CHARTS & GRAPHS

PE Deal Tracker for Feb. 2026: 57 deals in 60 days

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February 2026 produced 21 recorded transactions — second only to January.

The accounting profession’s private equity wave shows no sign of cresting.

By CPA Trendlines Research

The 57 private-equity-backed accounting transactions recorded in the CPA Trendlines PE Deal Tracker™ through the first two months of 2026 represent more than three times the 18 deals logged in the same period a year ago, as the PE phenomenon continues to gather speed.

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February didn’t beat January’s record pace but it came in second, even if down 42%. Still, the underlying rate remains roughly double the 2025 monthly average of 12.1 deals. READ MORE →

Busy Season 2026: Chaos Looms as DOGE Cuts and OBBBA Changes Collide

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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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MORE Tax, Busy Season, Outlook 2026

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.

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With Congress Stalled, Tax Professionals Take Control of Preparer Standards

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Why Tax Pros Are Imposing Standards on Themselves.

By CPA Trendlines Research

Scott Artman, NATP: New credentialing program

As the 2026 filing season begins, the National Association of Tax Professionals is launching a formal credentialing program for taxpayer representation.

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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.

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