surveys & research

six fixable problems at the irs

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and the irs already knows what they are.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

tax practitioners beware: the irs has become a mess of misinformation and missing information.

more tax: two big (and obvious) ways irs could work with practitioners  | imagine a fully online irs | the real cost of interstate sales tax | irs at death’s door? | beyond tax prep: the big cha-ching! | crisis at the irs | the irs’s 10 biggest problems | fear and loathing for tax season ’22 |  padar joins vc-backed tax fintech for banks |  covid chokes an already crippled irs | tax regs for the metaverse | 10 steps to a superior tax department | accountants critical of competitor price-cutting |  automate busy season with apps you already use | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | busy season forecast: more chaos  | a woman named wanda leaves an ira nightmare  | are you under-pricing your client accounting services?  | your best advice: get smart, get tech, get moving | worries for small business clients |

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it’s isn’t a complete mess, but there are problems… and solutions. we can think of six no-brainer easy fixes. read more →

giving clients the best you’ve got

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what it looks like in black and white.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we all use the cliché that we give the clients the best we got, but what does it really mean?

more: how to become a specialist | making sure the son got proper credit | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife) | why accountants quit | when cpas leave to work for a client | readers rip: ‘she wanted her shoebox back’ | how bickering can ruin a family business
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i’ve written about value-added services and efforts we can do on behalf of our clients, but here is a different approach i have used.
read more →

payroll services rocket with u.s. economy

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cpa firms expand by 6%. tax prep takes losses.

line graph
^ staff employment in payroll services

new highs in headcounts and hourly wages.

by beth bellor

there were bright spots in several sectors of the latest employment figures, but let’s get the ball rolling with the most gleaming: payroll services, which set a couple of new highs on the way to positive year-over-year marks in every measure but hours.

and by “positive,” we mean the likes of 16 and 17 percent.

more on staffing: the disruptors: re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson | stop complaining and start innovating | staff retention for remote workers  |  staffing shortage cripples growth at 40% of firms  |  is it time to outsource?   |  the six essential kpis for managing partners  |  competing for talent in a private-equity world  |  the great resignation: five reasons accountants are quitting  |  a tech stipend for employees? why not?  |  five ways to get staff to own their work

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

payroll services overall hit a new high of 192,300 employees, up 1,500, or 0.8 percent for the month, and 28,800 or 17.6 percent for the year.

those employees worked 35.8 hours, up 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month but down 2 hours 6 minutes or 5.5 percent for the year.

their earnings set a record at $40.53, up 20 cents or 0.5 percent for the month and $5.18 or 14.7 percent for the year.

read more →

new insights on emerging technologies and people issues

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fresh research from the hawaii accounting research conference.

by donny c. shimamoto, cpa, citp, cgma

this year’s hawaii accounting research conference provided some insights into the use of emerging technologies in audit and internal control, as well as on people issues like creativity and performance incentives. held every year in january at the university of hawaii at manoa, this conference draws accounting researchers from around the world to share their research findings with a broader academic audience (physical and virtual).

i started attending this conference in 2021 and gained some interesting insights into research being conducted that could shape some of what we do as accounting professionals. this year, i also helped moderate a practitioner panel featuring two past aicpa chairs, tracey golden and kimberly ellison-taylor, and a fellow cpa.citp and tax expert lauren kovar, to share with attendees how they could make their research more relevant to practice.

if you’d like to see the panel discussion, you can watch the recording:

i was only able to attend one day of the conference, but from just the one day, i got some good takeaways from several of the sessions. i’ve outlined these sessions and my key takeaways below. you can also click on any of the links to read the full paper that shares the research study and findings. read more →

the disruptors: can geraldine carter save accountants from themselves?

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go pro for the complete video, notes, analysis, takeaways and transcript.

the disruptors
with liz farr

geraldine carter is on a mission to make accounting more attractive as a profession, and to make accountants more profitable, particularly soloists and small firms.

more: the disruptors: re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson |  the disruptors: how to scale with new padgett coo amanda aguillard | eat that frog: asking for a prospect meeting | growing revenue through client service | lease accounting is about to get very real | google ads for new tax season clients | exclusive: eisner ceo charly weinstein explains the private equity deal  | flash briefing: a “call to arms” after private equity deal | four ways to beat the staffing shortage, with pasha malik

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

in this episode of the disruptors with liz farr, carter explains the trouble with “orphan 1040s,” how to “level up” your firm, the priceless value of emotional intelligence, and why giving your all is too much (80 percent is enough.)

read more →

look backward for your cas processes

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process touch screen showing workflow designsmart design will save you time.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

we have examined how you can enhance your firm’s internal processes and what factors influence those processes. in this post, we will focus more on cas-specific processes that can give you competitive advantages. however, this post is not about the technicalities of accounting processes. as a professional accountant, you already know the accounting fundamentals required to create your processes for each of the segments of the services you provide.

more: make sure your differentiation is truly different | is it time to outsource? | your firm’s cas team: who and how many | two tech approaches to cas | when to start building your cas tech stack | stop derailing cas | show your priciest cas package first | your firm needs a cas champion
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

are client accounting services processes different than what you have been doing until now? yes, and no.
read more →

why map programs are essential

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cpe isn’t the only reason to attend a program.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i attend management of accounting practice (map) cpe programs. in many instances these do not qualify toward the mandatory cpe requirements. who cares?

more: how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i go because i want to make more money, work more effectively, service clients better, excite and retain staff, and have more fun doing what i love to do and have to do anyway.
read more →

irs loves e-filing. so why the barriers?

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irs buried in paper: even with 91 percent of returns e-filed, that leaves more than 33 million paper returns pouring into the irs annually.

what to do with clients who insist on paper?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

e-filing may be the best thing to happen to the irs—and tax preparers—since the invention of paper and red tape.

  • it beats paper on cost—just 36 cents to process, vs. $15.21.
  • it beats paper on speed—a couple of hours from sending to acceptance, vs. days to mail, more days to open, more days in storage, more days to transcribe, and maybe months more to process.
  • it beats paper on accuracy—no need for transcription.
  • it beats paper on convenience—taxpayers can e-file in minutes from a desktop; irs can store and move e-files easily and instantly.
  • it beats paper on inconvenience—e-filing allows continuous processing regardless of weather, pandemics, etc.

more tax: two big (and obvious) ways irs could work with practitioners  | imagine a fully online irs | the real cost of interstate sales tax | irs at death’s door? | beyond tax prep: the big cha-ching! | crisis at the irs | the irs’s 10 biggest problems | fear and loathing for tax season ’22 |  padar joins vc-backed tax fintech for banks |  covid chokes an already crippled irs | tax regs for the metaverse | 10 steps to a superior tax department | accountants critical of competitor price-cutting |  automate busy season with apps you already use | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | busy season forecast: more chaos  | a woman named wanda leaves an ira nightmare  | are you under-pricing your client accounting services?  | your best advice: get smart, get tech, get moving | worries for small business clients |

goprocpa.compro members: log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so why does the irs still have barriers limiting e-filing? read more →

imagine a fully online irs

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keep imagining. here are a dozen things an irs portal could do for taxpayers and tax pros.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

as taxpayers and tax practitioners enter yet another tax season of uncertainty and turmoil,  the issue of needed improvements at the irs lingers like a hangover with a viral infection.

more tax: the real cost of interstate sales tax | irs at death’s door? | beyond tax prep: the big cha-ching! | crisis at the irs | the irs’s 10 biggest problems | fear and loathing for tax season ’22 |  padar joins vc-backed tax fintech for banks |  covid chokes an already crippled irs | tax regs for the metaverse | 10 steps to a superior tax department | accountants critical of competitor price-cutting |  automate busy season with apps you already use | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | busy season forecast: more chaos  | a woman named wanda leaves an ira nightmare  | are you under-pricing your client accounting services?  | your best advice: get smart, get tech, get moving | worries for small business clients |

goprocpa.compro members: log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

are we facing another year of delays, doubts, and unanswered questions? will paying taxes ever become a smooth and efficient process?

imagine a world in the distant future where a common, ordinary taxpayer can pull a computer from a pocket, link into everybody’s favorite revenue service and… read more →

the hidden cost of interstate sales tax

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most small businesses are probably paying too much. or, too little. who knows?

s.a.l.t. for the wounds: the total estimated hours per month spent on tax management activities, by industry, with retail the highest at 209 hours. (avalara/potentiate)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the true cost of interstate sales tax compliance borne by small businesses is fast mushrooming into a problem of national proportions, according to new research. and while it may be a big opportunity for accounting firms, most small business owners are probably spending too much, or just as worrisome, too little.

more on salt: when tax collectors go digital | tax regs for the metaverse | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | accountants to small biz: ‘be nimble, be quick, be careful’ | turn client wants into needs | the 15 absolutely necessary services for cas clients | a job description for client accounting services | salt: the small business disaster waiting to happen | survey: rough seas ahead for small business |

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according to a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey, 39 percent of accountants believe their small business clients were “mostly not in full compliance” with cross-border collection and remittance requirements. each of those non-compliant clients is a potential problem and an opportunity for their accounting firm.

now a new avalara-sponsored survey looks more closely at “emerging small businesses” (esbs) with under 20 employees, and small and medium-sized businesses (smbs) with 20-50 employees. read more →

what’s the irs hiding?

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a lot. it’s bad and getting worse.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

taxpayers and their tax preparers have a right to be informed about what’s happening at the internal revenue service. it’s the law, duly legislated and mandated by the u.s. congress in the taxpayer bill of rights.

but that doesn’t mean it actually happens.

more: irs at death’s door? | beyond tax prep: the big cha-ching! | crisis at the irs | the irs’s 10 biggest problems | fear and loathing for tax season ’22 |  padar joins vc-backed tax fintech for banks |  covid chokes an already crippled irs | tax regs for the metaverse | 10 steps to a superior tax department | accountants critical of competitor price-cutting |  automate busy season with apps you already use | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | busy season forecast: more chaos  | a woman named wanda leaves an ira nightmare  | are you under-pricing your client accounting services?  | your best advice: get smart, get tech, get moving | worries for small business clients |

goprocpa.compro members: log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the irs has never been especially good at providing information. taxpayers have a hard time finding out:

read more →

when tax collectors go digital

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…where will you hide?

collecting taxes upfront: in mexico, tax returns, accounting records, and other tax disclosures must be filed in standard electronic format, driving down the cost of tax collection by 57 percent between 2006 and 2018. meanwhile, revenue generated by audits rose an astonishing 117 percent between 2015 and 2020. (source: better than cash alliance, the u.n., via avalara)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

accounting professionals may be focused for now on tax season 2022. but right around the corner, a revolution in tax is coming, if the united states can get out of its own way.

ready or not, here it comes: digitized sales tax compliance. the compliance might happen immediately after a transaction or right in the middle of it with a tax agency in between the buyer and the seller.

more: brain drain hobbles irs | crisis at the irs | the irs’s 10 biggest problems | fear and loathing for tax season ’22 |  padar joins vc-backed tax fintech for banks |  covid chokes an already crippled irs | tax regs for the metaverse | 10 steps to a superior tax department | accountants critical of competitor price-cutting |  automate busy season with apps you already use | sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | busy season forecast: more chaos  | a woman named wanda leaves an ira nightmare  | are you under-pricing your client accounting services?  | your best advice: get smart, get tech, get moving | worries for small business clients |

goprocpa.compro members: log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it isn’t happening in the u.s. yet, but at least three states are thinking about it, and in 83 other countries, it’s already a thing. in california, florida, and massachusetts, it may soon be a thing. the federal reserve and the business payments coalition have already launched a pilot program to standardize electronic invoicing systems.

digitized tax compliance is far more than the mere e-filing of invoices and tax returns. it’s the movement of paper compliance activities to the cloud, where tax authorities can not only see transactions but, in some countries, actually, get involved in them.

the potential opportunities for accountants, auditors, and tax practitioners are as yet unknown, but where there is change, there is opportunity.

also, danger. read more →