Cranston

Cranston works with QuickBooks, Drake, CCH Axcess, Lacerte, UltraTax, ProSeries, ProConnect, TaxDome, and Gmail. It prepares tax returns by reading client documents and entering returns in the firm's tax software for preparer review, compares document packages against last year's return to flag missing or wrong documents and draft client follow-up emails, performs monthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks by classifying transactions, reconciling accounts, and drafting journal entries, and answers tax research questions in plain English with citations to the IRC, regulations, and rulings. Cranston states that nothing posts, files, or reaches a client until a reviewer approves it. The site also describes SOC 2 Type II examination in progress, encryption, role-based access, PII protection, audit logs, SSO, GLBA alignment, and isolated workspace per firm.

Key features

• Tax return preparation entered into Drake, Lacerte, CCH Axcess, UltraTax, or ProSeries for preparer review
• Document checks comparing packages against last year's return, flagging missing or wrong documents
• Draft client follow-up emails that require reviewer approval before sending
• Monthly bookkeeping: transaction classification, account reconciliation, and draft journal entries in QuickBooks
• Bank and credit card matching to QuickBooks with exception lists for review
• Tax research with answers and attached sources from the IRC, regulations, and rulings
• Client document, books, returns, and email kept together per client
• Integrations with QuickBooks, Drake, TaxDome, and Gmail
• Encryption, role-based access, PII protection, audit logs, and SSO
• Isolated workspace for each firm

Best suited for

• CPA firms preparing tax returns
• Firms handling document collection and missing-document follow-up
• Accounting teams doing monthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks
• Tax professionals conducting tax research with citations

Pricing

$30 per client book, per month (bookkeeping, recurring monthly); $40 per prepared return, any form (tax prep, billed once). Flat rates, no credits or tokens.