the “secret” of fast and easy tax research

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a

the best sources to make you look like a genius.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: when i was asked three technical questions, i found the answers quickly in a one-volume tax guide i keep near my desk.  i answered them and did not disclose my “secret,” wanting the callers to think i was a “genius.”

it astounds me that many people do not try to find the answers for themselves.

the questions concerned: read more →

why now is the perfect time to plan for a most excellent busy season

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by sandi smith leyva, cpa
author of free download:
“10 keys to doubling your revenue”

it’s easy to get sidetracked by politics this year and simply wait to see what’s going to happen in the tax arena.  i hope you don’t fall into that trap, though, because there has never been more opportunity in accounting and tax than right now, and now is the time to start preparing so you can make the most of next year’s busy season. read more →

the irs and big data gone bad

bookkeeping data is notoriously unreliable. so why is the irs relying on it?

the ten-minute bookkeeping test (pdf)
click to download

get the instant download:
the 10-minute bookkeeping test

by frank stitely
sk cpas

“please give me a copy of your 1099-misc forms.”

the irs agent was a 25-year-old woman, with only a couple of years of experience dealing with my client.

my client was the “how-dare-you-question-me?-i’m-a-taxpayin’,-god fearin’-american” type of client – one of those guys  who think the marlboro man is a wimp.

but he had a tax problem. he was being audited and he had thrown out all of his paper records when he moved his office.

missing 1099-misc

he didn’t have copies of his 1099-misc forms.  so he had his bookkeeper reprint them from quickbooks.  i gave them to the irs agent.

“mr. stitely, these 1099 forms don’t match what we have in our records.” read more →

will zero data entry end your tax practice?

five things you need to know and three things you need to do.

by frank stitely, cpa
stitely and karstetter 

get ready for a transformation in the tax business unlike anything we have experienced since turbotax.  the transformation will force many of your colleagues to sell, retire, or go out of business.  it will force many of your staff out of the profession.  it will change the way you serve clients.  and, it will either result in tremendous opportunity for you or end your practice.  this transformation is zero data entry.

more stitely: three trends that will transform your tax practice or eliminate it  |  value, billem & dunn: a value billing case study  |  why value billing won’t transform your life  |  the problem with frank stitely? we need more frank stitelys!  |  the problem with timesheets? not enough timesheets!   |  who’s missing in action from your workflow processing system?   |   how to make an extra $72,000 by working smarter read more →

three trends that will transform your tax practice or eliminate it

“worst tax season ever.”  “the death of the 1040 practice.”  “i’m retiring.” 

by frank stitely

since the end of tax season, cpas voiced apocalyptic concerns.   you can blame this latest meat grinder of a tax season on congress, competition from turbotax, and the irs.

or you can recognize that three trends are converging that will either transform your practice or eliminate it. read more →

tax season survey data on top issues

seven hot topics that “pushed a button.”

bob jennings
bob jenning

tax guru bob jennings (cpa, ea, cfp, and rtrp) has been polling past attendees of his cpe seminars about tax season 2013.

clearly, tax professionals are still seething. “we sent our survey out and it must have pushed a button because the responses overwhelmed our servers,” says jennings, taxspeaker.com.

the results may not surprise you. but they are sobering nevertheless.

he offers new data on

  1. workloads,
  2. profits,
  3. software,
  4. volume of returns handled,
  5. exit strategies, and
  6. the use of engagement letters and
  7. portals.

here are the highlights so far: read more →

tax practitioners end busy season 2013 short by 300,000 returns

untitledthe nation’s tax accountants failed in the final days leading up to april 15th to close the gap commonly attributed to early-season delays and confusion, according to the latest data available.

but if the shortfall holds through coming weeks of data gathering, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 believes it could mark a significant and serious downturn in the future of the tax prep industry.

in this report:

  • tax professionals e-filed 63.3 million returns, down 0.4% from last year’s 69.6 million.
  • meanwhile, the number of do-it-yourself e-filers grew 4%, to 43.1 million, up from last year’s 41.3 million.
  • complete statistics on individual income tax returns, filings and filing rates, week by week, in year-to-year percentage change
  • number sent to irs
  • number processed by irs
  • number e-filed by tax professionals
  • number e-filed by self-preparers
  • irs.gov website traffic
  • number of refunds
  • total dollar amount of refunds
  • average refund
  • number of direct-deposit refunds
  • amount of direct-deposit refunds
  • average direct-deposit refund

read more →

tax trends in small business: what drives them to seek professional help

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preview image only

new data obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 shows that 84 percent of small-business owners are now paying an independent tax practitioner or accountant to handle their taxes.

in addition, an increasing number of small business taxpayers appear to be taking advantage of sec.179 expensing and bonus depreciation.

the new report available from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 includes information on:

  • the number of small business owners who use an outside tax or accounting service
  • how many hours per week a small business spends on payroll tax administration
  • average cost for using a payroll agency
  • hours spent on federal tax
  • various tax burdens
  • how to download complete report (pdf, 13 pages)

read more →

12 good reasons for obtaining extensions

those who know ed mendlowitz, author of the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 tax season opportunity guide, know that he doesn’t like extensions.  however, there are valid reasons for extensions.

ed grudgingly admits to 12:

  1. you did not receive k-1s or 1099s or other documents with information that you need to report.
  2. you did not receive letters confirming charitable contributions that are required to be in your possession by the due date of your tax return.
  3. there is pending litigation and reporting certain transactions might prejudice your position, or you are awaiting resolution that might cause or affect an adjustment or estimate made for last year. read more →