Tax prep, bookkeeping, and practice management. One AI back office.
Cranston works on top of QuickBooks and the tax software your firm already runs, not as a replacement. AI prepares the work, your reviewers approve it. Use the software with your team, or hire Cranston's accountants as your white-label back office.
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Prep the 1120-S for Acme Dental. Pull the trial balance from QuickBooks, map it into CCH Axcess, and flag anything that needs review.
Thought for 11s
Pulled adjusted trial balance — 142 accounts, FY2025
Created 1120-S engagement and mapped 142 accounts to tax lines
Booked M-1 adjustments — meals 50%, depreciation per Form 4562
2 items need review: shareholder basis and the §179 election
Draft 1120-S is mapped in CCH Axcess and ties to the books. M-1 adjustments are applied; two items are flagged for your review before e-file.
Ask Cranston to prep, reconcile, or file…
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Account | Book | Adj | Tax |
| 2 | 4000 · Revenue | 1,842,300 | — | 1,842,300 |
| 3 | 5000 · COGS | (612,400) | — | (612,400) |
| 4 | 6100 · Meals | (18,200) | 9,100 | (9,100) |
| 5 | 6300 · Depreciation | (54,000) | (12,000) | (66,000) |
| 6 | 6500 · Payroll | (486,000) | — | (486,000) |
| 7 | 7000 · Rent | (96,000) | — | (96,000) |
| 8 | 8000 · Other | (41,300) | — | (41,300) |
| 9 | Ordinary income | 533,700 | (2,900) | 530,800 |
What your firm gets.
Cranston gives CPA firms one operating layer for tax prep, tax review, bookkeeping, client requests, and practice management. Your team keeps the client relationship and final judgment; Cranston handles the work behind it.
One system for client work
Cranston connects the files, messages, books, and tax data your team already works across.
It keeps source documents, QuickBooks or Xero data, prior returns, email context, client requests, and reviewer notes in one workflow instead of scattering work across portals and spreadsheets.
AI plus accountants
Use Cranston as software, or let our internal accountants operate it for you.
We can be the white-label back office for bookkeeping, tax prep, open-item cleanup, and client package assembly. Your firm stays in front of the client; Cranston moves the work to review.
Works on top of your stack
QuickBooks, Xero, TaxDome, Google Drive, Gmail, Drake, CCH Axcess, Lacerte, UltraTax, and the folders you still have to clean up.
We do not ask you to rip out the tools that already run the firm. Cranston sits on top, automates the manual handoffs, and keeps every output source-linked for review.
One operating layer for tax, books,
client work, and review.
Cranston sits between the tools your firm already runs and the relationship you own, moving the repetitive work to a review queue in between.
Your firm
Client relationship, advisory conversations, and final sign-off stay with your team.
Review
Tax review
Prior return, source docs, client messages, and diagnostics in one queue before sign-off.
Prep
Tax prep
Organizers, W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, and workpapers mapped into the software you already run.
Manage
Practice management
Every client workflow, open item, due date, and reviewer queue, without another spreadsheet.
Books
Bookkeeping
Classification, reconciliation, recurring journals, and owner-level status on every ledger.
Your tools
Runs on your stack
Drake TaxCCHCCH Axcess
Lacerte
UltraTax
TaxDome
Karbon
Canopy
Financial CentsGmailDriveWatch it categorize your GL in real time
Cranston pulls transactions from your banks—ACH, wires, check deposits, card charges—matches each one to your GL based on history, and codes everything automatically. Cash application that used to take days happens in real time.
Transactions
| Vendor | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|
SUMMIT BUILDERS ACH CREDIT | Jan 15 | +$34,500 |
ACME LOGISTICS WIRE TRANSFER | Jan 15 | +$18,200 |
COASTAL BRANDS CHECK DEP #4821 | Jan 15 | +$7,600 |
STRIPE ACH SETTLEMENT | Jan 14 | +$12,340 |
RIPPLING PAYROLL | Jan 14 | -$145,200 |
UNITED HEALTHCARE ACH DEBIT | Jan 14 | -$18,450 |
FIDELITY 401K ACH DEBIT | Jan 13 | -$11,200 |
HD SUPPLY INVOICE #89412 | Jan 13 | -$8,750 |
AMZN WEB SERVICES RECURRING PAYMENT | Jan 13 | -$4,200 |
AMZN MKTP DEBIT CARD | Jan 12 | -$892 |
FEDEX SHIPPING ACH DEBIT | Jan 12 | -$2,340 |
DOCUSIGN INC RECURRING PAYMENT | Jan 11 | -$450 |
HARTFORD INS ACH DEBIT | Jan 11 | -$5,600 |
RIPPLING SPEND CORPORATE CARD | Jan 10 | -$1,245 |
CBRE LEASE ACH DEBIT | Jan 10 | -$22,000 |
CON EDISON UTILITY PAYMENT | Jan 10 | -$3,100 |
COOLEY LLP WIRE TRANSFER | Jan 9 | -$12,500 |
KPMG LLP CHECK #2847 | Jan 9 | -$18,000 |
CITIZENS BANK SERVICE FEE | Jan 9 | -$125 |
SALESFORCE RECURRING PAYMENT | Jan 8 | -$2,400 |
INDEED INC ACH DEBIT | Jan 8 | -$1,800 |
CINTAS CORP ACH DEBIT | Jan 8 | -$680 |
Chart of Accounts
| Account | Balance |
|---|---|
Revenue | $0 |
Customer Payments | $0 |
Recurring / Subscription | $0 |
Cost of Revenue | $0 |
Materials & Supplies | $0 |
Services & Hosting | $0 |
Shipping & Logistics | $0 |
Operating Expenses | $0 |
Payroll & Benefits | $0 |
Facilities | $0 |
Insurance | $0 |
Office Supplies | $0 |
SaaS & Tooling | $0 |
Travel & Meals | $0 |
Professional Services | $0 |
Recruiting & HR | $0 |
Here are this month’s open items for Acme Dental.
Let me know if these look good and I’ll send them.
Uncategorized transactions — May 2026
| Transaction | Amount | Question |
|---|---|---|
PayPal Apr 12 | $1,240 | What was this purchase for? |
Home Depot Apr 18 | $860 | New project or a repair? |
Venmo Apr 21 | $500 | Business or personal? |
Check #2841 Apr 27 | $3,200 | Which client invoice? |
Client questions without spreadsheet churn
Cranston turns uncategorized transactions, missing receipts, and tax package gaps into structured requests. Clients answer in one place, the response flows back into the work queue, and reviewers see the source trail before anything posts or ships.
Workflow Throughput
Capacity
Know where every client stands
See which books are current, which returns are waiting on documents, which reviewer queues are overloaded, and what Cranston already moved forward. No opening every client file just to know where the firm stands.
Your books match your bank. Every month.
Cranston pulls from every connected bank and matches transactions to your books automatically. 99%+ match rate across multiple accounts. Our team reviews anything that doesn't line up and fixes it before close.
Reconciliation Workflow
CompleteFetched bank statements from Citi, B of A, Stripe
Imported 1,247 transactions from connected accounts
Searched GL entries for matching transactions
Reviewed bank records vs QuickBooks - found 1,245 matches, 2 discrepancies
Analyzed unmatched transactions and timing differences
Read $450 Stripe payment - timing difference (6/15 bank, 6/13 QuickBooks)
Found $125.00 Office Depot - duplicate entry detected
Flagged duplicate for review. Timing difference auto-resolves in 2 days
Created reconciliation report and adjustment entries
Reconciliation complete. 99%+ match rate. 1 item flagged for review.
Your firm's data never leaves the room.
Everything you build and every file you bring stays inside a perimeter only your firm controls.
Never shared
The skills, processes, and client data you build inside Cranston are never pooled with, or exposed to, other firms.
Never trained on
Nothing you do in Cranston trains the AI models it runs on. Your firm's expertise stays your edge.
- SOC 2 in progress
- AES-256 in transit & at rest
- Point-in-time backups
- Source-linked & auditable