PE Deal Tracker Update: Alan Whitman Plants a Flag in the Private Equity Landscape
Top Trends, Benchmarks, and Deal Points.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Cornerstone Report
CHARTS & GRAPHS
Goldman Bets $75 Million on Fieldguide: AuditTech Comes of Age
Goldman’s rationale: Vertical AI with measurable ROI.
By CPA Trendlines
Fieldguide, an engagement workflow platform powered by agentic AI, has raised $75 million in a Series C round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, valuing the company at $700 million.
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The financing is one of the clearest signals yet that audit technology—long one of accounting’s most conservative corners—is becoming a prime target for growth equity investment.
Busy Season 2026: Chaos Looms as DOGE Cuts and OBBBA Changes Collide
Downsizing and backlogs become national policy.
By CPA Trendlines Research
The Internal Revenue Service is heading into the 2026 filing season with fewer employees, more complex tax law changes, and less capacity to resolve problems when returns go wrong — a combination federal watchdogs say will leave tax professionals managing the fallout even as headline service metrics appear stable.
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National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins says most taxpayers with straightforward, electronically filed returns should see few disruptions. But she warned that the true test of the filing season will be how the IRS handles the millions of returns that require human intervention — at a time when the agency’s workforce has been cut by more than a quarter.
With Congress Stalled, Tax Professionals Take Control of Preparer Standards
Why Tax Pros Are Imposing Standards on Themselves.
By CPA Trendlines Research
As the 2026 filing season begins, the National Association of Tax Professionals is launching a formal credentialing program for taxpayer representation.
MORE Tax, Busy Season, The Next Circular 230
The NATP is stepping into a regulatory void left by years of congressional inaction, leaving more than 500,000 paid preparers operating without national standards, even as IRS and GAO data show higher error rates on paid-prepared returns than on do-it-yourself filings, and Congress is delaying action.
The IRS in 2026: Quiet Backlogs, Harder Fixes, and Late Guidance
Less capacity, more obligation.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Identity theft is becoming one of the biggest time drains for tax professionals this filing season, and the IRS may be less equipped than ever to handle it.
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MORE BUSY SEASON BAROMETER | MORE OUTLOOK 2026
According to the IRS Advisory Council—the body representing tax professionals—identity-theft refund cases now take nearly two years to resolve, as staffing cuts and system limits slow IRS response.
But identity theft is only one of a long list of problems that can only get worse this year. Tax professionals are bracing for prolonged client disputes and frustrating follow-ups with an understaffed, ill-equipped IRS.