Canopy Reviews

Extremely responsive customer service with lots of great customization to help keep your workflow on task. One stop shop to keep track of your workflow while maintaining client data and files. Endless opportunities due to constant upgrades and add-ons. We are currently migrating our entire firm onto the platform and utilizing the client portal feature to exchange information and save on printing, customer requests and storage options. Most impressive is their constant interaction asking how they can improve and getting feedback on new features.

I really don't have any dislikes, and if something is a little clunky with a layout or usability they are usually upgrading or fixing it. I'm excited to see tax software so I guess I dislike not having it? The tax software would plug another hole and add well to the transcript and tax form resolution features.

Canopy allowed us to grow our client base without having to add additional personnel. using canopy tasks to track where the team members are, and to take notes, and hold communications (emails) we can assist each other when answering client questions. This way clients aren't playing phone tag with one individual. The file storage with client portal allows the clients to access their documentation 24/7/365 eliminating the need to email documents back and forth.

Unfortunately Canopy does not sync with QuickBooks desktop.

The software is cloud based and therefore easy to access.

The company consistantly made promises that they were unable to uphold. Pushbacks on product releases that we desperately needed, and no refund for their mistakes. Not the company you want to go with when you need something dependable. They're a tax company which makes it even more absurd that they mess around with deadlines.

Canopy is very user friendly with many great features. It has allowed our firm to go paperless. Given the fact that the IRS is paper driven, that says a lot! Customer support is excellent for everything from asking for help to utilize functions or suggesting changes!! The Canopy app is excellent as well which allows us to access our client files no matter where we are.

The cons are minor but I wish I had the option to dress up my "Notes" with highlighting and using different color text to break up the notes.

We loved the Emails, Task management & calendar are all in one software.

Canopy DOES NOT have our states so we can't do any returns, We don't like that the clients can't both sign their signature forms if they are married. We also didn't like that In the middle of tax season we had to go back to an old software because the desktop Assistant stopped working on us.

When my client's upload documents to the portal, Canopy lists that activity, I click on it, and I am able to take action on it right away.

I would like to be able to adjust the timekeeper when I start it or while it is running.

This Software makes my Firm efficient and I cannot see running my practice without this software.

Software has trouble reading some MAC Files.

Canopy allowed us to flex during the pandemic by offering our clients an easy client portal to use. The clients were able to share their documents for tax preparation. Our firm was then able to upload tax returns for their review. And the e-sign function for the 8879 was amazing. My favorite part is the transcript function to pull clients data from IRS. The transcript report package a professional document to provide to the client that is branded to our firm.

Haven't discovered any cons with the package. They seem to always be one step ahead of my needs.

Clean & intuitive interface. Loved the navigation & how information was presented.

Missing certain fields of information that would make it stellar

My clients keep telling me how easy canopy is to use! We love it! The files are fabulous, templates are easy. Can’t wait to have a moment to explore other functions we are not currently using

Some of the task templates are too detailed and my inbox gets loaded with emails I don’t want or need

Clients like the portal. It has helped improve the perception that my firm cares about their info. It also feels very organized. It is easy to set up a portal.

Yegads, what to me seems like obvious items, the organizer doesn’t roll over from prior year to current year. Your current solution is for me to set up customer accounts for each member of a family unit. This seems dumb and a waste of accounts, my and my team’s time, my money and the client perception and experience. If i as a customer was asked by my firm to re enter all prior year into, I would...

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The best feature is the client portal and mobile app. It has been a business transformation blessing from way before COVID was ever a thing. I remember way back in 2017 when the mobile app was nearly launching how it revolutionized the way my clients do business with me. This is what has kept me on Canopy in spite of the price hikes.

Canopy recently has changed their pricing model and I don’t like it because it increases the barriers to tax professional adoption. There are other titles out there who bring good feature sets and a much lower price point and has given me reason to start shopping elsewhere. What keeps me at Canopy is not wanting to invest the time in moving my clients files over to a new system, notifying my clients that I virtually moved virtual offices, and avoiding the headaches of all the client questions that would ensue.

Cool features, outstanding customer service, constantly updating to make it better. I love that I can upload files easily to a secure client portal and we don't have to email files anymore. Clients love that they have 24/7 access to their files. We have saved on paper and toner costs. Having all our client information in one place is incredibly valuable. Engagements keep you focused on what you need to do and makes things less likely to fall through the cracks. The integration with gmail makes tracking/finding email conversations easy! Absolutely can't imagine not having this software.

There are only a few minor issues that I know Canopy will fix as they learn from their customers. I can make suggestions and I know that they will address these requests in future versions of the software: 1. Mobile Access is not perfect. An app would be great. Some screens just don't show up on my iPhone. 2. Tasks take way too long to create. I think it could be easier to create tasks. 3. Inability to print notes 4. Search engine is limited. It would be better to be able to search for partial names. Currently you need to really know the name of the person you are looking for. I have a business client who I can't search for the name of his business or DBA.

Helping me organize the data and correspondence of 200+ tax clients. I got hooked by the fact that it keeps copies of all my email correspondence. But the biggest surprise was all the positive feedback I received from my clients about how easy it was to use, especially the file uploading. I had a previous product that was a complete nightmare. Around 40% of the clients who tried using it were unable to. Working on taxes brings up a lot of anxiety in people so anything I can do to make the experience smoother goes a long way. Having a reliable, user-friendly product to offer my clients feels GREAT!

Annual subscription fee that will likely increase as the product is continually enhanced. It's also a little hard to organize the accounts of married couples. They file a joint return so in many respects only need one account. But I like to correspond with both spouses and I haven't figured out a way to do that within one account. If I made one spouse's account inactive, it also deactivates their email address so I'm unable to correspond with them.

It's safe and secure. Clients are able to upload documents and the documents are saved their portal which as a result, keeps us better organized. The visible and not visible feature for files is a great feature because they are certain documents that the client doesn't need to see but are important for internal use. The task feature keeps us organized and we know exactly the status of each client. We are still learning Canopy capabilities and features.

Be able to move files from one client portal to another. We numerous clients whom keep uploading to the wrong portal because they have access to their individual and entity. I spend a lot of time downloading each file, saving it to me desktop and then dragging it over to the proper client portal. Not being able to delete a task from the client portal. If two people are in the same client portal and someone deletes and uploads a document we noticed that the client portal gets all discombobulated. Being able to print from the engagement feature conversations or files that were either uploaded from the client.

Communication tab, organization of tasks.

We would like to be able to integrate ability to update worksheets/ documents in internal files, just like you would in sheets or docs (if you want to edit, you have to do so outside of Canopy and re-upload. We would like to be able to quote in the system.

I like the ability to produce documents that are ready to deliver to clients or the IRS once I have completed the required forms. Additionally, I like the ability to make changes without having to reproduce documents. The link that can be sent directly to clients for data input has been very helpful. Having tax transcripts that are readily accessible on my desktop is a very important feature.

I think that the software should include a feature that will allow you download transcripts overnight. I think the software would be enhanced if some of the additional features that follow are included in the software: Case Diagnostics, Fee Calculator, Searchable IRS Manual and IRS Contact List. It would be very helpful if other users within the same office could utilize Canopy at some add on rate or multiple user environment. Some of the tax resolution practitioners are part of small office environments. It would be good to have a product that could better fit the needs of the smaller office environments. T

The three areas that I use the most are the 433A, OIC and quick access to transcripts. The combination of these three functions allows me to quickly evaluate a clients resolution options. This also creates for me an overview allowing me to better focus on what I need to so that I can more quickly get a handle on the problem and address it with both the IRS and the client.

When I first learned about Canopy my understanding was that they were specializing in "tax resolution" and concentrating on that area. It appears that they are now broadening their market. I understand why they would want to do this but often newer businesses start to expand or move away from what they did best and water down or slow developing their original product. I fear that Canopy is doing just that and there original product will suffer.

Does many things very well. Love the e-sign option. Love the enhanced search by phone and email, billing has been very helpful, wonderful team, love this is cloud based.

Canopy undertakes a huge responsibility in providing so much for its users. However, there is some room for improvement. The transcripts are not reliable; the email feature doens't always stay connected and isn't reliable,mobile usage is hard for practitioner and client. Many things have been greatly improved upon. I would love to be able to brand my invoices with color and logo. How can we get clien'ts to sign in sometimes they never sign in and that a shame.

Even my over 80 year old clients were able to 'start up' their online account and download/view/E-Sign their returns without much assistance from my office. It was that easy for them! AND a very small percentage of clients (less then 5%) had difficulty

You have many features we have not implemented. Time is of the essence any classes you offer during the tax season are difficult to attend. I guess more communication regarding all the product abilities.

That all client info, files, communication, notes, and tasks are in one application. It has helped eliminate the need to jump around from application to application to find the info I need to manage all my clients accounts.

The task feature can use some updates in simplification and added features. I still prefer Jetpack Workflow to help manage my tasks until Canopy improves this feature. I also get frustrated that there isn't a way to simply email a file stored in Canopy to a client that maybe isn't using the portal feature, rather than downloading and adding to an email as an atachment,

Pulling IRS transcripts using this software is a dream. When you get transcripts through the IRS website you have to pull them one at a time, and if they aren't ready yet you have to repeat this process everyday. With Canopy, you enter the taxpayer's information and then all you have to do to refresh the information is click the refresh button. So much easier to use! Plus you can setup multiple client at one time and let the software run in the background until it has checked them all with the IRS, meanwhile you can move on to other work.

It would be easier if you didn't have to reestablish the link to the IRS everyday, and wait for the IRS code to come through. However, for security reason I understand why this is necessary.

I love the communication feature that connects everyone's correspondence with all clients. That has deemed to be more useful than I originally thought. Also, being able to store information on all of our clients in one easy to use place has been great. The client portal is amazing and easy to use.

When trying to complete things it will often have apologetic issues, like "sorry we are having trouble at the moment". Tasks should work more like engagements. Also, the alphabetic order of things is not exactly alphabetic and no one can seem to make sense of that for me but as our cient list grew the search tool is now the go-to for finding clients so it doesn't cause much of a hassle it is just a little odd.

Document management works well and being able to open the files in the native desktop app and save back to the portal helps phase out our network drives (but I also feel this feature should be in the base edition)

Cost. We pay more for Canopy than we do for our tax software. I feel a little nickel-and-dimed in that I have to pay both by the client count and the number of users. I haven't been able to get the transcripts feature to work either and I have to have the tax resolution license to use both that and the POA (I feel those items should be in the base package).

I love that is product is a one stop area for many of my daily management duties. I can see what tasks my team members have been assigned and how far along they are in the processes.

I would like a couple of reports to have more customization. The ability to place signature fields and check boxes on PDFs would be great.