The Accounting Firms of the Future Are Being Built Right Now
The accounting world is evolving quickly, and much of that change is happening inside firms every day. Accountants and firm leaders are finding practical ways to use AI, not just to make their jobs easier, but to offer better support to clients and build practices that are truly prepared for the future.
We see firsthand how firms are using AI to make things run more smoothly, build stronger client relationships, and open up new growth opportunities. Every firm has its own approach, but some of the best ideas shaping the profession are coming from the people doing the work every day.
That's why we're launching the Gusto AI-Powered Practices Contest.
We're putting $30,000 back into the hands of the firms having the greatest impact on transforming the profession. By sharing these real stories, we want to help firms inspire one another, spark new ideas for their own practices, and celebrate the accountants who are leading the way.
How the fastest-growing firms are pushing the boundaries
AI is showing up across firms in ways that go beyond saving time. It helps firms deliver a better experience for clients, support their teams, and discover fresh opportunities for growth.
Some firms use AI to streamline internal processes. Others are finding ways to proactively reach out to clients, offer advisory services more efficiently, or make information easier to find and use. The approaches vary, but one thing is clear: the fastest-growing firms are using AI to create better experiences for both their teams and their clients.
The most exciting part isn’t just the technology – it’s how accountants are able to solve real problems, build stronger relationships, and create practices that work better for everyone.
When firms share what they’re learning, everyone benefits. That’s why we’re launching this contest to shine a light on the ideas making a real difference, help firms learn from each other, and invest in the accountants who are pushing the profession forward.
Show us how your firm is using AI
We’d love to hear how your firm is putting AI to work in real, everyday ways. Six firms will each receive $5,000 to empower the innovative ways they're using AI to better serve clients, strengthen their practices, and help move the profession forward. We’re especially interested in examples that improve client experience, streamline operations, or create new opportunities for growth.
How to enter
Sharing your story is easy. To enter:
Join the Gusto Accountant Partner Program (if you're not already a partner — it's free.) → Sign up here https://gusto.com/partners/signup
Create a post on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or X sharing how your firm uses AI.
Your post must include:
Hashtag: #AccountingWithAI
Tag the @Gusto account on your chosen platform (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or X)
Tag to your firm's social account
Submissions close July 5, and winners will be announced July 12. See official rules.
Award Categories
Gusto will select one winner per category — six winners total — judged by a panel on category fit, creativity, scalability, impact, and storytelling. Winners will be notified directly and announced on Gusto's social channels.
Industry Transformation — Reimagining workflows with AI Firms fundamentally rethinking how accounting work gets done: AI-first audit prep, real-time anomaly detection, natural language interfaces.
Client Experience — Improving the client experience AI that makes the SMB owner's life tangibly better: chatbots, proactive alerts, plain-English summaries, automated reminders.
Community Building — Creating AI ecosystems Firms helping other firms adopt AI: study groups, prompt libraries, peer mentorship, conference talks that teach.
Operational Efficiency — Streamlining firm operations AI that makes the firm itself run better: staff scheduling, WIP tracking, workload balancing, meeting summarization.
Growth & Scale — Expanding firm capacity AI that helps firms take on more clients without adding headcount: client onboarding, lead qualification, productizing expertise.
Innovation Pioneer — Pushing the boundaries of AI Experimental, forward-looking applications: multi-agent workflows, custom models, voice-first, multimodal AI.
The firms we’re learning the most from aren’t waiting for the profession to settle. They’re building the kind of practice they want to run and finding better ways to do it along the way.
If that sounds like your firm, we’d love to hear your story.
Share your story → #AccountingWithAI
This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by LinkedIn Corporation, Meta Platforms, Inc., X Corp., or TikTok inc. Any questions should be directed to Gusto, not to these platforms.
