Does Tax Agent Portal replace all of Karbon?

No. If your firm depends heavily on advanced practice-wide triage inboxes and complex team workflow automations, Karbon may still be a better fit. Tax Agent Portal is ideal for firms that want a strong client portal, document collection and checklist workflow without the overhead.

Can staff be assigned to clients and jobs?

Yes. Firms can add staff, assign clients and track job status through the workflow.

Is client messaging included?

Yes — threaded, secure messaging tied to each client and job, with audit trail.

How much does it cost?

Yearly plans start at A$299/year. Enterprise is A$1,500/year for 2,000 clients + 25 staff, with stackable 1,000-client packs at A$500/year each.

Is Tax Agent Portal a tax lodgement tool?

No. Tax Agent Portal is practice workflow and client portal software. It does not lodge tax returns with the ATO and does not replace registered tax agent obligations.

Tax Agent PortalPractice Portal

Karbon Alternative · Australia

Karbon Alternative for Small Australian Tax Firms

If Karbon feels too complex — or too expensive — for the size of your practice, Tax Agent Portal offers a focused client portal and workflow tool built specifically for AU and NZ tax and accounting firms.

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Why firms choose TaxAgentPortal

Less to configure

Skip weeks of setup. Onboard your firm and start inviting clients the same day.

Client-first design

The portal your clients log into looks like your firm — not a generic productivity app.

Digital tax checklists

Send tailored checklists, save-and-continue answers, and chase missing information in one place.

Predictable yearly pricing

From A$299/year, billed yearly in AUD. No per-user creep or hidden fees.

AU/NZ workflows

BAS & GST cycles, ABN-aware onboarding, AU-styled emails and country-aware pricing.

One place for messages, docs and approvals

Every client conversation, upload and signature is linked to the right job.

How firms use it

Sole practitioners

Get a professional portal without the overhead of an enterprise PM tool.

Firms of 2–10 staff

Assign clients to staff, track jobs and keep client-facing work standardised.

Bookkeepers & BAS agents

Quarterly BAS with approvals and recurring document collection.

Feature comparison: Tax Agent Portal vs Karbon
Feature	Tax Agent Portal	Karbon
Firm-branded client portal		Limited
Digital tax checklists		Add-on
Secure document collection
Missing-information requests		Manual
Engagement letters and e-signatures	Built-in	Add-on
Client messaging with audit trail
Appointments and public booking
Invoices and online payments
AU-focused workflows		Global
Yearly pricing	From A$299/yr	Per-user pricing

Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This independent comparison is provided for general informational purposes.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Karbon is a strong practice management tool but can be more complex and expensive than a small or mid-size AU/NZ tax firm needs. Tax Agent Portal focuses on the client-facing side — documents, checklists, messages, appointments and signatures — with simple yearly pricing.

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