You’d think people would be warming up to AI-powered tax preparation. The opposite is happening.
The Numbers
As of early 2026, only 37% of tax filers said they’d trust AI over a human preparer. That’s down from 43% the year before. The decline isn’t limited to older taxpayers. Trust in AI for taxes is falling across every generational group.
Why It’s Happening
People are learning about AI’s limitations. High-profile stories about AI fabricating legal citations, generating incorrect tax advice, and producing confident-sounding answers that are factually wrong have made the public more skeptical, not less. When the stakes are low (writing an email, summarizing a document), people tolerate AI errors. When the stakes involve their money, the IRS, and potential penalties, tolerance drops.
Taxes are also deeply personal. Your return reflects your income, your family structure, your health insurance, your debts, your investments, and your business. People want a human being who understands their situation, not a chatbot that processes it.
What This Means for Tax Preparers
The demand for human practitioners is increasing at the same time that the supply is shrinking (300,000+ accountants have left the profession since 2020). Clients who tried DIY software and got burned are looking for someone they can trust. Clients who’ve been hearing about AI errors are more inclined to hire a person.
The preparers who are positioned to capture this demand are the ones who can say, truthfully: “I use modern tools to work efficiently, and I personally review every return.” That’s the AI-augmented model: technology handles the mechanical work, and a trained human handles the judgment, the review, and the client relationship.
The Takeaway
AI isn’t going away, and you should learn to use it. But the human preparer isn’t going away either. The data says clients want you more, not less. The opportunity for new practitioners entering this field has rarely been stronger.
MuseSpring trains AI-augmented practitioners who use technology as a tool, not a substitute. Visit musespring.com.