tax season faceplant: accountants overrun by late chaos

 

technology and the economy threw some wrenches into the mix.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

this year’s tax season seems to have been pretty good, according to the latest from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer, though not quite as good as expected.

survey respondents went into the season with cautiously optimistic expectations. the percentage who felt that this year they were better prepared for the three-month grind remains constant at about 46 percent, comparing december/january with early april.

more barometer: accountants turn negative amid tariffs, trade, uncertainty | what cpa firms could do better | survey: which client industries will grow this year | tax preparers share advice for your clients | staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not.
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but many who figured they were as prepared this year as ever were apparently in for a sad surprise. before the season, 41 percent said they were prepared as well as in 2024, but that number plummeted to 25 percent by april. the shift is toward the “worse” end of the scale, with the “much worse” response doubling from 3 percent to 6 percent, and “somewhat worse” nearly doubling from 11 percent to almost 20 percent.

what happened to the less prepared?

• it might have been late or unprepared clients, which in january was the most common concern, noted by just under 51 percent. the figure has risen about 10 percent to 55 percent in april.
• it sure wasn’t irs operations, despite the current chaos and cutbacks there. it was a main concern for 45 percent before inauguration day but only 31 percent at the late-season crunch.
• fears of late or erroneous k1s, 1009s, etc. dropped from 29 percent to 19 percent.
• concerns over new tax code changes dropped from 29 percent to just 13 percent.
• even staffing shortages didn’t turn out as bad as expected, with 40 percent fearing problems but only 29 percent complaining in april.
• maybe a lot of preparers wasn’t as prepared with technology as they thought. in january, 27 percent were uneasy. but something went wrong because the number has shot up to 39 percent.
• the little surprises in the economy impacted quite a few. at one point, only 19 percent thought it would be a problem. but along came tariffs, a trade war, a stock market nosedive, a weird bond selloff, and suddenly 32 percent are worried.

other

in all, the survey offered a checklist of 16 different common concerns, but it turns out there were a few other causes of worriment. among them:

• “wildfires in los angeles”
• “corporate transparency act”
• “staff burnout”
• “the trump administration insanity”

the consequences of culling clientele

where the survey asks what accounting firms are doing different this year, beefing up staff and culling or not accepting new clients were the most common (though by no means only) plans. that may explain a drop in firm metrics.

• while 73 percent were expecting an increase in revenue, it panned out for only 64 percent.
• 61 percent were expecting an increase in net profit, but only 52 are reaping that expectation.
• those foreseeing an increase in profit per client dipped just a bit from 55 percent to 51 percent.

trying something different

the survey is receiving plenty of answers other than dealing with staff and clients. here are a few:

from b. anderson: “different software, different pricing structure, marketing platform changes.”

from david r. brady: “a couple of years of revising our processes and increasing our team capacity.”

from eva doherty gremmert: “working longer hours.”

from nils lenz: “my daughter is helping me a lot more this year.”

from an anonymous tax preparer: “not babying clients on their extensions, holding firmer to deadlines for data.”

 

posted on april 16, 2025