Business phone system for tax preparation services in Massachusetts

Tax preparation services in Massachusetts by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 609 establishments in Massachusetts classified as Tax Preparation Services (NAICS 541213) for 2023. They employed 3,093 people in mid-March and reported $91.3 million in annual payroll. That is the 16th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Tax preparation services make up 0.33% of the 183,767 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Massachusetts has 8.5 tax preparation services, in line with the national rate of 8.5. The average establishment has 5.1 employees against 4.7 nationally. Payroll per employee is $29,519, 18.5% above the U.S. figure of $24,908.

Massachusetts's largest markets for tax preparation services

Census published tax preparation office counts for 9 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Massachusetts. The largest is Boston, MA-NH, with 426 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 26% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at tax preparation services in Massachusetts

63.5% of Massachusetts's tax preparation services with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 69.1% nationally. 88.3% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Why the phone matters for tax preparation services in Massachusetts

Tax preparers do much of their year's business in a few months, and a missed call in March is often a lost return. Seasonal staff need to share one business number without giving out personal phones.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for tax preparation services in Massachusetts:

• A new client calls to ask what documents to bring.
• A returning client calls to book an appointment.
• A client calls to ask about the status of a refund.

Texting clients

Preparers text appointment confirmations and lists of documents to bring.

Texting from a local number in Massachusetts requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

What a phone system costs a tax preparation office in Massachusetts

Tax preparation services in Massachusetts average 5.1 employees, so the comparison uses a 5-person team. Priced per seat, 5 users would run $150.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $124.75 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $99.00 a month for 5 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $612 less than RingCentral for a tax preparation office in Massachusetts of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 9 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a tax preparation office can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for tax preparation services in Massachusetts

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Massachusetts is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.

Avoid sending Social Security numbers or full tax documents by text.