Platform capabilities

CPA practice management features built for how small firms work

Open the engagement, get the letter signed, collect the client's documents, do the work, and collect your fee without jumping between five separate subscriptions.

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Every feature on every seat · Unlimited free client logins

Core modules

Eight essential capabilities unified in one practice management hub

Everything a small CPA practice needs to manage client deliverables from engagement letter to final invoice, without modular add-ons or enterprise bloat.

Projects & workflow

Tax-year projects, 6 clear stages & 1-click roll-forward

Organize every 1040, 1120-S, monthly bookkeeping close, and advisory job in one hub. See what's waiting across the firm on What's Outstanding, and roll projects forward next tax season in one click.

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Client portal

A client portal that answers "What do you need from me?"

Clients sign in to a single checklist of items to upload, sign, approve, or pay across both their household and business entities. Amber vs. Sky badges keep firm workpapers strictly private.

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Document requests

Reusable PBC checklists & shared amber folders

Replace 35-page PDF organizers and scattered email attachments with itemized to-do lists. Clients upload PDFs or iPhone HEIC photos up to 50 MB, and automated reminders nudge overdue items.

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Form 8879 E-Signatures & Approvals

Form 8879 e-signatures, KBA guardrails & client approvals

Upload tax authorizations for e-signature with mandatory IRS Pub 1345 verification recording, independent signing for spouses sharing an email address, SHA-256 audit trails, and one-click return approvals.

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53 Starter Templates

53 CPA engagement letters & Section 7216 consents

Stop find-and-replacing Word files. Pick from 53 pre-built tax, bookkeeping, advisory, and Section 7216 templates with auto-filling merge fields, frozen firm letterhead, and pre-send PDF previews.

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Proposals, invoicing & Stripe

Proposals, staged billing, recurring drafts & fee passthrough

Send priced proposals for online acceptance, convert unbilled time into invoices, log private firm write-downs, and get paid via Stripe ACH, card, or Auto-Pay with optional fee passthrough.

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Time & Price Book

6- or 15-minute time tracking with locked-in rate presets

Log billable or non-billable time from the Dashboard or inside a project. Price Book rates lock in when logged so future rate hikes never scramble past work, and billed entries freeze automatically.

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Clients, Contacts & Groups

Client directory, family/business groups & CSV import

Track entity types, EINs, fiscal year-ends, billing contacts, internal @mention sticky notes, and monthly account statements. Import up to 5,000 existing clients from a CSV in seconds.

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Practice efficiency

Why do small CPA practices need an integrated practice hub instead of disconnected software subscriptions?

Small CPA firms typically juggle 4 to 6 disconnected tools for portals, e-signatures, engagement letters, and billing, wasting 10 to 15 hours weekly reconciling data. CPA Relay replaces this subscription stack with a unified workflow where client documents, IRS-compliant signatures, time logs, and invoices connect directly without manual synchronization.

When your firm uses one vendor for document storage, another for engagement letters, a third for e-signatures, and a fourth for billing, your team becomes human glue. Status updates fall through the cracks, client reminders get missed, and monthly subscription bills multiply rapidly.

Eliminate subscription sprawl: Stop paying standalone subscription fees for DocuSign, SmartVault, Ignition, and Karbon.
Real-time What's Outstanding board: Firm partners and staff immediately see every pending client action across all active tax returns and bookkeeping closes.
Zero sync lag or webhook breaks: Documents uploaded in the client portal instantly show as received in the engagement checklist and link directly to invoice billing lines.

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Unified Practice Loop · CPA Relay Firm View

1. Engagement Letter Signed53 CPA templates · Section 7216 consent included

Completed

2. PBC Document Intake4 of 5 items uploaded · 1 overdue reminder sent

Waiting on client

3. Return Preparation & ReviewStaff time logged at snapshotted Price Book rates

In Progress

4. Form 8879 KBA E-SignatureIRS Pub 1345 verification recorded · Dual spouse links

Awaiting signature

5. Final Invoicing & Stripe Auto-PayUnbilled time rolled forward · Fee passthrough applied

Queued

Client experience

How does CPA Relay prevent client confusion across multi-entity households and businesses?

CPA Relay links individual taxpayers, trusts, partnerships, and operating companies under unified household groups. Clients sign into a single portal with one email to complete tasks across all related entities, while firm staff see aggregated status across every related tax return on What's Outstanding.

Most accounting software forces clients to maintain separate login accounts for their personal 1040, their family partnership, and their S-Corporation. Business owners get confused, miss signature requests, or upload business receipts to personal folders. CPA Relay solves this with single-sign-on entity switching and unambiguous Amber vs. Sky visual boundary badging.

Single login, unified to-do list: One magic link allows business owners to review open items, upload W-2s, and approve 1120-S filings across all their related companies.
Amber vs. Sky privacy protection: Clear Amber badges identify client-facing documents, while Sky Blue workpapers, tick-marks, and partner notes remain permanently firm-only.
Spousal signing for shared inboxes: Issue independent, tokenized signature invitations to spouses sharing an email address under strict IRS Publication 1345 guidelines.

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Single-tier economics

What core modules are included in CPA Relay without per-feature upcharges?

Every CPA Relay subscription includes all 8 core practice management modules: tax-year projects, What's Outstanding board, client portal, Form 8879 e-signatures, 53 letter templates, proposals and Stripe invoicing, time tracking, and client CRM for $55 per team member monthly with zero hidden module fees.

Core Capability	Key Practice Workflow & Benefit	CPA Relay ($55/user/mo)	Legacy Suite / Competitors
Engagement Projects & 6 Stages	1040, 1120-S, 1065, and monthly bookkeeping workflows tracked through 6 strict status stages with 1-click annual roll-forward.	Included · Unlimited projects across all tax years	TaxDome requires complex pipeline builders; Canopy charges per active module tier
What's Outstanding Triage Board	Real-time cross-firm visibility showing exactly which clients are blocked on missing documents, signatures, or payments.	Included · Centralized dashboard with 1-click reminder triggers	Karbon buries tasks inside nested email threads; spreadsheets require manual logging
Deny-by-Default Client Portal	Single-checklist client experience with Amber vs. Sky badges preventing accidental internal workpaper exposure.	Included · Free, unlimited client and contact accounts	SmartVault or ShareFile charge extra per user; separate login credentials required
Form 8879 E-Signatures & KBA	IRS Pub 1345 compliant e-signatures with mandatory KBA guardrails, spousal shared-email support, and SHA-256 audit trails.	Included · Built-in KBA recording & tamper-proof certificates	DocuSign ($40+/seat/mo) or Canopy ($1.50-$2.50 per KBA attempt upcharge)
53 CPA Engagement Letter Templates	Pre-built tax, bookkeeping, advisory, and Section 7216 consent letters with auto-filling merge fields and frozen letterhead.	Included · 53 attorney-reviewed starter templates	Ignition charges $99-$149+/mo; manual Word doc find-and-replace prone to errors
Proposals & Stripe Invoicing	Send priced proposals, convert unbilled time into invoices, log private firm write-downs, and accept ACH/card with Auto-Pay.	Included · Built-in Stripe Connect + optional fee passthrough	Canopy charges extra for Invoicing module; standalone invoicing apps lack project link
Time Tracking & Price Book	Capture billable hours in 6-min tenths or 15-min quarters. Rates snapshot at entry to prevent rate leakage across years.	Included · Bottom-bar My Time sheet & frozen billing logs	Harvest/Toggl require separate subscriptions ($12-$18/user/mo) and lack tax stage sync
Client Directory & Household Groups	Manage individual, business, trust, and non-profit records with EINs, fiscal year-ends, internal sticky notes, and CSV import.	Included · Unlimited clients, contacts, and custom groups	Canopy charges per-contact pricing tiers that penalize practice expansion

Frequently asked questions

CPA Relay platform & pricing questions

Are all 8 CPA Relay modules included in the $55 per seat monthly plan?

Yes. Every CPA Relay subscriber receives full access to all 8 core modules—including tax-year projects, What's Outstanding triage, client portal, Form 8879 e-signatures, 53 engagement letter templates, proposals, invoicing, time tracking, and client management—for $55 per team seat monthly with zero add-on fees.

Do clients have to pay or create complex accounts to use the portal?

No. Client portal access is completely free and unlimited for all your firm's clients and contacts. Clients receive secure magic links to log in without remembering complex passwords and access a clean checklist of items requiring their attention.

Can we migrate our existing client roster and active projects from spreadsheets or Canopy/TaxDome?

Yes. You can import up to 5,000 clients in seconds via CSV, including entity types, EINs, fiscal year-ends, and primary contacts. You can quickly map ongoing engagements to 6 clear stages on What's Outstanding.

Guides & software comparisons