U.S.-based tax prep overflow for firms that will not send work overseas
Busy season does not create extra licensed people. It creates overtime, missed reviews, and returns you should not have accepted. Picnic Tax Enterprise is overflow: U.S.-based accountants (Picnic’s enterprise FAQ: licensed as CPAs or EAs) who prepare draft filings for accounting firms, wealth managers, and fintechs. Your clients can keep seeing your name. Your staff can run the job, or you can use Picnic’s API so the end client talks to the accountant directly.
This is not a consumer $250 1040 landing page. Consumer Picnic is a marketplace for individuals and SMBs. Enterprise is a volume contract: anticipated number of filings × average price per filing, where average price depends on volume, timing of the commitment, and complexity.
Picnic’s screening (same FAQ used on the consumer side): résumé review, third-party verification, a skill test, government ID, and PTIN. E-file requires an EFIN. Picnic does not publish SOC 2. Security language on the consumer FAQ is TLS plus AWS hosting. If your firm’s vendor packet requires SOC 2, MFA, and a BAA, ask Picnic for the current packet before you send client data — do not assume it from this page.
Who this is for
- U.S. CPA / EA firms that need April and October capacity without hiring seasonal staff who disappear in May.
- Wealth and RIA shops that want tax prep under their brand, not a referral that steals the relationship.
- Fintechs and bookkeeping platforms that want API, white-label, or referral access to U.S. tax prep.
- Managing partners who have already decided they will not use an India / Philippines prep factory for client-facing work.
Who this is not for
- A business owner who just needs their own 1120-S. Use Picnic’s small-business consumer flow (from about $750), not Enterprise.
- Firms whose only requirement is “cheapest possible 1040.” U.S. licensed overflow costs more than offshore. That is the point.
- Firms that need Picnic to become their tax software (Drake, UltraTax, Lacerte). Picnic is people + a portal/API, not a replacement calculation engine. Ask how drafts are prepared and how they land in your software.
- Anyone who needs a published SOC 2 report on this page. It is not claimed here.
How overflow works (from Picnic’s enterprise “how it works”)
- Open account — firm (or end client) gets a Picnic Tax Enterprise account and can track jobs.
- Request work — staff or end clients open filing jobs in the onboarding portal and upload documents.
- Draft filings — U.S.-based accountants prepare drafts and share them with your staff or the end client.
- Review & approve — your staff reviews. When you sign off, you share with the end client.
CPAs are described as U.S.-based across time zones. You can keep staff in the middle, or use the API for direct end-client ↔ accountant interaction.
Honest comparison: overflow options
| Picnic Tax Enterprise | Typical offshore prep | “Just hire seasonals” | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the preparers sit | U.S. (Picnic FAQ) | Usually not U.S. | Your office / remote W-2 |
| Licenses | CPA or EA (enterprise FAQ); PTIN + screening | Varies; often unlicensed prep under your review | Whatever you can recruit in January |
| Who faces the client | Your brand, if you keep staff in the loop | Usually your brand | Your brand |
| Scaling | Contract for N returns; scale up/down without full-time overhead (Picnic’s stated benefit) | Cheap unit cost, more review load on your CPAs | Slow, expensive, quality variance |
| Pricing | Volume × average complexity; ask for a quote | Per-return offshore menus | Salary + overtime + recruiting |
| Published SOC 2 | Not claimed by Picnic in public FAQ | Sometimes | n/a |
Picnic’s own comparison point: “The quality of our accountant network far exceeds whatever service you might be able to find internationally, as all of our accountants are based in the U.S. and licensed as either CPAs or EAs.” That is Picnic’s claim, not a third-party audit.
Price ranges
Enterprise: not the consumer menu. Picnic: contracts based on anticipated volumes and average pricing (example they give: 200 filings × average price per filing). Variables: number of filings, when you commit, complexity mix. Contact Picnic.
For context only — consumer marketplace (if a partner refers an end user instead of using overflow):
- Personal filing: about $225–$250 + $50 per extra state + complexity.
- Small business: about $750+.
- Planning: about $300.
- Consumer payment is held until the end user accepts the work; commission is paid by the CPA.
Do not quote consumer floors as a firm’s outsourcing rate.
Talk to Picnic about overflow
Firms and wealth managers: start at picnictax.com and use the enterprise / contact path. Do not send client files until a contract and security packet are in place.
If you are sending overflow that includes extended individual returns, the consumer tax extension document checklist is a starting list for staff — a checklist, not advice and not a filing.
FAQs
Are Picnic overflow accountants in the United States?
Picnic’s enterprise FAQ: all of their accountants are based in the U.S. and licensed as either CPAs or EAs. Consumer FAQ screening still requires PTIN, ID, a test, and third-party verification.
Can our reviewers stay in the middle?
Yes. The documented path is: Picnic drafts → your staff reviews → you share with the end client. The API path is optional for direct end-client interaction.
What does it cost?
Volume contract. Picnic does not publish a public per-return enterprise list price. Expect price to move with volume, season, and complexity. Ask.
Is this white-label?
Picnic’s partnerships FAQ lists API integrations, white-label solutions, and referral programs. Enterprise copy says clients can see your name on the work. Confirm branding, portal URL, and who is the paid preparer of record in the contract.
How are people screened?
Résumé review, third-party verification, skill test, government-issued ID, PTIN. E-file: EFIN. Picnic does not publish a pass-rate or network headcount in the FAQ — this page does not invent one.
Does Picnic hold payment on enterprise jobs the same way as consumer jobs?
Consumer FAQ: payment collected at initiation, released when the client is satisfied. Enterprise is a volume contract with Picnic. Ask legal/finance how enterprise invoicing, chargebacks, and review sign-off work. Do not assume the consumer escrow language applies to a firm MSA.
This page is general information, not tax advice and not a vendor security packet. Picnic Tax Enterprise is overflow for firms. Using this page does not create a client or vendor relationship. Do not send client files until a contract and security packet are in place.