Tax QA software built for Australian accounting firms
Taxpartna helps accounting firms review completed tax files before professional sign-off.
It analyses information across tax returns, financial statements, workpapers and supporting documents, performs defined cross-checks and tax QA checks, and surfaces potential issues for the registered tax practitioner's assessment.
Taxpartna does not replace the reviewer. It gives the reviewer a more structured view of the completed file before professional decisions are made.
Tax review is a different software problem
Most accounting software is designed to help prepare the work. Tax QA software addresses a different stage.
By the time a file reaches review, the accounts may be complete, the workpapers prepared and the tax return substantially finished. The question has changed from "How do we prepare this file?" to "What should we check before the practitioner signs off?"
That review may require information to be compared across multiple documents, expected supporting material to be located, movements to be considered and potential tax issues to be brought to the reviewer's attention. Taxpartna is designed specifically for this stage of the workflow. Learn more about tax quality assurance and sign-off.
What tax QA software should help a reviewer do
A tax QA system should make the underlying review easier to perform and easier to verify. Depending on the file, that can include helping the reviewer identify:
- figures that agree across multiple documents
- figures that do not agree
- expected information that cannot be located
- information appearing in only one source
- unusual year-on-year movements
- related-party balances and disclosures
- tax matters requiring supporting workpapers
- inconsistencies between returns, financial statements and workpapers
- matters requiring practitioner judgement or further enquiry
The purpose is not for software to decide whether a tax return is correct. The purpose is to bring relevant information together so the practitioner can assess it more efficiently.
Where Taxpartna sits in the tax workflow
1. Preparation is substantially complete
The accounting team prepares the tax return, financial statements and supporting workpapers using its existing systems and processes.
2. The completed file is provided to Taxpartna
Documents relevant to the review are submitted without requiring the firm to rebuild its preparation workflow around another tax preparation platform.
3. Taxpartna analyses the file
Taxpartna reads information across the submitted documents, performs defined cross-checks and applies its tax QA review framework.
4. Potential issues are surfaced
The reviewer receives structured results identifying relevant values, documents, comparisons, missing information and matters that may require attention.
5. The practitioner assesses the result
The registered tax practitioner reviews the underlying information, makes any necessary enquiries, verifies relevant calculations and determines the appropriate professional conclusion.
Built around Australian tax review
Australian tax files can contain issues that generic accounting AI may not be designed to recognise in a review context. Depending on the entity and circumstances, a review may involve matters such as:
- Division 7A
- trust distributions
- Section 100A considerations
- base rate entity treatment
- franking accounts
- personal services income
- capital gains
- tax reconciliations
- related-party balances
- payroll-related indicators
Taxpartna's tax QA framework is designed around Australian accounting-firm and tax-practice workflows. For Taxpartna's current detailed check coverage, see the Taxpartna Features page.
Tax QA software versus a checklist
A checklist can remind the reviewer what to consider. Software can assist with a different part of the problem: finding and comparing the relevant information inside the actual file.
For example, a checklist might ask: "Has the related-party loan been reviewed?" Tax QA software can assist by locating relevant related-party loan information across submitted documents, comparing relevant balances and identifying whether expected supporting material appears to be present. The practitioner then determines what those findings mean.
See our tax return review checklist for Australian accounting firms.
Tax QA software versus tax research AI
Tax research software generally begins with a question entered by the practitioner. Tax QA begins with the completed client file.
Research AI may help answer: "How does Division 7A operate?" Tax QA software is intended to assist with a different question: "Is there information in this client's completed file that should cause me to investigate Division 7A before sign-off?"
Both categories can be useful. They solve different problems. For the broader category, see AI tax software in Australia.
Tax QA software versus tax preparation software
Tax preparation software is primarily designed to help prepare calculations, returns and lodgment information. Taxpartna is not intended to replace those preparation systems.
Taxpartna sits later in the workflow and assists with review and quality assurance after the underlying tax work has substantially been prepared. This distinction is important. Taxpartna is not attempting to become another tax return preparation or lodgment platform. It is designed to provide an additional review layer before the practitioner completes their professional sign-off process.
Professional judgement stays with the practitioner
Taxpartna is a quality-assurance assistance tool for registered tax practitioners. A result generated by Taxpartna is not a professional conclusion.
A matter surfaced during review may require the practitioner to:
- inspect supporting documents
- obtain further client information
- verify calculations
- consider legislation or ATO guidance
- perform additional technical research
- ask the preparer further questions
- document why no further action is required
Taxpartna does not provide tax agent services or independently sign off tax work. The registered tax practitioner remains responsible for calculations, professional assessment, conclusions and final sign-off.
Security designed for sensitive tax files
Tax files contain sensitive financial and client information. Taxpartna has therefore been designed with security and data handling as core product considerations. Read about Taxpartna security and data handling.
A more systematic starting point for tax sign-off
The most valuable reviewer time is the time spent applying experience and professional judgement. It should not be unnecessarily consumed locating the same figures across multiple documents, repeating mechanical comparisons or discovering late in the review that expected information cannot be found.
Taxpartna is designed to perform more of this preparatory QA work before the practitioner makes the final professional decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Tax QA software is technology used to assist the quality-assurance review of tax work before professional completion or sign-off. Depending on the system, this can include cross-document comparisons, document analysis, consistency checking and identification of matters requiring reviewer attention.
This page provides general information about tax QA software and the Taxpartna platform. It does not constitute tax, legal or professional advice. Taxpartna is a quality assurance assistance tool designed for use by registered tax practitioners and does not provide tax advice, tax agent services or BAS agent services. All calculations, professional judgements and sign-off decisions remain the responsibility of the registered tax practitioner.