AI for tax work.
Your clients' SSNs stay on your machine.
IRC §6713 imposes strict-liability civil penalties of $250 per unauthorized disclosure of tax return information. No intent required. Whether pasting a client's Schedule C into a cloud AI counts as a disclosure is a live question practitioners should think through. Keepance's local-first architecture means there's no disclosure to analyze — the data never moves.
30-day free trial. No card required. Tax Practice template pack included in Professional.
Your clients' SSNs, returns, and W-2s never leave your machine.
Files live in a real folder on your hard drive. Plain Markdown, readable without the app, portable to any editor. Your API key routes from your machine directly to the model provider you choose. Keepance has no server that could hold your data, because Keepance doesn't have a server.
- All files stay on your hard drive in any folder you pick
- API key routes machine-to-provider — Keepance never sees your prompts
- No account, no telemetry, works offline except for AI inference calls
- Every AI action logged locally with timestamp, model, and token cost
From intake to filing, built into templates that run locally.
The Tax Practice pack runs seven workflow templates — each one walks you through a structured process, asks the right questions, and writes the output directly to a Markdown file in your workspace. No copy-paste into a cloud form. No third-party storage. The document is yours the moment it's generated.
- Engagement letters, pre-review checklists, §7216 consent forms
- Research memos and document inventories generated from your notes
- Quarterly estimate reminders per client in seconds
- All output lands as plain Markdown files in your workspace folder
Audit files that stay organized when the case runs six months.
The Audit Defense File Builder structures your response materials from the first IRS notice to resolution. It maintains an SOL/Extension Tracker, an IDR Cross-Reference Index that maps each information request to your client's documents, and an Appeals/Litigation Track for cases that escalate. Every entry is a Markdown file in a folder on your drive.
- SOL/Extension Tracker with statute dates per issue
- IDR Cross-Reference Index — maps IRS requests to client documents
- Appeals/Litigation Track for escalated cases
- AI audit log shows every action taken with timestamp and model used
Three statutes worth knowing before you open ChatGPT with a client's W-2.
These aren't theoretical risks. They're specific statutory exposures that apply to solo practitioners with no carve-outs.
IRC §6713 — Strict-liability civil penalties
§6713 imposes a $250 civil penalty for each unauthorized disclosure of tax return information. No intent required. The calendar-year cap is $10,000, but there is no cap on individual disclosures — every client file is a separate exposure. Most practitioners have heard of §7216. Fewer think about the civil version, which is the more immediate risk because it requires no intent at all.
Whether uploading a client's Schedule C to a cloud AI counts as an "unauthorized disclosure" under §6713 is a question practitioners should work through with a qualified advisor. Local-first tools sidestep it — the data doesn't move.
IRC §7216 — Knowing or reckless disclosure
§7216 makes knowing or reckless disclosure of tax return information a federal criminal misdemeanor. Both statutes have consent requirements. Whether a standard Terms of Service checkbox satisfies the §7216 consent framework is a live question — the statute requires a separate, signed, dated document stating a specific purpose, in at least 12-point type, obtained before the disclosure, one consent per use type. (Per Rev. Proc. 2013-14 §5.04 and Treas. Reg. §301.7216-3(b)(3)(i).)
Keepance includes a §7216 Disclosure Consent Template that generates a compliant draft. A CPA or EA should verify the output with their own advisor before use.
FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314)
The FTC Safeguards Rule requires every covered financial institution to maintain a Written Information Security Program (WISP). Solo tax practitioners are covered. There is no small-practitioner exemption.
Keepance keeps client data off third-party servers entirely, which simplifies your WISP documentation and removes one significant data-flow question from your breach-surface analysis. It's not a substitute for a full WISP, but it eliminates the cloud-AI data flow you'd otherwise have to document and justify.
Seven templates for tax work. All of them run locally.
Each one walks through a structured process, asks the right questions, and writes a real document to your workspace folder. No cloud form. No upload. Just a Markdown file on your drive.
Engagement Letter Builder
Takes your client details and scope of services and drafts a complete engagement letter with scope limitations, fee terms, and signature blocks. Start from your notes, end with a document you can review and send.
1040 Pre-Review Checklist
Walks through a structured pre-filing review for individual returns, flagging common error points, missing schedules, and consistency checks across entries. Runs before you finalize, catches the things that are easy to miss.
§7216 Disclosure Consent Template
For situations where you're sharing client data with a third party and need a written consent record. Structures the required elements under the statute's consent framework per Rev. Proc. 2013-14 §5.04 — separate document, specific purpose, signed and dated, 12-point type minimum, obtained before disclosure.
This template generates a compliant draft. A CPA or EA should verify the output with their own advisor before use. One consent per use type is required.
Tax Research Memo Drafter
Turns your issue statement, client facts, and authority citations into a formatted research memo. Structures the question presented, analysis, and conclusion in a format you can put in the file and reference later.
Client Document Inventory
Generates a structured checklist of documents received versus outstanding for a given client and tax year. Useful at the start of season for tracking what's still missing and following up without losing the thread.
Audit Defense File Builder
Structures your audit response materials from the first IRS notice through resolution. Organizes the notice, documents your position on each issue, and drafts the response outline. Includes an SOL/Extension Tracker, an IDR Cross-Reference Index, and an Appeals/Litigation Track for cases that run long.
Quarterly Estimate Reminder
Drafts a client-facing reminder with estimated payment amounts, due dates, and payment instructions. Customizable per client, runs in seconds from your notes, saves to a dated Markdown file you can reference or forward directly.
The Tax Practice pack is included in Professional ($129 one-time). No subscription. The templates are yours once you purchase.
One payment. No subscription. No monthly seat fee.
Try every feature free for 30 days. No card, no signup. Activate once if you want to keep going.
- All core Keepance features
- Local-first workspace, files on your machine
- Bring your own API key (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini)
- AI audit log — every action logged locally
- 15 general workflow templates
- Works offline except for AI inference
- Mac, Windows, Linux
- Everything in Personal
- Tax Practice pack — all 7 templates
- Engagement Letter Builder
- 1040 Pre-Review Checklist
- §7216 Disclosure Consent Template
- Tax Research Memo Drafter
- Audit Defense File Builder, Document Inventory, Estimate Reminder
- Everything in Professional
- Up to 5 seats
- All three practice packs (Legal, Tax, Consulting)
- White-label template customization
- Email support
- Priority access to new packs
All plans include a 30-day free trial. No credit card required to download.
14-day refund, no questions asked. Sold via LemonSqueezy as merchant of record.
A note on compliance claims
The §6713, §7216, FTC Safeguards Rule, and Rev. Proc. 2013-14 references on this page are informational, not legal or tax advice. Keepance's local-first architecture is designed to reduce your compliance surface — it doesn't eliminate your professional obligations. Verify how Keepance fits your specific practice with a qualified tax attorney or advisor before relying on it for compliance purposes.
What "local-first" actually means here
When you use Keepance, your documents and API key stay on your machine. Your prompts go directly to Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google — Keepance never sees them. If that's still a concern, Keepance supports local models via Ollama, which is fully air-gapped. The §7216 Consent Template generates a compliant draft — a CPA or EA should review the output with their own advisor before use.