IT Support for Accountants: Your Options Compared, With Costs

IT support for accountants has one job above every other: keep the tax software, client files and remote access running from January through April 15, and keep client data away from identity thieves the rest of the year. Below are the four ways a 10 to 50 person accounting firm can get that support, what each one really covers, what it costs, and how to judge a provider before tax season.

What IT support for accountants has to cover

An accounting firm's technology looks ordinary from the outside, a few dozen computers and Microsoft 365. The difference is what sits inside it: Social Security numbers, bank details and years of returns for every client.

Good support for a firm covers:

• Tax and accounting software: Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax CS, ProSeries, CCH Axcess or whatever your firm runs, plus updates timed so they never land in the middle of a filing deadline.
• The client portal and e-signature tools: the way documents come in and returns go out, which is also the way phishing emails pretend to come in.
• Remote access: partners and staff working from home in March need a secure connection, not a shared password and an open port.
• Backups: client files copied off site every day, with restores tested before you need one.
• Security: the basics the IRS asks every tax professional to use, covered below.
• Microsoft 365 and email: accounts, licenses, mailbox rules, and switching off the accounts of people who leave.

Rick Smaczniak, President of 360 Business Solutions, describes managed IT in plain terms: "We monitor everything, update everything, put all your file sharing in the right places, all that stuff."

Your four options for IT support, compared

Most firms with 10 to 50 people end up with one of four setups. Each one solves a different problem.

A part-time IT person or a tech-savvy staff member

• Cost: low on paper, because the time is buried in someone else's job.
• Tax season: they're often busy with returns themselves, which is when the technology is under the most pressure.
• Security and paperwork: usually informal. Things get fixed; little gets written down.

Break-fix: call a shop when something dies

• Cost: hourly, only when something breaks, so quiet months are cheap and bad months are expensive.
• Tax season: you wait in the same queue as every other customer, at the worst time of year to wait.
• Security and paperwork: nobody is watching in between calls, so problems are found after they've done damage.

Managed IT: a fixed monthly fee for ongoing care

• Cost: predictable, usually per user per month.
• Tax season: the provider is already watching your systems and knows your setup before anything breaks.
• Security and paperwork: monitoring, patching, backups and documentation are part of the job, not extras.

Co-managed IT: keep your person, add a team behind them

• Cost: less than full managed IT, because your in-house person keeps the day-to-day work.
• Tax season: your person isn't alone when two things break on the same day.
• Security and paperwork: the outside team handles 24/7 monitoring, security tools and the compliance documentation your person never has time for.

Our view: once a firm passes about 10 people, the first two setups stop being cheaper. They just move the cost into lost hours and risk that nobody has priced.

Tax season is the real test of your IT

An accounting firm doesn't get to pick when its systems fail, but it can pick when they change. The safest plan follows one rule: nothing new goes in between January and April 15.

• October to December: replace aging computers, apply major software upgrades, test a full backup restore, and run staff security training.
• January to April 15: security updates only, close monitoring, and fast response. No migrations, no new systems, no surprises.
• May and June: review what broke during the season, fix the root causes, and plan the next round of upgrades.

An IT provider who wants to move your firm to a new system in February is telling you they don't understand your business.

The security baseline the IRS expects from tax professionals

The IRS has pushed one short list at tax professionals for years. Its "Security Six" are anti-virus software, firewalls, two-factor authentication, backup software or services, drive encryption and a virtual private network for anyone working away from the office. Every one of them is IT work, and every one should be on your provider's list of what they manage.

The IRS also recommends a written information security plan, and its data theft guidance for tax professionals says to report a breach of client data to your local IRS Stakeholder Liaison quickly, so the IRS can block fraudulent returns filed with your clients' information. Your IT provider should know that step exists and be ready to help on the day it's needed.

Firms that prepare returns also fall under the FTC Safeguards Rule, which requires a written information security program, a named person in charge of it, and multi-factor authentication for anyone who accesses customer information. That's a bigger topic than one section can cover. Our FTC Safeguards Rule checklist goes through each requirement, and our compliance and security work for accounting and tax firms is built around it. This post isn't legal advice.

Rick puts the reason this matters now bluntly: "The problem is AI is making hackers very, very good." The phishing email that used to be easy to spot now reads like a real client asking about their refund.

What IT support for accountants costs

At 360, most firms pay between $100 and $200 per user per month, plus a few flat monthly costs based on what the firm needs. For a 20-person firm, the per-user part comes to about $2,000 to $4,000 a month. That's our range applied to a common firm size, not a quote. Here's what a 20-person office pays for managed IT, line by line.

Firms with heavier compliance needs, more remote staff or an on-site server sit toward the top. You get the exact number after an assessment, before you sign anything.

How to choose an IT provider for your firm

Ask these before you sign with anyone, including us:

• Which tax and accounting software do you support now, and who calls the vendor when it breaks?
• What do you change in January through April, and what do you hold until after the deadline?
• Which of the IRS Security Six do you manage, and which are left to us?
• How often do you test a full restore of our client files?
• Will you help us document our written information security plan?
• What's your average response time, and is it an average or a promise?

We'll answer the last one first: our average response time is under 15 minutes, and it's an average, not a guarantee written into the contract. Our managed IT services for accounting and tax firms list what's included, and we also offer co-managed IT if you want to keep the person you have.

What should IT support for accountants include?

IT support for accountants should include 24/7 monitoring, help desk support, care of the firm's tax and accounting software, daily off-site backups with tested restores, the IRS Security Six (anti-virus, firewalls, multi-factor authentication, backups, drive encryption and a VPN), staff phishing training, and help documenting a written information security plan, with major changes held until after April 15. For accounting and tax firms in Buffalo and Western New York, 360 Business Solutions in Amherst provides managed and co-managed IT on site and remotely. Call (716) 650-7200 or book a 30-minute assessment.

IT support for accounting firms: common questions

Do accounting firms need managed IT?

In our view, most firms over about 10 people do, because tax season leaves no room for waiting on a break-fix call and client data needs someone watching it year round. Smaller firms with a capable in-house person can start with co-managed support.

How much does IT support for an accounting firm cost?

At 360, most firms pay $100 to $200 per user per month plus a few flat costs. A 20-person firm lands around $2,000 to $4,000 a month for the per-user part.

What is the IRS Security Six?

The IRS Security Six are six protections the IRS tells tax professionals to use: anti-virus software, firewalls, two-factor authentication, backups, drive encryption and a virtual private network.

Can we keep our in-house IT person?

Yes. Co-managed IT keeps your person in place and adds a team for monitoring, security and the busy weeks.

What should we do if client data is stolen?

Call your IT provider, then report it to your local IRS Stakeholder Liaison as quickly as you can, along with law enforcement. The IRS data theft guidance lists the full set of steps, including state notifications.

Do you work with firms outside Buffalo?

We do. Our team works out of Amherst, comes on site anywhere in Western New York, and supports the rest remotely.