An Outsourced Tax Department for SaaS Companies
Your first tax hire, without making tax a full-time role.
For SaaS companies that need internal tax leadership + execution support without the price tag of a full-time hire
As SaaS grows, tax complexity shows up fast
What worked early on doesn’t hold up once you’re scaling, expanding, or acquiring.
This is built for you if:
You’re expanding into new countries
You’ve made (or are considering) an acquisition
Tax notices are starting to show up
You are starting to pay taxes and need to forecast cash tax 12 - 36 months out
Tax questions keep falling on your accounting team, but no one has capacity to own them
You have multiple advisors, but no one is leading the tax function
Your CPA firm is filing returns, but planning feels reactive or surface level
You are a private company with no intentions of going public
You’re considering hiring a full-time tax person but don't know if you could keep them busy "full-time"
We serve as your in-house tax lead
We lead the tax function day-to-day, coordinate across internal teams and external advisors, and make sure tax strategy and execution stay aligned as your business scales.
Tax
Leadership
Own the roadmap, guide decision-making, and proactively manage tax strategy.
- Fractional Head of Tax
- Less burden on finance
- Fewer surprises
- Identify risk and savings opportunities
- One point of accountability
Quarterbacking + Coordination
Manage advisors, specialists, deadlines, and documentation so nothing slips
- Review and challenge advisor work
- Cross-functional coordination with Finance/Legal/Payroll
- Advisor management across multiple firms
- Work closely with CPA firms providing tax work
Execution
Support
Support credits, studies, sales tax, structuring, and deal work through a bench of specialists.
- Daily communication support
- Support for tax-related month-end close items
- Cash tax forecasting
- Preparation of ASC 740 tax provisions
- Handling tax notices
Two ways SaaS companies handle tax at scale
Full-Time Tax Hire
- $200k - $300k fully-burdened cost
- One person’s bandwidth and expertise
- All or nothing cost (Full-time or nothing)
- Not sure how to keep them busy or manage them
- Reliant on them to be a self-starter
Our Model
- Fractional Head of Tax for less than the cost of a full-time hire
- Multiple tax professionals joining your team for the "price of one"
- Tailored scoping and fee based on needs
- Self-managed and already developed team
- We bring our playbook from other SaaS companies we serve
Work With An Outsourced Tax Department, Trusted by growing SaaS teams
Darin Pierson, CPA
Founder
Darin was the first tax hire at a large SaaS company, brought in to build the tax department from scratch. He designed the architecture for the whole function: the processes, the calendar, the systems, and the advisor relationships it ran on. He knows what a Head of Tax does all day because he was one: where the savings hide, which advisor work to push back on, and how the function should actually run.
He then turned that build into a repeatable framework, so what took one company years of trial and error can be implemented at other companies in months. Before the SaaS role, Darin spent over a decade at EY and large regional accounting firms, so he has sat on both sides of the table, as the internal tax lead and as the outside CPA firm.
We act as your in-house tax department, not the CPA firm that files your return. The results below are savings Darin led from inside that seat.
The impact of having real tax leadership
Results our founder delivered leading an in-house SaaS tax function.
in preserved net operating losses from several acquisitions
by strategizing with the CPA firm regarding what qualifies as R&D
from overpaid sales tax and making sales tax elections
by bridging the gap between the accounting department and the external CPA firm to optimize between various international tax elections with an outside CPA firm
Workstreams we lead and coordinate
Filing of all tax returns (coordinate with your CPA firm)
R&D Studies
Sales tax strategy (nexus, taxability, exemptions)
Sales tax lookback and refund studies
International structuring + advisor orchestration
ASC 740 / tax provisions
M&A diligence + purchase agreement support
Post-close cleanup and integration
Multi-year forecasting and scenario planning
A few of our most commonly asked questions
Do you replace our CPA firm?
No. Most clients keep their CPA firm for tax return preparation and core compliance. We act as the in-house tax lead – owning strategy, coordinating advisors, reviewing work, and driving special projects.
So what exactly do you do if our CPA firm is already handling tax?
Your CPA firm usually handles filing and compliance. We help lead tax strategy, coordinate projects, manage advisors, review work, and make sure tax decisions stay aligned with the business as you grow.
What if we already have a controller or strong finance team?
That is often the right setup. We complement finance by owning the tax lane more directly, so finance does not have to absorb all the tax questions and project management.
Who do you typically work with inside the company?
Usually the CFO, controller, finance team, legal, payroll, and leadership. We help connect those groups with your external tax advisors so nothing falls through the cracks.
How are you different from a traditional CPA firm?
Traditional CPA firms are usually built around compliance and filing. We are built to help lead the internal tax function day to day — coordinating advisors, driving planning, managing projects, and helping your team make decisions.
Do you prepare the tax returns yourselves?
Sometimes we may support pieces of the process, but in many engagements the CPA firm continues to prepare the returns while we oversee, coordinate, review, and help drive strategy.
What types of tax issues do you help with?
We help with things like sales tax, R&D credits, tax provision, international coordination, structuring, M&A diligence, post-close cleanup, forecasting, and other special projects.
Do you only help with strategy, or do you help execute too?
Both. We help with the roadmap and decision-making, but also with coordination, documentation, specialist management, and project execution support.
Do you work with our existing specialists?
Yes. In many cases, that is a big part of the value. We coordinate external CPAs and specialists so you have one point of accountability across the function. We also have referrals if needed
What size companies are the right fit?
Often a fit once you’ve reached meaningful tax complexity, commonly around $10M+ revenue
How do you actually plug into the team?
We plug into your normal finance cadence, communicate regularly with your team and advisors, and stay close to deadlines, projects, and tax decisions so the function stays organized year-round. Very similar to a full-time employee
What Happens Next
Book a 30-minute fit call
We review your current tax setup and open issues
You get a tax roadmap and recommendation
We meet with the rest of your team
If there’s a fit, we step in as your fractional Head of Tax
Low-Risk Start
We focus on creating clarity and momentum quickly. If after the first 60 days you don’t believe we’re the right fit, you can end the engagement.
Work with us as your outsourced tax department, trusted by growing SaaS teams
If you’re scaling past $10M, expanding, acquiring, or dealing with multi-state complexity, we’ll help you build a tax department without building the headcount.