top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing

two hands on keyboard, two hands doing other work with calculator

the causative difference? look at the amount of work delegated downward.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the aicpa’s 2023 national management of an accounting practice (map) survey has detected some of what distinguishes firms that stand out as top performers.

the survey defines top performers as the top 25 percent of firms based on net remaining per partner.

more: business booming, but not as much as last year | busy season barometer offers clues for better business | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | can’t irs online accounts be more useful? | taxpayer assistance centers: a good idea that should be better | tax pros are expanding and earning more
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more, more, more

what makes a cpa firm a top performer? in a nutshell, more:

  • more leverage of partner expertise
  • more culling of clients
  • more cpas in the firm

read more →

business booming, but not as much as last year

how does your firm compare?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if the early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends hold true through april, this will be a pretty good year for the vast majority of accountants and tax practitioners – not quite as good as last year, but still, pretty good.

more: busy season barometer offers clues for better business | tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist | irs still falling short on service | eight ways the irs can speed up processing tax returns | treasury ig sees progress at irs | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks
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despite difficulties finding staff and professionals, 45 percent of respondents say they have increased their client list by at least 5 percent. (last year, it was 65 percent.)

in fact, 14 percent have seen an increase of over 10 percent. good, but not as good as last year’s 22 percent.
read more →

busy season barometer offers clues for better business

workers in busy office

take a tip from a peer.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends is more than just a survey of the state of the industry at cpa firms across the nation. it also offers clues to what firms are doing to make the busy season better, easier and more profitable.

the clues are in the comments – open-ended answers where practitioners tell us what they’re doing, how they’re feeling and where they’re going.

more: tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist
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one of the best questions is “what are you doing differently this year?” each answer reflects an attempt to make the best of a stressful situation – the annual tax season.

here are a few quotes to think about, categorized by how well various respondents’ seasons are going this year. each is an idea that might make your year better.
read more →

auditing standards ‘yellow book’ updated

words "time for an update" on clock face

the changes are more than just technical.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

america has a wealth of governments. they’re all over the place. municipal governments. county governments. parishes, boroughs, villages, hamlets. special purpose local governments. school districts, fire districts, tax districts. independent authorities, tribal councils and councils of governments. state governments, territorial governments and, of course, the big one in washington, district of columbia, with its thousands of branches, arms and agencies.

love them or hate them, there they are. tens of thousands of governments. and they all have one thing in common: they need to be audited.

more: firms culling clients as staffing woes persist | revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | can big data spot financial fraud? | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | survey: are you offering the right services? | survey: 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | talent gap widening: be very scared
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or, to put it another way, they need auditors.

being governments, their accounting and auditing standards are different from those of nongovernmental entities.
read more →

firms culling clients as staffing woes persist

man in suit exiting office building

others tap outsourcing, training clerical staff as solutions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends are showing a painfully persistent problem with staff shortages, though it seems the hardship may have improved a bit since last year.

more: revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | are accountants charging too little? | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline?
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this year, like last year, survey respondents are reporting staffing as the second most common concern. last year, it was reported by 47 percent, almost tied with the main concern: late or unprepared clients.

this year, uncooperative clients still rank first, at 50 percent, but staffing concerns have dropped to 37 percent.
read more →

revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news

financial graph on blackboard

technology is key for competitive advantage.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the 2024 accounting industry report from wolters kluwer cuts through a lot of the underbrush of sentiments and anecdotal evidence about the state of the accounting business today. backed by statistical data, the report presents a some significant truths about the state of the industry.

more: compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | are accountants charging too little? | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline? | accountants cozy up to clients with cas | survey: cpas culling clients for better work-life balance | women-owned businesses upbeat but need help | accountants to the rescue as startups struggle | looking for recent grads? good luck | what the corporate transparency act means for accountants | understanding the full cost of a data breach | why the u.s. must act now to protect our online privacy
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and the general state is good. most firms are growing, profitability is up, new services are surging, and serious practices are making efforts to improve the quality of client experience.

here are some of the most notable facts.
read more →

compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff?

young woman seated at laptop counting money

people are leaving the profession. more money is one solution.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the aicpa’s 2023 national management of an accounting practice (map) survey came up with an odd statistic. kind of hard to believe until you get the context.

the finding: the median employee turnover rate across all cpa firms is … 0 percent.

yes, that’s a zero.

more: are accountants charging too little? | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | can big data spot financial fraud? | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | survey: are you offering the right services? | survey: 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | talent gap widening: be very scared | cpa biz is booming, but for how long? | the 7 categories of cybersecurity solutions firms need
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but wait. a median, as they say, is only half the story.

the bigger story – the broader context – is that more than half the responding practices had zero turnover, so the median fell at zero percent. but that goose egg doesn’t reflect the reality of firms at the other side of the spectrum.
read more →

tax practitioners say happy days are here … again

bar chart
seventy percent report as good or better year than last year.

 

for most, anyway.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the first results of the 2024 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends are in, and so far, halfway into the tax season, accountants and tax practitioners are reporting another pretty good year.

that’s two in a row!

more: the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | the nightmare of non-credentialed tax preparers | tax pros are expanding and earning more
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last year, 58 percent of survey respondents said their year was much better or somewhat better than 2022, which, as you may recall, had been a rather rotten year.

so when only 32 percent of this year’s contributors say this season is better than 2023, it doesn’t mean fewer are having a good year. it means almost a third are reporting a year better than a good year.
read more →

are accountants charging too little?

pensive woman staring while surrounded by various denominations of floating currency

size matters in partner income. (aicpa map)

hourly billing on the decline but still holding on.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

by all indications,  cpa firms are outperforming the general economy by a very satisfying margin.

but are they charging enough?

more: chatgpt for the reluctant cpa | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | survey shows that tech remains the great divide | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline? | can big data spot financial fraud? | will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility? | accountants cozy up to clients with cas | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | accountants bullish on income
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all categories of median net fees show substantial increases from 2021 to 2023 in the latest aicpa national management of an accounting practice survey:

  • net client fees leaped up 24 percent.
  • net client fees earned since prior year: up 15 percent.

read more →

chatgpt for the reluctant accountant

two men looking at a computer screen

getting started is fast and easy.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

artificial intelligence has a lot in store for the accounting industry. ai is still in its infancy, but it’s also ready to start helping any cpa firm, even the low-tech solo shop.

more: cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | survey shows that tech remains the great divide | can big data spot financial fraud? | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai | the 7 categories of cybersecurity solutions firms need | research: accounting pros cautiously optimistic about generative ai | how auditors can beat ai
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you can start right now. you don’t need to invest anything other than the few minutes it takes to register to use chatgpt at chat.openai.com. it’s free. you can ask a question, and an astonishingly poignant and detailed answer will appear within seconds.

and there you are, on the cusp of 21st-century technology.
read more →

cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai

bar chart
which areas of your business would you expect to be the most and the least affected by artificial intelligence?

 

privacy, intellectual property concern many survey respondents.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

small businesses are getting more comfortable with artificial intelligence, according to a survey-based report from freshbooks.

“small business owners are less convinced that ai is coming for their jobs and/or the jobs of their employees,” the report says, “with two-thirds disagreeing that ai will replace them.”

more: revenue growth is top priority for small firms | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | survey shows that tech remains the great divide | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline? | can big data spot financial fraud? | will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility? | accountants bullish on income | 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai
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still, in a bit of a contradiction, 44 percent of owners say they expect to hire fewer people in the future thanks to expected ai capabilities. and the larger the business, the more likely they will use ai to reduce payroll.
read more →

revenue growth is top priority for small firms

bar charts

cost reduction? that’s on the list, too.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

as in years past, cpa firms of all sizes are putting revenue growth at the top of their priority lists.

the rest of their priority lists tells how they plan to get there.

more: survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | survey shows that tech remains the great divide | will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility? | accountants bullish on income | survey: which niche’s the best niche? | ethics on sustainability puzzle some accountants | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai
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according to the wolters kluwer 2024 accounting industry report, 61 percent of responding firms – 90 percent of which are small firms – are primarily aiming at higher revenues and profits. that’s 11 percentage points above secondary goals.
read more →

survey shows challenges, priorities shifting

two worried businesspeople having coffee and looking at computer

top concerns vary widely by firm size.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpa firms small, midsized and large are facing new challenges and reorganizing their priorities as they shake off the aftereffects of the covid-19 pandemic.

according to the wolters kluwer 2024 accounting industry report, based on a survey of 1,509 accounting firms, pricing and competitive fee pressures are the overall biggest challenges firms are dealing with. the pressure is most prominent at small firms, which comprised 90 percent of the survey respondents. forty percent of those smaller firms said it was their top concern.

more: survey shows that tech remains the great divide | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline? | accountants cozy up to clients with cas cpas culling clients for better work-life balance | women-owned businesses upbeat but need help | accountants to the rescue as startups struggle | looking for recent grads? good luck
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this is the first time pricing has ranked among the top five challenges since 2015.

pricing ranked third among large firms, 39 percent of which said it was a problem.
read more →