SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
If this time last year, you would have suggested that I would spend a majority of my time in 2020 away from my office and reliant upon the tax community on social media to help keep me both informed and sane, I likely would have laughed at you. Don’t get me wrong: I have always enjoyed the tax community on Twitter. But 2020 was different. It was a year that was more than sharing links to IRS Revenue Rulings and pending legislation: it was a year when the tax community came together to ask not only how we could help taxpayers, but each other. Twitter streams weren’t just filled with news, links, and best practices focused on tax, but also practice hacks, spaces to vent, and much needed words of encouragement.
That’s why this year’s must-follow list is a bit different. In 2020, the world was different. #TaxTwitter was different. So the list for 2021 doesn’t just focus on the folks that brought us tax news and updates, but those who boosted and supported the tax community. Best of all, it includes a lot of new voices that were always willing to lend a hand to their colleagues and share valuable information and insights.
About Twitter
Twitter is an easy way to find out what’s happening in the tax world – for tax professionals, taxpayers and tax geeks. You can join in with live twitter chats or simply look for hashtags like #IRS, #taxtwitter and #taxpros. Or, you can follow some of the folks who are most engaged in sharing tax news and information.
The Lists
To get started, check out the top 100 must-follow tax Twitter accounts for 2021:
Forbes Tax Writers & Regular Contributors (Twitter list):
- @janetnovack – Janet Novack – Forbes Washington Bureau Chief & Personal Finance Editor / I follow tax, budget and retirement policy & planning.
- @nittiaj – Tony Nitti – Tax guy @rubinbrown. Writer @forbes. Tax Prof @uofdenver and @ggu. Pope of Chili Town.
- @peterreillycpa – Peter Reilly – That things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.
- @wealthintersect – Megan Gorman – Senior Contributor @forbes, Managing Partner at Chequers Financial Management, @NEFE Board member, @GGULaw Adjunct Professor, ENTJ personality
Tax-Related Orgs (Twitter list):
- @ABATaxSection – ABA Tax Section – The ABA Section of Taxation
- @AICPA – AICPA – The official Twitter account of the American Institute of CPAs
- @NATPTAX – NATP – The National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) serves professionals through tax education, research, updates, publications and office supplies.
- @NSAtax – NSA – National Society of Accountants (NSA) has been helping tax and accounting professionals succeed for 75 years.
- @Tax_Experts – NAEA – NAEA is the membership organization advocating for America’s Tax Experts®.
Tax Professionals, Firms & Companies (Twitter list):
- @adammarkowitzEA – Adam Markowitz – Enrolled Agent. Advocate for small businesses. The only way we get through this is together. For musical parodies, follow @taxtuneparody #TaxTwitter
- @ajthecpa1226 – Albert J. Campo, CPA, MBA – Proud father to a little princess – Former Big 4 sellout – Sole Practitioner – I help individuals and small business clients navigate the choppy tax waters.
- @andreacpa0 – Andrea Carr, CPA – foundation bookkeeping. overly excited peon. built like a fainting goat. donut coach
- @AmieKCPA – Amie K – Iowa tax girl • Came for the TaxTwitter, stayed for the sarcasm and gifs • Your weird is your strength.
- @Aprilshowerstax – April Walker – AICPA Lead Manager- Tax Practice & Ethics Team | #CPA | #UNC Tarheel | Wife & mom to a mini me and 2 fur babies | Proud #IMMT finisher | Views are mine
- @Avalara – Avalara – TTax compliance done right. Cloud-based solution for various transactional taxes, including sales and use, VAT, excise, communications, and other tax types.
- @BrandonHarbeke – Brandon Harbeke, CPA – Tax CPA specializing in partnerships and corporations; sci-fi watcher and reader; classical and country music listener
- @bstonercpa – Brian Stoner, CPA – Award-Winning CPA; Forbes 2020 top 100 Twitter Tax Acct; Quoted on MarketWatch CNBC & CNN; #TaxPlanning & #TaxPrep for Small Business! Laker Ram & Dodger fan!
- @CariWestonCPA – Cari Weston – Strategic, future-focused, problem solving leader with a passion for growth and learning.
- @cbriancpa – Brian Streig, CPA –CPA focusing on tax planning, compliance, start-ups & entrepreneurs. Plus tweets about Austin, TX, food and my puppy.
- @conciergetax – Robert Gambardella, CPA – Robert Gambardella, CPA. Shelton CT. Tax Planner for Service-Based Business Owners. Auburn, Washington Football, and Mets fanatic. BatDad
- @DamienMartinCPA – Damien Martin – Host of the #SimplyTax podcast | #Tax
- @DebFoxFinancial – Deborah Fox CPA – Dual Licensed CPA in Texas and in Florida. Tax Focused because it can save money for everyone. Teaches IRS Compliance & Strategy for new Small Business Owners.
- @DonnaLCPA – Donna Laubscher – Tax CPA, especially fond of Form 1040; avid outside-of-tax-season reader, live theater, baseball & football spectator; iced tea addict (hydrate in the desert)
- @edzollars – Ed Zollars, CPA – Tax CPA & CPE Lecturer for Kaplan Financial Education. Author of material on Current Federal Tax Developments website.
- @ehjerp – Eric L Hjerpe, CPA – Father to 3 beautiful young ladies. Man to my Memma. Co-owner and managing partner of Hjerpe & Tennison CPA’s located in Bloomington, IL
- @fintaxdude – Dan Herron – A dude trying to simplify investing, retirement & taxes for all. CPA/PFS, CFP® Co-Founder of #fitfactorygear. Principal of BBFS Inc & Elemental Wealth Advisors.
- @fullygodwin – Jonathan Godwin – CPA. Reader. Wine snob. Coffee drinker. All-around good guy.
- @GlenBirnbaum – Glen Birnbaum – Husband, son, brother | CPA, Partner @sikichllp – income tax (#199A) & business valuation | Logan County, IL farm roots | Tax Moves Moving Iron Podcast
- @HowardGinsberg – Howard Ginsberg, CPA – CPA, Wealth Management, Tax, Financial & Accounting Services. Forbes Top Must Follow Tax List. Voted Best of Long Island. #TaxTwitter ginsbergwealth.com
- @J_Stephens_CPA – Jeremy Stephens – Technical Trainer #Tax SW; Grad @IPTATL #SalesTax 2; TX #CPA; TX Teacher; BS #Math @DBUPatriots but #Catholic; MA #Ethics ’23; husband of @JLRStephens
- @JLWCPA2 – Jeanne W. – mom, advocate, MBA, CPA/PFS. Specialties are estates and trusts. Spellcheck is my friend. Wear your life jacket.
- @joebwan – Joe Kristan – Tax guy. Contributor, EBtaxblog.com. Former proprietor, Tax Update Blog. Currently with Eide Bailly LLP. Views are mine (who else would want them?)?)
- @JPorterCPA – Jeffrey A. Porter, CPA – Tax Practitioner, Tax policy aficionado, Past Chair—AICPA Tax Executive Committee, Past Chair—AICPA Tax Reform Task Force & fan of Kiawah Island
- @JStaatsCPA – Jason Staats – Tweeting about automation for accountants & operators
- @JustinMillerEsq – Justin Miller – Bad tax jokes and even worse puns. National Strategist at BNY Mellon, Adjunct Professor at GGU Law, and ACTEC Fellow. Tweets ≠ legal or tax advice.
- @korlando2251 – Karen Orlando – Momma bear. Wife. Goofball. 80’s child. Utah grad. EA. Tax geek. Ally. Imperfect person trying to do good. She/her.
- @LoganGrafTax – The Tax TeleGraf with Logan Graf, CPA. Pioneering the tax landscape one tweet at a time.
- @lypierceCPA – Lykethia Pierce, CPA – CEO of Pierce, CPA & Advisors| Check out what I have a flair for (e.g., accounting, business, sunsets, life…)| Phone no. (205) 370-4508/@AuthenticCPA
- @MattForeman – Matt Foreman – Tax lawyer. I like baseball, colorful ties, and efficient taxation. Funnier IRL. Tweets: Not legal advice. Views: Mine, not my employer’s. #FundtheIRS
- @MeganTarnow – Megan Genest Tarnow – Ferociously committed to helping nonprofits tell their stories & advance their missions through rock solid financials. It’s not really about the beans. she/her
- @MelindaNCPA– Melinda Nelson, CPA – CPA, explainer of all things tax, mom of 3, musical theater geek, fan of soccer & Iowa State basketball, just an Iowa girl at heart.
- @MissTaxCat – Jina Etienne – #Speaker, trainer & facilitator engaging with passion, clarity & humor | Accounting Today #Top100 2016 – 2018 | #CPA with personality
- @NathanPClark – Nathan Clark – Tax geek, beer consumer, dog lover, boardgamer, runner. Prone to extreme sarcasm and dry humor. Opinions are my own.
- @NayoCarterGray – Nayo Carter-Gray, EA – Savvy virtual Accountant by day who loves a corny joke, funky glasses, and is passionate about financial literacy…
- @PhxCPA – J. Southern – Tax Guru, @Morehouse Man, Investor, Pizza Junkie; If it produces dividends, interest or rent I’m interested. $PhxCPA
- @PKubeyEA – Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA – I am an Enrolled Agent passionate about helping taxpayers navigate our complex tax system. Also, Juilliard MM (voice) + Certified Alexander Technique teacher.
- @raniacombs – Rania Combs – Attorney with a completely web-based law firm who helps Texans prepare their wills, trusts and estate plans online, without the usual overhead.
- @Roberg Tax – Jan Roberg – I specialize in individual and small business (one or two owner) taxes. she/her
- @RobKovacev – Rob Kovacev – Tax attorney, DOJ alum. #Tax controversy & taxation of #innovation/#AI/#robotics. Forbes Top 100 #TaxTwitter to Follow. Views my own.
- @RyanLEllis – Tax lobbyist/preparer. Prez of @CFEconomy. Go @patriots. @examiner contributor. Freedom/fiscal, paleo/foreign, Catholic/social. Senate unconfirmable. DMs open.
- @SalesTaxInst – Sales Tax Institute – Sales & use tax news, education, and expert training • Forbes Top 100 Tax Twitter Accounts For 2020 • Fearless leader: @YetterTax – the original #salestaxnerd
- @ShaunHunley – Shaun Hunley – Sketch comedian turned tax attorney and author (not a stretch). Click for my latest thoughts.
- @ShaynaCPA – CPA.CITP, CGMA, Tech addict. Founder & Chief Strategist of Shaynaco LLC. Lover of useless facts. Trying to control my addiction to chocolate chip cookies
- @SylviaDionCPA – Sylvia F. Dion – #CPA Founder & Partner #SALT Firm, #EconomicNexus Guru #StateTax #SalesTax Blogger/Writer, Forbes #Tax to follow 2015-2020, PROUD Mexican-American LATINA
- @TaxBuzzOnline – TaxBuzz.com – Forbes Top 100 #TaxTwitter to Follow. Get #tax & #accounting help from highly-rated professionals. Easy & free service for individuals & #smallbusiness.
- @TaxHatchet – Brent A. Auberry – Attorney, Faegre Drinker, focusing on State and Local Tax (SALT) — property, sales/use, income tax — Tweets are my own & not legal advice; RTs not endorsements
- @TaxPoetic – Brad Garland, CPA – Huntsville’s adopted son. CPA at @BrandBlackwell, #Auburn MAcc. Serve @TheRocketHatch, @TEDxHuntsville; found @bnicove, @RocketCitySGO. #WarEagle! #TaxTwitter
- @TaxPro10018 – Patrick Murphy – Enrolled Agent. Enrolled Agent. Forty-six years of tax professional experience. 2020 Forbes Top 100 Tax Twitter Account linkedin.com/in/hrbtaxpro Intuit/Turbo Tax Expert Lead
- @taxtherapist505 – Amber Gray-Fenner, EA – Easing tax pain and providing peace of mind! I read; I write; I knit; I solve tax problems. I take my business seriously. Myself? Not so much. (she/her)
- @TropicalTax – Jerry Gaddis, EA, MBA – Founder/CEO Tropical Tax Solutions: Founded in Paradise, Serving Clients Everywhere | #EnrolledAgent | @DaveRamsey ELP | @Forbes Must-Follow Tax Account
- @VertexInc. – Vertex – The official Twitter account of Vertex, Inc., pioneers in tax automation helping companies around the globe to transact, comply and grow with confidence.
- @VLJeker – V. La Torre Jeker – US Tax – Dubai since 2001. NYS Bar 35+ yrs; US Tax Court. US/int’l tax, cross-border, expatriation, FATCA. Forbes Top 100 Tax Twitter Account 2017-2020
- @wifemomcpa100 – Wife to 1, mom to 5 and CPA to many. Side gig: superhero | I #indiepharmacies | Founder: @bdaccounting
- @yourfaveCPA – Eric Pierre – @yourfavecpa – Your Favorite CPA®, 6’8″ Retired player, Owner of @pierrecpa, prayer warrior, civil rights, and mentoring advocate. Opinions expressed are mine alone
Tax Writers, Bloggers & Gurus (Twitter list):
- @alexparkerDC – Alex Parker – Taxsplainer for @Law360. Fan of Purdue, Butler, Colts, Pacers, Indians & free thinkers. Views here are my own, or Batman’s. Retweets are endorphins.
- @amyleerosen – Amy Lee Rosen – Senior Tax Correspondent @Law360. PA/NJ @templelaw attorney who loves to pun, run, lift, eat and travel. Views are my own. 我说汉语 Hablo español. @wesleyan_u grad.
- @BillSheridan – Bill Sheridan – Cuba, NY, native. University at Buffalo alum. Adopted son of Baltimore and St. Louis. Not a CPA, but I play one on TV. EOS implementer, speaker, author, writer.
- @CentristinIdaho – David Morse – Tax Policy Director @cpa_tradereform; Total Geek. Forbes Top 100 #TaxTwitter to Follow 2020, 2019, and 2018. All opinions are my own. RT not endorsement
- @_colleenmurphy)_- Editing news at @tax, talking about Minnesota, going to bed early. She/her.
- @Darla_Mercado – Darla Mercado, CFP – Reporter, @CNBC‘s personal finance team. Mom. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Triathlete. A regular shmegular degular girl from The Bronx.
- @dashching – Chye-Ching Huang – Tax, budget, economy, law, policy. US & NZ. Director Federal Fiscal Policy @CenteronBudget. Tweets not about US fiscal policy aren’t for CBPP.
- @jbuhl35 – John Buhl – Media @BudgetHawks Prev: @PewStates @TaxFoundation @TaxNotes. Likes: econ, tax, policy and complaining about sports. Extreme centrist. Opinions mine only.
- @LenBurman – Len Burman – Father, grandfather, @taxpolicycenter cofounder, Syracuse University prof. For fun, I cycle, cook, and sing. Retweets≠endorsement.
- @M_SullivanTax – Martin Sullivan – Chief Economist, Tax Analysts. Former Treasury, JCT staff. Grateful for bio by Steven Pearlstein (link below).
- @ManasaSogNadig – Manasa Sogal Nadig – Enrolled Agent&CEO at MNTaxBiz;Tax Geek & Blogger at thebuzzabouttaxes.com;Mom&Wife@ ChezNadig;Forbes #TaxTwitter Accounts 2018, 2019 & 2020& 2019
- @MariaKoklanaris – Maria Koklanaris – Senior tax correspondent @Law360. Steelers fanatic. Proud Penn Stater. Tweets mine only. RTs not endorsements #Ijustmetagirlnamed #Howdoyousolveaproblemlike
- @njagoda – Naomi Jagoda – Tax reporter @thehill. @Penn alum. N.Y. native. My last name is pronounced like Pagoda with a J.
- @RenuZ – Renu Zaretsky (Tax Hound) – #TaxHound and #DailyDeduction writer @TaxPolicyCenter. Indian-American wife, parent to 2 kids, 1 Scottish Deerhound. Views mine alone, RTs not endorsements
- @RichardRubinDC – Richard Rubin – I cover U.S. tax policy for the @WSJ. There is ALWAYS a tax angle. Retweets are not endorsements or tax advice.
- @Saunderswsj – Laura Saunders – I write about taxes for The Wall Street Journal
- @SoongJohnston – Stephanie Johnston – Chief correspondent @TaxNotes Today Int’l @MedillSchool MSJ06 [email protected] RTs≠endorsements. She/her
- @TaxAddict – Tracy Shannon Levey – All Things #Tax, #Accounting & #Finance. Forbes Top 100 #Tax Twitter to Follow 2020. Co-Founder Parker Tax Publishing. Opinions are my own.
- @TaxMama – TaxMama® – Award winning author – Top 100 accountant and tax blog – dean of TaxMama’s® #EnrolledAgent (EA) Time for Self-Study!
- @TylerEvilsizer – Tyler Evilsizer – Tax nerd, budget wonk, & Deputy Policy Director for@BudgetHawks. Formerly at @MoneyInPolitics. In DC for now, permanent Montanan. Thoughts are my own.
Media, Publishers, Networks and Think Tanks (Twitter list):
- @AccountingToday – Accounting Today – Accounting Today, an Arizent brand, is the independent news and information resource for tax and accounting professionals.
- @OECDTax – Latest #tax news & data from the #OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. Follow our senior leadership @PSaintAmans & @GPerezinParis
- @Tax – Bloomberg Tax – Leading source of accounting & tax news #TaxTwitter Find us on Flipboard: btaxgo.com/id4i7wm | Our journalists: btaxgo.com/xbXrabete
- @Tax_Alerts – Tax Alerts – News and guidance covering all Tax issues – corporate, personal. Written by the nation’s leading tax lawyers for CPAs, financial planners, etc. A @JDSupra feed.
- @taxfoundation – Tax Foundation – Your #1 resource for trusted, independent tax policy research & analysis | Coronavirus relief: taxfoundation.org/covid19 | Subscribe for tax/economics updates
- @TaxNotes – Tax Notes – Your #1 source for everything tax. News, commentary, analysis. Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. #letstalktax
- @TaxPolicyCenter – Tax Policy Center – Independent, timely, accessible analyses of current and emerging tax policy issues. (Links/RTs/favorites/follows/etc. are not endorsements.)
Tax Professors and Other Learned Tax Geeks (Twitter List):
- @BW_Johnson – Ben Johnson – Associate Dean/ Accounting Professor @UEBusiness. Tax guy. I live life in a highly caffeinated state.
- @book_leslie – Leslie Book – Villanova Law Prof. Tax,poverty law and tax procedure/admin Author: Saltzman & Book, IRS Practice & Procedure.
- @EOTaxProf – Philip Hackney – #TaxProf, fmr DC IRS chief counsel atty, fmr Baker Botts atty; #nonprofits, IRS, public policy, tax, campaign finance, #darkmoney, Art Law; #LawProf @Pittlaw
- @JudithFreedman – Judith Freedman – Oxford Professor of Tax Law, British Tax Review editor, school governor, grandmother of 4. Here in personal capacity, not representing views of any organisation
- @lilybatch – Lily Batchelder – Robert C. Kopple Family Professor of Taxation at @nyulaw. Former Deputy Director @WhiteHouse NEC; former Chief Tax Counsel @SenateFinance.
- @Narfnampil – Francine Lipman – Tax/poverty law prof/LLM/MBA/CPA @UNLVLaw All views& comments are solely my own
- @ProfAfield – Ted Afield – Director, Philip C. Cook Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and Mark and Evelyn Trammell Associate Clinical Professor of Law, @GeorgiaStateLaw, @GSULawClinics
- @SeanSteinSmith – Dr Sean Stein Smith – @LehmanCollege Prof, @WallStreetBTC Adv Board, @GildedFinance Board, @NYSSCPA 40 under 40 @NJCPA ‘19 Ovation Award @AIER Fellow ‘19, @ForbesCrypto Contributor
- @smbrnsn – Sam Brunson – Georgia Reithal Professor Law, Loyola University Chicago. Mostly, but not entirely, taxes, jazz & cooking
And don’t forget me: @taxgirl.
The IRS on Twitter
The IRS has grown its presence on Twitter, so I’ve separated those accounts here, for easy reference:
The IRS also has a number of media spokespersons, including some for individual regions. Here are some of the most active on Twitter:
- @ChristopherIRS – Christopher – IRS Media Relations for Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska.
- @David_IRS – David Tucker – IRS Media Relations – AK, AZ, HI, MT, NM, Northern CA, OR, WA and WY.
- @KC_IRS – Karen Connelly – IRS contact for CO, ID, UT, SD, MN
- @Luis_IRS – Luis Garcia – IRS Spokesman for MI, IN, OH, KY, WV, OK, NB, NC, SC.
- @raphyIRS – raph t – San Diego-based IRS Spokesman for So Cal, SF Bay Area & NV.
- @MichaelD_IRS – Michael Devine – IRS Media Relations.
- @IRS_Patricia – Patricia Russomagno – IRS Public Relations Specialist.
- @Sanford_IRS – Clay Sanford – IRS Media Relations.
Subscribing
To subscribe to all of the accounts in a category, click on the Twitter list link following the category head. Note that the category heads are for convenience – in practice, some folks could fall in more than one category. To subscribe to all 100 Twitter accounts (ok, 101 if you include me) on the list, click here.
More About The Lists
Keep in mind that this list is subjective. As is the case every year, there’s no fancy algorithm or poll. I don’t count tweets or followers, though I do take into consideration type and timeliness of tweets, as well as engagement. I also target feeds with a clear focus on tax as opposed to finance or economics. The goal is to present a wide range of tax professionals from different parts of the world, offering different perspectives (I’ve even included Patriots fans).
And this year in particular, I absolutely took to heart your feedback and nominations. I received a lot of suggestions (and some of you suggested a lot of folks at once).
Each year, I receive emails critiquing and questioning the list. Please keep in mind that the list changes every year. And this year, it changed a lot – which is a good thing. If you’ve been on lists in prior years but aren’t on this year, don’t take it personally. Again, I wanted to grow the list to include new voices in the tax world.
One more thing: if you tweet about tax and I’m not following you, please @taxgirl on Twitter and let me know. Additionally, if you are a tax pro and are not included on my Twittering Tax Pro list, please @taxgirl and let me know to add you.
Wishing you all very happy in 2021!