Wolters Kluwer adds AI document automation to tax platform

AI tackles tax preparation's most tedious bottleneck

Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting has released AI-powered document intelligence capabilities within its CCH Axcess platform, targeting one of the profession's most labor-intensive tasks: extracting and interpreting data from tax source documents. The new functionality, embedded in CCH Axcess Scan, is now generally available to firms using or migrating to CCH Axcess Tax.

The enhancement applies generative AI and advanced document understanding to process everything from standard W-2s and 1099s to complex Schedule K-1 forms with supplemental statements. Extracted data flows directly into CCH Axcess Tax, eliminating much of the manual rekeying that has historically consumed preparation time.

According to details first reported by Business Wire, early adopters are seeing efficiency gains of 30 to 70 percent across document-heavy workflows.

K-1 processing gets the biggest lift

The impact is most pronounced with Schedule K-1 forms, which can take 10 to 15 minutes to manually enter into a tax return. Wolters Kluwer reports that firms using the AI-powered extraction through CCH Axcess Scan are reducing that effort by 60 to 80 percent, a meaningful time savings for practices handling high volumes of partnership and S-corporation returns.

The technology moves beyond traditional template-based optical character recognition. Wolters Kluwer is collaborating with Microsoft to integrate Azure Content Understanding, enabling the system to handle highly variable documents and supporting statements that don't follow rigid formats.

"CCH Axcess Expert AI is changing what tax work looks like, from manual and document-bound to intelligent and low-touch," said Cathy Rowe, Executive Vice President and Segment Leader for the U.S. Professional Market at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.

Why it matters

Tax firms face a structural capacity problem: rising complexity and compliance demands paired with persistent talent shortages. Automating document ingestion doesn't just save hours—it shifts where professionals spend their time. By removing low-value data entry from the workflow, firms can reallocate capacity toward advisory work, client communication, and higher-margin services. For mid-sized and larger practices processing hundreds or thousands of K-1s each season, the cumulative time savings translate directly to throughput and profitability.

Part of a broader AI strategy

The Scan enhancement is the latest addition to CCH Axcess Expert AI, Wolters Kluwer's intelligent layer that integrates generative and agentic AI across its tax platform. The company is grounding these capabilities in its proprietary tax content and decades of domain expertise, aiming to embed AI directly into daily workflows rather than offering it as a standalone tool.

Rowe emphasized that the strategy addresses resource constraints while managing increasing complexity. "By connecting AI directly to the work professionals do every day, CCH Axcess Expert AI is helping firms improve accuracy, increase efficiency, and elevate the role of their people," she said.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2025 annual revenues of €6.1 billion and employs approximately 21,100 people worldwide. The company serves customers in over 180 countries.

These details were first reported by Business Wire.