Accounting firms quick to adopt new tech earn 28% more per employee

Accounting firms that adopt new technology early bring in 28% more revenue per employee than firms that wait, according to a new report. Karbon, a company that sells management software to accounting firms, released it on Oct. 26, 2026. The figure is about revenue, not profit.

What the report says

The report, The State of Technology in Accounting 2027, draws on more than 1,200 survey responses collected over two years. The 28% gap compares a typical tech-forward U.S. firm with a more cautious one. Tech-forward firms adopt tools early or once their value is proven. Cautious firms adopt later or wait until a tool is an established standard.

The report also says firms are moving more daily work into practice management software, which is the system a firm uses to track client jobs and tasks. And it says firms add capacity in three ways: hiring, contract work and AI agents, often together. AI agents are programs that carry out tasks on their own. Karbon CEO Mary Delaney said they are not replacing hiring outright.

What is not known

Karbon sells this kind of software, so the findings come from a company with a stake in the answer. The release does not say who answered the survey. It also does not show that the technology caused the higher revenue. If you run a business or use an accountant, a fair question is how your firm uses AI and software.