Sell the work. Keep the clients.
Jupid buys and runs the routine production of CPA and EA firms: bookkeeping, tax preparation, payroll. You get paid for the production book, keep every client relationship and the advisory work, and your name stays on the door.
Outsourcing brings no cash. A full sale takes the clients.
Most owners who are tired of production are offered two doors. Outsourcing keeps the clients but keeps you managing the work, with no money in. A full sale pays a multiple on gross revenue, holds part of it back against client retention, and usually requires you to leave. The hybrid roll-up is the third door.
Outsource the work
You pay per return or per hour, keep managing production and quality, and still own the busy season. Offshore work needs client consent under IRC §7216. No cash comes in.
Sell the firm
A price on gross revenue, typically 20% down with the rest paid from collections over several years, adjusted for the clients who stay. The clients become someone else's, and most deals need you gone within a transition period.
Hybrid roll-up
Jupid buys the production book and runs it. You receive cash, keep the client relationships and the advisory work, and stop managing production. The firm, the brand, and the clients stay yours.
| Outsourcing | Full sale | Hybrid roll-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash for the work | No | Yes, retention-adjusted | Yes |
| Who owns the clients | You | The buyer | You |
| Who runs production | You, through a vendor | The buyer | Jupid |
| Your role afterward | Same job, fewer hands | Transition, then out | Advisor and relationship owner |
| Client tax data (§7216) | Consent needed for offshore | Consent or notice needed | Planned with you before close |
We take the production. You keep the firm.
What Jupid takes over
- Monthly bookkeeping, reconciliations, and closes
- Business and individual tax return preparation
- Payroll processing and payroll filings
- Sales tax, 1099s, and the compliance calendar
- The staffing, software seats, and deadlines that come with the work
What you keep
- Every client relationship and engagement
- Advisory, planning, and the complex work you like
- Review and the final say on what goes out to clients
- Your firm, your name, your licenses
- Cash from the production book instead of a retention holdback
Built for the firms the PE wave skips.
Private equity underwrites firms from roughly $2 million in revenue and wants the whole thing. Individual buyers want you gone after a transition. The hybrid model is for owners who want the production off their desk without giving up the practice.
You have recurring production
Monthly books, business returns, payroll, a 1040 book that comes back every year. Work with a rhythm is what we buy.
You want to stay client-facing
You like the clients and the advisory. You are done managing production, hiring for busy season, and reviewing at midnight.
You are not ready to sell the whole firm
Retirement is years away, or never. The production load is the problem today, and a full exit is the wrong tool for it.
Any size with real production
From a solo CPA with a few hundred returns to a multi-partner firm. The production book has to be real; the firm does not have to be large.
Audit-only practices, and owners who need to be fully out within months. A full sale or a merger fits those situations better, and we will say so on the call.
Priced on the work, not on your departure.
A conventional sale prices the whole firm at a multiple of gross revenue and then holds part of the price back against client retention. A hybrid roll-up prices the production book directly: the returns, closes, and payrolls that Jupid will run.
What we look at
- Return mix and fee schedule, by return type
- Recurring share: monthly engagements versus once-a-year returns
- Staff, software, and workflow behind the work today
- The review load that stays with you after the hand-off
- Rework rates and where the busy season breaks
- Client concentration inside the production book
Straight answer
Terms are firm-specific and confirmed on the call. We do not publish a multiple, because two firms with the same revenue can hold production books worth very different amounts.
Eight steps from a first call to steady state.
No broker, no listing, no auction. One conversation to establish fit, then a short diligence on the production itself.
- 101 / 08
A 30-minute call
You describe the firm and what you want out of it. We say plainly whether the model fits, and what a production-only deal would look like.
- 202 / 08
Production snapshot under NDA
Return counts by type, fee schedule, software, staff, and where the busy season hurts. No client names at this stage.
- 303 / 08
Indicative terms
A written outline of what we would buy, what you keep, and the economics, so you can compare it against any other offer.
- 404 / 08
Production diligence
We review sample workpapers and workflows, anonymized where IRC §7216 requires it, and confirm the numbers in the snapshot.
- 505 / 08
Agreement
Definitive agreement, the client-consent plan, and the staff plan, agreed before anything changes for a client.
- 606 / 08
Client communication
A joint letter in your name: same accountant, same phone number, more capacity behind the scenes.
- 707 / 08
Transition run
Jupid runs production alongside your team through a monthly close or a filing cycle, until the hand-off is clean.
- 808 / 08
Steady state
You review, advise, and own the relationship. Jupid produces, reports to you, and carries the deadlines.
The two questions every owner asks first.
What happens to my clients?
They keep you. The engagement, the name on the letterhead, the phone number, and the relationship stay with your firm. What changes is who does the production behind the scenes, and we announce that together, in your voice.
What happens to my staff?
Production roles are what we need most. We work out each transition with you, case by case, before anything is signed, and it is part of the agreement rather than an afterthought.
Get a second opinion on your term sheet.
Paste the headline terms: price, cash at close, seller note, earnout or look-back, retention window. We will tell you what the structure really pays at 75%, 85%, and 95% client retention, and whether selling the production alone would leave you with more. No obligation, no listing.
Questions owners ask before the call
Is this outsourcing with a different name?
No. With outsourcing you pay a vendor and keep managing the work. In a hybrid roll-up Jupid buys the production book, pays you for it, and takes over running it. The cash direction and the responsibility both flip.
Do I have to leave my firm?
No. The model is built for owners who stay. You keep the clients, the advisory work, and the firm. What leaves your desk is the routine production.
Will my clients know?
Yes. Clients are told, in a joint letter in your name, that production now runs on a larger team behind your firm. They keep the same accountant and the same point of contact.
How is this different from private equity?
Private equity buys the whole firm, usually from about $2 million in revenue, prices it on EBITDA after cutting partner compensation, and expects you to stay for years and then exit. A hybrid roll-up buys only the production, prices that work directly, and leaves the firm and the clients with you.
How do you set the price?
From the production book itself: return mix and fees, recurring share, staff and workflow, the review load that stays with you, and concentration. We do not publish a multiple. Indicative terms come in writing after the production snapshot.
What about IRC §7216 and client tax information?
Tax return information can only move to another preparer within the rules of IRC §7216 and its regulations, which distinguish disclosures inside the United States from disclosures abroad and set out when written consent is required. We plan the consents and notices with you before close. This is general information, not legal advice; your counsel reviews the plan.
Do I need a broker?
No. There is no listing and no commission. You deal directly with Jupid, and you are free to compare our indicative terms with any other offer you hold.
Book a 30-minute call with our CEO.
Bring your return counts and fee schedule. Leave with a straight answer on fit and an outline of what a production-only deal would look like.
Reading first? Guides and calculators for selling a CPA firm
Nothing on this page is an offer to purchase or a commitment to specific terms. Any transaction depends on diligence, a definitive agreement, and applicable licensing rules. References to IRC §7216 and other regulations are general information for accounting professionals and not legal advice; consult qualified counsel about your firm.