expect strong demand for tax planning, business advisory and bookkeeping cleanup work.
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 indicates that tax and accounting leaders anticipate growth in their own firms, even as they prepare for anxious business clients, persistent inflation, and a policy environment that keeps planning on edge.
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about half of all accountants in the survey are bracing for a deteriorating economy, with a third expecting rosier scenarios, for a net negative 17.2 percentage points. for small and mid-sized businesses, accountants are at a negative 9.3 points.
closer to home, they’re more confident, with a positive (barely) 1.7 points for their own clients and a whopping 57.5 points for their own firms.
tax and accounting professionals describe small and mid-sized business owners as navigating an economy that appears strong on paper but is treacherous in reality. they face higher prices, higher borrowing costs, and less room for error.
accountants see strong demand for planning, advisory and cleanup work. however, they also observe clients delaying hiring, pressuring vendors on price, and asking more rigorous questions about cash flow and taxes.
in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer 2026 survey, firm leaders expect growth inside their own four walls—more clients, higher revenue, and higher profits—while simultaneously bracing for a chillier outlook among small and mid-size businesses.
the “split screen” view between firm-side resilience and client-side weakness is shaping how firms hire staff, price services, automate workflows, and choose new clients for tax season and the rest of 2026.
for many firms, 2026 looks less like an opportunity and more like a jigsaw puzzle.
the firms expecting to win are not relying on a surge in easy compliance work. instead, they are betting on proactive tax planning, higher-value advisory conversations, tighter processes, and selective capacity management—while keeping a close eye on how policy and rates evolve.
asked about business conditions over the next 12 to 18 months, the largest share of accountants in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey forecasts deterioration. most expect “somewhat worse” and “no change,” with only a small minority choosing “much better.” the cautious outlook extends to views of the national economy and, to a lesser extent, the near-term outlook for clients.
this is not a story of panic. it is a story of asymmetric risk. many accountants are saying: our practices can still grow, but our clients may feel more pressure.
the pressure manifests as delayed investments, increased requests to model scenarios, and a greater emphasis on margin protection.
some of the sharpest comments are the most concise.
“tight money restricting expansion opportunities,” one accountant says, capturing the way borrowing costs and tighter underwriting can slow growth even when demand is present.
another says, “concerned for our clients and overall economy.”
even with mixed client sentiment, the internal forecast for many firms is upbeat.
a clear majority expects to add clients and grow revenue, and many expect profits to rise as well.
but 2026 won’t see growth at any cost. look instead for carefully mapped strategies focused on pricing discipline, workflow redesign, and technology upgrades to do more (or at least the same) with limited staff.
accountants are positioning for a season that will reward operational excellence.
“consistency in processes and complete client data upfront makes for a great season,” one accountant tells us.
another plan is to limit complexity rather than absorb it. “eliminating large data entry jobs and requiring clients to do some work.”
to be sure, policy uncertainty is still the dominant wildcard
the single biggest set of concerns clusters around tax law and administration, including changes in the tax code, irs operations and backlogs, and uncertainty about what rules will be in place for planning.
even when owners are not forecasting a recession, they are anticipating volatility from tariffs, supply costs, labor costs, and shifting regulatory priorities that can rapidly alter assumptions.
outside the accounting profession, small-business watchers are describing similar crosscurrents.
forecasters at the bank of america, for example, report that small-business profit growth has stalled for the first time in 18 months.
more are raising prices. and volume at job agencies has crashed. all are signs of pressure that can show up quickly in tax and bookkeeping work.
mainstream macroeconomic forecasts for 2026 generally agree on slower growth than the post-pandemic boom, with inflation easing but not disappearing, and rate cuts limited by the fed’s inflation mandate.
mutual fund giant vanguard forecasts real gdp growth in the low-2 % range, with unemployment expected to drift higher and no interest rate relief.
these macro calls matter to cpa firms not because partners trade interest-rate futures, but because their clients’ financing decisions and investment plans often hinge on the cost of capital.
a business that could justify a new location at 3% borrowing costs may hesitate at 7%. the work transitions from compliance to modeling: what happens to cash flow if sales decline by 5%? what if wages rise 4%? what if tariffs raise input costs?
asked what they will do differently, accountants repeatedly return to a similar playbook:
- tighten client intake and capacity management, including turning away low-margin work or shifting more clients to extensions.
- push earlier and cleaner data collection, often via portals, checklists, and standardized procedures.
- raise fees and clarify engagement scope.
- expand planning and advisory conversations, especially around entity structure, estimated taxes, and cash-flow timing.
- apply automation where it reduces friction—such as document management, workflow tools, ai-assisted drafting, and ocr—without expecting ai to solve staffing issues on its own.
tech reality check
notably, a substantial share of firms also report plans to make no major technology changes in the near term—an important reality check.
ai is prominent in the conversation, but it is often being adopted in narrow ways: drafting emails, summarizing documents, translating, or accelerating first drafts—not replacing core professional judgment.
several open-ended comments capture the mood of 2026 planning in plain language:
- “a slowdown in 2026 and no further inflation makes for a horrible season.”
- “continue to improve procedures on the front end.”
- “raising prices.”
- “consistency in processes and complete client data upfront makes for a great season.”
- “eliminating large data entry jobs and requiring clients to do some work.”
a tougher smb outlook does not necessarily mean less work for cpa firms.
often it means different work.
when revenue growth slows, owners scrutinize margins, inventory, and payroll. when rates stay higher for longer, refinancing and debt-service planning become urgent. when policy is uncertain, scenario planning becomes a service line.
and when clients feel squeezed, they ask their accountant to be faster, clearer, and more proactive—without paying more unless the value is explicit.
in that environment, the firms best positioned for 2026 are not simply the ones with the most staff. they are the ones with the cleanest processes, the most disciplined pricing, and the strongest ability to translate economic noise into actionable client decisions.