Insightful Accountant | Blog

In The News Friday August 14, 2026

Written by The Publisher and Editors of Insightful Accountant | Aug 14, 2026, 4:14:59 AM

Insightful Accountant always wants to ensure that you are right-on-point with the most current FinTech news that potentially can impact your practice and your clients' businesses.

BILL's 2026 Accounting Firm AI Ambition Survey (Volume 4)

BILL has published its Volume 4 of the 2026 BILL Accounting Firm AI Ambition Survey. The report details how accounting firms are adjusting their financial models, talent structures, client advisory services (CAS) offerings and pricing structures in light of AI tools and services. I’ve included some top takeaways below my signature.

You can access the survey HERE to find out how the business model gap is playing out across firms, why CAS is becoming a strategic inflection point, how early movers are restructuring to capture AI-enabled economics, and what talent transformation looks like at firms pulling ahead. 

Bill news furnished through Access the Agency (accesstheagency.com)

 

Xero releases their latest U.S. Small Business Insights (XSBI) Report

Xero has released its latest U.S. Small Business Insights (XSBI) report, which looks at the latest sales and payment trends among U.S. small businesses. One finding stands out for accountants and their small business clients: businesses are getting paid more reliably, but not more quickly. Late payments improved during the June quarter, yet the average time to receive payment increased to 29.3 days, pointing to continued cash flow pressure. The report also debuts state-level data, giving accountants a new view of how business conditions vary across the country and where clients may be facing very different economic environments.

You can find a synopsis of the report HERE, and the full report can be found HERE

Xero news furnished through Peppercomm (peppercomm.com)

TaxPlanIQ Named to Inc. 5000 List 

TaxPlanIQ announced earlier this week that it has been ranked No. 644 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, the annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. TaxPlanIQ also ranked No. 50 in the Financial Services category.  TaxPlanIQ helps accounting and advisory firms move beyond compliance work and deliver proactive, high-value tax strategy to their clients. The platform gives advisors access to 130+ proprietary tax strategies, the ROI Method of value pricing, and built-in Projections for quarterly estimates, scenario modeling, and entity comparison, all inside the software firms already use to run tax planning engagements.  

The Inc.5000 list is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s most successful independent and entrepreneurial businesses, recognizing companies that have achieved remarkable growth while driving innovation, creating jobs, and shaping the future of the economy. For the full Inc. 5000 list, honoree company profiles, and a searchable database by industry and location, please visit: www.inc.com/inc5000.

TaxPlanIQ news furnished by TaxPlanIQ through Accountants Forward.

Vertex releases 2026 Mid-Year U.S. Sales Tax Rates and Rules Report

Vertex has released its 2026 Mid-Year U.S. Sales Tax Rates and Rules Report, finding that the combined average U.S. sales tax rate rose for the first time in four years to a 10-year high of 10.1881%. Tax changes are becoming more frequent and more localized as state and local governments look for new sources of revenue. Two trends stand out as to what's behind the increase:

  • State and local tax activity is accelerating: The first half of 2026 saw 463 rate changes and new rates, up from 408 a year earlier. As local governments face greater budget pressure, many are turning to sales tax increases, broader tax bases, excise taxes and new fees.

  • More services and digital transactions are being pulled into the tax base: States are reconsidering how they tax services and digital offerings, creating new questions for businesses around what is taxable and where obligations apply.

For tax and finance leaders, sales tax is no longer a routine compliance update – it’s an ongoing operational challenge that’s here to stay. As rules change across jurisdictions, businesses need to keep their tax systems current or risk errors and added compliance costs. To help you with sales tax compliance, head over to the full report at: Vertex Report: Rising Sales Tax Rates Signal a New Era of Tax Volatility

Vertex news furnished through Pan Communications (pancomm.com). 

Disclosures: 

Content for this announcement was furnished for each of the featured companies by the press agencies listed at the bottom of each section above. Insightful Accountant publishes press announcements of this nature as an educational and informational service to our readers when the related products are considered the fintech we routinely cover within our 'edit' features. 

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