Post-filing season 2025: How tax departments are transforming the future

A season of growth and innovation

This spring, CCH Axcess™ Tax solidified its leadership in cloud-based tax technology, delivering measurable impact across the industry. The solution expanded its capabilities with 160 new forms, bringing the total to 4,255, and saw an 18% increase in firms using CCH Axcess Tax. Meanwhile, CCH^® AnswerConnect experienced a 40% surge in generative AI adoption, reflecting the growing demand for intelligent, conversational tools that streamline research and enhance productivity. These milestones highlight CCH Axcess’s continued momentum in transforming how tax professionals work. These tools are helping firms reduce compliance risk, streamline workflows, and focus more on advisory services.

Navigating a complex corporate tax landscape

Tax departments are under increasing pressure as they navigate a rapidly evolving landscape.

• Talent shortages are making it harder to find and retain professionals with the specialized knowledge needed to manage complex tax issues.
• Reporting requirements are intensifying, driving the need for automation and real-time dashboards to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
• Regulatory uncertainty, fueled by changing tax laws, adds another layer of complexity.

The stakes are high, and non-compliance can lead to significant reputational risk. To stay ahead, leading firms are turning to integrated platforms like CCH Axcess™ iQ and CCH AnswerConnect, which combine predictive intelligence with comprehensive research tools to support proactive, informed decision-making.

Key legislative updates

While the 2025 tax filing season passed without major disruptions, several significant policy shifts have already occurred.

• The IRS’s rules for reporting digital assets have been overturned.
• FinCen’s Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) regulation enforcement has ceased.

With the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, some past tax cuts will be permanent and new breaks will also be offered: like no federal tax on tips and overtime, and deductions for car loan interest and research spending. Families and seniors would get bigger tax credits and deductions too.
The bill also ends several green energy tax credits and raise the cap on state and local tax deductions. It also pushes the IRS to use AI more and shuts down the Direct File program, aiming to modernize how taxes are handled through more public-private partnerships.

Industry trends: Strategy, technology and talent

According to the most recent Wolters Kluwer Future Ready Accountant Survey, there is a clear shift in tax department priorities, with 65% of tax leaders emphasizing advisory support for digital business models. At the same time, technology adoption is accelerating, as 29% of departments are already deploying Generative AI and another 26% are actively exploring its use.

Despite this momentum, 61% of professionals express concerns about GenAI, particularly around accuracy and control. Meanwhile, 37% of tax teams are automating compliance processes to boost efficiency. To bridge talent gaps and access advanced capabilities, many firms are also turning to outsourcing and co-sourcing models, reinforcing the trend toward more agile, tech-enabled tax operations.

Streamlining compliance with APIs and automation

APIs are transforming tax workflows by automating data imports and exports, enabling real-time compliance monitoring through dynamic dashboards, and supporting greater transparency, risk management, and strategic planning.

Tools like CCH Axcess™ Engagement take this further by integrating workpaper management, trial balance, and workflow automation, streamlining tax preparation and significantly improving accuracy across the board.

Final takeaways

Tax departments are undergoing a strategic transformation, driven by the need for greater efficiency, accuracy, and insight. Success hinges on collaboration — both across internal departments and with external accounting firms to drive innovation and deliver greater value.

As automation becomes increasingly essential to helping organizations scale operations and minimize errors, we’re seeing tech investments accelerate to meet growing compliance demands.

Similarly, AI and generative AI (GenAI) are increasingly being leveraged as powerful tools to supercharge automation, supporting the integration of tax strategy into broader business planning.

Looking to the future, the tax function is no longer just about compliance. It’s about driving value, insight, and innovation across the enterprise.