Paperless tax workflow technology provider Copanion Inc. has added seamless and secure electronic transfer of client tax data from the client to the tax practitioner to its family of products.

The product, known as GruntWorx Gather, was revealed here at the AICPA Practitioners Symposium & Tech+ Information Technology Conference.

"Firms are always seeking ways to improve the efficiency of their tax process. In a recent survey, 72 percent of professionals said that the biggest obstacle in their tax workflow is waiting for clients to deliver documentation," said Copanion chief executive Ed Jennings. "We took this common issue and worked to create a solution. GruntWorx Gather eliminates the bottleneck by allowing the practitioner to drive the process from the beginning."

GruntWorx Gather automatically retrieves posted 1099 consolidated brokerage statements as they become available and delivers them directly to the firm's GruntWorx account for processing.

Jennings stressed that a key factor in the Gather product is that it offers a portal-like Web interface where clients can connect with leading financial institutions and brokerage houses. Clients enter login credentials to their online accounts, enabling automatic delivery of data to tax professionals.

In addition, the interface allows clients to upload scanned copies of source documents or digital copies provided by issuers not supported with Gather integration. With both automatic retrieval from institutions and client-initiated document upload capabilities, Gather provides a complete solution for efficient client data collection.

"The value of GruntWorx Gather cannot be understated," said Jennings. "By automating the delivery of client tax data, firms will realize immense time savings by collecting data early in the season and eliminating late-arriving amended documents. Clients see value because they no longer have to hassle with mailing, faxing, or e-mailing source data."

Copanion is one of several CPA2Biz Trusted Business Advisor Solutions program members. CPA2Biz is the marketing arm of the AICPA's products and services.