outlook & analysis

tax pros file 33% of early returns

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table of irs filing data for week ending feb. 2, 2024

a shorter season to date makes comparisons difficult.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the internal revenue service has fired up the machinery and begun cranking out tax returns. and so begins our annual ritual of tracking how well they do that.

all of the initial figures are double-digit down, largely because of seven days’ fewer collections. the 2023 filing season began on jan. 23 vs. 2024’s jan. 29, so 2023 totals cover 12 days as opposed to this season’s five days.

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accounting jobs back on the rise

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line chart
overall accounting profession employment

 

tax prep is an exception.

by beth bellor

the accounting profession has regained some ground in the most recent jobs data available to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. there are 1,162,100 people employed in the field, up 4,400 or 0.4 percent for the month and 30,400 or 2.7 percent for the year. the figure is just 1,200 shy of the record set in july.

 

more: staff wages hit record high | despite staffing crunch, firms freeze pay raises | tax & accounting firms grow for 9th straight month | tax & accounting profession grows, but wages don’t | tax and accounting pay advancing at 5.9% pace | accounting jobs up 4% for year
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nationally, overall employment – total nonfarm payroll – increased by 216,000 the same month, pegging unemployment at 3.7 percent. professional and business services added 13,000.

accountants are putting in 36.2 hours weekly – the highest mark since october 2022 – up half an hour or 1.4 percent for the month and 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the year.
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ten irs problems that need solutions

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unhappy man waiting on phone in office

how good is better than terrible?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

every year, america’s national taxpayer advocate – in recent years it’s been erin m. collins – presents an annual report to congress. the report identifies successes and failures of and recommendations for the internal revenue service.

more: treasury ig sees progress at irs | vcs plunk $60 million into ai-powered ‘autonomous’ tax prep | tax pros are expanding and earning more | with fresh funding, irs shows service improvements | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks | top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data
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this year’s report praises the irs for its progress since the worst of the covid-19 pandemic, but it finds plenty of room for improvement.

“the year 2023 was one of extraordinary transition for the irs and therefore for taxpayers,” collins writes. “despair has turned to cautious optimism.”
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firms offer advice about cas

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man with six arms handling various aspects of business

can’t find staff? focus on technology … and other suggestions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

client accounting services is a bold, new world in the accounting industry, so no surprise we’re getting a lot of good advice from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends survey.

more cas survey: ten+ ways firms prefer (and prefer not) to market cas | survey: the cas pricing problem | cas challenge: no staff, no services | cas ‘one-stop shop’ means steady clientele | accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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if 59 percent of firms are offering some form of cas, that means 41 percent aren’t even though most (but not all) the 59 percent are saying go for it … but be careful.

asap… but

while one respondent says, “dive in, there is plenty of need out there,” and another just says, “do it asap,” most others recommend some forethought and planning.
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is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline?

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older woman showing young woman something on office computer screen

maybe a flip in perception is in order: 150 hours as an investment, not a burden.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the accounting profession is in trouble. big trouble.

cpa firms experience the problem as a difficulty in finding certified professionals. but the real problem is in the personnel pipeline that feeds the industry, the long, hard, expensive process of becoming a cpa.

more: can big data spot financial fraud? | will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility? | accountants bullish on income | which niche’s the best niche? | ethics on sustainability puzzle some accountants | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai | survey respondents see exciting year coming up | the 7 categories of cybersecurity solutions firms need
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to continue the metaphor, it’s also the drain pipe – the increasing flow of professionals out of cpa firms and into retirement. in 2020, 75 percent of cpas became eligible to hang up their green eyeshades and find something else to do, such as get to know their families and experience the pleasures of daylight.
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ten+ ways firms prefer (and prefer not) to market cas

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bar chart

one point of concern: who’s doing the marketing?

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 outlook 2024: opportunities, emerging issues and trends survey is bringing to light an array of marketing strategies that cpa firms are using to promote their client accounting services.

more cas survey: survey: the cas pricing problem | cas challenge: no staff, no services | cas ‘one-stop shop’ means steady clientele | accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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nine strategies are mentioned by at least a few of the early survey respondents.
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survey: the cas pricing problem

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bar chart

accountants grapple with how to value insight and advice.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

one of the biggest challenges to offering client accounting services (cas) isn’t offering the actual services; it’s figuring out how and how much to charge for them.

more cas survey: cas challenge: no staff, no services | cas ‘one-stop shop’ means steady clientele | accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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when the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities and trends asked what’s most tough about cas, finding and training staff ranks #1, of course, for 30 percent of respondents. but pricing cas services was close behind for 29.2 percent.
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cas challenge: no staff, no services

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bar chart

demand isn’t a problem, but supply might be.

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 outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities and trends survey asks 23 questions about client accounting services. early results clearly reveal certain emerging issues:

more cas survey: cas ‘one-stop shop’ means steady clientele | accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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  • a majority of cpa firms (59 percent) now offer cas, and a lot more (21 percent) may soon join them.
  • a sizable portion of clients want these services.
  • staff shortages and training are the biggest challenge (for 30 percent) and biggest obstacle (for 44 percent) to offering cas.

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will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility?

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man placing box on desk to move into new job, with to coworkers in background

changing the 150-hour requirement could have unintended consequences.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the day-to-day of the cpa may be grueling at times, but one thing makes the day a little easier – the facility of mobility.

not only can a cpa with a driver’s license in one state drive in other states, but in most cases, they can practice their profession in other states, too. if you’re licensed to practice in one state, you’re good to go in every other state except, coincidentally, the one you can’t drive to.

more: accountants cozy up to clients with cas | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | are you offering the right services? | 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | talent gap widening: be very scared | looking for recent grads? good luck
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practice mobility is crucial in a business system that often as not transcends state borders, and it’s even more important as professionals work remotely, sitting in one state while practicing in another.
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cas ‘one-stop shop’ means steady clientele

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bar chartaccountants share which niches offer the best new opportunities.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

how do you measure success in client accounting services?

more cas survey: accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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almost half of early respondents to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities and trends survey define success as that glorious moment when they become a one-stop shop for their clients.
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tax & accounting firms to see more consolidation

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illustration of business negotiation with paperwork, puzzle pieces

also: next gen leadership will rise.

by jennifer wilson
the rosenberg map survey

editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?

unless there’s another round of vaccines, we’ll see more covid-19 disruption as colder weather forces more firm activities indoors. more consolidation will happen as more firm leaders feel pressure to move their problems to a larger firm and the megafirms feel more pressure to keep up with the joneses and absorb more.

more: 2024 outlook: ‘specialization is the future’ | remote work will see cuts; pe will trickle down | tech, capital will drive accounting profession growth | ‘great shakeup’ in cpa firms on the way | pe, consolidations to keep impacting accounting profession | soft skills are front and center
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at some point, perhaps longer than 12 months from now, one or more of the superconsolidators is going to falter. more than likely is some significant service failures as their lack of integration and acculturation drives turnover and a talent shortage beyond what they’re able to rescue. i hope this doesn’t happen, but it feels like some of these firms are facing a perfect storm of financial performance and growth expectations, high client demand, capacity issues and a less unified, disorganized leadership apparatus unable to respond to these challenges.
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2024 outlook: ‘specialization is the future’

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man holding pen touching the word "specialization" floating in air with symbols

audit troubles meet staffing shortages; uh-oh.

by carrie steffen
the rosenberg map survey

editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?

there are a couple of interesting stories on the horizon. first is the public company accounting oversight board’s crackdown on audit deficiencies and how that will play out vs. a push to ease some of the requirements to become a cpa.

more: remote work will see cuts; pe will trickle down | three ways firms can succeed in 2024 | new energy comes from new ways of doing business | ai for accounting automation will be significant | a 40-hour workweek is feasible | it’s time for a new business model
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with a perception of the quality of audits declining and the number of cpa candidates dropping, how will the profession reconcile the pressure to improve quality with fewer people to do the work and the proposed solution of lowering the threshold to become a cpa?
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accountants cozy up to clients with cas

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bar chartsurvey respondents tell us what their clients want from cas that they don’t get from other services.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

accountants are using client accounting services (cas) to get closer to their clients, according to early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities and trends survey.

more: accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | accountants bullish on income | cpas culling clients for better work-life balance | are you offering the right services? | which niche’s the best niche? | 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages
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the survey doesn’t exactly ask about cas leading to a closer relationship with clients, but responses to various questions indicate just such a result.
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