Research brief

Answering Service for Accountants and Tax Preparers: AI Receptionist for Tax Season, Compared (2026)

The short version

The IRS received 140.2 million returns by 17 April 2026, and tax professionals e-filed 72.8 million of them ¹.
The BLS notes longer hours are typical during tax season for its 1.6 million accountants and auditors, and clients who cannot reach the IRS (21% of 48.1 million calls answered) call their preparer ^3,5.
Tax preparers must have a written security plan under the FTC Safeguards Rule, so your answering service is part of that plan ^6,7,8.
AI answering ran from $29 to $349 a month and human services from $250; a US receptionist earns a median $38,010 a year [10, 11, 12, 16].

Convocore is an AI receptionist that answers an accounting or tax firm's phone through tax season and all year, books consultations, answers deadline and document questions from your own list, and hands new clients to your engagement process. Phone agents start on the Business plan at $99 a month ($66 billed annually), the price does not rise in April, and you can test on the free plan. It does not log into Drake, Lacerte or TaxDome, so this page compares it with Smith.ai, My AI Front Desk, Goodcall, Dialzara, Ruby and Rosie, with prices read on 30 October 2026.

Sources checked October 30, 2026 · 16 sources · Published by Convocore, which sells white label AI agents. See method and limits.

140.2M

individual returns received by the IRS by 17 April 2026¹

72.8M

returns e-filed by tax professionals in the same period¹

886,338

PTIN holders in 2026, including 209,076 CPAs²

21%

of 48.1M calls to the IRS answered by an assistor, 2026 season⁵

$38,010

median annual pay for a US receptionist, $18.27 an hour (BLS, May 2025)¹⁶

Tax season in numbers

By the week ending 17 April 2026 the IRS had received 140.2 million returns. Tax professionals e-filed 72.8 million and taxpayers self-prepared 64.8 million ¹. The IRS counted 886,338 PTIN holders for 2026, including 209,076 CPAs ². The BLS counts 1.6 million accountants and auditors and says longer hours are typical during tax season ³.

Clients who cannot reach the IRS call their preparer: the National Taxpayer Advocate reported 48.1 million calls to the IRS in the 2026 season, 21% answered by an assistor, with an average hold of 14 minutes ⁵. In a 2022 survey of 400 UK small businesses, 48% expected phone calls from their accountant ⁴. We found no recent US survey.

Answering services for accountants compared, as of 30 October 2026

We read each provider's own page on 30 October 2026, except where marked. Confirm prices on the vendor's page.

Answering options for accounting and tax firms, as of 30 October 2026^{9,10,11,12,13,15}

Provider	Type	Price	Included	Software named
Convocore	AI platform	Business $99 a month; free plan to test	$0.02 a minute platform fee plus providers at cost	Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Google Sheets, Zoho CRM, webhooks
My AI Front Desk	AI	Tax preparers page: 7 day trial, flat through April; pricing page $99 a month	200 voice minutes on the $99 plan	Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake, UltraTax, ProSeries, TaxDome, Canopy
Smith.ai	Human or AI	Human $300 (30 calls), $810 (90), $2,100 (300); AI free (25 calls) or from $150 (75 calls)	Calls; overage $8.50 to $11.50 on human plans	CRM or Zapier sync, payments add-on
Goodcall	AI	$79, $129 or $299 a month	100, 500 or 2,000 unique customers; no minute charges	Not named
Dialzara	AI	$29, $99, $199 or $349 a month	60 to 1,000 minutes; overage $0.35 to $0.48	Zapier
Ruby	Human	$250 (50 min), $395, $720, $1,725 (500 min)	Minutes	See their pricing page

Rosie lists $49, $149 and $299 plans with Zapier ¹⁴. We found no pricing page naming a native Karbon integration.
My AI Front Desk says tax season call volume is five times normal; it gives no source.

Tax-season overflow, deadlines and documents

Overflow. Keep your own line for staff and forward to Convocore when it is busy, unanswered or outside hours, so the agent catches only what you miss. Your phone carrier sets up the forwarding.

Deadline and document questions. Load the agent with your services, the filing dates you work to, your document checklist by client type and your portal link. It answers what do I need to bring and when is it due from that list, links to IRS pages for official dates, and takes a message for anything about a specific return.

Engagement-letter handoff. For a new client the agent collects name, phone, email, entity type and the services wanted, books the intro call, and sends the details to your inbox or sheet by webhook. Your engagement letter and e-signature tool stay yours; the agent can text the portal link but does not sign or quote fees you did not give it.

Security rules for tax and accounting firms

Under the FTC Safeguards Rule, tax return preparers must create and enact a written security plan ^6,7. The rule requires MFA, encryption and oversight of service providers in contracts, and breaches affecting 500 or more consumers go to the FTC within 30 days ⁶. The IRS sample plan says third-party service providers must meet the plan's standards ⁸. An answering service that takes client names, numbers and tax questions is one of those providers.

Never let the service collect Social Security numbers, bank details or full return data by phone; send clients to your secure portal.
Put the provider in your written security plan and keep its security terms on file. Convocore makes no HIPAA or SOC 2 claim.
This is a summary of public guidance, not legal advice.

AI receptionist cost versus a human

The BLS reports a median $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, for US receptionists in May 2025, before benefits and payroll tax ¹⁶. A seasonal hire for the roughly four-month busy season costs part of that, plus training, and still leaves nights and weekends uncovered. Convocore Business is $99 a month plus $0.02 a minute and provider costs, the same in April and August, our comparison.

When a different tool is the better choice

Choose My AI Front Desk if you want calls logged straight into Lacerte, Drake or TaxDome. Choose Smith.ai or Ruby if you want trained humans on every call. Choose Goodcall if a flat per-customer price suits your volume. Choose Convocore if you want one agent across phone, website chat and WhatsApp at a flat price all year, a free plan to test, or you are an agency serving several firms.

Set up an accounting AI receptionist free See Convocore pricing

What the evidence does not show

The client preference survey is a 2022 UK vendor survey ⁴; we found no recent US equivalent.
IRS call figures describe calls to the IRS, not to accounting firms ⁵.
We found no independent data on missed call rates at accounting firms.
We did not test any provider's call handling or software integration.

Choosing an answering service for your firm

Count last season's missed calls by week. If you want calls logged straight into Drake, Lacerte or TaxDome, shortlist a provider with that integration. If you want one agent on the phone, website and messaging at a flat price all year, a platform such as Convocore fits. Either way, add the provider to your written security plan and keep sensitive data in your portal.

White label AI platform →Pricing →

Method and limits

Statistics come from pages we opened; vendor surveys are labelled with their samples.
Provider prices were read on each provider's own page on 30 October 2026, except My AI Front Desk's tax page (29 October).
Convocore's prices come from the pricing catalog. Convocore sells an AI agent platform, so it has a commercial interest. If you find an error, write to support@convocore.ai.

Sources

Filing season statistics for week ending April 17, 2026Primary source
Internal Revenue Service. April 2026.
Federal tax return preparer statisticsPrimary source
Internal Revenue Service. Data as of 1 September 2026.
Some preparers hold more than one credential.
Accountants and Auditors, Occupational Outlook HandbookPrimary source
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read October 2026.
High demand for tech-savvy accountantsCommissioned research
The Accountant, reporting a PracticeWeb survey. 26 July 2022.
400 UK small business owners.
National Taxpayer Advocate issues 2026 mid-year report to CongressPrimary source
Internal Revenue Service. 24 June 2026.
FTC Safeguards Rule: What your business needs to knowPrimary source
US Federal Trade Commission. December 2024.
Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer DataPrimary source
Internal Revenue Service. Rev. June 2024.
Publication 5708, Creating a Written Information Security PlanPrimary source
Internal Revenue Service. Rev. August 2024.
Answering service for tax preparers, and pricingPrimary source
My AI Front Desk. Read 29 and 30 October 2026.
Vendor pages.
PricingPrimary source
Dialzara. Read 30 October 2026.
Plans and pricingPrimary source
Smith.ai. Read 30 October 2026.
Plans and pricingPrimary source
Ruby. Read 30 October 2026.
PricingPrimary source
Goodcall. Read 30 October 2026.
PricingPrimary source
Rosie. Read 30 October 2026.
Convocore pricingPrimary source
Convocore. Read 30 October 2026.
Receptionists, Occupational Outlook HandbookPrimary source
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 pay data.

Questions

What is the best AI receptionist for an accounting firm during tax season?

It depends on your software. My AI Front Desk lists Lacerte, Drake and TaxDome; Smith.ai and Ruby offer humans; Goodcall, Dialzara and Convocore are AI at flat plans. Convocore Business is $99 a month and does not rise in April.

Can an AI answer deadline and document questions for a CPA firm?

Yes, from a list you maintain: your filing dates, document checklists and portal link. It links to IRS pages for official dates, and takes a message for anything about a specific return. It should not give tax advice.

How much does an answering service for accountants cost?

On 30 October 2026, Dialzara's AI plans ran $29 to $349 a month, Goodcall $79 to $299, Ruby's human plans $250 to $1,725 and Smith.ai's human plans $300 to $2,100. Convocore Business is $99 a month plus usage.

Do tax preparers need a security plan for their answering service?

Under the FTC Safeguards Rule tax preparers must have a written security plan, and the IRS sample plan says service providers must meet its standards. Add the answering service to that plan.

Can the AI hand a new client to my engagement letter process?

It collects name, contact details, entity type and services wanted, books the intro call and sends the details to your inbox or sheet by webhook. Your engagement letter and signing tool stay yours.

Should an answering service collect Social Security numbers?

No. Keep sensitive identifiers and documents in your secure portal and tell the service never to take them by phone.

Convocore pricing →AI receptionist →White label AI for agencies →Chatbot platform for lead generation →Dental answering service →AI receptionist for law firms →Financial answering service →