part-time basis year-round and scale to full-time hours during tax season.
Ready to Hire?
Your licensed CPAs should be doing accounting — not chasing documents or managing inboxes. A virtual assistant can take the administrative load off your team and help your firm operate at full capacity.