Top 5 Skills Every CPA Should Master in 2026

The role of CPAs is evolving faster than ever. By 2026, success will depend on far more than technical accounting knowledge alone. Firms and clients now expect professionals who can adapt to new technology, interpret data, manage risk, and provide strategic guidance in a digital-first environment.

This shift is already evident today. According to the Intuit QuickBooks Accountant Technology Survey, more than 9 in 10 respondents (95%) agree that a willingness to learn and adopt new technologies is just as important as traditional accounting skills to succeed as an accountant.

This shift raises important questions for the profession: Which skills will matter most in the coming years? How can CPAs stay relevant as automation, AI, and cloud platforms reshape daily work? Firms that invest early in building the right capabilities will be better positioned to serve clients, retain talent, and grow advisory services.

Ace Cloud Hosting spoke with Seth Fineberg, an accounting industry consultant, content strategist, and speaker. With over 30 years of experience following the profession’s evolution, Seth has seen firsthand how firms are reshaping their services to stay relevant and responsive to client needs.

Before founding Accountants Forward, he spent decades as a business editor and journalist, helping the accounting community understand key trends and innovations shaping the industry.

In this interview, Seth shares insights into the top skills every CPA should master by 2026, explaining why these capabilities matter and how firms can begin developing them today.

Which emerging skills do you believe will be non-negotiable for CPAs and why?

1. Delegation: I have mentioned this as an important skill for leaders, but I think it can apply to anyone who is working with a team. Accountants got into this career to help, and as a part of that, they often take on more than they themselves have the capacity to do. As such, they are not natural delegators of tasks.

While they are often some of the smartest people in the room, they also have a hard time not doing things themselves. Therefore, if they are going to progress or even stay in this career without burning out, delegation is essential.

2. Time/Task Management: This plays a bit into the aforementioned skill, but knowing what tasks to prioritize and how much time to devote to them is equally important. It all ties into better life-work balance/harmony or, at the least, a more efficient use of your efforts.

Accountants often see work in one mass, when in reality it can be broken out and prioritized. This goes for meetings, client responses, things that involve production, review, calculation, or all of the above, and research. Whatever it is, learning this skill is another building block in being a happier and more efficient professional and human.

3. Confidence: Yes, believe it or not, this is indeed a learnable skill. It checks all the boxes: action-oriented, it builds with competence, and it can be cultivated. Outside of that, having a support system like your colleagues or community around you helps you indeed learn and build on this skill, which needs to be applied to nearly everything you do.

For starters, confidence will help you price better, know when to say “no” thereby establishing healthy boundaries, and even allow you to lean in a bit more for social or community-building situations that will only help you grow as a profession and person.

4. Communication: Now, I know what you may think here, but stay with me. This skill does not mean you need to start being interviewed on podcasts or appear on a stage in front of friends and colleagues. It could, but it is essential because it will allow you to step away more from “tasks” and production, which will increasingly be completed by automation and technology in general, and more into your true value: your ability to communicate with your clients (and colleagues) better.

They need to know what you gleaned from those reports and all the financial and historical data you have in order to help them make more informed decisions. Your ability to be on the same level and achieve their goals is why they are paying you and coming to you, versus anyone else.

5. Mentorship: Sooner or later, someone will be either stepping into your role (so you can level up, or even move on) or look to you for guidance. Everyone goes further together, and in accounting, sharing what you know with others, guiding them, and being a true resource in their careers is truly invaluable.

Unfortunately, not enough accounting professionals engage in this skill or bother to learn how and if the profession is to indeed progress; mentorship has to be one of those non-negotiables that everyone learns and engages with at every level.

How will AI and automation reshape the day-to-day responsibilities of CPAs?

I’d say it already is, but it will continue. The less “hands-on” you need to be with tasks, the more you will use your skills, your brain, and your ability to communicate to truly show your value.

Outcomes will be the name of the game for your clients, and spending less time on what would have been time-consuming tasks, data entry, responses, research, follow-ups, whatever can indeed be automated, will allow you the space (and yes, the time) to refocus on what your daily responsibilities are to your clients, and yourself.

Beyond technical skills, which human or advisory skills will distinguish top-performing CPAs?

I think, as stated above in the “non-negotiable skills” section, your ability to interpret what automation produces, communicate it with clarity, and regularly connect with your clients, especially proactively, will be the difference-maker.

How can CPAs balance compliance-focused work with the growing need for strategic advisory and client communication?

I have been saying this for a while now, but accounting is increasingly becoming a value-over-volume game. That is, working with fewer clients, being able to charge them more for outcomes, rather than having to have a certain number of compliance-only clients every month.

This isn’t saying move entirely away from compliance, but with automation/current technology taking much of the time away from having to “do” compliance work, you need to figure out what valuable service/s you can provide on top of that work.

Many who have been in tax preparation for years have earned the trust of their tax preparation clients and would likely pay you more for tax planning and other, more proactive, advisory-type engagements throughout the year. In this sense, the seasonality of accounting work will diminish, leaving you with the ability to serve your clients in far more meaningful ways than ever.

What Does It Take to Succeed as a CPA in 2026?

The most successful CPAs in 2026 will be those who continuously build new skills, adapt to changing client expectations, and adopt new technologies in their daily work. Seth Fineberg emphasizes that firms investing in digital fluency, advisory capabilities, and security awareness are better prepared to navigate change and create long-term value for their clients.

At Ace Cloud Hosting, we support accountants and CPAs with secure cloud hosting designed for everyday accounting work. From QuickBooks Desktop hosting and managed virtual desktops to IT management and advanced cybersecurity, we help firms work smoothly, stay secure, and serve clients without IT distractions.

How is your firm raising the bar on client service? Share your thoughts in the comments.