PrepReturns Journalhttps://prepreturns.com/journal/Notes from the practice on professional tax software.en-usWhy I'm Building Another Tax ProgramThe practitioner frustrations and product questions behind PrepReturns, a preparation system built inside Trio Tax.https://prepreturns.com/journal/why-im-building-another-tax-program/https://prepreturns.com/journal/why-im-building-another-tax-program/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe Straightforward 90%Why conventional returns deserve a deliberate product model, and why straightforward does not mean small or effortless.https://prepreturns.com/journal/the-straightforward-90/https://prepreturns.com/journal/the-straightforward-90/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSource Documents Should Be Evidence, Not Data-Entry InstructionsA better preparation workflow separates what a document says, what software reads, and what the professional establishes.https://prepreturns.com/journal/source-documents-are-evidence/https://prepreturns.com/journal/source-documents-are-evidence/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhy Tax Calculations Should Be DeterministicAI can help build tax software. Explicit facts, rules, and reproducible calculations should produce the return.https://prepreturns.com/journal/why-tax-calculations-should-be-deterministic/https://prepreturns.com/journal/why-tax-calculations-should-be-deterministic/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvery Number Needs a StoryA return should explain where an amount came from, which decisions shaped it, and which preparation it belongs to.https://prepreturns.com/journal/every-number-needs-a-story/https://prepreturns.com/journal/every-number-needs-a-story/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTLet Me Test-Drive Your Tax SoftwareA better way to evaluate professional software: prepare, correct, inspect, and ask technical questions in a synthetic case.https://prepreturns.com/journal/let-me-test-drive-your-tax-software/https://prepreturns.com/journal/let-me-test-drive-your-tax-software/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe Problem With Feature RequestsPractitioners know where the work breaks down. Better software needs a better relationship with that knowledge.https://prepreturns.com/journal/the-problem-with-feature-requests/https://prepreturns.com/journal/the-problem-with-feature-requests/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTax Software Needs Real APIsInteroperability should preserve tax meaning, source history, and professional review—not simply move values between screens.https://prepreturns.com/journal/tax-software-needs-real-apis/https://prepreturns.com/journal/tax-software-needs-real-apis/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTCan Professional Tax Software Be Open Source?What inspectable, modifiable tax software could change for practitioners—and the review and maintenance it would still require.https://prepreturns.com/journal/open-source-professional-tax-software/https://prepreturns.com/journal/open-source-professional-tax-software/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhat Can a Small Tax Firm Build Now?PrepReturns explores how frontier AI changes the feasibility of building professional software while leaving the hard work intact.https://prepreturns.com/journal/what-can-a-small-tax-firm-build-now/https://prepreturns.com/journal/what-can-a-small-tax-firm-build-now/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT