75%
Reduction in the shitty work
230k+
For that insanely fast Ferrari
in the bank.
The Breaking Point
"It wasn't broken. But it was heavy." That's how TrackCPA's team describes their 2024 tax season. As a Minneapolis-based firm serving over 850 clients annually with just seven team members, they were successful by any measure. They'd built strong relationships with financial advisors, delivered quality work, and grown consistently year over year. But something had to give.
"We were spending 1-2 hours per return just getting ready to actually do the tax work,"
explains Andrew Schneider, Senior Manager at TrackCPA. "Building workpapers from scratch, manually checking if we had all the documents, going back and forth with clients about missing forms. By the time we sat down to actually prepare the return, we were already exhausted."
The math was becoming unsustainable. With a lean team and a growing client base full of complex personal and business situations, every inefficiency was magnified. Reviewers were catching missing documents in March when it was scramble time. Kurtis Heerema found himself building PDF workpapers from scratch for every single client.
"The work was getting done, but we knew we were one bad season away from burning out our best people," Andrew reflects.
Looking for a Different Kind of Solution
TrackCPA didn't want to completely overhaul their process. They liked their CCH software, trusted their workflow, and valued the human judgment that their clients relied on. But they needed leverage.
"We weren't looking for AI to do our jobs," Andrew says. "We wanted technology that could handle the repetitive stuff so we could focus on the actual tax strategy and client relationships."
That philosophy guided their search. They needed something that would integrate with their existing systems, respect their professional judgment, and actually solve their time-drain problems rather than creating new ones.
When they found Filed, the initial conversation wasn't about revolutionary AI or workflow transformation. It was about one specific pain point: document management and preparation workflow.
Starting Small, Building Trust
The implementation began with what Filed calls "intelligent document ingestion" - but what Andrew describes more practically: "Finally, a system that could look at what we received from clients and tell us what we were missing before we started working."
The first feature that caught their attention was deceptively simple: a checklist that flagged missing documents based on prior-year context.
"If someone filed an HSA deduction last year but we didn't receive a Form 8889 this year, the system would flag it,"
Andrew explains. "Sounds basic, but catching that in January instead of April 13th? That's huge."
The rollout wasn't seamless. Like any new system, there was a learning curve. Some team members were initially skeptical about relying on AI for quality control. Others worried about losing control over their familiar processes.
"The breakthrough came when we realized Filed wasn't trying to replace our judgment," Andrew notes. "It was like having another set of eyes that never got tired and never forgot to check something."
What Actually Changed
Six months into using Filed, the changes weren't dramatic - they were practical.
Time Back Where It Matters "We're saving over an hour per return in manual prep work," Andrew reports. "That doesn't sound like much until you multiply it by 850 clients. Suddenly we have weeks of capacity back."But the time savings weren't just about efficiency - they were about shifting energy to higher-value work. Instead of building workpapers from scratch, Kurtis could review AI-generated summaries and focus on the strategic tax planning that clients actually pay for.
Catching Issues Early "The checklist helps us catch things before April 13th - when it's too late to fix," Andrew emphasizes. "That single change probably prevented dozens of last-minute client calls and extension requests."
Reducing Review Friction The AI workpaper feature created something TrackCPA didn't expect: a better review process. Rather than reviewers starting from scratch, they could begin with an AI-generated summary that highlighted potential issues and extracted key values.
"It's like getting a first pass from a senior associate who never misses anything but also never makes final decisions," Andrew describes.
What Surprised Us
The Learning Curve Was Shorter Than Expected "I thought it would take months for everyone to get comfortable with the AI suggestions," Andrew admits. "But within a few weeks, people were trusting the system because it was consistently catching things they might have missed."
Staff Confidence Actually Increased Rather than feeling replaced by technology, team members found themselves more confident in their work. "When you know the system has flagged all the potential issues, you can focus on the complex judgment calls instead of worrying about whether you missed something basic," explains Andrew.
Clients Noticed the Difference "Clients started commenting that our process felt more organized this year," Andrew shares. "We weren't calling them at the last minute asking for documents we should have requested months earlier."
Implementation Lessons
Pick Your Most Painful Process First TrackCPA didn't try to automate everything at once. They focused on document management first, then gradually expanded to other areas as they built confidence in the system.
AI Should Suggest, Never Decide "We never wanted AI making final decisions about tax positions," Andrew emphasizes. "Filed understood that. The system suggests and flags, but we always have the final say."
Enhance Your Existing Workflow, Don't Replace It "The fact that Filed worked with our existing CCH workflow was crucial," Andrew notes. "We didn't want to learn new software - we wanted our existing software to work better."
Looking Ahead
Track plans to expand Filed's use across all returns by extension season. They've also identified opportunities to automate projection preparation using client paystubs - another high-frequency task that's perfect for AI assistance.
"We're not trying to replace tax professionals," Andrew clarifies.
"We're trying to free them up to do the work that requires human expertise and judgment."
The firm has also started discussions about using Filed's insights to better advise clients throughout the year, moving from reactive compliance to proactive planning.
Advice for Similar Firms
Start With Your Biggest Time Drain "Don't try to solve everything at once," Andrew recommends. "Find the one process that's eating the most time and start there."
Focus on Augmentation, Not Replacement "Look for technology that makes your people better at their jobs, not technology that tries to do their jobs for them."
Get Staff Buy-In Early "Include your team in the evaluation process. If they don't trust the system, it won't matter how good the technology is."
The Bottom Line
"Filed didn't make us better tax preparers," Andrew reflects. "It gave us the space to do what we were already good at."
For Track, that space has meant more strategic client conversations, better work-life balance during tax season, and the confidence that comes from systematic quality control.
"We're not in it for the shiny new tool," Andrew concludes. "We want software that respects the stakes of what we do. Tax work has real consequences for real people. Filed gets that."
