Blockchain was in the air at the Digital CPA conference in Las Vegas this year, the fifth iteration of CPA.com’s annual conference on accounting technology – and for good reason.

TaxAct has rolled out its TaxAct Online Free Edition, which allows filers with simple tax situations to prepare and file federal and state returns for free.

The personal finance company Credit Karma has debuted Credit Karma Tax, an online self-directed tax preparation service that provides free federal and state tax preparation, along with free electronic filing, for Credit Karma members.

Via payments platform Stripe, Xero has integrated Apple Pay into its platform.

Tech company Roper Technologies has signed a deal to buy enterprise software and solutions provider Deltek.

Accountants need to watch out for the wide-ranging impact of blockchain, a technology popularized by digital currencies such as bitcoin.

Blucora announced a partnership with online portfolio advisor Financial Guard to provide Blucora’s TaxAct customers with an integrated, automated advisory platform.

BDO Consulting has expanded its forensic technology services practice by adding the e-Discovery practice of Key Discovery, a litigation support service provider based in Boston.

CPA.com has added Expensify, an expense management software, to its roster of automated solutions for CPA firms.

This year, why not take a quick look around your office and see if there aren’t a few gifts that you’d like to see that are office or profession-related.

We’re at an inflection point here in the industry where cloud technology, and in particular cloud accounting software, is providing us with the opportunity to be more than just the number cruncher for our clients.

Xero has moved 59 billion records onto Amazon Web Services, completing its transition to the platform.

The IRS and its Security Summit partners have declared the week of Dec. 5-9 “National Tax Security Awareness Week.”

Accounting workflow automation and payments provider Beanworks has partnered with business and accounting solutions provider Sage.

As states legalize marijuana at a rapid pace, the accounting industry should take note.

NFP accounting software is getting more sophisticated.

Xero HQ, the updated accounting platform from Xero, is now live in beta release.

A roundup of new software, hardware, books and services for accountants and tax professionals.

Technical debt: Is your firm underwater?

A request by the Internal Revenue Service for user data from a bitcoin exchange highlights simmering tensions between compliance and customer privacy for financial institutions and will test how those demands are balanced in the young field of cryptocurrency.