Short answer: Mode's minimum for accounting is 15 employees (US, Canada, UK or Australia; 3+ years; 5+ systems). Handshake AI applies from 20 full-time staff with 3+ years, and micro1 from 30. Tax return information is restricted by IRC 7216, so expect a firm-operations scope rather than client returns.
Does your company fit? Check in about a minute.
To see which of these buyers fit a specific company, DataWorth AI's free quiz (about a minute, no email needed) matches it against each program's published rules: https://dataworthai.com/quiz/. It shows reasons, not promises; each program decides on its own review.
On this page
Side by side
| As published | Mode (BizBuyData) We may be paid | Handshake AI No relationship | micro1 Enterprise Data Partnership We may be paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headcount rule | 10+ employees for legal; 15+ for accounting, medical and finance; 50+ for all others | 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years in operation | 30+ employees |
| Countries | United States, Canada, United Kingdom or Australia only | Not published on its license page (its form asks for country) | US prioritized, then other Western markets; data primarily in English |
| Years, systems, records | 3+ years of records still in their systems; 5+ systems (email, internal chat, file storage, a CRM, plus one more) | Business records from tools such as Gmail, Slack, Drive, NetSuite, QuickBooks and Figma | Mature business operations with operational data such as SOPs, internal documentation, knowledge bases, CRM metadata, project histories and QA processes |
| Published payout or price | $100K to $5M program-wide. US indicative bands: $200K-$500K (20-49 staff), $400K-$900K (50-149), $800K+ (150+); under 20 quoted individually | $100K to $4M+ payouts | $100K-$2M+ for approved data packages |
| Exclusivity | Exclusive. The company agrees not to license the same data for external AI training for 24 months (affiliate FAQ); the company page says the agreement defines scope and any exclusivity | Not published | Not published on its company referral page |
| Data excluded | Health records, payment card data and children's data are excluded. Not a fit: staffing, insurance, title and escrow | Not published; says data is scoped, de-identified and confidential | Not published on its company referral page |
Sources, read October 21, 2026: Mode, Mode affiliate FAQ (PDF, dated Oct 14, 2026), Mode company data partnerships page (FAQ), Handshake AI, Handshake: Introducing Handshake AI Employer Data Partnerships, micro1, micro1 Referral Program Terms (last updated Oct 14, 2026). "Not published" means we could not find it on the program's public pages, not that no rule exists.
Who should pick which
15-19 staff
Mode. It's the only program here whose published minimum you meet.
20-29 staff
Mode or Handshake AI. Compare written offers and exclusivity (Mode: 24 months).
30+ staff
Mode, Handshake AI and micro1 all apply on published rules. Outside the US, Mode lists Canada, the UK and Australia.
Under 15 staff
None of these programs' published minimums. See firms under 15.
How many firms this covers
3,592 US CPA offices have 15+ paid employees and 1,383 have 30+ (2022, Census SUSB). Across all accounting, tax prep, bookkeeping and payroll firms: 8,067 and 3,808.
Tax return information
Tax preparers face criminal penalties for knowingly or recklessly disclosing tax return information without an exception or consent (26 U.S.C. § 7216). Read IRC 7216 and AI data licensing before any call.
How we rank and what we're paid
How we rank. We order programs first by whether a company like yours meets each program's published rules, then by how much each program publishes (headcount, countries, records, price, exclusivity, exclusions, timeline). Referral fees play no part. Of the programs compared here, we have referral relationships with Mode and micro1 (marked We may be paid); we have none with the other programs listed.
Sponsored placements: there are none on this page. If we ever accept one, it will be labeled Sponsored where it appears.
What could your company's records be worth?
Answer 6 questions. See the published range for a company like yours and which program fits. Takes about a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Can a 15-person CPA firm license its data?
On published rules, Mode's 15+ accounting minimum is met if the firm is in the US, Canada, UK or Australia with 3+ years in 5+ systems. Client tax data is restricted.
Did Mode's accounting minimum change?
Accounting Today reported 10+ at launch; Mode's current pages say 15+. We use Mode's current pages.
What would a 30-person firm be offered?
Mode's US band for 20-49 staff is $200K-$500K; micro1 cites $100K-$2M+ for approved packages. None are offers.
Sources
- Mode / BizBuyData referral pagebizbuydata.com
- Mode affiliate FAQ (PDF, dated Oct 14, 2026)bizbuydata.com
- Handshake AI data partnerships: license pagejoinhandshake.com
- micro1 company referral pagemicro1.ai
- U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, detailed employment sizeswww2.census.gov
- 26 U.S.C. § 7216 (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
- Accounting Today: BizBuyData will pay accounting firms for data (Oct 16, 2026)accountingtoday.com
Referral-fee disclosure: DataWorth AI may be paid a referral fee by Mode or micro1 if a company we introduce, or that signs up through our link, signs a deal. Mode says its fee is paid on top of the company's offer, not out of it. We are not an agent of any program. General information only, not legal advice. Disclosure