Questions accountants ask about document management software
Each answer stands on its own and cites the vendor page it relies on. Facts were checked on 10 Nov 2026.
Which document management software works with Lacerte or ProConnect?
SmartVault lists a direct integration with Intuit’s Lacerte, ProConnect Tax and ProSeries, and configurable integrations with UltraTax CS, Drake Tax and CCH.1 TaxDome reads prior-year returns from Lacerte, CCH Axcess, Drake Tax and others to build document checklists.2 Liscio reads return PDFs rather than integrating.3 Firmary doesn’t integrate with tax software.4
Do document management tools for accountants have SOC 2 reports?
Can document software delete client files after a retention period?
ShareFile can. On its Advanced plan and higher, a retention policy deletes files automatically a set number of days after upload, configured per top-level folder, with Never as the default.12 The other tools’ published pages, Firmary’s included, don’t describe automatic retention schedules as of 10 Nov 2026,13–18 so ask each vendor to demonstrate one.
Which document tools include KBA for Form 8879 e-signatures?
Do clients need an account to upload documents?
Not always. Liscio’s Smart Client Requests open from a secure link with no app or password.25 Canopy clients can finish a task through a secure link without logging in.26 In Firmary, a client answers a single request from an emailed link after entering a one-time code.27 ShareFile’s File Drop links accept uploads on every plan.28
How do I get my files out of document management software?
Test it before you buy. SmartVault lets you copy files out through SmartVault Drive or its Export Data tool, though links to accounting transactions are lost.29 In Firmary, permitted staff download documents as a ZIP and an owner can export the whole firm.30 For the other tools, ask for a sample export during the trial.
How much does document management software cost a small accounting firm?
As of 10 Nov 2026, list prices on annual billing start at $16.50 per user per month for ShareFile Advanced (3-user minimum), $19 for Liscio File Intelligence and $65 for SmartVault Accounting Pro (2-user minimum).31–33 TaxDome starts at $1,500 a year for 150 active clients.34 Suralink and Firmary don’t publish prices.35,36
Is SharePoint or Google Drive enough for an accounting firm’s documents?
As a file store, it often is. The gap is the client side: asking for files, reminding clients and collecting signatures. Liscio is built for exactly this setup, connecting to SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive and Box and filing incoming documents into those folders.15,37 Either way, check that your retention and access rules still hold.
What’s the difference between a client portal and document management software?
A client portal is where clients upload, sign and message. Document management is what happens to the file afterwards: folders, versions, search, permissions and retention. SmartVault offers both, with a branded client portal plus versioning, search and audit logs on its plans.38,39 When a practice tool calls itself both, test the archive side hardest.
Can AI file and name client documents automatically?
Yes, in several tools. Liscio’s File Intelligence reads, classifies and names new files across 274+ document types from $19 per user per month.37 ShareFile Premium adds AI bulk renaming and document summaries, with usage limits.40 Canopy renames documents with AI.13 TaxDome’s renaming and tagging need its $200-a-month AI add-on.41
Is Firmary a document management system?
Partly. Firmary handles document requests, virus-scanned client uploads, e-signing and ZIP export inside practice management software.14,30,42 Retention schedules and records holds aren’t among its published features,14 and it has not completed a SOC 2 examination.11 Firms with a large archive are better served by SmartVault or ShareFile, and ShareFile describes automatic retention.12
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Sources
Each product fact on this page links to a numbered source. Quotes are copied as the page’s text reads on the date shown, spacing included.
- 1
SmartVault
Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS Configurable integration DrakeTax Configurable integration Wolters Kluwer CCH Configurable integration
- 2
TaxDome
Works with Drake, ProSeries, UltraTax, ATX, CCH Axcess, and Lacerte.
- 3
Liscio
The packages below are examples, not integrations.
- 4
Firmary Ours
Firmary doesn’t integrate with accounting software (such as QuickBooks or Xero) or tax software.
- 5
Canopy
SOC 2 type II compliant
- 6
TaxDome
TaxDome completes the PCI DSS Questionnaire A (SAQ A) and holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation.
- 7
ShareFile
Our security certifications include: SOC 2 type 2 ISO 27001 ISO 27701
- 8
SmartVault
SmartVault meets SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 22301 standards and helps your firm stay compliant with IRS 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.
- 9
Liscio
Liscio is SOC 2 certified.
- 10
Suralink
SOC1, SOC2, and SOC3 compliant data centers
- 11
Firmary Ours
Firmary has not completed a SOC 2 examination or a third-party security audit.
- 12
ShareFile
For accounts on the ShareFile Advanced plan or higher, the File Retention policy causes files to automatically be deleted some days after they are uploaded. This option can be configured separately for each root-level folder in the system. ... Never is the default value.
- 13
Canopy
Access Canopy documents directly from your computer’s file explorer.
- 14
Firmary Ours
Firmary covers client requests and documents, forms, tasks, secure messaging, automations, proposals, e-signing, invoices and payments, and time tracking, with PocketFirm as the client side.
- 15
Liscio
Your existing folders and files moved in as is, names and structure intact
- 16
SmartVault
You have 90 days to recover deleted items from the recycle bin. SmartVault removes deleted files from your account after 90 days.
- 17
Suralink
all data stored in Suralink is encrypted and backed up offsite daily. A two-stage “click then confirm” deletion system prevents accidental data deletions. And an audit trail logs all activity in the sys
- 18
TaxDome
Store your documents securely in TaxDome. ... 365 days of history for every client and job.
- 19
ShareFile
Use included KBA on e-signature documents to verify the identity of clients.
- 20
TaxDome
Unlimited e-signatures ... IRS-compliant signature requests with KBA.
- 21
Liscio
Organizers and document collection eSignature Custom branding ... KBA $2 per signer
- 22
Canopy
$1.25 per KBA credit
- 23
SmartVault
KBAs / ID verification Integrate an existing DocuSign account, or create one through SmartVault. Add-on Add-on Unlimited
- 24
Suralink
E-Signature Add-on Easily sign and request electronic signatures from your clients. Included Knowledge-based Authentication (KBA)
- 25
Liscio
Create professional client requests with your own questions, sections, and conditional logic.
- 26
Canopy
Provide secure, login-free access to Canopy tasks via single-use links. ... Secure links use 256-bit encryption and expire based on predetermined timeframes
- 27
Firmary Ours
Clients use PocketFirm in a web browser on a computer or phone and can add it to the home screen; no app install. For a single request, a client can answer from an emailed link after entering a one-time code, without signing in.
- 28
ShareFile
Securely request, collect, and track client files in one organized list—using AI-powered automation to reduce manual work and keep requests moving.
- 29
SmartVault
You can use the SmartVault Drive to copy your files from SmartVault at any time. ... if you have access to the Connected Desktop, you can use the Export Data tool to export your files to a location such as a network drive or folder on your hard drive. ... the associations with your accounting transactions will be lost.
- 30
Firmary Ours
Staff with permission export clients, contacts, tasks, time entries, aged receivables and the audit log as CSV and documents as a ZIP; an owner can export the whole firm.
- 31
ShareFile
Advanced Secure File Sharing for Teams $18.15 $16.50 $18.15 Per user/month Minimum of 3 users
- 32
Liscio
$19 per user / month Billed annually per user ... $49 per user / month Billed annually per user
- 33
SmartVault
Accounting Pro … $65 per user / month, billed annually 2 user minimum … $85 per user / month, billed monthly 2 user minimum
- 34
TaxDome
Pricing starts at 150 active clients, which is $1,500 a year, or about $0.83 per client a month. That minimum applies even if you have fewer than 150 active clients.
- 35
Suralink
Every company and team has different needs. Reach out to us, and we can find the right plan for you.
- 36
Firmary Ours
Firmary’s pricing isn’t published.
- 37
Liscio
When a document falls outside what it recognizes, it flags it for review rather than guessing.
- 38
SmartVault
Custom branded client portal
- 39
SmartVault
File versioning … Full text search … Activity logs … User permission controls … Centralized document repository
- 40
ShareFile
AI Workflows Subject to usage limitations and applicable pricing, which may be modified from time to time.
- 41
TaxDome
Available for $200 per month.
- 42
Firmary Ours
Every upload is virus-scanned before anyone can open it and infected files are quarantined; each firm’s data is kept separate; access follows staff roles and client assignments; sensitive actions are recorded in an audit log; owners and admins must use multi-factor sign-in.