I’ll be upfront: as the co-founder of a CPA firm, I’m not neutral observers. But my perspective here isn’t about defending my role—it’s about understanding what tax filing actually requires.
AI is not useless. In fact, it performs well in certain areas. Ask it straightforward questions—like filing deadlines or standard deduction amounts—and you’ll usually get accurate, helpful answers.
The issue is what happens beyond that.
A March 2026 analysis by NerdWallet tested several major AI chatbots on tax-related questions. The results followed a clear pattern: AI handled simple, black-and-white questions well—but struggled when nuance, personalization, or legal interpretation came into play.
Answers varied between sessions. Assumptions were made about a taxpayer’s situation. Context was missing.
And that’s the core limitation.
Taxes aren’t just a math problem—they’re also a legal and situational one. AI has improved significantly on the math side. But it still lacks the judgment needed to interpret real-life scenarios:
- What deductions actually apply to your situation
- Which elections make sense this year versus last
- How changes in income, investments, or life events impact your return
- What you should be asking—but aren’t
That last point is where we see the biggest gap.
Clients who come to us after trying AI rarely say, “The numbers were completely wrong.” Instead, they say, “I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right,” or “I didn’t know what I might be missing.”
AI answers the questions you ask. It doesn’t identify the questions you didn’t know to ask in the first place.
That’s why the broader trend isn’t surprising. According to the same survey, 63% of taxpayers already prefer a tax professional over AI. The remaining 37% are still deciding—and that’s a reasonable place to be.
If you’re in that group, the question to consider isn’t whether AI is “good” or “bad.” It’s whether your situation is simple enough that nothing important gets overlooked.
Because if anything changed this year—income, investments, a business, a home purchase, dependents—you’re no longer dealing with a static, repeatable scenario.
And that’s where experience, judgment, and context still matter more than speed.