Tax research used to mean hours with CCH or Thomson Reuters. AI is changing that — dramatically.
What AI does well in tax research:
- Plain-English explanations of complex tax code sections
- “Does this deduction apply to my client’s situation?” scenario analysis
- Identifying relevant case law and IRS rulings to investigate further
- Comparing tax treatment across states for multi-state clients
What AI does NOT do well:
- Provide authoritative citations you can rely on without verification
- Stay current on very recent tax law changes (check the AI’s knowledge cutoff)
- Replace professional judgment on complex or novel situations
Best practice: Use AI to get oriented quickly, then verify in your authoritative research platform.
Tools to try:
- ChatGPT or Claude for initial research and plain-language explanations
- Bloomberg Tax AI for authoritative research with citations
- Thomson Reuters CoCounsel for integrated tax and legal research
One firm I spoke with cut average tax research time by 55% using AI for first-pass research. What is your current research workflow?