What Carter does

Carter, P.C. is a privately held, full-service public accounting firm founded in 2011 by brothers Richard Carter (President & CEO) and Robert Carter (Treasurer & CFO), operating from offices in Asheville NC, Charlotte NC, and Greenville SC under a professional corporation domiciled in North Carolina. The firm is organized around three service lines — Tax Services (compliance, planning, M&A, estate and succession planning, multi-state, trust and gift), Business Accounting + Advisory (CFO consulting, controller outsourcing, bookkeeping, payroll, sales/use tax, governance), and Audit + Assurance (audits, reviews, compilations, single audits, peer reviews, agreed-upon procedures, internal controls). The firm employs nearly 30 experienced professionals and targets a deliberately broad set of customer segments including high net worth individuals, closely held businesses, nonprofits, governmental units, and small business owners, with vertical specializations in construction, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, motorsports and athletes, hospitality, professional service companies, and retail/wholesale. Carter's value proposition centers on a "think-tank" collaborative model in which clients are matched with the CPA best suited to their needs and benefit from the collective bench, supported by a 24-hour response commitment and a proactive (rather than reactive) tax planning posture.

The firm operates a sales-led, direct-engagement go-to-market with no channel partners, resellers, or third-party distribution. Pricing is engagement-scoped and not publicly disclosed. Marketing is relationship-driven, leaning on newsletters, blog content on tax and regulatory topics, active participation in AICPA, NCACPA, and SCACPA, and community engagement (e.g., Day of Service). Carter is a professional services firm, not a technology company: its technology footprint is limited to standard off-the-shelf tools — Liscio for secure client document exchange, SafeSend for e-delivery and e-signing of tax returns, and BluePay for credit card and ACH payment processing — with no proprietary platform, no API, no AI/ML capabilities, and no app. Ownership remains concentrated with the founding Carter brothers, with no external investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. The firm is a member of AICPA, NCACPA, and SCACPA peer review programs, holds no disclosed patents or trademarks of note, and was recognized as one of Business North Carolina's Best Employers.

Name

Carter

Legal name

Carter, P.C.

Website

https://carter.cpa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carter, P.C. is a full-service tax, audit, and accounting firm with three offices across North and South Carolina, serving high net worth individuals, closely held businesses, nonprofits, and mid-market clients in verticals such as construction, real estate, and motorsports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourced Finance & CFO Services (BPAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tax Operations Support (Indirect Tax, Withholding, Compliance Admin) (BPAAAGAI), Financial Planning & Analysis Support (Budgeting, Forecasting, Management Reporting) (BPAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Public accounting services
• Tax preparation services
• Audit assurance services
• Business advisory services
• Outsourced CFO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tax Services: Tax preparation and planning services for individuals and businesses including compliance, consulting, multi-state issues, M&A transactions, succession planning, estate planning, and trust & gift planning.
2. Business Accounting & Advisory: Comprehensive accounting support including CFO consulting, controller assistance/outsourcing, outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, payroll tax, sales & use tax, business operations consulting, and company governance.
3. Audit & Assurance Services: Financial reporting and assurance services including audits, examinations, reviews, compilations, single audits, peer reviews, agreed-upon procedures, and internal controls assessments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carter, P.C. is a full-service tax, audit, and accounting firm delivering tax preparation and planning, audit and assurance, and business accounting/advisory (including outsourced CFO, controller, bookkeeping, and payroll) services. The firm operates a think-tank collaborative model, matching clients with hand-selected CPA teams, and serves closely held businesses, nonprofits, high-net-worth individuals, and specialized industries across the Southeastern U.S.

Product overview

Carter, P.C. is a full-service tax, audit, and accounting firm offering three core service lines: Tax Services (covering tax preparation, planning, compliance, and specialty areas like M&A and estate planning), Business Accounting + Advisory (including outsourced CFO, controller services, bookkeeping, and payroll), and Audit + Assurance (providing audit, review, compilation, and attestation services). The firm serves diverse industries including construction, nonprofit, real estate, manufacturing, motorsports, hospitality, and professional services across offices in Asheville NC, Charlotte NC, and Greenville SC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Services Tax preparation and planning services for individuals and businesses, including compliance, consulting, multi-state tax issues, M&A transactions, succession planning, estate planning, and trust and gift planning.
• Business Accounting + Advisory Comprehensive accounting support including CFO consulting, controller assistance/outsourcing, outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, payroll tax, sales and use tax, business operations consulting, and company governance.
• Audit + Assurance Financial reporting and assurance services including audits, examinations, reviews, compilations, single audits, peer reviews, agreed-upon procedures, and internal controls assessments.

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership. Staff participate in peer review programs and professional development.
• North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState professional association membership with community engagement through Day of Service and other programs.
• South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (SCACPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState professional association membership for South Carolina-licensed CPAs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GreerWalker CPAs & Advisors: Charlotte-based regional CPA firm with comparable size, service mix (tax, audit, outsourced CFO/advisory), and mid-market closely-held client base, directly competing with Carter's Charlotte office.
• Bernard Robinson & Company: Asheville, NC-headquartered CPA firm of similar scale, serving closely held businesses, nonprofits, and HNW individuals across WNC — a direct local competitor to Carter's flagship Asheville office.
• Elliott Davis: Large regional CPA and advisory firm headquartered in Greenville, SC — the same city as Carter's Greenville office — offering tax, audit, and advisory services to closely held businesses, HNW individuals, and industries closely overlapping Carter's specialties.
• Cherry Bekaert: Top-30 US CPA and advisory firm with strong Southeast presence serving closely held businesses, nonprofits, and real estate/construction — directly overlapping Carter's industry verticals at slightly larger scale.
• Smith Leonard PLLC: Mid-Atlantic regional CPA firm offering tax, audit, and advisory to closely held businesses and HNW clients with a comparable full-service, relationship-driven model similar to Carter's.

Regional players

• Plante Moran: Large US regional CPA firm with similar culture of closely-held business and HNW focus; comparable in scale and service breadth though operating primarily outside the Southeast.
• Withum: Top-30 US CPA and advisory firm comparable in growth orientation and service mix (tax, audit, advisory), operating primarily in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic and not directly competing in Carter's geography.

Broad incumbents

• Forvis (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman): Top-10 US accounting firm formed from the merger of Dixon Hughes Goodman (Charlotte HQ) with BKD; broad tax/audit/advisory platform that competes with Carter for larger mid-market and nonprofit engagements across the Carolinas.
• KPMG (Carolinas offices): Big Four firm with established Charlotte office competing for large multi-state audits and tax engagements where Carter's founders also operate, providing both competitive pressure and a talent-drain channel.
• RSM US: Large national CPA and advisory firm with significant Charlotte and Carolinas presence, competing for the upper end of Carter's mid-market closely-held and nonprofit client pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carter