Industries / CPAs & Accounting
CPAs & Accounting Firms
IRS Publication 4557 and WISP-compliant IT — built to survive tax season and cyber-insurance questionnaires.
The industry
CPA firms face an IT problem most don't realize they have until it's too late: the IRS treats them as data stewards. IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule require a Written Information Security Plan (WISP). Cyber insurers want the technical evidence. Clients expect 24/7 portal access. Tax season adds 10x workload. And CPAs are one of the most targeted industries for ransomware — because attackers know you can't go down during filing season.
Why Mako fits
Houston CPA WISP drafting, IRS 4557 readiness, and tax-season IT for tax practices, bookkeeping firms, and boutique CPA shops across The Woodlands and Houston metro. We draft and maintain your WISP, operationalize IRS Publication 4557, harden your client portal, and keep you running through tax season. We speak the language of your cyber-insurance questionnaire so your premiums reflect the controls you actually have.
What breaks
Common problems for cpas & accounting businesses.
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Written Information Security Plan (WISP) — required since 2023 for every PTIN holder
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IRS Publication 4557 safeguards and FTC Safeguards Rule alignment
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Tax-season surge capacity (filing deadlines, e-file volume, client portal traffic spikes)
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7-year retention for tax records, working papers, and e-filed returns
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Secure client portals for W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, and engagement letters
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Ransomware — CPAs are a top target because attackers know downtime is unacceptable
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Multi-factor authentication on every system (IRS and insurer requirement)
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Client confidentiality across staff, contractors, and seasonal preparers
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Cyber-insurance questionnaires answered truthfully with current evidence
Built for cpas & accounting
Services tuned to how you actually work.
WISP drafting and annual updates
We write your Written Information Security Plan in language your partners can read, keep it updated as your stack changes, and maintain the evidence trail — so it holds up for the IRS, your cyber insurer, and your clients.
IRS Publication 4557 readiness
Gap assessment, control implementation, and evidence collection mapped directly to the 4557 safeguards. Not a template — your specific controls, documented.
Tax-season performance tuning
Pre-season capacity review, portal load testing, e-file reliability monitoring, and on-call response tuned for filing-week urgency.
Secure client portal security
MFA enforced, access logging reviewed, encrypted file exchange, and DLP for outbound PII. The portal stays fast during tax season and audited the rest of the year.
Ransomware prevention and response plan
Endpoint detection, immutable backups, tested restore, and a written IR plan — plus a tabletop exercise once a year so your team isn't learning the playbook during the incident.
Cyber-insurance questionnaire support
We fill in the technical sections of your cyber-insurance renewal accurately, which often results in better premiums and fewer exclusions.
Comparison
Generic IT vs. Mako for cpas & accounting.
| What matters | Generic IT / DIY | Mako |
|---|---|---|
| Written Information Security Plan (WISP) | Download a template, paste your firm name, file it away | Firm-specific WISP tied to your actual controls, updated annually, defensible under IRS scrutiny |
| Tax-season uptime | Cross fingers; escalate when something breaks | Pre-season load testing, monitoring tuned for filing weeks, on-call response for e-file issues |
| Client portal security | Default vendor settings, no logging review | MFA enforced, access logs reviewed monthly, DLP on outbound PII |
| Ransomware readiness | 'We have backups' (untested, possibly encrypted with the originals) | Immutable backups, tested restores, documented IR plan, annual tabletop |
| 7-year retention of tax records | Ad-hoc on a file server somebody might remember to back up | Multi-tier archival with the retention clock actually enforced |
| Cyber-insurance renewal | You fill it out, hope the answers match, premiums climb | We complete the technical sections accurately; premiums reflect actual controls |
Tax practices, bookkeeping firms, boutique CPA shops, and fractional-CFO consultancies across The Woodlands and Houston metro.A named case study for this vertical is being finalized with a client and will be published once they’ve approved the write-up.
FAQ
CPAs & Accounting — common questions.
We're a two-person tax practice — do we really need a WISP?+
Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Publication 4557 apply to every PTIN holder, regardless of firm size. A two-person practice with PII on a laptop and access to IRS e-Services has the same legal obligation as a 50-person firm. The WISP is also what your cyber insurer asks for.
Can you actually keep us running through tax season?+
Yes — and we plan for it. Pre-season capacity review, portal load testing, e-file reliability monitoring, and on-call response tuned for filing-week urgency. Your clients won't know we exist, which is the goal.
What happens if we get hit with ransomware during filing season?+
That's what the IR plan is for — and it's why we require immutable backups and tested restores. Attackers specifically target tax firms in Feb-April because they know you can't afford downtime. We plan for it up front so it's a contained incident, not a practice-ending event.
Do you work with our existing tax software (Drake, ProSystem fx, UltraTax, Lacerte)?+
We support all of the major tax platforms across our client base. Tell us specifically what you run and we'll confirm — and if we haven't touched your exact version before, we'll research it on our dime before the engagement starts.
Will you help with our cyber-insurance application?+
Yes. We complete the technical sections accurately with current evidence from your environment. Firms we've worked with typically see better premium quotes and fewer exclusions after we take over the questionnaire.
Relevant services
What cpas & accounting clients most often pair with.
Everything below is live on the site today — pick the one closest to what you’re trying to solve and start there.
Cybersecurity & Compliance
Written Information Security Plans, IRS Publication 4557 controls, and ransomware defense tuned for tax-season attack patterns.
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Cyber Insurance Questionnaire Support
Accurate answers on the technical sections that map directly to the WISP controls insurers now require.
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AI Acceptable Use Policy
Written AI policy your preparers can follow and the IRS / FTC can point at — before someone pastes a client return into ChatGPT.
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Service areas
Where we support cpas & accounting clients.
The Woodlands · Conroe · Houston · Spring · Montgomery · Kingwood · Tomball and surrounding Houston metro areas.
Let’s talk cpas & accounting.
Twenty minutes with a real person. No pressure, no pitch deck.