ATL234

Episode ATL234: CCH User Conference 2025

Recording Date: October 23, 2025

Duration: 16:04

• CPAPA Article
• YouTube Video

Hosts: Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA

Series: Accounting Technology Lab Podcast

Source: CPA Practice Advisor

Summary

In this episode, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley recap the 2025 CCH User Conference in San Diego, highlighting major advances in Wolters Kluwer’s CCH Axcess platform and its new suite of agentic AI tools. CCH announced the launch of Axcess Expert AI, consisting of five initial agents covering research, workflow orchestration, portal automation, K-1 extraction, end-to-end audit, and a new advisory platform. CEO Jason Marx emphasized the shift from simple automation to full AI orchestration, built on a secure digital core and grounded in “responsible AI.” Randy details live demonstrations showing automated tax workflows, audit agents performing multi-step procedures, and a fully AI-enabled client collaboration portal. Behind the scenes, CCH has already built 25 additional agents for future testing. One of the biggest technical reveals was the introduction of MPCs (Model Protocol Contexts), enabling AI tools to securely and directly interact with Axcess data—essentially an “API for AI.” Sessions also covered improvements to Axcess Engagement, expanded form libraries, and hands-on roundtables with top CCH product leaders. The hosts conclude that firms using any CCH product should strongly consider sending staff to future conferences, as the platform is rapidly evolving and AI-driven workflows will shape the next generation of tax, audit, and advisory services.

Key Quotes

• “CCH launched Access Expert AI — five real agents, not just features.” — Randy Johnston
• “They’re shifting from automation to orchestration, and that’s a big deal.” — Randy Johnston
• “With AI, mistakes matter. They waited until these tools were right before releasing them.” — Brian F. Tankersley
• “The demos were the real deal — automated tax and audit workflows end-to-end.” — Randy Johnston
• “MPCs are basically an API for AI — secure, role-based access to the entire Axcess platform.” — Randy Johnston
• “AI will be verbal — you’ll speak to the platform, and it will take you where you need to go.” — CCH Product Team
• “Nobody succeeds in this world alone — these events build the connections you need.” — Brian F. Tankersley

Companies, Products, and Platforms Mentioned

Product / Organization	Description	X (Twitter)	Facebook	LinkedIn	Instagram
CCH / Wolters Kluwer	Developer of CCH Axcess, Access Expert AI, K-1 Scan, and engagement platforms	@Wolters_Kluwer	Wolters Kluwer	Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting	@wolters_kluwer
CCH Axcess Expert AI	New suite of five agentic AI tools for research, portal, K-1 processing, audit, and advisory	N/A	N/A	Wolters Kluwer	N/A
CCH Axcess Tax	Full-featured tax compliance platform with 4,000+ supported forms	@Wolters_Kluwer	Wolters Kluwer	Axcess Tax	N/A
CCH Axcess Engagement	Audit and engagement management platform with new AI-driven features	N/A	N/A	Wolters Kluwer	N/A
Access Client Collaboration Portal	Newly AI-enhanced client portal for secure data exchange	N/A	N/A	Wolters Kluwer	N/A
CCH K-1 Scan	AI-enabled K-1 extraction and processing tool	N/A	N/A	Wolters Kluwer	N/A
Microsoft (MPCs)	Model Protocol Contexts enabling secure AI-to-data access inside Axcess	@Microsoft	Microsoft	Microsoft	@microsoft
CPA Practice Advisor	Publisher of the Accounting Technology Lab Podcast	@CPAPracticeAdv	CPA Practice Advisor	CPA Practice Advisor	@cpapracticeadvisor

See Also

• Episode_ATL217:_The_Talent_Shortage_and_the_Accounting_Pipeline
• Episode_ATL218:_AI_Tax_Developments_–_1H_2025
• Episode_ATL219:_AI_Audit_Innovations_–_1H_2025
• Episode_ATL220:_Small_Business_Accounting_Innovations_–_1H_2025
• Episode_ATL221:_AI_Regulation_Update_–_August_2025
• Episode_ATL222:_Ricoh_ScanSnap_iX2500_Review
• Episode_ATL223:_Blue_J_AI_and_the_Future_of_Tax_Research
• Episode_ATL224:_Agentic_AI_Update_–_Summer_2025
• Episode_ATL225:_Zoho_SMZ_and_Balance_Conferences_Recap
• Episode_ATL226:_Audit_Automation
• Episode_ATL227:_AICPA_Blockchain_Symposium_2025
• Accounting_Technology_Lab_Podcast_Index