e-filing by tax pros slows for third straight week

after a fast start at the beginning of the season, the pace of e-filing by tax professionals continues to brake, compared with the same time last year. but the number of do-it-yourselfers is growing briskly.

irs statistics for week ending march 6, 2015

related: have fun this tax season! | tax preparation fees: the national averages [infographic] | irs form 3115: a sin and a travesty | how to get paid faster this tax season | accountants see solid business gains in 2015 | as market share slips away, accountants look beyond the 1040 | irs emerges as major tax season competitor | tax pros losing market share to self-filers

tax professionals e-filed over 33.4 million returns through march 6, 2015, down 4 percent from the over 34.8 million returns e-filed by the same time in 2014. read more →

tax pro e-filing is holding steady

the irs has processed more than 97 percent of returns received.

tax professionals e-filed over 23.7 million returns through feb. 20, 2015, down 3.9 percent from the nearly 24.7 million returns e-filed by the same time in 2014.

related: have fun this tax season! | tax preparation fees: the national averages [infographic] | irs form 3115: a sin and a travesty | how to get paid faster this tax season | accountants see solid business gains in 2015 | as market share slips away, accountants look beyond the 1040 | irs emerges as major tax season competitor | tax pros losing market share to self-filers

read more →

six steps for a better tax season

how some smart firms spent their summer vacations…

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

a new busy season is fast approaching and vacation season is coming to an end. but some firms haven’t been taking time off. they’ve been assessing the lessons from the 2014 busy season to apply to 2015.

more on the entrepreneurial accountant: 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z   •   5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm   •   3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting   •   the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today   •   get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things   •   what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients   •   create your “not-to-do’s” list   •   irs bitcoin rule: 5 things accountants need to know   •   tax season tips: train your brain to focus   •   what the bitcoin phenomenon means for accountants   •   overcoming your clients’ worst fears   •   5 tech tips for reigniting growth   •   a case study in using linkedin   •   accountants and six fundamental human needs   •   client satisfaction starts with ‘likeability’   •   why accounting? your clients want to know   •   what’s next: predictive accounting

here are six of the things that the most innovative firms have been doing. and no, they aren’t what you might necessarily expect. read more →

new survey findings: tax season price wars

accountants scramble as competition surges for bread-and-butter tax work.
join the survey; get the results.

_top 10 tax season issues

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

pricing and fee pressures are surging as the hot-button issues this tax season, according to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer.

to be sure, late or unprepared clients remain the single biggest issue, with 48% of more than 500 practitioners surveyed in february citing it, followed by tardy 1099s and k1s at 35%. those metrics are little changed from last february.

but this year, 31% of practitioners are complaining about pricing and fee pressures, which is triple the year-ago 10% figure.

related research
is the tax prep business topping out?  the number of filings by tax professionals appears to have slowed or even reversed.
tax season metrics shift for the better:   key indicators point to a better 2014 than 2013.
practitioners plot fee-pressure countermeasures:  competitors vie for clients on price and promises.

read more →

your best busy season survival tips

 

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

accountants joining the annual 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer poll are recommending regular rest and recreation among their leading survival strategies.

some know how to balance things just right, like vic butcher who says to “exercise every morning and go out for pizza and drinks every thursday night.” we can’t object to pizza and drinks, although alan gray would have us “eat and drink less.” read more →

seven busy season success secrets

tip #5: get paid before filing.

by sandi smith leyva
accountant’s accelerator

here are some fast tips to help you make the most out of busy season, which is when you have the highest amount of your clients’ attention all year long. read more →