busy season management

new poll: why small business owners need tax professionals

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what clients don’t know they don’t know.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

no wonder small business owners need accountants. many don’t understand the deductions they’re entitled to. most don’t use bookkeeping software. and too many are still keeping paper receipts by the shoebox-load.

more on tax season: security and id theft emerge as top tax season worry  |  successful tax seasons require teamwork  |  8 considerations with new clients  |  irs budget: penny-wise, pound-foolish  |  11 ways to get more tax clients  |  irs taxpayer advocate questions preparation of tax preparers  |  watchdog warns of dubious irs plans   |  tax season productivity hacks  |  letting staff go after tax season  |  how to sell bundled tax services

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

after surveying more than small business owners, manta, the small-business directory, asserts small business owners “are on top of their tax games.” but we know a few accountants who would beg to differ.

manta’s survey found only 61% of small business owners understand the deductions available to them as business owners. luckily about the same number, 62%, use a cpa to file taxes. still, 21% track of expenses with paper receipts, making filing a pain.

more highlights:

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survey results: security and id theft emerge as top tax season worry

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even as irs sees declines.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season survey is turning up a disturbing finding, one that looks like it’s only going to get worse.  join the survey. get the answers

late and unprepared clients scored high, indicated by 41.6 percent of respondents. staffing issues, at 34 percent, was right up there, too. but the most common concern was security, privacy, and identity theft, checked off by 46.2 percent.

more on busy season: tax refunds up slightly   |   irs budget: penny-wise, pound-foolish   |   irs taxpayer advocate questions preparation of tax preparers   |   future state or future shock? irs watchdog warns of dubious irs plans   |

join the survey. get the results
join the survey. get the results.

tax season productivity hacks   |   tax filings data looking less squirrely   |   letting staff go after tax season   |  how to sell bundled tax services   |   survey results: who’s afraid of busy season 2017?   |   a little tax humor   |   tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market   |   checklist: 46 avoidable tax-filing errors – if clients only knew   |   survey results: practitioners bullish on busy season 2017   |   free instant download: sample fee schedule for 1040s   |   tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar   |   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.   |   mandatory saturdays stir controversy 

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

it isn’t often that one category of concern reaches the mid-40s. in 2016, “clients late or unprepared” is the only one that’s consistently up there, ranging from a low of 47.3 in 2016 to 59.3 percent in 2010. but generally, the numbers for that category have been improving.

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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 →

tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market

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chart of irs filing data for the week ended feb. 3, 2017
[click for larger image]

four days fewer in 2017 still skewing statistics.

the irs continues to churn back tax returns nearly as quickly as it receives them, while the percentage that were self-prepared is tracking higher than the same point last year.

more: tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar | survey results: bullish on busy season 2017 | 2017 fee survey: price for non-itemized 1040s advances 6% to $176
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

with 20.18 million returns received as of feb. 3, the latest data available, the agency had processed 19.97 million or 98.9 percent of them.
read more →

checklist: 46 avoidable tax-filing errors – if clients only knew

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tax season checklists: learn more

here’s a handy checklist to share with clients.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season checklists

taxes are hard enough without making avoidable errors. before clients file, they should double check to make sure they don’t make these errors. we often hand out this checklist to clients to avoid mistakes in advance.

  1. not signing the return (if you file paper copies)
  2. number transposition and spelling errors
  3. unchecked or unanswered questions
  4. entering incorrect or unpaid estimated tax payments
  5. missing pages in a paper filed return read more →

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.

read more →

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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high performing firms: stronger busy seasons, better outlooks

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z_ busy 2016 hi perf firms overallidentifying the factors that create great firms and better busy seasons.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

in 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间’ perpetual search for clues to professionalism and success in the tax and accounting industry, we are probing into a possible connection between the efficiency of cpa firms and the ease with which they get through the busy season of tax preparation.

more busy season management: busy season 2016: topline survey results  |   accountants see economy improving… but mainly for themselves  |  tax season 2016: turning id theft from a problem into an opportunity  |  lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  busy season 2016: more clients, fewer problems  |  busy season 2016: problem clients are causing big trouble  |  12 ways to stress less this tax season  |  the dreaded ‘quick question’  |  40 other services your tax clients should know about  |  where workflow management runs off the rails  |  ready for tax season? not so fast  |  8 ways to delight tax season clients  |  tax season management: multi-tasking is a myth  |  digital workflow systems make tax season easier  |  tax professionals find it increasingly difficult to keep up with late-changing tax regs  |  the new normal: a busy season that never ends  |  pro member exclusives: sign in or 2022世界杯足球排名 here

judging by results from our 2016 busy season survey, there seems to be a connection. we filtered the results to isolate respondents who say their organizations are “effective at achieving their goals and objectives with consistency over time.” this cohort comprises a total of 364 who gave their firms a score of at least an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. read more →

busy season 2016: why some have it worse

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picture1the factors that undermine an otherwise better busy season.

how was your busy season?
join the survey; get the benchmarks

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

according to the final results of the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2016 busy season survey, this has been a relatively good year…better than last year, anyway. a good 60 percent of respondents said 2016 was much better or somewhat better than 2015.

more busy season management:  better gets better. and worse gets worser | busy season 2016: topline survey results | accountants see economy improving… but mainly for themselves | tax season 2016: turning id theft from a problem into an opportunity  | lessons learned from a bad busy season | busy season 2016: more clients, fewer problems | busy season 2016: problem clients are causing big trouble | 12 ways to stress less this tax season | the dreaded ‘quick question’ | 40 other services your tax clients should know about | where workflow management runs off the rails | ready for tax season? not so fast | 8 ways to delight tax season clients | tax season management: multi-tasking is a myth | digital workflow systems make tax season easier | tax professionals find it increasingly difficult to keep up with late-changing tax regs | the new normal: a busy season that never ends | pro member exclusives: sign in or 2022世界杯足球排名 here

which, admittedly, isn’t saying much. last year was a bad year, a perfect storm of problems. it left 19 percent grousing about a “somewhat worse” busy season, another 3 percent saying it was “much worse.”

could 2016 really be worse than 2015, especially given that it was so much better for so many tax preparers? yep.

read more →

busy season 2016: better gets better. and worse gets worser.

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z_ busy season before during after much betterwith apologies to lewis carroll, 2016 wonderland compared to 2015.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

when 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sent out its 2016 busy season questionnaire, the early results looked good. comparing the early stages of 2016 against the same period in 2015, 18 percent told us their year was looking much better. another 32 percent somewhat optimistically told us of a “somewhat better” year. that added up rather neatly to half, which was better than in 2015, when only 44 percent said their year was better than the year before.

more busy season management: busy season 2016 topline survey results  |   accountants see economy improving… but mainly for themselves  |  turning id theft from a problem into an opportunity  |  lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  more clients, fewer problems  |  problem clients are causing big trouble  |  12 ways to stress less this tax season  |  the dreaded ‘quick question’  |  40 other services your tax clients should know about  |  where workflow management runs off the rails  |  ready for tax season? not so fast  |  8 ways to delight tax season clients  |  tax season management: multi-tasking is a myth  |  digital workflow systems make tax season easier  |  tax professionals find it increasingly difficult to keep up with late-changing tax regs  |  the new normal: a busy season that never ends  |  pro member exclusives: sign in or 2022世界杯足球排名 here

and then, as the season closed on april 18, something beautiful happened. this year turns out to be even better than expected. almost a quarter—23.6 percent—report a much better year, and more than a third—36.5 percent—report a somewhat better year.

all in all, 2016 exceeded expectations. in both directions.

read more →

accountants see economy improving… but mainly for themselves

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accountants bullish on their firms. not so much on clients. and outright negative on the u.s. source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
accountants bullish on their firms. not so much on clients. and outright negative on the u.s. source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

not so much for their clients. and they’re negative on the u.s.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

if anyone has their finger on the pulse of the american economy, it’s america’s cpas. they’re out there in the trenches of economic activity. they know what’s happening in their nook of the nation. they feel the optimism or pessimism of their clients, the people who make the economy work.

more on tax season for pro members:  tax season 2016: turning i.d. theft from a problem into an opportunity  |   accountants speak out on politics and the economy  | lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  3 ways to save time during busy season  |  most tax professionals call 2016 busy season much improved over last year | stress less this tax season  |  is tax season the new fraud season?  |  5 tax season motivation tips  |  recognize your tax season resources  |  tax season 2016: irs in crisis  |  eliminate tax season excuses  |  record pre-season hiring surge: ready for biggest tax season ever?  |  16 qualities of a good tax season client

and tax season is when cpas and tax preparers receive an influx of information on how their clients are doing. some of that information pops up in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2016 busy season survey. and the news is good… well, pretty good. well, mostly. read more →

tax season 2016: turning id theft from a problem into an opportunity

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identity theft on the web with credit cards and social security

31% report problems, making it one of the top three issues of the 2016 season. but can accountants turn the problem into a new opportunity?

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

with identity theft emerging as one of the biggest problems for tax preparers, their clients, and their friends at the internal revenue service, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 is asking how to turn that problem into an opportunity.

more on tax season for pro members:  accountants speak out on politics and the economy  |  lessons learned from a bad busy season  |  3 ways to save time during busy season  |  most tax professionals call 2016 busy season much improved over last year | stress less this tax season  |  is tax season the new fraud season?  |  5 tax season motivation tips  |  recognize your tax season resources  |  tax season 2016: irs in crisis  |  eliminate tax season excuses  |  record pre-season hiring surge: ready for biggest tax season ever?  |  16 qualities of a good tax season client

after all, security costs money. if clients are made aware that the danger is real, maybe they could be willing to pay a little more if they know their tax preparer is spending resources on security. it might also be an opportunity for practitioners to offer their it expertise or it partners to help clients secure their systems. it would be a win-win-lose situation for practitioners, clients, and hackers, respectively. and even if better security doesn’t translate to better revenues, it’s always a good selling point. clients need to know of the danger and preparers’ efforts to counter it.

still, it’s a problem for the practitioners we’re canvassing even when it doesn’t happen, mostly because of the cost and inconvenience of prevention efforts.

read more →