{"id":74230,"date":"2026-01-23T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxprocenter.proconnect.intuit.com\/?p=74230"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:56:24","slug":"jeff-trout-uses-proseries-to-deliver-high-touch-tax-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accountants.intuit.com\/taxprocenter\/practice-management\/jeff-trout-uses-proseries-to-deliver-high-touch-tax-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Trout uses ProSeries\u00ae to deliver high-touch tax services"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For Jeff Trout, CPA, the world of tax preparation is far from traditional. Operating out of his home office in Ramah, Colorado, just northeast of Colorado Springs, Trout has built a specialized practice that spans the globe. While many sole practitioners focus on their local communities, he has carved out a niche as an expert in expat tax services<\/a>, helping US citizens working and living abroad.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balancing a high-volume workload of nearly 400 tax returns annually and delivering a personalized \u201chigh-touch\u201d service model, Trout relies on a sophisticated cloud-based tech stack, anchored by Intuit\u00ae ProSeries\u00ae Tax<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A niche built on global trust and complex navigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trout\u2019s journey into expat taxation wasn\u2019t the result of aggressive marketing or lead generation. In fact, he does not advertise or promote his services at all. All of his clients are by referral\u2014filling the void in a very important, complex area, and letting word-of-mouth referrals build his client base through trust and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, around 70% of his business consists of US residents overseas, a specialization that requires a complex level of navigation that far exceeds standard domestic tax preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would not tell anybody living overseas to do their own returns because self-prepared returns are more prone to error,” said Trout. \u201cIf you’re living overseas, it’s a different ball game, where you really need to be working with a professional who understands tax issues related to overseas residency.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trout has been that tax professional for his clients, using his deep understanding of the unique tax burdens facing those working and living overseas to meet the intricate demands of global tax compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many different things my clients face operating internationally, from foreign income exclusion and foreign tax credits they can claim, to being part owners in a foreign corporation that must be set up under the laws of that country and doing the unique reporting involved,\u201d he said. \u201c In addition, clients who are signers on foreign bank accounts might be required to report those accounts on the Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR) form. I file between 60 and 70 of these forms each year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet the technical demands of his tax practice\u2014and take his clients to the next level\u2014Trout uses vital software in his tech stack. The real game-changer for him was the recent switch to ProSeries Professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveraging ProSeries Professional for greater efficiency and big savings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Trout had been using ProSeries Basic since 2009, he made the leap to ProSeries Professional in 2025, and the results have been transformative for his practice in several ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe primary driver for the switch was document management because SmartVault<\/a> integrates seamlessly with ProSeries Professional,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore the switch, my workflow was clunky, having to deal with manual password protection for documents. Now, the SmartVault integration<\/a> streamlines the entire delivery process, allowing me to print the return right from ProSeries right into their account. That\u2019s a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also saves him time he can spend on other issues, such as offering advisory<\/a> to his clients. Beyond document management, the move to Professional has yielded a significant financial benefit regarding state filings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith my expat clients often having trailing or complex state tax obligations, I find myself filing in 30 to 35 different states each year,\u201d said Trout. \u201cProSeries Basic required me to pay for each state beyond the first four, but ProSeries Professional includes all state licenses in the base price. I\u2019m saving $3,000 to $4,000 a year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trout\u2019s tech stack brings everything together<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits found in ProSeries, some of the software it integrates with, and a few other pieces of technology round out Trout\u2019s tech stack to deliver what he and his clients need to be successful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n