79% of tax and accounting firms expect GenAI integration by 2027

Some 79% of tax and accounting firms are expecting “significant” GenAI integration by 2027, according to new research from Thomson Reuters, spelling a seismic shift in attitudes towards this technological tool among professionals. It comes as 71% now believe that AI should be applied to their daily work, up from 52% just last year. Thomson Reuters’ 2025 Generative AI in Professional Services Report revealed that the percentage of tax firms already implementing GenAI has nearly tripled year-over-year, having jumped from 8% last year to 21% in present day. An additional 25% of firms also report they are now planning to incorporate GenAI into their operations. The report also revealed that 13% of professionals indicated GenAI is already central to their organisation’s workflow; 32% expect full integration within one year; and 34% anticipate GenAI to become central to operations within one to two years. Clients are also, increasingly, becoming a “substantial” driving force behind GenAI adoption and requesting its use, according to the report, as 77% of clients from corporate businesses are looking to the tax firms working for them to use GenAI. Some 14% of clients have also instructed tax firms to use GenAI in their official tendering document (RFP) compared with just 8% of those who have instructed law firms to do the same. Elizabeth Beastrom, president of tax and accounting professionals at Thomson Reuters, said: “What we’re witnessing is a transformation in how tax, audit and accounting professionals view AI technology. This surge in adoption positions the accounting profession as one of the fastest-growing industries for GenAI acceptance among professional services. “The data clearly shows that initial scepticism is rapidly giving way to recognition of GenAI's potential to enhance productivity and client service delivery. Firms that aren’t making the best use of GenAI for their accountancy and tax work risk falling behind their peers in terms of efficiency.” The report revealed that the most common use cases of GenAI by tax and accounting professionals are tax research (77%); tax return preparation (63%); tax advisory (62%); accounting and bookkeeping (57%); and document summarisation (55%). Of the firms using GenAI in their work, almost half (44%) are using the tools either multiple times a day, or daily. Despite rapid adoption, only 9% of tax, accounting, and audit professionals view GenAI as a threat to industry jobs. A majority (54%) see minimal or no threat to employment, suggesting professionals increasingly view the technology as complementary rather than competitive to human expertise. However, the study highlighted “significant” gaps in organisational readiness, with 70% of tax and accounting firms reporting they have no formal policies governing GenAI use. Beastrom added: “The data presents both tremendous opportunities and important challenges for the tax profession. While adoption is accelerating rapidly, the lack of governance frameworks suggests firms need comprehensive strategies to maximise GenAI’s benefits while managing associated risks.”

79% of tax and accounting firms expect GenAI integration by 2027

The report revealed that the most common use cases of GenAI by tax and accounting professionals are tax research (77%) and tax return preparation (63%)

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