AI chatbot for accountants.
From January to April, a CPA firm's inbox fills with the same questions: are you taking new clients, what do you charge for a 1040 with a Schedule C, what documents do I need, and can you file an extension. A chatbot trained on your services, fee and onboarding pages answers those at any hour, so your staff spend tax season on returns, and it hands anything about a person's own taxes to an accountant.
14 days free, then a free plan or from $8 a month. No card required.
Visitor: Do you do taxes for freelancers? I'm a 1099 graphic designer.
Chatbot: Yes. We prepare individual returns with a Schedule C for freelancers and sole proprietors. Our fee for a 1040 with one Schedule C starts at $450, depending on the number of forms and states, and the Individual tax page lists what's included.
Individual tax services
Visitor: What do I need to send you?
Chatbot: Your 1099-NEC and 1099-K forms, a summary of business income and expenses, any estimated tax payments you made, and last year's return if you're new to us. Please upload everything through our secure client portal, not by email or in this chat.
Tax document checklist
Visitor: Should I set up an S corp to pay less tax?
Chatbot: That depends on your income and situation, so it's a question for one of our CPAs rather than me. Leave your name and email and we'll set up a planning consultation. It's $150, credited toward your fees if you become a client.
Human handoff
Powered by ChatBento
12 questions customers ask accountants
The questions accountants hear most. Copy them as a Q&A template, add your answers, and the chatbot answers them in your words.
- 1Are you taking new individual tax clients this season?
- 2How much do you charge to prepare a 1040 with a Schedule C?
- 3Do you prepare returns for S corps, partnerships and multi-member LLCs?
- 4What documents do I need to send for my tax return?
- 5Can you file an extension for me, and what's your cutoff for new returns before April?
- 6Do you offer monthly bookkeeping, and do you work in QuickBooks or Xero?
- 7Can you help if I received a letter from the IRS?
- 8Do you prepare state returns if I lived in two states last year?
- 9How do I upload my documents to your client portal?
- 10Do you work with clients remotely, or do I need to come in?
- 11If I send everything in early March, when will my return be done?
- 12Can you catch me up on several years of unfiled returns?
Set it up in four steps
- 1
Point it at your website
Enter your site's address and ChatBento reads your pages. For accountants, make sure these are on the site or added as docs:
- Services pages: individual returns, business returns, bookkeeping, payroll, IRS representation
- Fee page or starting prices, and what makes a return cost more
- New-client onboarding: engagement letter, client portal, how to send documents
- Tax document checklists for individuals and businesses
- Deadline and extension policy, including your cutoff for taking new returns
- Office hours, tax-season hours and remote-service details
- 2
Answer the 12 questions
Copy the questions above, paste them into ChatBento as Q&As and write your answers. These are what visitors ask first, so a clear answer here covers most chats.
- 3
Set the greeting and handoff
Add the email that receives handoffs and a greeting that sets expectations, for example: “Hi! I can help with our services, fees, deadlines and what documents to send. For advice on your own taxes, I'll connect you with our team.”
- 4
Paste one line on your WordPress site
Many CPA firm sites run on WordPress, often from a web provider that specializes in accounting firms. The install guide shows where the snippet goes.
Install on WordPress
What it answers, and what it hands to you
Hand these to a person
The chatbot collects the visitor's name and email or phone, then sends you the whole conversation.
- Any question about a person's own tax situation, deductions or entity choice
- IRS or state notices, audits and payment plans
- Status of a return or bookkeeping job already in progress
- Engagement letters, quotes for complex returns and billing questions
- Anyone trying to send Social Security numbers or tax forms in chat: the chatbot points them to the secure portal
General information only, and no tax documents in chat
The chatbot explains your services, fees and deadlines; it doesn't tell anyone what to deduct, how to structure a business or what they owe. Questions about a person's own taxes go to a CPA or enrolled agent. Tell visitors never to type Social Security numbers, bank details or tax forms into the chat, and point them to your secure client portal instead. Tax preparers are expected to safeguard client data, so keep the chat to names, emails and general questions.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. ChatBento answers only from the content you give it, and says so when it doesn't know.
Which plan fits accountants
Typical volume: 150 to 700 AI replies a month. A small CPA firm with 1,500 to 5,000 site visits a month in tax season, where 3 to 4% of visitors open the chat and ask three or four questions each; summer months run much lower.
Start on the Free plan (50 messages a month) to try it, then move up when the chat gets busy.
Accountants and CPAs questions. Answered.
Will the chatbot give tax advice?
No. It answers from your pages: services, fees, deadlines and the document checklist. When someone asks what they can deduct or whether to elect S corp status, it says that needs an accountant and collects their details for a consultation.
Can it tell clients where their return is?
It can't see your tax software or workflow, so it can't look up a return's status. It explains your typical turnaround from your pages and takes the client's name so someone on your team can follow up.
How do we keep sensitive data out of the chat?
Train it on a short instruction never to ask for Social Security numbers, bank details or tax forms, and to point people to your secure portal. The chat only needs a name, an email and the kind of help they want.
Is it worth having outside tax season?
Yes, though volume drops. Questions about bookkeeping, payroll, IRS letters and extension deadlines in October keep coming, and new business owners often look for an accountant mid-year.
How much does an AI chatbot for accountants cost?
ChatBento has a Free plan with 50 AI messages a month, then Hobby at $8/month (2,000 messages), Standard at $30/month (10,000 messages), Pro at $100/month (40,000 messages). At typical volume for accountants, 150 to 700 AI replies a month, Hobby at $8/month covers it. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Related industries
- AI chatbot for law firms“Do you handle car accident cases, and do you work on contingency?”
- AI chatbot for mortgage brokers“Do you offer FHA, VA and USDA loans?”
- AI chatbot for insurance agents“Which insurance companies do you work with?”
Use cases for accountants
- Lead captureTurn website questions into leads. An AI chatbot answers from your content, then collects a name, email and note when a visitor wants follow-up, and emails you the lead with the full conversation.
- FAQ automationTurn a static FAQ page into answers visitors can ask for. An AI chatbot uses your FAQ and Q&As to give exact answers to common questions, worded however visitors ask them.
Terms to know
Answer visitors while you're closed. Free to start, then from $8 a month.
14-day free trial. No card required.