Sherwood Tax eliminates overtime with Hosting for Lacerte

When Kristen Keats took the helm of Sherwood Tax & Accounting in 2020, she implemented a pivotal change: Migrating the Intuit® Lacerte® Tax to a cloud-hosted environment: Hosting for Lacerte. This strategic move fundamentally transformed the firm’s operations, leading to the virtual elimination of overtime.

Achieving work-life harmony for a global team

The adoption of Hosting for Lacerte has been instrumental in fostering a healthier work-life balance for Sherwood’s dedicated staff, a solution that would not have been possible to integrate with an outsourced team based in Mexico.

“We would not be able to have our team’s support without the ability to work in Lacerte on a hosted solution.” This global collaboration empowers their US-based employees to prioritize high-value client interactions, while the outsourced team handles routine tasks, ultimately granting everyone more personal time.

Given the firm’s remote and geographically dispersed structure, a Hosted Lacerte solution is not just beneficial, but essential. It ensures seamless connectivity and simplifies file sharing across the team. Kristen estimates that the firm saves approximately 30 minutes per tax return simply by eliminating the need for back-and-forth file transfers, a testament to the efficiency gained through cloud hosting. This streamlined workflow, with an international division of labor for tax returns, planning, and bookkeeping, has given the entire staff more time to focus on serving the clients.

Elevating client service through a strategic focus

Beyond just hosting, the integrated Lacerte platform and its ecosystem of Intuit programs empower the firm to engage in more impactful work. The smooth data flow between QuickBooks® Online and Lacerte significantly reduces redundant tasks. 

“Anything that can reduce or eliminate duplicate work is going to allow us to focus on more valued activities,” said Kristen. This integration frees up the team to dedicate more time to high-value consulting, advisory services, and personalized client engagements.

Kristen notes that advisory services have transformed their client relationships “from a transaction and once-per-year conversation to a year-round collaborative relationship.” By minimizing time spent on routine compliance, the team can fully leverage their expertise, providing deeper insights and more meaningful support to clients.

Automating tedious tasks with Protection Plus

To further optimize their workflow and reclaim time, Sherwood embraces automation for manual processes. A common pain point for tax professionals is handling notices from tax agencies.

“Receiving tax notices is stressful for the clients—and a drag on our time to address,” said Kristen, highlighting the urgent nature of these tasks.

To mitigate this, Sherwood Tax offers Protection Plus as part of their tax return packages. This service provides clients with peace of mind that their firm will manage any tax notices, while the firm benefits from Protection Plus’s CPAs and EAs handling the time-consuming resolution process. Kristen estimates that Protection Plus saves the firm approximately 40 hours annually on notice responses.

The integration of Intuit Lacerte, Hosting for Lacerte, and Protection Plus supports Kristen’s strategy to enable her team to reach their full potential. She aptly summarizes her approach:

“Technology is meant to assist us, not replace us; it’s intended to make us more valuable,” she said.

Firm Overview

Name: Sherwood Tax & Accounting

Location: Primarily remote, based in Sherwood, Oregon with additional staff in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Team Size: 9 employees

Specialization: Bookkeeping, tax return preparation, and tax advisory/consulting for small businesses, with the goal of reducing stress for entrepreneurs.

Intuit Software Utilized: Intuit Lacerte Tax, Hosting for Lacerte, Protection Plus, QuickBooks Online.