tax season

take the time to coach your tax staff

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two businessmen looking at documents

true tales about the busy season.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

your first role as ceo is chief strategist. that means putting the right people in the right roles with the right resources.

your second role is trainer and coach. this role is closely related to your role as chief strategist. you can’t put the right people in the right positions without the right people. this second role is about creating and keeping the right people.

more by frank stitely
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unfortunately, few of the people you hire will be the right people immediately. you have to grow them. they aren’t necessarily slackers or stupid. they have never worked in a forward-looking, well organized firm like yours. if you have made it this far through our discussions, you are well on your way to creating an extraordinary firm.
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picking up the phone helps retain tax clients

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businessman talking on phone in the office

personal touches matter.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are not numbers on a list that needs to be reduced. they are all individuals and consider themselves very important people and want professionals who treat them accordingly.

more by ed mendlowitz
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it is attitudinal and accountants must adopt that mindset and transmit that through to their culture. so you need to know when it’s essential to pick up the phone.
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tax refunds up 18% early on

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data chart

most other tallies are down by around 7 percent.

by beth bellor

once again, refunds are up and everything else is down in the world of individual income tax returns.

more: first tax filing reports are in
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at the close of the second week of tax season, the irs had received 23.6 million returns, down 7.7 percent from the same week in 2024. it had processed 23.5 million returns, down 7.6 percent, which includes returns received in 2024 or 2025 and processed this year.
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you don’t have time for every client question

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businessman with eyes closed, head on hands

not this time of year.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

a well-known practice management expert, whom i greatly respect, advises cpas to never tell clients that you don’t have time for them. i disagree with the never part. you know how it starts. on march 25th, the call comes in.

“i know you’re busy but …”

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a request follows that could most certainly wait until after tax season. you are hip deep reviewing all the personal tax returns that got stuck in process while you climbed out of the march 15th corporate tax ditch.

“i need to know if i’m paying unemployment taxes to the right states. i think i should be paying taxes to the people’s republic of california, but i’m not. i’ve been paying unemployment taxes to uzbekistan instead.”
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tax preparers share advice for your clients

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man and woman at table in client meeting

help them prepare for what’s to come.

join the busy season barometer. get the results.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

accountants sound worried. when the 2025 busy season barometer survey asked if anyone had advice on how small businesses should prepare for the next 12-18 months, almost half took the time to respond.

more barometer: staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns | tax pros gear up for a better busy season
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here’s a list of some of the more meaningful responses. which would apply to your clients? which should you share with them?

___ figure out which labor-intensive functions they can automate asap. (andrew schwartz)

___ take advantage of near-term opportunities with post-tax cuts and jobs act legislation (as they become clearer) and provide services/planning for more probable changes in taxes/economy for 3-5 year, 5-10 year and 10 year+ timeframes. (anthony aleta) read more →

cut down your tax work in progress

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bonus: it’s cheaper than adding capacity.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

want to increase profitability and client retention? manage projects effectively.

if you don’t have these measures, get them, or turn in your ceo title. if, as a value pricer, you’ve sworn off practice metrics based on productivity, you’ll learn nothing from this article. you just don’t have the numbers. mark cuban is on hold waiting to yell at you.

more by frank stitely
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there are only three ways to increase client happiness and thus increase retention:

  1. lower your prices
  2. decrease the turnaround time for client work
  3. increase quality

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staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns

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bar chart

 

small businesses are advised to prepare for change.

join the busy season barometer. get the results

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if you think we’re in for a year of stability and calm, you haven’t been paying attention.

whether you think the nation and the world are moving in the right direction or the wrong, one thing we can all agree on is: we’re in for some change.join the survey

more: more than 1 million erc claims still not processed | art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | art werner: beneficial ownership and control | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

if you need details on that, consider yourself lucky. return to your cave and go back to sleep.

on the other hand, if you’re an accountant, you need to stay awake, monitor the political-economic-financial situation and keep your clients advised. they need you now more than ever.
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more than 1 million erc claims still not processed

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line and bar chart

fraud didn’t help, but it’s not to blame for all of the delays.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

congress established the employee retention credit to help businesses survive the covid-19 pandemic. the program saved a lot of companies – as evidenced by today’s buoyant economy – but many employers filed fraudulent or otherwise ineligible claims.

how many? at one point, the irs said that tax professionals were estimating that 95 percent of claims that came to them were ineligible. the professionals blamed “promoters” who were aggressively pushing people to apply regardless of the rules.

more: art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

in fairness to the employers claiming the tax credit, the rules were very nuanced, complex and hard to understand. while some of the claims were intentionally fraudulent, many were innocently ignorant of their ineligibility.
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tax pros see better year for those close to home

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young man facing image of himself

nationally … they’re not so sure.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpas, enrolled agents and other tax practitioners are always on the front line of the economy. with offices in tens of thousands of locations across the country, they know who’s making money and who’s struggling.

according to early results from the 2025 busy season barometer, accountants have completely reversed their 2024 predictions for the economy.

more: art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | art werner: beneficial ownership and control | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs | ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals | cornerstone report
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

a mirror image

what a difference a year can make. look how the numbers have switched places, almost as if in a mirror image.
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