by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
every tax season, tax preparers are looking for new clients, and taxpayers are looking for tax preparers. it’s tempting to take on everybody who expresses interest. and it’s tempting to hold on to the troublemakers of last year. but some are too complicated, or too risky, to deal with.
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here are 10 types of clients best avoided even if it means culling your current client list.
1. the chronically late: clients who are consistently late with documents and information complicate your busy season and often extend it by weeks or months. when clients end up penalized, their tax preparer looks bad.
2. non-compliant clients: individuals or businesses who dodge tax laws, hide income, manipulate deductions or outright lie can jeopardize a cpa’s reputation and lead to the costs and complications of legal liability.
3. unrealistic expectations: clients who demand unreasonably low tax liabilities or refunds without legal grounds may create conflicts and ethical dilemmas. and they’re going to tell others that you didn’t serve them well.
4. clients with frequent auditor flags: taxpayers who engage in high-risk activities (e.g., excessive charitable deductions, business losses year after year) may invite irs audits. the irs might question the ethics of the preparer, too.
5. aggressive fee negotiators: clients who argue over fees or expect reduced rates belittle a tax professional’s expertise and cheapen the preparer’s reputation.
6. disorganized record-keepers: clients who provide incomplete or disorganized records can waste your time and cause you to make errors that you may be held accountable for.
7. non-payers: let somebody else have clients who consistently fail to pay or argue over every invoice. it costs less to cut them loose than to take them to court.
8. overly litigious clients: individuals or businesses prone to solving problems through legal action can pose significant professional and financial risks. the cpa might get sued, and even if not, suits against others may require cpa testimony or other participation.
9. high-risk industry clients: some industries, like cannabis or cryptocurrency trading, come with regulatory uncertainty and heightened scrutiny. they may also require a lot of research on the accountant’s part, not to mention extra legal protections.
10. emotionally draining clients: taxpayers who consistently vent, complain or act unprofessionally can cause stress and burnout for the cpa. unless you’re comfortable billing them for the time they’re in your ear, best let them find solace elsewhere.
the trick, of course, is to identify these clients before you take them on. one thing to ask them is who their former accountant was and how well they got along. and if you think a potential client might be one of the above, you’d best just ask them about it.