tax season

tax filing season 2016 ends on positive notes

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chart of irs statistics for week ending april 22, 2016.
[click for larger image]

pros handled 58 percent of e-filings.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

after weeks of falling statistics, the 2016 filing season closed on positives in every category but one – the profession’s market share slipped another percentage point this year.

more on tax season: most tax season filing stats down | tax pros preparing 58 percent of e-filings | tax filing trends remain steady | refunds top $200 billion mark | tax filings, processing remain slower | pros lose ground in e-filing | tax questions up, filings down

there were 136.53 million individual income tax returns filed by april 22, with the april 18 deadline falling within that week. the total returns received were up 1.7 percent from 2015. total returns processed numbered 129.46 million, up 0.9 percent. that puts the processing rate to date at 94.8 percent.

e-filing receipts totaled 122.55 million, up 2.6 percent. tax professionals prepared 70.86 million, up 0.5 percent, and 51.68 million were self-prepared, up 5.7 percent.

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most tax season filing stats down

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chart of irs filing statistics for week ending april 15, 2016
[click for larger image]

pros still favored over self-preparation among e-filers.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

with only days left in the 2016 tax filing season, virtually every statistic remained down from last season.

more on filings: tax pros preparing 58 percent of e-filings | tax filing trends remain steady | refunds top $200 billion mark | tax filings, processing remain slower | pros lose ground in e-filing | tax questions up, filings down

as of april 15, the irs had received 124.62 million individual income tax returns, down 5.8 percent. it had processed 119.92 million, down 4.9 percent. the processing rate for 2016 stands at 96.2 percent.
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tax pros preparing 58 percent of e-filings

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chart of irs data for week ending april 8.
[click for larger view.]

more than 97 percent of individual filed returns have been processed.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the tax season is groaning to a close and that is reflected in the slowing of most 2016 filing season statistics.

more on individual filings: tax filing trends remain steady | refunds top $200 billion mark | tax filings, processing remain slower | pros lose ground in e-filing | tax questions up, filings down

the irs had received 107.45 million individual income tax returns as of april 8, down 3 percent from the same period last year. it had processed 104.53 million returns, down 3.2 percent.
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tax season 2016: turning id theft from a problem into an opportunity

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identity theft on the web with credit cards and social security

31% report problems, making it one of the top three issues of the 2016 season. but can accountants turn the problem into a new opportunity?

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

with identity theft emerging as one of the biggest problems for tax preparers, their clients, and their friends at the internal revenue service, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 is asking how to turn that problem into an opportunity.

more on tax season for pro members:  accountants speak out on politics and the economy  |  lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  3 ways to save time during busy season  |  most tax professionals call 2016 busy season much improved over last year | stress less this tax season  |  is tax season the new fraud season?  |  5 tax season motivation tips  |  recognize your tax season resources  |  tax season 2016: irs in crisis  |  eliminate tax season excuses  |  record pre-season hiring surge: ready for biggest tax season ever?  |  16 qualities of a good tax season client

after all, security costs money. if clients are made aware that the danger is real, maybe they could be willing to pay a little more if they know their tax preparer is spending resources on security. it might also be an opportunity for practitioners to offer their it expertise or it partners to help clients secure their systems. it would be a win-win-lose situation for practitioners, clients, and hackers, respectively. and even if better security doesn’t translate to better revenues, it’s always a good selling point. clients need to know of the danger and preparers’ efforts to counter it.

still, it’s a problem for the practitioners we’re canvassing even when it doesn’t happen, mostly because of the cost and inconvenience of prevention efforts.

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tax filing trends remain steady

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chart of irs filing statistics through april 1, 2016
[click for larger image]

pros handling about 57 percent of filings.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

same song, yet another verse in individual tax filings.

related: refunds top $200 billion mark | tax filings, processing remain slower | pros lose ground in e-filing | tax questions up, filings down

refunds are up a hair, self-preparers rise while tax pros lose ground, and people still like visiting the irs website better than ever.
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accountants speak out on politics and the economy

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join the survey; get the results
join the survey; get the results

government gridlock, partisan politics, and no good choices.

next question: the economic outlook
join the survey; get the results

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

cpas are respected and renowned for their impartiality. they can look at the facts and make critical judgments. moreover, they tend to be intelligent and informed. they read books, magazines, and newspapers. they know what’s going on, especially when it relates to business and the economy.

more on tax season for pro members:  lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  3 ways to save time during busy season  |  most tax professionals call 2016 busy season much improved over last year | stress less this tax season  |  is tax season the new fraud season?  |  5 tax season motivation tips  |  recognize your tax season resources  |  tax season 2016: irs in crisis  |  eliminate tax season excuses  |  record pre-season hiring surge: ready for biggest tax season ever?  |  16 qualities of a good tax season client

so when cpas opine on politics, they are worth listening to.

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lessons learned from a bad busy season

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卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer
join the survey; get the results

6 ways to fix the biggest problems.

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season survey
next question: accountants’ economic outlook
join the survey; get the results

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

we must have struck a chord in our article on the large number of firms suffering through a busy season worse than last year’s, a dreadful depth of bad. several cpas and tax preparers chimed in with comments, most of them constructive.

more on tax season for pro members:   3 ways to save time during busy season  |  most tax professionals call 2016 busy season much improved over last year | stress less this tax season  |  is tax season the new fraud season?  |  5 tax season motivation tips  |  recognize your tax season resources  |  tax season 2016: irs in crisis  |  eliminate tax season excuses  |  record pre-season hiring surge: ready for biggest tax season ever?  |  16 qualities of a good tax season client

from the discussion, we’ve gleaned six client management techniques that should be in practice at almost any firm.

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refunds top $200 billion mark

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chart of irs data for week ending march 25
[click for larger image]

tax pros hold edge while direct deposit rules.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

refunds to individual income tax filers topped the $200 billion mark as the 2016 filing season entered its final month.

the internal revenue service had received 89.41 million individual returns by march 25, down 0.9 percent from the same time in 2015. it had processed 86.91 million of those returns, down 1.6 percent. while slowing, that’s still a 97.2 percent processing rate.
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9 key elements for growth, success

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five office workers use ladder and one person's shoulders to direct long red arrow to trend upwardput them to work for you.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

what is needed for growth and success?

more on tax season: six directions for your life and your business | how to think like an entrepreneur | 40 other services your tax clients should know about | eliminate tax season excuses | 16 qualities of a good tax season client | small tax season leaks can cause great damage | when ‘quick and easy’ tax season research isn’t | 11 clear client instructions to make your tax season easier | have fun this tax season

all these elements are essential:
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six directions for your life and your business

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attractive young woman drawing a picture portrait sketch of herselfit’s time to choose.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

is your practice satisfying?

more on tax season: how to think like an entrepreneur | imagine starting with a clean slate | two questions to ask yourself – before clients or staff do | 40 other services your tax clients should know about | eliminate tax season excuses | 16 qualities of a good tax season client | 5 ways thorough beats sloppy in tax season | when ‘quick and easy’ tax season research isn’t | consistency simplifies tax season

do you like it the way it is, or do you want it to develop and grow? some people like the way things are and don’t care about change.
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tax filings, processing remain slower

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join the survey. get the results.
join the survey. get the results.

tax pros hold the edge in e-filings, but still on the decline.

next question: accountants’ election year economic outlook
join the survey. be the first to see the answers.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the irs continues to grind through individual income tax returns nearly as quickly as it receives them, with about 97.2 percent completion.

related: irs user fees may boost preparers | problem clients are causing big trouble | more health care headaches | the future as the irs sees it | get set for refund delays at irs

for the week ending march 18, 81.96 million returns had been received, down 0.4 percent from the same period last year. of those, 79.63 million had been processed, down 1 percent.
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how to think like an entrepreneur

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young black woman sitting in front of laptop looking thoughtfulask yourself these questions.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

accountants and tax practitioners are entrepreneurs. this means their practice needs to be run as a business with sound business decisions being made.

more on tax season: imagine starting with a clean slate | know your value | 41 checkpoints for business tax returns | 40 other services your tax clients should know about | top 12 tax return preparation errors

these decisions need to be made in the context of

  • growing the business,
  • adding processes and controls and
  • making greater profit

1. do you consider yourself an entrepreneur? read more →

underfunded, understaffed: irs gives up on vetting 1023-ez not-for-profit applications

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1023 ez 2verify now or suffer later.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

news alert! the internal revenue service is a big mess. its budget cut by congress, it’s underfunded. underfunded, it’s having trouble providing services to its constituents.

related: busy season 2016: irs user fees may boost preparers | busy season 2016: problem clients are causing big trouble | busy season 2016: more health care headaches | the future as the irs sees it | get set for refund delays at irs

call them on the phone? forget about it.
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