CCH Axcess offshore tax preparation works differently from setting up the same workflow on desktop tax software, because CCH Axcess was built as a cloud-native platform from the start. At BusAcTa Advisors, we help CPA firms run offshore tax preparation workflows on CCH Axcess, and the setup conversation looks nothing like the one we have with firms running Drake Tax or other desktop platforms. The software side is simpler. The compliance side is exactly as serious either way.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your firm should confirm current platform requirements with Wolters Kluwer and review your consent and security obligations with a qualified professional before setting up an offshore workflow.
Why CCH Axcess Simplifies the Technical Setup
CCH Axcess Tax runs as a cloud-based platform rather than software installed on a local machine. A preparer, whether in your office or working remotely from anywhere with internet access, logs into the same shared environment rather than connecting into a network where the software lives on a specific computer or server.
That distinction matters directly for offshore tax preparation. Where a desktop platform typically needs a hosting provider or a remote network connection built specifically to let an outside preparer in, CCH Axcess is already designed for distributed teams working from different locations. The platform itself does not require your firm to build separate remote-access infrastructure just to extend it offshore.
Setting Up the CCH Axcess Workflow for Offshore Preparers
Answer first: create individual user accounts with scoped permissions for each offshore preparer, confirm your firm's security and access controls meet the same standard you would apply to in-house staff, and build the client consent process before any return work begins.
Create a dedicated user account for each preparer. Every offshore preparer should have their own login tied to their identity, never a shared account used by multiple people.
Assign permission levels deliberately. An offshore preparer's access should be scoped to preparation and review tasks relevant to their role, not administrative settings or firm-wide configuration.
Enable multi-factor authentication for every account. This applies to offshore preparers the same way it should apply to every user on the platform, regardless of location.
Confirm your firm's EFIN setup reflects the workflow. Your firm's Electronic Filing Identification Number stays registered to your firm, but make sure your e-filing configuration accurately reflects who is preparing each return.
Request and review your platform's security reports. Wolters Kluwer makes security compliance reports for CCH Axcess available to firms through its support portal. Reviewing these gives your firm a documented basis for the security representations you make to clients.
The Consent Requirement That Does Not Change With the Platform
Why does CCH Axcess offshore tax preparation still require the same legal groundwork as any other platform? Because the consent requirement under federal law is about the disclosure of client data, not the technology used to prepare the return.
Under Internal Revenue Code Section 7216, a tax return preparer cannot disclose a client's tax return information to a preparer located outside the United States without the client's knowing, written consent. This holds true whether the offshore preparer is logging into CCH Axcess, Drake Tax, or any other platform. The cloud-based nature of CCH Axcess makes the technical access easier. It does nothing to reduce the legal requirement.
A modern, cloud-based platform makes offshore access technically simpler. It does not make the consent requirement go away, and treating the two as related is a common and avoidable mistake.
The consent has to be its own clear document, cannot be bundled into a standard engagement letter as a default clause, and cannot be made a condition of providing tax preparation services. For disclosures specifically involving an offshore preparer, the consent must also notify the client that federal agencies may not be able to enforce US privacy laws against a preparer located outside the country. You can review the full requirements directly on the IRS Section 7216 Information Center.
Building Consent Into Client Onboarding
The firms that handle this cleanly treat the consent form as a standard onboarding step for any client whose return will touch an offshore preparer, not a separate conversation someone has to remember to start.
Keep the consent form separate from the engagement letter. Present and sign it as its own document so it cannot read as a bundled condition of service.
Explain the review structure plainly. Clients respond well when a firm is direct that an offshore preparer handles preparation while a US-based reviewer signs off on every return before it is filed.
Keep a clear record of every signed consent. This is the documentation an examination or audit would actually ask to see.
Running the Workflow Through Busy Season
Once the access and consent pieces are in place, CCH Axcess offshore tax preparation runs on the same underlying discipline any multi-preparer workflow needs.
Practice | Why it matters |
|---|---|
A documented review step before every return is signed | A US-based CPA or EA reviews every offshore-prepared return before filing, the same way the firm would review any preparer's work |
Real-time status tracking across preparers | CCH Axcess Return Manager gives visibility into where every return stands, which matters more once preparers are working from different locations and time zones |
Periodic access reviews | Confirm permission levels still match each preparer's actual role, especially after any staffing changes |
CCH Axcess Tax is also in the process of moving beyond its Smart Client toward fully browser-based access, with the transition beginning with 1065 returns for early adopter firms in January 2026 and additional entity types planned for later rollout. Firms running offshore workflows on the platform should watch this transition, since it may eventually simplify remote access further.
How This Compares to Setting Up Offshore Work on Desktop Software
If your firm also runs returns on a desktop platform like Drake Tax for some clients, the contrast is worth understanding clearly. Desktop platforms generally need either a hosting provider or a custom remote-access network setup before an offshore preparer can use them at all. CCH Axcess sidesteps that step entirely, since remote, browser-based access is how the platform is designed to work for every user, not a workaround layered on top.
That difference shows up mainly in setup time and ongoing IT maintenance, not in the consent or review steps, which stay the same regardless of platform. For a closer look at the desktop-platform version of this setup, see our guide on Drake Tax outsourcing workflow setup.
Conclusion and Next Steps
CCH Axcess offshore tax preparation benefits from a cloud-native platform that was built for distributed access from the start, which removes much of the infrastructure work a desktop platform would require. That simplicity applies only to the technical setup. The Section 7216 consent requirement, the need for scoped user permissions, and the standing review process before any return is filed all stay exactly as important as they would on any other platform.
If your firm is setting up or refining an offshore tax preparation workflow on CCH Axcess, talk to BusAcTa Advisors about structuring a compliant CCH Axcess offshore workflow, we can walk through the access, review, and consent process your firm needs in place before busy season. You can also learn more on our offshore tax preparation services page.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Verified
Sources
- A tax return preparer must obtain a client's written, knowing consent before disclosing tax return information to a preparer located outside the United States, and this consent cannot be a condition of providing tax preparation services or bundled into a default engagement letter clause, regardless of which tax software platform is used. Section 7216 Information Center (IRS · 2026)
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Written by
Ricky Patel, CPACo-Founder, Growth & Quality Assurance
Ricky Patel, CPA, CA, leads client growth and quality assurance at BusAcTa. With 10+ years in U.S. auditing and accounting, he structures offshore engagements that fit the client firm's actual workflow and holds delivery to the same senior-reviewer standard throughout. His dual CPA (U.S.) and CA (India) credentials give him technical fluency on both sides of every engagement.
