tax season

readers sound off: what tax season decline?

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some are busier than ever, while others report a change in clientele.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

our recent story, tax season half over but no one is celebrating, seemed to have some readers scratching their heads.

more on tax season: five-point action plan for turning tax scam threats into new opportunities | liberty tax earnings down 48% | h&r block lagging behind last year | tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

join the busy season outlook survey. get the results.

filing statistics are down, according to the irs (which should know).
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tax season half over but no one is celebrating

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office worker spraying silly string on colleaguepros are gaining ground in e-filings.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

we’re halfway through tax season! woohoo, blow the party horns!

more tax season data: tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
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where’s your horn? you don’t seem to be celebrating. what up, dog?

filing statistics are down, and some of you aren’t shy about suggesting why.
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tax pro e-filing down 10%

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chart of irs filing data
[click for larger image]

refunds are the only figure tracking higher this year.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the e-filing margin between tax professionals and self-preparers is narrowing. still, the pace of e-filing by tax professionals is running 10% behind the same time last year.

more tax season data: tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as of march 3, the irs had received 61.1 million individual income tax returns, down 8.5 percent from the same period last year, although 2017 has had four fewer processing days so we’re comparing oranges to tangerines.
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successful tax seasons require teamwork

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high angle view of business people stacking hands in a teamwork gesturefive questions to ask.

by rex gatto
gatto associates llc.

here are a few inconsequential misstatements to begin:

  • keywords that partners use like pride, commitment and quality of work for the client are words to get staff to work harder for no more money. ouch!
  • true teamwork (staff working effectively in a niche/department) means the partner can blame some of the problems on them. double ouch!

more on leadership: 7 habits of lousy cpa firm leaders
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now having capitalized on some bad humor, let’s look at some simple definitions to begin. these definitions can change according to your firm’s structure.
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8 considerations with new clients

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businessman expressing refusal with open handssometimes you should say no.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

we all want additional business, but sometimes the client should be vetted to determine if it is a good fit for your firm and if there are any danger signs.

more on marketing: more on marketing: 11 ways to get more tax clients | how to sell bundled tax services | 7 questions for succession planning | 15 points to buying or selling a business | 9 questions to ask about divorce and taxes | guiding clients in investment allocation and management | why cpas are suited to financial planning | how to suggest more services | adopt a marketing mindset
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following is a checklist that could help you in making a decision to accept the client.
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11 ways to get more tax clients

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hand with money fanned out against tax return formplus 22 ways to get additional business clients.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

a target is the result of a plan.

more on marketing: how to sell bundled tax services | how to prepare returns for a multiple-year non-filer | how to conduct business valuations and forensic investigations | yes, accountants can perform conflict resolution | how to counsel on retirement planning | investment clubs and how to counsel them | offering second marriage assistance | what you need to start a financial planning discussion | tax projections: how and why | how to raise client awareness of services
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so, what is your plan?
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survey results: who’s afraid of busy season 2017?

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卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research projects shake-out of weaker firms.

join the survey. get the results.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the difference between the potential winners and losers this busy season could hardly be more stark, according to a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis of the annual busy season outlook tracking survey.

while some 56 percent of accountants so far say they’re looking at a “better” or “much better” busy season this year than last year, a distinct minority of about 16 percent is bracing for problems, trouble and setbacks.

more on busy season:  bullish on busy season 2017  |  46 avoidable tax-filing errors – if clients only knew  |  tax prep gets off to strong start  |  sample fee schedule for 1040s  |  tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar  |  survey results: busy season 2017 gets off to strong start   |   2017 fee survey: price for non-itemized 1040s advances 6% to $176   |   the annual tax meeting is dead. clients killed it.   |   reader sound-off: mandatory saturdays stir controversy    |   tax season opportunity kit free instant download   |   world envies low u.s. tax rates on luxury real estate transfers   |   the new small-business loophole you can drive a truck through

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the annual survey tracks the attitudes, behaviors and benchmarks of tax and accounting professionals throughout the season, providing real-time metrics and trends by which practitioners can chart and steer their business plans. the survey remains open throughout the season, as an invitation to professionals to participate regularly. as a reward for joining the survey, participants are provided the first look at new topline findings. join the survey; get the results.

in examining some of their other responses, the reasons emerge with clarity. for instance, those expecting a “worse” year, are three times more likely than those expecting  “better” season to cite the “general economic situation” as a chief concern, twice more likely to blame “competition from others,” a third more likely to report “technology or software problems, and a quarter more likely to be having problems with “new accounting and auditing” and staffing” issues. those issues cut to the heart of fundamental and basic operations. read more →

a little tax humor

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portrait of a young laughing businessman with tablet computer in officetake a break for a few minutes.

editor’s note: 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!

by robert e. mckenzie 

1) “three things are certain in life. death and taxes are two of them. the third is tax fraud.” – matt pearce, la times, april 19, 2016

 

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

 

2) “i think nobody knows more about taxes than i do, maybe in the history of the world. nobody knows more about taxes.” – donald trump during 2016 campaign

3) “anonymous just hacked trump’s tax returns. unfortunately, like trump’s hands, the numbers are tiny and impossible to make out.” – michael r. burch

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survey results: bullish on busy season 2017

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busy season bulls outnumber bears three to one. via 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

profession plows ahead with high hopes.

how’s your busy season so far?
join the survey; get the results.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if expectations pan out, busy season 2017 might be a banner year, according to the first soundings from the 18th annual 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer. there’s optimism in the air.

a full fifth of respondents tell us they foresee a busy season “much better” than last year’s. and more than a third—36 percent—believe their season will be at least “somewhat better.” together these optimists make up 56 percent of respondents, more than three times the number who are dreading a tougher slog than last year.

more busy season: tax prep gets off to strong start  |  sample fee schedule for 1040s  |   tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar  |   survey results: busy season 2017 gets off to strong start   |   2017 fee survey: price for non-itemized 1040s advances 6% to $176   |   the annual tax meeting is dead. clients killed it.   |   reader sound-off: mandatory saturdays stir controversy    |   tax season opportunity kit free instant download   |   world envies low u.s. tax rates on luxury real estate transfers   |   the new small-business loophole you can drive a truck through

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

granted, that number isn’t as high as 2016’s, when 61% reported improvements over 2015, but 2015 was the infamous annus horribilis, the year of tax prep hell. it wasn’t hard to imagine the next year being better. so 2016 wasn’t so bad, making it surprising that so many see 2017 turning out even better. three upbeat respondents typify the three main causes of optimism.

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survey results: busy season 2017 gets off to strong start

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join the survey. get the results.

i.d. theft and security issues emerge as top concern.

how’s busy season so far?
join the survey and get the latest updates

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

tax and accounting professionals are kicking off busy season 2017 with the highest confidence levels in years, but their optimism seems guarded and unsure, according to the latest results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer.

see the charts below for additional detail. and stay tuned as the busy season unfolds. join the survey to get the latest updates.

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so far, the survey shows that more than 58% of tax and accounting professionals expect a better season this year than in 2016, which, by comparison, was 61% cheerier than 2015.

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reader sound-off: mandatory saturdays stir controversy

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commenting on “mandatory saturdays,” clockwise from top left: stitely, boress, michel, evarts

is it work-life balance, or firm-employee balance?

sound-off: does your firm mandate saturdays?
join the conversation here.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

tax season has yet to start and already tempers are flaring in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 comments section as practitioners debate requiring staffers to work on saturdays during busy season.

more on staffing: making flex time work in the real world | guidelines for flexible work policies | do flexible hours help or hurt us? | survey: 97% of leading firms now offer flexible work arrangements | the 12 reasons your staff hates your firm | staffing: what cpa firms are learning the hard way

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in “how to make mandatory saturdays a thing of the past,” 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor jennifer wilson says the “cool firms” are eliminating the age-old practice nd replacing it with flex-time, work-at-home, and results-oriented strategies. still, she says, “i literally hear a gasp of surprise because it challenges one of the most fundamental elements of public accounting – tracking, measuring and valuing time.”

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10 quick and easy tips for a better busy season

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man working on a caryou may want to keep some of these going year round.
another busy season is upon us. are you feeling excited, anxious or dread?

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it’s probably a mix, but hopefully there’s more excitement than any other emotion since you will be helping so many more people during busy season than any other time of the year. here are 10 easy-to-implement ideas to help your busy time go smoother than ever.

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