How are CFOs planning for tariffs in 2026?

With tariffs continuing to be an important part of the economic landscape, we asked CFOs to tell us what they see when they look into their crystal balls. One theme we heard often was that even if your company wasn’t directly impacted by tariffpalooza, there’s a really good chance your customer or client’s company was.

Here’s how six CFOs are thinking about tariffs as we flip the calendar.

These quotes were collected via email and edited for length and clarity.

Dan Miller, CFO of RightRev: “Rising tariffs in 2025 pushed companies to rethink how they apply revenue recognition, and those and other external pressures will continue in 2026. While ASC 606 hasn’t changed, cost volatility from shifting tariff policies made it harder to keep revenue calculations predictable. Companies faced frequent repricing, new surcharges, and supply-chain delays that affected transaction prices, performance obligations, and revenue timing. These are trends that will continue into next year.

“A major development was the rise of tariff-related surcharges, which introduced new forms of variable consideration. In 2026, these fees will become more dynamic, forcing companies to continually determine whether pricing shifts trigger contract modifications. This means more real-time adjustments, more catch-up entries, and greater compliance pressure.

“Ultimately, 2026 will demand automation. Tariff impacts are moving too fast for manual processes, so companies will increasingly adopt systems that are agile and allow for flexibility given the dynamism of businesses today.”

Jay Peir, CFO of Pigment: “Tariffs are a reminder that volatility is the new operating baseline. Today it’s tariffs; tomorrow it will be another macroeconomic shock, and the specific shock matters less than your ability to respond to it. One of the best ways to mitigate the impact of tariffs, or any shock, is simply being able to understand the implications on your business quickly. You can’t move forward with confidence if you don’t understand the exposure.

“Our strategy is built around agility and being able to plan for any circumstance…The focus is no longer on trying to predict one outcome, but on building the capacity to adapt to any outcome. When volatility is the norm, resilience comes from continuous foresight, and AI is now the engine powering that foresight.”

Josh Schauer, CFO of insightsoftware: “Tariffs bring a level of economic uncertainty that affects businesses both directly and indirectly. As a CFO, forecasting and scenario planning are top of mind as we look toward 2026. Clean, reliable data and actionable insights are essential for making informed decisions in uncertain markets, which will help finance teams navigate economic variables, plan for what’s next, and master change quickly and intelligently…By leveraging AI and automation tools, we can model potential tariff impacts more effectively, identify opportunities for operational efficiency, and ensure we remain agile in an evolving global landscape.”

Andrew Casey, CFO of Amplitude: “Our business at Amplitude is primarily focused on delivering subscription services to our customers, so tariffs have not had a significant impact on Amplitude directly. However, many of our customers (especially in retail and manufacturing) are directly impacted by tariffs, and they’re looking for ways to offset those costs and avoid raising prices. We’ve been working with our customers to help them offset their operating expenses through consolidation onto our AI analytics platform.”

Bill Koefoed, CFO of OneStream: “With tariffs becoming an ongoing part of the economic landscape, we’re taking a forward-looking approach to build resilience into our planning processes. We’re using scenario modeling to understand the implications on costs, pricing, and margins. This gives us the ability to adapt plans quickly as conditions evolve. For 2026, the focus is on staying agile, using real-time data to make informed decisions as macroeconomic dynamics shift, rather than treating tariffs as a one-time factor.”

Bonnie Castle, CFO of SBS: “While our software business isn’t directly exposed to tariffs, many of our utility and telecom customers are. They depend on complex global supply chains for steel, conductors, transformers, and other materials that may be subject to tariff volatility. What we hear consistently from customers is that tariffs are manageable when they’re predictable. Uncertainty is the real challenge.

“So as we look to 2026, our focus is on helping customers plan with better data and more lead time. We’re investing in tools and integrations that give them clearer visibility into material requirements earlier in the design process. The hope is that a more stable tariff environment next year will allow them to make the long-term sourcing and capital decisions required to keep the grid reliable and expand high-speed fiber networks.”