tax season

busy season survey shows four key findings

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updated with responses from may 2013.

the latest update to the topline results for the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer shows additional confirmation of four key findings, beginning with the across-the-board problems of a late-starting season and buggy software.

how did your season compare? we’d love to hear. send your comments, rants raves, ideas, or questions to me here. – rick telberg

key finding #1: most practitioners, across all size firms, report a tougher 2013 than 2012. (see chart below for comparisons by size of firm.) read more →

12 fast, low-cost tips for a stress-less tax season

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stress management is critical to a successful season.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i don’t want to stress you out, but we really do need to do something about our stress levels.

the american psychological association says our kids are getting headaches, having difficulty sleeping, and eating too little or too much due to pressure from school and household finances. the worst part is that  most parents were not aware of the severity of their children’s stress.

many adults reported not knowing what to do to change their lifestyle so they could reduce their stress, so it just makes sense to talk about this a little.

here are the most common stress-reducing tasks that some people do, according to the survey: read more →

how many irs agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?

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 … and more tax season humor.

every tax season for the last umpteen years, robert e. mckenzie, a tax lawyer at  arnstein & lehr in chicago, has made a tradition of sharing his carefully curated collection of tax jokes. here are a few of his latest. enjoy!

q: how many irs agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?
a: only one, but the light bulb really gets screwed.
— from garrison keillor’s ‘pretty good joke book’

irs motto: “we’re not happy until you’re not happy!”

read more →

putting the “no jerks” rule to work in tax season

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and a couple more ideas for high performing firms.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

ed mendlowitz
ed mendlowitz

if you have staff, have happy, cheerful, helpful people. don’t surround yourself with downers and nay-sayers.  make sure they are team players.

part of this is your firm’s culture.  it takes work to get people to work together and to focus on doing what it takes to service the client fully, properly and timely.  everyone working together gets it done.  you need to create that atmosphere.

here are three things that might help:

read more →

tax pro’s turn negative on busy season

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washington brinksmanship spells big crunch for preparers. join the survey; get the updates.

source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / join the survey; get the updates

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

with tax season 2013 delayed by last-minute code changes, staffing problems and software glitches, the mood of the profession is turning markedly sour.

“irs delays will cause confusion and errors, and many upset clients,” says charles postal at santos postal, a five-partner firm in rockville, md. “more extensions will depress cash flow.”

at the same, postal adds, “clients will have more tax needs, but the struggling economy will depress their ability and desire to pay for services.”

in order to battle the business pressures, postal’s firm is “pushing back on fees, using standardized billing by product rather than hours, and adding on charges for technology, audit and tax notice insurance.”

read more →

nine healthy things to do during tax season

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how to be at your best through april 15th.

tax season can be a marathon. everyone has their own tips and tricks, habits and techniques for staying sane and healthy. here are 10 from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor ed mendlowitz:

  1. eat lunch out of your office.
  2. go for a 15 minute walk in middle of afternoon instead of eating a snack.
  3. take off either march 17 or 18. read more →

survey results: busy season outlook 2013

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what accountants talk about when they talk about busy season 2013

mergers, tech and the economy create a volatile mix in forecasting filing season.

by rick telberg
join the survey; get the updates.

washington gridlock, last-minute tax changes and continuing economic uncertainty are undermining tax professionals’ outlook for the 2013 filing season, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey results.

the new survey results shed light on:

  1. the changing mood of the profession and it’s leading competitors and decision-makers,
  2. the effects of mergers and new technologies,
  3. the chief operational, competitive and economic concerns,
  4. expectations for key financial metrics, including revenues, profits and number of clients, and
  5. the strategies firms are implementing to cope with the issues and opportunities.

despite political gridlock and economic uncertainty, practitioners are trending increasingly confident about how well their firms will perform this season. most are looking at advances in total revenue, net profit, number of clients, number on extension, revenue per client, and profit per client.

for example: read more →

five ways for partners to lead by example this busy season

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dustin hostetler

this busy season will test new processes – and a firm’s leadership. [how are accountants feeling about about busy season? join the survey; get the answers.]

by dustin hostetler
flowtivity

as many firms get ready to implement and leverage new and improved processes as busy season ramps up, i thought it’d be worth considering a few pointers for the partner leadership group to keep in mind over the next several months.

related: the coming storm in staff turnover (video)  | three strategies to improve buy-in for change

and i should probably add a disclaimer to take the accounting hats off for a minute and realize this isn’t an exhaustive list nor is it literal in every example.  there are always going to be exceptions, but the more you can abide by the following ideas the better off your firms will be and you’ll be providing better client service as well. read more →

the real election day winners? accountants

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what the election means for busy season:  join the survey, get the answers.

by rick telberg 

the re-election of president obama may sweep away a few uncertainties in tax and economic policies that have been stymieing business decision-making. but it also sets the stage for a very busy busy-season, complete with last-minute changes in code and forms.

and i’d be surprised if the partisan gridlock in congress suddenly loosens. read more →