higher fees to start: ten ways to make your tax season better

woman smiling as she uses calculators and views charts on computer screens

does your firm look “closed for business”?

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

  1. increase your fees 3-5 percent at a minimum – to offset your increased costs.

more: nine tips for a healthier tax season | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. deliver your bill with the return.
  2. call clients before return is sent to explain and give a heads up for unexpected results.

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can your tax reviewers answer these 10 questions?

businessman looking up answers in a book

bonus checklist: the answers!

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

the primary people who should review tax returns are trained tax department reviewers. however, often the bunching and compression of work shifts some of the review to higher level, non-tax personnel such as audit managers and partners who might not necessarily have the comprehensive training, background and experience to handle everything that might come up during the tax preparation process.

more on tax season: 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.

additionally, in many firms, almost everyone on the staff prepares some returns. that lack of dedicated preparers with the trained skills places an added burden on the tax reviewers, making it important for them to have the range of experience needed to perform the review.

following are 10 questions reviewers should be able to answer to qualify for their role.

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nine tips for a healthier tax season

woman and man walking and talking outside office building

how to be at your best through april 15th.

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

tax season can be a marathon. everyone has their own tips and tricks, habits and techniques for staying sane and healthy. here are 10 of mine:

more: every accounting firm needs quality control | three ways to start an accounting practice | free consultation? not always | referral fee? forget it | how much is your tax practice worth? | merge in lower-priced work without losing out
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. eat lunch out of your office.
  2. go for a 15-minute walk in middle of afternoon instead of eating a snack.

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the top 12 mistakes in tax return preparation

businessman horrified by what he sees on computer screen

 

there’s good news, though: they’re preventable.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

here are the top 12 tax return preparation errors:

  1. number transposition and spelling errors. this includes income and deduction amounts and client social security numbers, addresses and zip codes. spelling errors should also be avoided – they indicate a lack of attention to what you are doing.

more on tax season: 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.

  1. unreported 1099 income. clients frequently leave out 1099s, but the preparer should make sure all 1099 items from last year are accounted for. missing 1099s that were not final for last year should be accounted for.
  2. tax payments. entering incorrect and unpaid amounts can be avoided by requiring the client to provide “proof” of the payments. entering “incorrect” amounts provided by the client is a major cause of tax notices.

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every accounting firm needs quality control

man using laptop, pen marking imaginary checkboxes in air

the lowest cost always comes when the person first performing the service does it correctly.

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

question: i want to improve my firm’s review and quality control. do you have any suggestions?

response: this is a recurring issue for most firms. every cpa practice needs quality control. the issue is whether a dedicated quality control (“qc”) person is needed and, if not, how the qc can be done without one.

more: three ways to start an accounting practice | fifteen strategies for first-time supervisors | no one listens to you? change how you talk | free consultation? not always | measure knowledge gaps (then close them) | 47 types of business valuation to provide | referral fee? forget it | should you offer financial services? | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice | how much is your tax practice worth? | ready to retire? selling your practice is no strategy | uncooperative partner might not be the problem | merge in lower-priced work without losing out | 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.

a practice is a business and every business must be run efficiently and profitably. qc is an area that i have found many firms getting tied up in and either spending nothing or much more than they should.
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six types of person: which are you?

use the answer to help define your business and your future.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

is your practice satisfying?

do you like it the way it is, or do you want it to develop and grow? some people like the way things are and don’t care about change.

more on tax season: 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.

if you’ve gotten this far, i would suggest that you do care about change, and change means you have to do some things differently.
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three ways to start an accounting practice

smiling man in shirt and tie seated at desk

plus a dozen tips for once you get there.

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

question: i am working for a cpa firm, but would like to start my own practice. can you give me some suggestions?

more: fifteen strategies for first-time supervisors | 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.

response: essentially, you have three options (four if you count my pet project, but i won’t belabor it).
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