Prompt
Can you recommend regional CPA firms for a mid-market CFO who needs recurring multistate tax advisory support?
Latest observation
Yes — for a mid-market CFO needing recurring multistate tax advisory support, I’d focus on regional CPA firms with strong state & local tax (SALT), income/franchise tax, sales/use tax, and multistate compliance capabilities, plus enough bench depth to support ongoing advisory rather than just annual compliance.
Strong regional / mid-market-friendly CPA firms to evaluate
1. Moss Adams
- Strong in the West Coast and growing nationally
- Good fit for mid-market companies with multistate operations
- Known for tax advisory, SALT, transaction support, and industry specialization
- Often a good balance of quality and responsiveness
2. Baker Tilly
- One of the strongest regional-to-national firms for middle-market tax work
- Broad multistate tax and advisory capability
- Solid for recurring CFO-level support, especially if you need both compliance and planning
- Good geographic coverage
3. CBIZ MHM
- Broad national presence with a regional feel in many markets
- Strong outsourced tax/accounting support model
- Useful if you want recurring advisory plus scalable compliance support
- Often a practical choice for mid-market CFOs
4. Aprio
- Strong growth-oriented firm with good tax advisory depth
- Particularly attractive for companies needing ongoing support and a more hands-on service model
- Good for multistate tax issues, nexus, planning, and credits/incentives
5. EisnerAmper
- Not purely regional anymore, but still often competes well for middle-market clients
- Strong tax team and breadth across SALT and federal/state planning
- Good if your needs may expand beyond tax into broader advisory
6. BDO
- Larger than a classic regional firm, but still often a strong middle-market option
- Deep SALT and multistate tax expertise
- Good when you need technical depth across many states and entity types
7. CohnReznick
- Strong middle-market orientation
- Good tax advisory and compliance support
- Often a fit for companies with recurring multistate filing and planning needs
8. Plante Moran
- Excellent reputation for middle-market client service
- Strong tax advisory and state tax capabilities
- Good fit if you value consistency, partner accessibility, and long-term support
Firms that are especially worth considering if SALT is a major pain point
If your multistate needs are driven by nexus studies, apportionment, sales/use tax, entity structuring, credits, or state audits, prioritize firms with a clearly visible SALT practice:
- Baker Tilly
- Moss Adams
- Plante Moran
- BDO
- EisnerAmper
- Aprio
What to look for in the right firm
For a recurring CFO relationship, I’d screen for:
- Dedicated SALT specialists, not just general tax CPAs
- Experience with your industry and footprint
- Ability to handle both:
- compliance
- proactive planning/advisory
- Responsiveness and senior-level involvement
- Support for:
- nexus reviews
- apportionment analysis
- income/franchise tax
- sales/use tax
- state credits/incentives
- controversy/audit defense
- Clear pricing model for recurring support
Best-fit shortlist by common CFO need
If you want a highly responsive middle-market advisory firm:
- Baker Tilly
- Plante Moran
- Moss Adams
If you need broader outsourced tax support and scalable compliance:
- CBIZ MHM
- Aprio
- CohnReznick
If you need deeper technical SALT horsepower:
- BDO
- EisnerAmper
- Baker Tilly
Practical recommendation
For a mid-market CFO, I’d usually suggest starting with 3–5 firms:
- Baker Tilly
- Plante Moran
- Moss Adams
- Aprio or CBIZ MHM
- BDO or EisnerAmper if the state-tax complexity is high
If you want, I can also give you:
- a ranked shortlist by industry,
- a comparison table of these firms,
- or a RFP/interview question list to use when evaluating them.
Observation history
Unlock observation history
Create a free Obsurfable account to unlock historical responses, model comparisons, and deeper brand intelligence.
How did Obsurfable measure this prompt?
Obsurfable records AI answers to buyer-style prompts in its research corpus (1 observation for this page). Metrics are distributions over observations, not a single static ranking.
Which AI systems does Obsurfable collect answers from?
OpenAI, ChatGPT, Google, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Anthropic, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Copilot, and Meta AI.