Accrual has agreed to acquire Puzzle’s accounting-firm technology and business, including its AI-native ledger and month-end close products, in its first acquisition since launching in February 2026.
Puzzle founder and CEO Sasha Orloff and members of the Puzzle team will join Accrual as part of the transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement.
The acquisition expands Accrual beyond tax preparation and further into client accounting services, supporting the company’s strategy of providing accounting firms with a single AI platform spanning tax, audit, client accounting and advisory work.
Accrual launched with $75 million in funding led by General Catalyst and has since been adopted by firms including Armanino, Aprio, H&R Block, Creative Planning, BMSS and Stephano Slack, along with other Top 100 accounting firms.
Puzzle has developed an AI-native accounting workspace around its ledger, AI Close, Cowork and Chat products. Its technology serves more than 7,000 startups, small businesses and accounting firms.
Following the deal, Accrual plans to integrate Puzzle’s accounting-firm technology and team into its existing platform while directing additional product and engineering investment toward client accounting and advisory workflows.
Puzzle will continue operating independently for startups and small businesses that use its AI-native general ledger and accounting platform directly.
The acquisition is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary conditions. Accrual’s client accounting services offering is already in early access, and broader availability incorporating Puzzle’s ledger and close technology is planned by the end of 2026.
KEY QUOTES:
“From the beginning, our ambition has been to give accounting firms one intelligence layer across tax, audit, client accounting, and advisory, rather than another disconnected tool. Puzzle has built exceptional ledger and close technology, and Sasha and his team have a rare understanding of both accounting work and the software required to improve it. Together, we can bring production-ready AI to CAS faster and help firms modernize a critical part of how they operate.”
Cosmin Nicolaescu, Co-Founder and CEO of Accrual
“Cos and I share the conviction that AI is changing accounting at the engagement level and changing what teams prepare by hand while keeping professionals responsible for judgment and review. That shift is now happening in production. Combining Puzzle’s ledger and close technology with Accrual’s broader platform gives us a chance to create something much more valuable for accounting firms than either company could build separately.”
Sasha Orloff, Founder and CEO of Puzzle
