It anticipates further growth, estimating at least 1.6 million returns will be prepared here in 2011. The estimates are conservative and the potential is much larger at 22 million returns per year by 2011, but actual offshoring will be limited by CPA firms’ inhibitions about offshoring. However, competitive pressures could force many more firms to offshore.

The accounting and audit services are relatively new in offshoring and are gradually gaining maturity with each passing tax season. Unlike other services, which are traditionally outsourced due to cost pressures, the demand for Returns offshoring stems from the lack of accountants and excessive workload during the “tax season”. The number of CPAs and other qualified accountants in the US are just not enough to meet the increasing demand from increasing tax compliance, Sarbanes–Oxley related work, estate planning, advisory etc. The demand-supply mismatch has led to severe competition for experienced accountants and salaries are skyrocketing, even at starting levels. CPA firms are discovering that offshored returns are not only turned around faster, but are also 40% to 60% cheaper. CPA firms after initial success with returns preparation is slowly sending more work offshore: bookkeeping, financial statements analysis etc

It is further forecasted that the industry will quickly move beyond 1040s. Both the vendors and buyers are at an inflection point on the maturity graph, and it is expected that tax returns preparation will drive penetration into a wider range of offshored professional accounting services.

The Indian offshore services provider landscape consists of captives of the Big Four audit firms (KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touché and Ernst & Young), American facilitating firms / agencies (Xpitax, SurePrep, CCH, IFR), Tier-1 multi-service BPOs (MphasiS, Datamatics, OPI), Tier-2 BPOs (PB Tech Impact Solutions, Cosmic Internet Technologies) and F&A BPOs owned/ controlled by Indian Chartered Accountants (GKM Management services, Business Accounting Services, Accountant Anywhere, Enablizer)

S.Raju, analyst, feels “Facilitators like Xpitax and SurePrep are best positioned to service CPA firms, while Indian CA BPOs are well placed to operate as complete back-offices for accounting firms”

Based on analysis that included extensive primary research, three winners have been identified from the current crop of vendors: Xpitax, GKM Management Services and Business Accounting Services.

The report titled “Offshoring Tax Return Preparation to India” suggests that return preparation will set the stage for other accounting services to be sent to India.

For More information about this report kindly visit http://www.bharatbook.com/businessreports/Offshoring_Tax_Returns_Preparation_to_India.html

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