outlook & analysis

payroll leads job gains in tax & accounting sector

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line chart
overall accounting profession employment

 

everyone is earning more this month, and most downs are slight.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the tax and accounting profession is not a bad place for job seekers, it seems. a new analysis by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 shows a lot of up notes, including some in the double digits.

more on jobs: let interns fix the staffing shortage? | accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally | accounting hiring hits another high | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | 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
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new highs are coming in:

  • the accounting profession overall
  • staff earnings
  • payroll staff
  • payroll staff earnings
  • women overall and in cpa firms

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disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis?

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disruptors wiley, deshayes, satterley, etienne, penczak and vanover offer their takes on staffing in the accounting profession.

by amy welch

in a post-pandemic gig economy, the rest of the world laments the staffing crisis. however, while the solutions may not be easy, they seem to be pretty simple.  

follow the disruptors here

more thought leaders: james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill more | karen reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusion | bill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid work | sandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow | jody padar: build a practice that works for you, not vice-versa | ira rosenbloom: with m&a, nobody wants a fixer-upper | peter margaritis: the power skills every accountant needs | joe montgomery: find the sweet spot of the right clients, right services and right prices | marie green: your bad apples are ruining you | megan genest tarnow: hire for curiosity rather than compliance | clayton oates: one way to keep clients for life |

goprocpa.com exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 disruptors one-on-one interview series with liz farr, some of the profession’s most innovative thinkers suggest solutions ranging from re-examining your firm’s culture to tapping into two-year colleges for new talent. here, several weigh in on what they see as the potential answers to one of the most troubling issues in the accounting profession.

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on a mission: introducing accounting, reaction, comedy

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accountants on a mission: accounting, reaction, and maybe a little fun.

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: apple, google, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, gaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

accounting arc 
with donny shimamoto, liz mason, and byron patrick
center for accounting transformation

in a universe where financial chaos threatens to overwhelm even the bravest souls, our trio of accounting change agents emerge to restore order, one ledger at a time. these stewards of integrity are uniting to serve the integrated ecosystem of families, businesses, and communities and aligning their efforts to unlock the power of the accounting profession with their unique blend of wit, wisdom, and, yes, a dash of comedy.

more: harper & co. cpas: the perspective of a non-accountant is imperative | menlo innovations: improve office culture by overhauling internal reviews | dustin wheeler: for serious cas success, hire tech teams | chase birky: overcoming paralysis by analysis |

goprocpa.com exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in the inaugural episode, our agents pull back the curtain to reveal the origins of their financial prowess. delve into the captivating backstories as they share their personal journeys, unveil the driving forces behind their decision to become accounting professionals, and what led them to seek and find ways to improve the world.

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tax refunds up about 4%

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data table

visits to irs.gov top half a billion.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the tax season has overcome its later start, with all the irs’ weekly markers surpassing 2023 figures except for the total numbers of refunds and direct deposit refunds.

more: tax pros own 53% of e-filings | tax stats still playing catchup | tax pros take the edge in e-filings | tax pros gain ground, and diyers maintain lead | tax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as of april 12, the latest data available, the agency had received 119.6 million individual income tax returns, up 1.9 percent from the same period one year ago. it had processed 118.1 million returns, up 1.7 percent.
read more →

cpa profession facing more battles across the country

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disputes revolve around required hours, definitions and “substantial equivalency.”

by steven sacks
the new fundamentals: thriving in disruption

of all the states whose legislature has run amok this past year, the florida legislature passed house bill 813 – certified public accountants – by both the florida house and senate. this bill creates a new “retired status” license category for cpas. the legislation will now be sent to gov. ron desantis for consideration for being signed into law.

more: 150 hours revisted: the profession needs a makeover | how do you value your most important asset? | which is better: a year of education or a year of experience? | sell service, not hours | private equity vs. the cpa firm partnership | cas or caas? getting clarity | fine-tuning the subscription fee model | when cyber-crime hits close to home | how to build a winning proposal | six ways to fix your firm agreement
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

according to the florida institute of cpas ceo, the thinking behind this is to “… uphold retired cpas’ profound sense of pride and accomplishment and preserve their professional identity.” however, they cannot reflect to the public that they have an active license because many believe the public thinks that if you have “cpa” after your name, you have an active license. if an individual wants to return to public practice, they can complete 80 hours of cpe every two years as part of renewing their license.

read more →

accountants’ advice: be careful, quick, creative … and lean

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businessman giving advice to female coworker

survey respondents look beyond tax season.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

just about every small business has an accountant, and smart business owners tap their accountant not just for tax prep but for general business advice.

and smart accountants offer smart advice. because what’s good for the client is good for the accountant.

more: seven steps to a stronger future | accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally | firms culling clients as staffing woes persist | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer has harvested quite a bit of smart advice with an open-ended question about the best advice for small businesses.

responses bounced all over the business ballpark, but a lot of them warned of change and economic turbulence.
read more →

seven steps to a stronger future

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six people in business clothing lined up at start of athletic track

fees and business lines of course, but what about an operations person?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the aicpa’s national management of an accounting practice (map) survey took a good look at a lot of data – revenues and profits, staff turnover and professional salaries, services and fees.

more: accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally | top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing | revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | survey: are you offering the right services?
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and then, toward the end, it says, “but all the data in the universe won’t do you any good if you don’t do something with it.”

it then calls on cpa firms to evolve if they want to survive and thrive through seismic shifts in technology and marketing.
read more →

tax stats still playing catchup

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data tablerefund numbers are down but amounts are up.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the end is in sight. documents are signed, buttons are pushed and tax returns are filed. the pile is growing smaller.

if you want optimism, don’t look at the latest internal revenue statistics. with the 2023 filing season opening jan. 23 and the 2024 season kicking off jan. 29, every week of 2024 reporting has seven fewer days of data than the corresponding period the previous year.

more: tax pros take the edge in e-filings | tax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as of the latest report, for march 22, the irs had received 80.5 million individual income tax returns and processed 79.2 million returns, down 0.3 percent and 1.4 percent respectively from last year. the impact on your firm? dare we say, none?

perhaps you’ve been the beneficiary of another stat, though … the one showing tax professionals gaining ever more ground on the self-preparers.
read more →

accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally

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one-quarter of accountants see trouble ahead for the source of their bread and butter.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the trendlines 2024 busy season barometer is unearthing a perplexing paradox.

it seems that most cpas think their firm and their clients will do better this year – or at least no worse than last year, which itself was a pretty good year.

more: top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing | auditing standards ‘yellow book’ updated | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | 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?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

at the same time, they tend to see things getting worse for the national economy and small businesses in general.

what’s going on?
read more →

top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing

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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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

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

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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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

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

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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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

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 →

tax pros take the edge in e-filings

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data table

refunds up 5+ percent.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the machine that is the internal revenue service keeps clicking along. as of march 15, the irs had received 71.6 million individual income tax returns, down 0.4 percent from the same period in 2023, and had processed 70.6 million, down 1.2 percent.

more: tax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

e-filings

electronic filings totaled 69.5 million, down 0.3 percent.
read more →