Industry guide

Review notes and close checklists: what a CPA firm's archive can earn

Accounting firms produce the kind of record AI labs value most: review notes on workpapers, close checklists, onboarding steps and technical memos. Pewter's partner cites $350K for a 60-person accounting firm, and Troveo puts accounting in its top tier.

Most of it already sits in Karbon or another practice management tool, CCH or Thomson Reuters suites, Excel and Outlook. Buyers want the written trail of how your team actually does the work, so most owners lead with SOPs and training material, then add day-to-day records once personal details are dealt with.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 5 min read 12 sources

Key figure: $350K
Buyers' published range: $100K to $2M+
Time to a written offer: Days to 2 weeks
Owner time, per buyers: 1 to 3 hours

In this guide

01 / What buyers value

Records a buyer will look for at a CPA firm

Engagement workflow templates
Where it lives
Practice management
Why a buyer wants it
How engagements are run step by step
Raise first
Usually nothing
Review checklists and review notes
Where it lives
Workpaper software
Why a buyer wants it
Senior judgment on junior work
Raise first
Client financials
Client onboarding process
Where it lives
Practice management
Why a buyer wants it
Intake and setup
Raise first
Client details
Month-end close and reconciliation
Where it lives
Excel and software
Why a buyer wants it
Standard work with exceptions
Raise first
Client figures
Staff training and technical memos
Where it lives
Shared drive
Why a buyer wants it
How the firm teaches
Raise first
Usually nothing

Record	Where it lives	Why a buyer wants it	Raise first
Engagement workflow templates	Practice management	How engagements are run step by step	Usually nothing
Review checklists and review notes	Workpaper software	Senior judgment on junior work	Client financials
Client onboarding process	Practice management	Intake and setup	Client details
Month-end close and reconciliation	Excel and software	Standard work with exceptions	Client figures
Staff training and technical memos	Shared drive	How the firm teaches	Usually nothing

02 / Value

Putting a number on a CPA firm's data

No buyer publishes a price list by industry. What they do publish is a range for a whole company: micro1, Polyshares and Ventra each advertise deals from roughly $100K to $2M or more, and Pewter's licensing partner cites examples between $350K and $650K. Read those as the buyers' own marketing figures, not offers.

For a CPA firm of about 35 people, three things move the number most: how many years of history you have, how much of the work is written down in one place, and how cleanly client and employee details can be removed. Try the worth estimator for a range based on your size.

03 / Buyers

Which buyers take CPA firms

On Troveo's intake form, the closest category ("accounting, tax or bookkeeping") sits in the top of its four demand tiers, the group it says buyers pay a premium for. Polyshares lists accounting and tax as one of its premium industries.

micro1
Published size rule
Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Mode
Published size rule
At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Nyne
Published size rule
At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Pewter
Published size rule
At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Ventra
Published size rule
At least 30 US staff and three years of data
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Endless
Published size rule
Around 30 people or more
A 35-person CPA firm
Fits at 35
Polyshares
Published size rule
No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes
A 35-person CPA firm
No size floor
Mercor
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum
A 35-person CPA firm
No size floor
Troveo
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)
A 35-person CPA firm
No size floor

Buyer	Published size rule	A 35-person CPA firm
micro1	Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit	Fits at 35
Mode	At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law	Fits at 35
Nyne	At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history	Fits at 35
Pewter	At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors	Fits at 35
Ventra	At least 30 US staff and three years of data	Fits at 35
Endless	Around 30 people or more	Fits at 35
Polyshares	No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes	No size floor
Mercor	Publishes no minimum	No size floor
Troveo	Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)	No size floor

Checked against a typical CPA firm of 35 people. Ask each buyer whether contractors and part-time staff count.

Some buyers pay us a referral fee. It never changes your price, and it never changes the order of our rankings.

04 / Typical week

What one ordinary week produces

Monday: busy season capacity plan revised.
Tuesday: review notes on three returns.
Wednesday: a client onboarding call and checklist.
Thursday: month-end close for bookkeeping clients.
Friday: a technical memo on a new rule.

Illustrative. Multiply one week by every year you have kept, and that is the record a buyer is looking at. The written decisions matter more than the totals.

05 / Segments

Segments within CPA firms

Karbon data: Shared inbox threads, work item checklists, client requests and timelines in Karbon are what buyers want. How to export and what to check.

06 / Process

How a deal works

1
Check the fit
Answer a few questions about headcount, years of records and the systems you use. No files change hands.
2
Inventory call
A buyer walks through what you hold and what it wants. Most say the owner spends one to three hours in total.
3
Written offer
Buyers usually send terms within days to two weeks: price, scope, term and whether the deal is exclusive.
4
Clean and deliver
Personal details are removed under the agreed method, then a copy is exported. Your originals stay where they are.

micro1
What it asks for
Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity
Offer and payment
Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice
Ask about
Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra
What it asks for
Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets
Offer and payment
Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60
Ask about
Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares
What it asks for
Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts
Offer and payment
Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days
Ask about
Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter
What it asks for
Operating records for the industries on its list
Offer and payment
No fee to the owner, it says
Ask about
Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

Buyer	What it asks for	Offer and payment	Ask about
micro1	Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity	Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice	Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra	Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets	Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60	Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares	Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts	Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days	Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter	Operating records for the industries on its list	No fee to the owner, it says	Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

In each buyer's own published words. Terms change, so confirm them in writing before you sign.

07 / Timing

If you are selling or winding down

A data license can sit alongside a sale or a wind-down. If you are selling the business, agree with the acquirer who keeps the right to license the archive. If you are closing down, keep the workspace and inboxes alive until a buyer has seen them. A closed company is not out of options: SimpleClosure reports more than 150 completed sales of shut-down startups' archives.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do professional rules allow this?

They limit disclosure of client information, which is why firms license de-identified material and their own methods. Get advice for your jurisdiction.

Is accounting data really in top demand?

Troveo says buyers pay a premium for accounting, tax and bookkeeping data, and Polyshares marks it as premium.

Is a 35-person CPA firm big enough?

9 of the 9 buyers in our size check take a CPA firm that size, going by their own published rules. Below 20 people your options narrow to the buyers with no stated minimum.

Do we lose our records if we license them?

No. A license gives the buyer a copy for agreed uses and your originals stay put. Read the term and deletion clauses closely: micro1's master terms describe a perpetual license, and Ventra warns it may be unable to erase data after delivery.

Find the buyers that fit your company

Answer a few questions about your size, tools and history. We show which buyers want a company like yours. Free, no files.

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Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.