CPA & accounting dashboards
Tax season clarity, year-round visibility
Return status lives in Lacerte, e-file acknowledgements in Drake, time in your practice tool and billing in QuickBooks. RapidDashboard joins them in a private data store and answers plain-English questions with a full partner dashboard.
Live examples
One question, one full dashboard
Pick a question. RapidDashboard answers with KPIs, charts, the records behind them and an AI summary of what to do next. Hover any chart for values or open its table view.
How many extended Lacerte returns are filed vs outstanding by preparer, and which are stuck in partner review?
Extension season: return status
Extended returns filed
236 / 312
76% Oct 15 deadline
In partner review
41
+9 avg 4.2 days in queue
Awaiting client docs
9
-6 vs last week
Filed this week
38
+24 vs prior week
- Filed
- In review
- In prep
- Awaiting docs
| Filed | In review | In prep | Awaiting docs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Jensen | 58 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| M. Diaz | 52 | 14 | 5 | 2 |
| K. Walsh | 47 | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| T. Brennan | 41 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| A. Novak | 38 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
- Filed
- Pace to Oct 15
| Filed | Pace to Oct 15 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 17 | 72 | 72 |
| Jul 24 | 84 | 91 |
| Jul 31 | 96 | 109 |
| Aug 7 | 108 | 128 |
| Aug 14 | 119 | 147 |
| Aug 21 | 131 | 165 |
| Aug 28 | 144 | 184 |
| Sep 4 | 156 | 203 |
| Sep 11 | 170 | 221 |
| Sep 18 | 184 | 240 |
| Sep 25 | 198 | 259 |
| Oct 2 | 236 | 277 |
| Client | Return | Preparer | Reviewer | Days in review | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okonkwo, D. & A. | 1040 · Sch C, E | M. Diaz | R. Summers | 9 | Over 5-day SLA |
| Lindqvist, P. | 1040 · 6 K-1s | M. Diaz | R. Summers | 8 | Over 5-day SLA |
| Fairbanks, J. & L. | 1040 · Form 1116 | K. Walsh | E. Marsh | 6 | Over 5-day SLA |
| Castellano, R. | 1040 · Sch D | K. Walsh | R. Summers | 5 | At SLA |
| Teague, M. & S. | 1040 · Form 8949 | S. Jensen | E. Marsh | 3 | In queue |
What changed and what to do
- Critical: M. Diaz and K. Walsh have 26 of the 41 returns in partner review, and R. Summers is the reviewer on 27 of them. Two returns have waited more than 8 days.
- Warning: The firm is 41 returns behind the pace needed for Oct 15. At this week's rate of 38, the remaining 76 returns take two weeks with 12 days left.
- Good: Returns awaiting client documents fell to 9 after the SmartVault reminder sequence, down from 31 in July.
AI summary
Summit has filed 236 of 312 extended returns, with 41 in partner review, 26 in preparation and 9 waiting on clients. Filing pace doubled this week, yet the firm remains 41 returns behind the line to Oct 15. Review is the constraint: one partner holds 27 returns. Recommend moving 12 of R. Summers' reviews to E. Marsh today and holding a daily 15-minute triage on returns over the 5-day review SLA.
Ask next
- Which returns are still missing documents?
- Show review time by partner
- Returns at risk of missing Oct 15
Show billable hours by staff and our realization rate this month.
Billable hours & realization
Billable hours
919
+6% vs August
Utilization
68%
+3 pts billable ÷ available
Realization
88.4%
-1.6 pts realized ÷ standard
Unbilled WIP
$186K
+$22K vs August
| Step | Change |
|---|---|
| Standard | $198K |
| Fixed-fee overrun | -$9K |
| Write-downs | -$6K |
| Billed | $183K |
| Write-offs | -$8K |
| Realized | $175K |
What changed and what to do
- Warning: Fixed-fee bookkeeping realization slid from 86% in January to 78% in September. Three clients now run well above the transaction volume their fee was set on.
- Warning: Unbilled WIP rose to $186K. Extension work booked in September is the main driver, and 41% of the balance is older than 60 days.
- Good: CFO advisory realization held at 97% to 99% all year, the strongest service line.
AI summary
Client service staff logged 919 billable hours in September, 68% utilization, with four of eight staff at or above the 120-hour target. Of $198K in standard value, $183K was billed and $175K realized, an 88.4% realization rate. Fixed-fee bookkeeping is the main leak. Recommend repricing the three highest-volume bookkeeping clients at renewal and billing the September extension WIP before Oct 31.
Ask next
- Which bookkeeping clients exceed scope?
- WIP aging by partner
- Realization by client this year
Which Drake Tax and Lacerte e-files were rejected this week, and what are the reject codes?
E-file acknowledgements
First-time acceptance
92.8%
-1.9 pts vs 4-week average
Rejected this week
11
+4 of 160 transmitted
Open rejections
6
5 resubmitted awaiting correction
Median time to resubmit
1.4 days
-0.6 days vs last month
- Accepted14188%
- Rejected117%
- Pending ack85%
| Segment | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted | 141 | 88% |
| Rejected | 11 | 7% |
| Pending ack | 8 | 5% |
| Client | Return | Software | Reject code | Preparer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marchetti, L. | 1040 | Lacerte | IND-031-04 | T. Brennan | Day 3, unworked |
| Pham, K. & T. | 1040 | Drake Tax | IND-181-01 | A. Novak | Waiting on IP PIN |
| Hargrove, D. | 1040 | Drake Tax | R0000-504-02 | A. Novak | Client confirming SSN |
| Osei, B. | 1040 + state | Lacerte | State reject | K. Walsh | Correcting |
| Delacroix, M. & R. | 1040 | Lacerte | F8962-070 | S. Jensen | 1095-A requested |
| Kim, J. | 1040 | Drake Tax | IND-031-04 | A. Novak | Resubmitting today |
What changed and what to do
- Critical: The Marchetti return was rejected 3 days ago and has not been worked. Resubmitting inside the IRS 5-day perfection window keeps the original filing date.
- Warning: Prior-year AGI mismatch (IND-031-04) causes 14 of 41 rejections. Most involve clients who amended or filed elsewhere last year.
- Good: Median time from rejection to resubmission improved to 1.4 days, and 5 of this week's 11 rejections are already resubmitted.
AI summary
Of 160 returns transmitted this week, 141 were accepted, 11 rejected and 8 await acknowledgement. Six rejections are still open, and three of them are Drake Tax returns from the Westbrook practice the firm acquired, all prepared by A. Novak. Recommend working the Marchetti return first, then adding a prior-year AGI check to the pre-transmission review for new and amended clients.
Ask next
- Rejections by preparer this season
- Which clients need an IP PIN?
- Show state rejects by state
Show our new client pipeline and where we stand on prep for next tax season.
Client pipeline & season readiness
New engagements
44
+12 vs prior 12 months
Proposal win rate
62%
+7 pts engaged ÷ proposals
New annual fees
$318K
+$96K from new clients
Client retention
94%
0 pts returning from last season
- Leads 146
- Discovery calls 98 67%
- Proposals sent 71 72%
- Engaged 44 62%
- Onboarded 38 86%
What changed and what to do
- Good: Client referrals produced 16 of 44 new engagements at a 74% win rate, the best-converting source.
- Warning: Last season's engagement letters went out Dec 9. Holding the Nov 15 target depends on finishing fee reviews by the end of October.
- Info: Onboarding takes the most time between engagement and first deliverable. Six engaged clients are still waiting on bank feed access.
AI summary
Summit won 44 new clients over the last 12 months from 146 leads, a 62% win rate on proposals, adding $318K in annual fees. Referrals from clients, bankers and attorneys account for 27 of those wins and convert far better than web leads. Season prep is on track, with fee reviews 60% complete. Recommend finishing fee reviews by Oct 31 so engagement letters can go out by Nov 15, three weeks earlier than last year.
Ask next
- Show proposals still open
- Which clients have not re-engaged?
- Average fee by new client type
Show revenue by service line and which advisory services are growing fastest.
Revenue mix & advisory growth
Revenue
$3.42M
+9% trailing 12 months
Advisory share
28%
+4 pts vs prior year
Revenue per client
$2,840
+$190 1,204 active clients
Days sales outstanding
41
-3 days vs prior year
- Tax
- Advisory
- Bookkeeping & payroll
| Tax | Advisory | Bookkeeping & payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | $95K | $64K | $38K |
| Nov | $82K | $66K | $39K |
| Dec | $70K | $68K | $40K |
| Jan | $120K | $70K | $39K |
| Feb | $190K | $72K | $40K |
| Mar | $310K | $76K | $40K |
| Apr | $365K | $78K | $40K |
| May | $120K | $82K | $40K |
| Jun | $95K | $86K | $40K |
| Jul | $85K | $92K | $41K |
| Aug | $140K | $98K | $41K |
| Sep | $106K | $106K | $41K |
- Tax5252%
- Advisory2828%
- Bookkeeping1414%
- Other66%
| Segment | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | 52 | 52% |
| Advisory | 28 | 28% |
| Bookkeeping | 14 | 14% |
| Other | 6 | 6% |
What changed and what to do
- Good: Advisory revenue reached $106K in September, matching tax for the month and growing every month this year.
- Info: CFO advisory grew 41% to $312K and is now the largest advisory service. Most new CFO clients came from existing tax clients.
- Warning: Tax revenue still peaks at $365K in April, so staffing and cash flow swing heavily around filing season.
AI summary
Trailing 12-month revenue is $3.42M, up 9%, with advisory now 28% of the total. Advisory revenue grew from $64K to $106K a month, led by CFO advisory and entity structuring, which smooths the April peak in tax. Days sales outstanding improved to 41. Recommend offering a CFO advisory review to the top 50 tax clients by revenue before the next filing season.
Ask next
- Advisory revenue by partner
- Which tax clients buy advisory?
- Margin by service line
Sample data for a fictional company. Your dashboards run on your own connected systems.
Sound familiar?
Where the numbers live today
Return status takes a manual check
Knowing who is behind means opening Lacerte and walking through each preparer queue one by one.
E-file rejections arrive by email
Rejection notices land in individual inboxes, and the first follow-up often comes from the client.
Hours and billing in two places
Time lives in the practice management tool and invoices in QuickBooks, so month-end reconciliation takes half a day.
Partner review is the quiet queue
Returns wait in partner review with no shared view of who holds what, most visibly in April and October.
Metrics glossary
The metrics behind these dashboards
How each number is defined, so everyone reads it the same way.
- Realization rate
-
How much of the standard value of time worked the firm actually bills or collects. Billing realization stops at the invoice; collection realization includes write-offs after billing.
FormulaAmount realized ÷ Standard value (hours × standard rate)
- Utilization rate
-
The share of available hours a staff member spends on billable client work.
FormulaBillable hours ÷ Available hours
- Unbilled WIP
-
The value of time and expenses recorded on client work that has not yet been invoiced.
FormulaRecorded time at standard rates − Amounts billed
- Days sales outstanding (DSO)
-
The average number of days between invoicing a client and collecting payment.
FormulaAccounts receivable ÷ Revenue × Days in period
- Lockup
-
Total days of revenue tied up between doing the work and collecting the cash, a standard measure for professional service firms.
FormulaWIP days + DSO
- E-file first-time acceptance rate
-
The share of transmitted returns accepted by the IRS or state on the first transmission.
FormulaReturns accepted first time ÷ Returns transmitted
Connections
How your systems connect
Supported APIs and exports sync into a private RapidDashboard store you approve. Dashboards read from that store, so source systems keep their normal load.
Lacerte
PullsReturn status, preparer and reviewer assignments, e-file acknowledgements
Supported exports and integration paths, mapped into your private reporting store per firm IT policy.
Drake Tax
PullsE-file acknowledgements, reject codes, return status
Structured exports on a schedule, so rejections appear on the dashboard the day they arrive.
QuickBooks Online
PullsInvoices, payments, A/R aging, class tracking
Intuit APIs with token-based access that the firm can revoke at any time.
Karbon
PullsWork items, time entries, client tasks and due dates
Karbon API, joined to QuickBooks billing to show WIP and realization.
What you can build
Dashboards and reports teams build next
Tax operations
- Preparer and reviewer queues
- Deadline exposure
- Missing client documents
Billing
- Realization by service line
- Unbilled WIP aging
- A/R aging by partner
E-file health
- Rejections by reject code
- Time to resubmit
- Acceptance rate by software
Firm growth
- Revenue by service line
- Advisory pipeline
- Client retention
Client tax data stays yours
Tax and accounting firms hold Social Security numbers, bank details and full financial records, and the FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Publication 4557 call for a written information security plan to protect them. RapidDashboard keeps firm and client data in a private store with role-based access and audit logging that supports that plan. AI features are optional and run on enterprise endpoints whose terms prohibit training on your data.
FAQ
CPA & Accounting dashboards: common questions
What should a CPA firm dashboard show?
Most managing partners start with return status by preparer, partner review queues, e-file rejections, realization and unbilled WIP. Growing firms add revenue by service line and new client pipeline. RapidDashboard builds each view from a plain-English question against your connected systems.
How is realization rate calculated for an accounting firm?
Realization rate is the amount billed or collected divided by the standard value of the time worked, which is hours multiplied by standard rates. Billing realization measures write-downs before the invoice, and collection realization adds write-offs after it. Tracking both by service line shows where fixed fees or scope creep cost the firm.
Can RapidDashboard connect to Lacerte, Drake Tax and QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Lacerte and Drake Tax connect through supported exports and integration paths, and QuickBooks Online through Intuit's APIs with revocable, token-based access. The data lands in one private store, so return status, rejections and billing appear on the same dashboard.
How can a tax firm track return status by preparer?
Sync return status and assignments from your tax software into a dashboard that groups returns by preparer and stage: awaiting documents, in preparation, in review and filed. Adding days in review and a pace line to the deadline shows exactly where to move work. RapidDashboard refreshes this view on a schedule during the season.
Does a CPA firm dashboard meet FTC Safeguards Rule expectations?
The Safeguards Rule applies to the firm's whole information security program, and a dashboard is one part of it. RapidDashboard supports that program with a private data store, role-based access, audit logging and optional AI on endpoints that prohibit training on customer data. Your written information security plan should list it as a service provider.
Keep exploring
Related example dashboards
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