Use case
PDF editor for accountants
Tax-season accounting hits PDFs constantly. Here's what accountants actually do with them, translated into tool cost:
• **Shrink a 200 MB return to fit the 50 MB IRS e-file cap** — /compress Strong preset, 1 coin. • **Combine every K-1, 1099, and 1098 into one client deliverable** — /merge, free. • **OCR a shoebox of receipts so QuickBooks can import them** — /ocr, 3 coins per batch. • **Redact SSNs from working papers before emailing to a client** — /redact, free, true content removal. • **Send an engagement letter with the client's countersignature** — /sign, 3 coins per signer, E-SIGN audit trail. • **Convert a scanned 1099 back into a searchable PDF for OCR import** — /ocr + /extract chained, 3 coins.
PennyPDF's pricing matches the shape of accounting work better than per-seat SaaS. A 10-person firm doing 500 PDF operations a month collectively is ~$14.99/month on the Pro pack across the whole firm. Compare: Adobe Acrobat at $19.99/seat/month × 10 seats = $2,400/year. Even with the standard TechSoup nonprofit discount on competitors, a per-operation model is cheaper at real firm volume.
The redaction is the one that specifically matters for client-facing work. /redact rewrites the PDF content stream to actually remove the redacted bytes — not overlay a black rectangle. SSNs disappear from the file, not just from view.
How it works
- 1Return too big for IRS e-Services? /compress Strong preset. 1 coin.
- 2Client package: /merge all the related 1099/K-1/1098 PDFs. Free.
- 3Receipt digitization: /ocr converts scanned PDFs to searchable. 3 coins each. Batch via the API.
- 4Before emailing working papers externally: /redact SSNs, EINs, bank account numbers. Free.
- 5Engagement letters and 8879 signatures: /sign. 3 coins per signer, audit trail appended.
Frequently asked
Is PennyPDF HIPAA compliant for client PHI?+
HIPAA BAA is in the Phase 8 roadmap. For now, PHI-adjacent accounting work (medical FSA, HSA reporting) should use a provider with an active BAA. SSNs in tax documents don't fall under HIPAA.
SOC 2 or similar audit?+
SOC 2 Type I audit is in progress (Phase 7). Full compliance package available Q3. Our cloud infrastructure (AWS + Cloudflare R2) is SOC 2 attested.
Per-client billing support?+
Coin usage is per-account, not per-client. For firm-wide tracking, the API provides per-request metadata you can tag with client IDs and aggregate in your own reporting.
Integration with tax software (CCH, UltraTax, Drake)?+
No direct integration — use the API to script PDF workflows from your tax software's output. CCH's 'document output' folder can be a source directory for a compress-and-email script.
Cost at 500 operations/month firm-wide?+
500 operations: if 200 are paid (compress, OCR) @ 2 coins avg = 400 coins = one $14.99 Pro pack covers the month. Firm annual spend: $180/year vs. $3000+/year per-seat on Adobe Acrobat.
Why PennyPDF
- No subscription. Ever.
- Coins never expire — use them in 5 years.
- Client-side processing for 14 of 22 tools.
- No watermarks at any tier.
- Per-operation pricing, shown before you click.
- Same coins for web + public API.