tax season

with 4 days left, tax stats were still down

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chart of irs filing data for week ending april 14, 2017
[click for larger image]

pros move ahead in e-filings.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

with only days left to go in the 2017 tax season, the internal revenue service still was seeing most statistics land below 2016 levels.

more tax season data: refunds edge up as tax season winds down  | tax refunds catching up to last year | tax professionals accelerate filing pace as busy season heads for the home stretch | individual tax filings still lag behind 2016 | tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

according to data from the week ending april 14, the latest available, the only figures on the positive side remained total refunds and average refund per taxpayer.
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refunds edge up as tax season winds down

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irs filing statistics for week ending april 7, 2017

pros hold on to 57% of e-filings.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the nationwide refund pool crept into positive territory, joining average refunds as the only statistics on the plus side.

more tax season data: tax refunds catching up to last year | tax professionals accelerate filing pace as busy season heads for the home stretch | individual tax filings still lag behind 2016 | tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the data are for the week ending april 7, the latest available.
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individual tax filings still lag behind 2016

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chart of irs data for week ending march 17, 2017
data for week ending march 17, 2017

more e-filings handled by pros, but not by a large margin.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

how much difference can four days make? or are there other issues?

more on tax season: five ways to protect clients from ‘the sleazy six’ tax season scams | four common errors in form 1098-t | taxes: beyond income to gas and more | readers sound off: what tax season decline? | five-point action plan for turning tax scam threats into new opportunities | liberty tax earnings down 48% | h&r block lagging behind last year
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

most 1040 data remains on a downturn from 2016, with only refund amounts edging barely into positive territory.
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taxpayers tell how they really feel

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pie chart of when people plan to pay their taxes
^ when people plan to pay their taxes

they don’t like the irs, but they might get an irs tattoo to skip out on taxes.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

let’s put the shoe on the other foot for a moment.

more on tax season: five-point action plan for turning tax scam threats into new opportunities | liberty tax earnings down 48% | h&r block lagging behind last year | tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we know how accountants view tax season. but how about the average taxpayer?
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readers sound off: what tax season decline?

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some are busier than ever, while others report a change in clientele.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

our recent story, tax season half over but no one is celebrating, seemed to have some readers scratching their heads.

more on tax season: five-point action plan for turning tax scam threats into new opportunities | liberty tax earnings down 48% | h&r block lagging behind last year | tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

join the busy season outlook survey. get the results.

filing statistics are down, according to the irs (which should know).
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tax season half over but no one is celebrating

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office worker spraying silly string on colleaguepros are gaining ground in e-filings.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

we’re halfway through tax season! woohoo, blow the party horns!

more tax season data: tax pros filing only 51% of e-returns | tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

where’s your horn? you don’t seem to be celebrating. what up, dog?

filing statistics are down, and some of you aren’t shy about suggesting why.
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tax pro e-filing down 10%

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chart of irs filing data
[click for larger image]

refunds are the only figure tracking higher this year.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the e-filing margin between tax professionals and self-preparers is narrowing. still, the pace of e-filing by tax professionals is running 10% behind the same time last year.

more tax season data: tax refunds up slightly | tax filings data looking less squirrely | tax return filings still lag, but pros hold 57% of market | tax filings down, but irs blames the calendar
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as of march 3, the irs had received 61.1 million individual income tax returns, down 8.5 percent from the same period last year, although 2017 has had four fewer processing days so we’re comparing oranges to tangerines.
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successful tax seasons require teamwork

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high angle view of business people stacking hands in a teamwork gesturefive questions to ask.

by rex gatto
gatto associates llc.

here are a few inconsequential misstatements to begin:

  • keywords that partners use like pride, commitment and quality of work for the client are words to get staff to work harder for no more money. ouch!
  • true teamwork (staff working effectively in a niche/department) means the partner can blame some of the problems on them. double ouch!

more on leadership: 7 habits of lousy cpa firm leaders
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now having capitalized on some bad humor, let’s look at some simple definitions to begin. these definitions can change according to your firm’s structure.
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8 considerations with new clients

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businessman expressing refusal with open handssometimes you should say no.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

we all want additional business, but sometimes the client should be vetted to determine if it is a good fit for your firm and if there are any danger signs.

more on marketing: more on marketing: 11 ways to get more tax clients | how to sell bundled tax services | 7 questions for succession planning | 15 points to buying or selling a business | 9 questions to ask about divorce and taxes | guiding clients in investment allocation and management | why cpas are suited to financial planning | how to suggest more services | adopt a marketing mindset
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

following is a checklist that could help you in making a decision to accept the client.
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11 ways to get more tax clients

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hand with money fanned out against tax return formplus 22 ways to get additional business clients.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

a target is the result of a plan.

more on marketing: how to sell bundled tax services | how to prepare returns for a multiple-year non-filer | how to conduct business valuations and forensic investigations | yes, accountants can perform conflict resolution | how to counsel on retirement planning | investment clubs and how to counsel them | offering second marriage assistance | what you need to start a financial planning discussion | tax projections: how and why | how to raise client awareness of services
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so, what is your plan?
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a little tax humor

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portrait of a young laughing businessman with tablet computer in officetake a break for a few minutes.

editor’s note: every tax season for the last umpteen years, robert e. mckenzie, a tax lawyer at  arnstein & lehr in chicago, has made a tradition of sharing his carefully curated collection of tax jokes. here are a few of his latest. enjoy!

by robert e. mckenzie 

1) “three things are certain in life. death and taxes are two of them. the third is tax fraud.” – matt pearce, la times, april 19, 2016

 

more: how many irs agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 

2) “i think nobody knows more about taxes than i do, maybe in the history of the world. nobody knows more about taxes.” – donald trump during 2016 campaign

3) “anonymous just hacked trump’s tax returns. unfortunately, like trump’s hands, the numbers are tiny and impossible to make out.” – michael r. burch

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