Flagship event for innovation-focused accounting firms draws record attendance.

DENVER (Dec. 9, 2024) – Harnessing the power of AI, transformation of practice areas, and firm business model strategies that enable growth and high value work are key themes at this week’s Digital CPA Conference^® (DCPA), the premier event for progressive accounting professionals.

“In today’s fast-changing and increasingly complex business environment, clients are increasingly looking to their CPAs for deeper insights and higher-value services to inform their strategies and support better decision-making,” said Asgeirsson. “Today’s firms must be strategic and intentional about firmwide transformation. This means taking a fresh look at your firm’s business model, embracing technology to improve service delivery and drive outcomes, and cultivating the right talent and culture. Firms that do will continue to thrive as trusted advisors for their clients.”

This year’s event, taking place in Denver (and also available virtually), brings together more than 1,400 of the profession’s most innovative leaders and practitioners across client advisory services (CAS), audit and tax.

Key themes framing the discussions at DCPA24 include:

1. Unlocking the potential of AI. Over the past year, AI has quickly moved from theoretical to practical as an abundance of new AI-enabled solutions and use cases have emerged across accounting and finance, accelerating the shift toward advisory services and offering firms a viable solution to help address talent and capacity challenges.

   The AICPA and CPA.com remain committed to helping practitioners understand and maximize the capabilities of AI. Through its multi-part GenAI initiative, CPA.com delivers the latest insights, tools and resources on topics from building a safe AI strategy to implementing effective change management strategies to support the impact on roles, process and workflows.

2. Capitalizing on growth in client advisory services (CAS). Already the fastest growing service area for the profession, CAS is growing and presenting significant opportunities for firms that are taking an intentional approach to building and scaling their practices. According to the just released 2024 CPA.com and AICPA PCPS CAS Benchmark survey report, firms reported 17% median growth in their CAS practices, outpacing overall firm growth. Firms are also leveraging new capabilities, strategies and services to provide higher-level business insights to clients.

   CPA.com has long been focused on empowering firms of all sizes to understand the opportunity within CAS to maximize their value and growth potential. Adding to its CAS 2.0^® Practice Development Coaching program, CPA.com has expanded its offering to include two new learning pathways, CAS 2.0 Development Essentials and CAS 2.0 Practice Introduction, which include access to workshops, new toolkits and self-studies for firms new to CAS and those looking to build up an existing practice.

3. Driving audit transformation. Audit is the latest of the practice areas to undergo a major shift to the cloud.This is being driven by the availability of more cloud-based solutions, as well as a desire by firms to deliver deeper insights and more comprehensive risk management for their clients.

   To support firms in their audit transformation journey, CPA.com added its first audit track to DCPA in 2023, which was very well received. This year nearly 200 audit professionals are attending the event to network with their peers and learn more about how to transform their own audit practices. Many top 100 firms are are now on a path of full migration of the Dynamic Audit Solution (DAS), a fully integrated, end-to-end cloud-based solution with transformative AICPA methodology, to support their transformation. CPA.com also helps firms assess their readiness and offers comprehensive implementation consulting, training and data migration services to prepare for a technology-driven shift.

4. Evolution of firm strategies and structures. Leading-edge firms are adopting new strategies, business models and governance structures to successfully execute transformation, optimize technology investments and better position for long-term viability. They’re also accelerating technology adoption to automate lower-level work, exploring new ownership models, such as private equity and employee stock ownership plans (ESOP), and rolling out new compensation and talent strategies to combat hiring and retention challenges and build capacity.

To learn more about CPA.com’s efforts to enable firms’ digital and advisory transformation, visit www.cpa.com.

About CPA.com

CPA.com brings innovative solutions to the accounting profession, either in partnership with leading providers or directly through its own development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on emerging technologies and as the trusted business advisor to practitioners in the United States, with a growing global focus.

Our company’s core mission is to drive the transformation of practice areas, advance the technology ecosystem for the profession, and lead technology research and innovation efforts for practitioners.

A subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the company is also part of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the world’s most influential organization representing the profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

• Double-digit growth trend of CAS continues to outpace growth in the profession
• Significant increase in net client fees per professional (NCFPP)
• Median reported CAS revenue rose 61% over 2022

NEW YORK (Dec. 9, 2024) – Client advisory services (CAS) is poised to continue its impressive trajectory as the fastest growing service area in public accounting, according to the newly released 2024 CPA.com & AICPA PCPS Client Advisory Services Benchmark Survey report. The survey polled more than 200 U.S. firms with CAS offerings and collected data from the 2023 calendar year.

CAS practices that participated in the survey reported a median growth rate of 17% and are highly optimistic about the continued opportunity of the practice area. Respondents projected 15% continued growth in the current year and an impressive 99% projected median growth for their firms over the next three years. Additionally, median CAS net client fees per professional (NCFPP) rose to $156,250 for all respondents, an increase of 29% over the 2022 survey.

The growth in key metrics is likely attributed to firms doing more CAS engagements, rather than tax cleanup or annual project work, and taking steps to standardize processes and “right price” work with fixed-fee strategies that are billed on a recurring basis. The survey also indicated firm practices are shifting to maximize value for clients and staff and support continued growth.

Key insights include:

1. CAS growth continues to be significant and outpaces the profession’s overall growth. Respondents reported an increase in CAS revenue growth that was stronger than their firm’s overall reported median growth.
2. Firms can increase revenue by expanding their higher-level service offerings. Firms that generate significant revenue from CFO or higher-level business insights advisory services earned more than 30% higher monthly recurring revenue.
3. Defined strategy and planning are key to a successful and profitable CAS practice. Practices with a formal CAS business plan report nearly $10,000 more in median average annual client revenue. They’re also more strategic about staffing and have a clear, firmwide understanding of services and ideal client profiles.
4. Defined client niches are key to promoting standardization and efficiency and, ultimately, increasing profitability. Practices where more than half their revenue comes from defined industry niches report 38% higher median CAS revenue and 51% higher net revenue per client than all respondents.
5. Adaptability and agility are key to staffing in CAS. Nearly four-fifths (78%) of practices have dedicated staff working only in CAS. Additionally, ongoing training and flexible staffing solutions are important to achieve operational excellence and maximize growth.
6. Better strategy and investment around technology means better productivity, efficiency and staff satisfaction. About half of CAS practices (51%) are continually investing in technology, and those practices report higher total CAS revenue and average client revenue. They also report serving 50% more clients (100 versus 67) than all respondents.
7. Pricing in the CAS space has shifted away from pure time and materials billing. CAS practices continue to lead the way in rethinking billing with only 10% of respondents still employing hourly billing as the primary pricing method.

“Firms are continuing to double-down on client advisory services (CAS) as a key growth area, but there’s still so much more potential for those that take an intentional and strategic approach to building and scaling their CAS practices," said Kimberly Blascoe, CPA, Senior Director of CAS Professional Services, CPA.com. “By continuing to shift from financial CAS (transactional to controller services) to higher-level business insights CAS (based on financial and non-financial insights), firms will create more value for clients and be well positioned for ongoing success.”

CPA.com will hold a free webinar Thursday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. ET to highlight key insights from the survey and offer practical strategies for firms to strengthen and develop their CAS capabilities. To support firms on their CAS journey, CPA.com offers a portfolio of learning resources including whitepapers, firm self-assessments, self-guided toolkits, virtual and in-person workshops, guided coaching cohorts, consulting engagements and much more. Through its award-winning CAS 2.0^® Coaching Program and the Digital CPA conference, CPA.com has built and is cultivating a thriving CAS community where firms have access to like-minded CAS practitioners and leaders.

To learn more, please visit cpa.com/client-advisory-services.

Methodology

The CAS Benchmark Survey was conducted online from May to July 2024 and includes data from calendar year 2023 for the 206 CAS practices who self-selected to participate in the survey. Besides general results, the survey analyzes the performance of top CAS practices, defined as those with the highest net client fees per professional (NCFPP).

About CPA.com

CPA.com brings innovative solutions to the accounting profession, either in partnership with leading providers or directly through its own development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on emerging technologies and as the trusted business advisor to practitioners in the United States, with a growing global focus.

Our company’s core mission is to drive the transformation of practice areas, advance the technology ecosystem for the profession, and lead technology research and innovation efforts for practitioners.

A subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the company is also part of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the world’s most influential organization representing the profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

About the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and AICPA & CIMA

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), representing AICPA & CIMA, advances the global accounting and finance profession through its work on behalf of 689,000 AICPA and CIMA members, students and engaged professionals in 196 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the CPA license and specialized credentials, professional education and thought leadership. We build trust by empowering our members and engaged professionals with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future.

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal, state and local governments. It also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination and builds the pipeline of future talent for the public accounting profession.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the world’s leading and largest professional body of management accountants. CIMA works closely with employers and sponsors leading-edge research, constantly updating its professional qualification and professional experience requirements to ensure it remains the employer’s choice when recruiting financially trained business leaders.

New features support auditors in delivering more efficient, higher quality financial statement audits

New York, NY (Dec. 2, 2024) - As firm adoption of the Dynamic Audit Solution (DAS) continues to accelerate, new planning features and expanded industry content have been added to the most recent release of the transformative audit solution that further supports firms in enhancing the efficiency, quality and client value of financial statement audits.

DAS, which is part of OnPoint, a comprehensive suite of applications built on the Caseware Cloud platform, is the only fully integrated, end-to-end, cloud- based audit solution on the market. It is powered by a transformative methodology developed by the AICPA and in partnership with audit professionals from leading firms. DAS features guided workflows and real- time collaboration to support an enhanced auditor and client experience through a risk-focused, data-driven approach.

Many firms in the T100 are now on a path to full migration of DAS and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Firms are highlighting key benefits including enhanced efficiency and quality, staff engagement and upskilling opportunities, and valuable implementation training and support throughout the process. The firms have cited the flexibility of the platform, which can either be used ‘out of the box’ without the need for internal methodology maintenance or as a customized solution, allowing firms to author their own content into the platform.

After an extensive market evaluation, Withum, a top 100 firm, selected DAS to replace its legacy audit methodology. “We’re using DAS out of the box,” said Kevin McElgunn, CPA, partner at Withum. “One of the things that was always inefficient was creating our own work papers and practice aids which we then need to update every year. We’d have to look at what’s changing and determine if it’s still applicable. DAS’s methodology and standardization eliminate the inconsistencies that come with individual preference and the need for maintenance.”

Capability Enhancements

The latest DAS release includes key features that address the needs of auditors active in OnPoint today, while at the same time building out key foundational elements to allow for even more enhanced technologies in the coming months. Highlights of this release include:

• Newly supported industries. Newly added industries include technology, real estate, dealerships, depository and lending institutions, investment companies, and insurance. Tailored content by industry eliminates irrelevant procedures and supports auditors with tools aligned to unique industry requirements.
• Central Planning. Central planning eliminates redundancy and optimizes workflows for audits that involve multiple engagements by allowing risk assessments and responses to risks to be managed from a central entity. This feature also allows enables auditors the flexibility to modify elements of the individual entities to further streamline workflows.
• Testing. This release also upgrades the journal entry testing tool, making it simpler to work with existing tests, create new custom tests for specific needs and to link tests to specific risks.

The continued release of robust industry content and advanced capabilities sets DAS apart as the accounting profession’s most advanced and only fully integrated, end-to-end audit solution.

Other Key Features

Other key benefits of DAS cited by adopting firms include: single audit and group audit support, strong linkage to standards, and financial statement and sampling modules. Integration with Caseware Taxflow streamlines functionality between tax and assurance engagements, and Caseware’s digital assistant, AiDA, uses built-in research capabilities to cite standards, summarize documents, and more, in a secure platform.

In addition to DAS’s robust capabilities, CPA.com effectively supports firm adoption readiness, providing comprehensive implementation consulting, training and migration services to support firms through the entire audit transformation journey.

“The Dynamic Audit Solution is a powerful tool with unique capabilities unlike any other on the market,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO, CPA.com. “Firms using DAS today have recognized the significant improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and client value that the tool offers, as well as the benefits it can provide in attracting the next generation of talent.”

LEARN MORE

For more information on DAS for your firm, contact us at cpa.com/das- inquiries.

You can also access additional resources, including user testimonials, by visiting the DAS Resource Center.

Out of the AICPA and CPA ESG Virtual Symposium Update, Barry Melancon, president and CEO, AICPA, Ami Beers, senior director­–Assurance & Advisory Innovation, AICPA, and Andries Verschelden, co-founder and CEO, Good.Lab, discuss how shifting sustainability regulations are creating significant opportunities for CPAs in assurance services in this Journal of Accountancy article.

https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2024/sep/sustainable-services-cpas-positioned-burst-opportunities.html