1949 search results for "busy season" or "tax season"

letting staff go after tax season? bad idea

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eight reasons they might be more valuable than you think.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: i am planning on letting go of some staff after april 15 and will hire replacements at a higher level. any suggestions?

more on tax season: ten tax prep questions that people forget to ask | try this clean slate exercise | offer your tax clients other services | can your tax reviewers answer these 10 questions? | the top 12 mistakes in tax return preparation | six types of person: which are you? | answer these two questions first | help your tax clients, help yourself | what’s your value to your tax clients? | are you excited about tax season?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

response: 1) your implication is that you will hire replacements at a higher level.

i do not like that. i like hiring out of school and training internally. i’ve written about this many times and shared my ideas ad infinitum and will not repeat that here because you can search back to previous q&as (or read my 30:30 training method book).
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want to merge? six steps to take

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man writing in notebook

bonus: key considerations in evaluating a practice continuation agreement.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: what i should do about merging? i need a specific answer.

more: how to raise your rates | courting a client? don’t give too much away for free | nine tips for a healthier tax season | fifteen strategies for first-time supervisors | measure knowledge gaps (then close them) | should you offer financial services? | ready to retire? selling your practice is no strategy | 20 things you need for a business valuation
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

response: i can’t give you an easy answer. i can give you a process to follow that should provide an answer. actually, this works pretty well and i’ve gotten good feedback from many colleagues. i’ve also rethought it many times, and still think this is the way to go about it.

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accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally

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one-quarter of accountants see trouble ahead for the source of their bread and butter.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the trendlines 2024 busy season barometer is unearthing a perplexing paradox.

it seems that most cpas think their firm and their clients will do better this year – or at least no worse than last year, which itself was a pretty good year.

more: top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing | auditing standards ‘yellow book’ updated | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | survey shows that tech remains the great divide | will unclogging the accounting pro pipeline kill mobility? | accountants bullish on income | survey: which niche’s the best niche?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

at the same time, they tend to see things getting worse for the national economy and small businesses in general.

what’s going on?
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top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing

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two hands on keyboard, two hands doing other work with calculator

the causative difference? look at the amount of work delegated downward.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the aicpa’s 2023 national management of an accounting practice (map) survey has detected some of what distinguishes firms that stand out as top performers.

the survey defines top performers as the top 25 percent of firms based on net remaining per partner.

more: business booming, but not as much as last year | busy season barometer offers clues for better business | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | can’t irs online accounts be more useful? | taxpayer assistance centers: a good idea that should be better | tax pros are expanding and earning more
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

more, more, more

what makes a cpa firm a top performer? in a nutshell, more:

  • more leverage of partner expertise
  • more culling of clients
  • more cpas in the firm

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business booming, but not as much as last year

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how does your firm compare?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if the early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends hold true through april, this will be a pretty good year for the vast majority of accountants and tax practitioners – not quite as good as last year, but still, pretty good.

more: busy season barometer offers clues for better business | tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist | irs still falling short on service | eight ways the irs can speed up processing tax returns | treasury ig sees progress at irs | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

despite difficulties finding staff and professionals, 45 percent of respondents say they have increased their client list by at least 5 percent. (last year, it was 65 percent.)

in fact, 14 percent have seen an increase of over 10 percent. good, but not as good as last year’s 22 percent.
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the radical pricing model: start with $25k

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deliver more value to clients while freeing your team from timesheets.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

consider the $25k rule.

because this method requires heavy lifting on the front end, a good rule of thumb is to only value-price engagements of $25,000 or more. if the client falls below $25,000, they are eligible for a fixed price or fixed price plus a value add. this rule is important because if your client is a small business, it doesn’t matter how much value they perceive in your services; they will not be able to afford value pricing above a certain level.

more: three critical factors drive the value pricing trend | accounting disruptors are heading your way … with deep pockets | the convergence of trends makes pricing changes imperative | stop looking for talent that does not exist | advisory work must be priced by value, not hours
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most services are fixed-priced, but based on conversations with the client, those prices may drop or be raised accordingly. some of the data points used to set pricing are the pita factor (pain in the a#%) and the client’s gross revenue.
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busy season barometer offers clues for better business

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workers in busy office

take a tip from a peer.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends is more than just a survey of the state of the industry at cpa firms across the nation. it also offers clues to what firms are doing to make the busy season better, easier and more profitable.

the clues are in the comments – open-ended answers where practitioners tell us what they’re doing, how they’re feeling and where they’re going.

more: tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one of the best questions is “what are you doing differently this year?” each answer reflects an attempt to make the best of a stressful situation – the annual tax season.

here are a few quotes to think about, categorized by how well various respondents’ seasons are going this year. each is an idea that might make your year better.
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tax pros take the edge in e-filings

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data table

refunds up 5+ percent.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the machine that is the internal revenue service keeps clicking along. as of march 15, the irs had received 71.6 million individual income tax returns, down 0.4 percent from the same period in 2023, and had processed 70.6 million, down 1.2 percent.

more: tax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

e-filings

electronic filings totaled 69.5 million, down 0.3 percent.
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how to raise your rates

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clients who complain aren’t walking away, just haggling.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: i haven’t raised my fees in three years. how do i suddenly go about it now and how much should i raise them?

more: courting a client? don’t give too much away for free | how to start providing family office services | every accounting firm needs quality control | no one listens to you? change how you talk | 47 types of business valuation to provide | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice | uncooperative partner might not be the problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

also, i have many business clients where the individual returns are done as part of the yearly service with extra billing. how can i start charging for this?
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how to leverage chatgpt during this crazy tax season

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make tax season less taxing and more productive.

by sandi leyva and chatgpt

in the fast-paced world of tax preparation and accounting, time is of the essence. embracing chatgpt can dramatically transform your workflow, offering practical and actionable solutions to common challenges.

check out our courses on chatgpt,
offered as a deep discount bundle or separately.
webinar schedule:
more chaptgpt here

here’s how you can put chatgpt to work, making this tax season less taxing and more productive, even if congress decides to pass a retroactive tax bill right in the middle of busy season.

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firms culling clients as staffing woes persist

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man in suit exiting office building

others tap outsourcing, training clerical staff as solutions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer: emerging issues, opportunities, and trends are showing a painfully persistent problem with staff shortages, though it seems the hardship may have improved a bit since last year.

more: revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | are accountants charging too little? | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this year, like last year, survey respondents are reporting staffing as the second most common concern. last year, it was reported by 47 percent, almost tied with the main concern: late or unprepared clients.

this year, uncooperative clients still rank first, at 50 percent, but staffing concerns have dropped to 37 percent.
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tax pros gain ground, and diyers maintain lead

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data table

refunds are up over 4 percent.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

with about a month left in the 2024 tax season, the individual income tax returns keep pouring in, and the internal revenue service keeps grinding them out.

the irs had received 62.8 million returns, down 1.1 percent from the previous year, as of march 8, the latest data available. it had processed 61.9 million returns, down 2.1 percent.

more: tax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

e-filings

electronic filings totaled 61.2 million, down 0.9 percent.
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even with value pricing, time tracking matters and here’s why

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higher productivity equals higher capacity, which drives faster turnaround times. faster turnaround times create happier clients. 

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

employee productivity plays a huge factor in managing wip (work in progress). because capacity is the denominator in the lean six sigma equation, and employee productivity is a big factor in capacity, employee productivity becomes a big factor in determining turnaround time.

more: end tax season meetings with clients…seriously | get clients to understand firm processes … or say goodbye | train now before it costs you down the road | keep clients from “balance due” shock | it’s ok to say no to clients (even the large ones) | you train your clients, whether you mean to or not | business owners face one of three exits | how small firms can win the talent wars | do you know your turnaround time?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

first, let’s dismiss all the consultants from the room who tell us that time tracking and productivity metrics don’t matter. mostly, these consultants have never managed or owned cpa firms. rarely have they worked in firms for any length of time. they have never known the struggles of meeting payroll during the first pay period in february when employee hours are up, but the tax season money is not rolling in yet. goodbye. don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out, or do let it hit you. that’s up to you. i hope it’s a heavy door.

here’s an example that shows why time tracking and productivity metrics matter:

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