the top 12 tax return preparation errors

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get the instant download: ed mendlowitz’ tax season opportunity checklist kit. free to pro members.

ed mendlowitz, cpa and partner at withum cpas in new brunswick, n.j., has survived more than 40 tax seasons and built a thriving book of business.

he knows a thing or two about how to run an office in busy season. over the years, he has compiled this handy list of the most frequently found errors in tax return preparation:

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. read more →

new survey findings: tech investments, better economy, more complex returns buoy busy season outlook

four in five expect the same or better  than last year’s busy season.

by rick telberg

as busy season 2012 gets into full gear, tax and accounting professionals are holding steadfast to their confidence that this year’s results could show a marked improvement over last year’s, according to current readings of the profession by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

with january 2012 just beginning, 55% of accountants expect 2012 to be overall  “somewhat” or “much” better than 2011, which is relatively unchanged from readings in november and december. to be sure, 26% expect no change from last year, and 19% are bracing for “worse.”

in other findings from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer and related reports:

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

 

read more →

billables look good for busy season

major metrics suggest rebounding business.
busy season benchmarks, dec. 2011

most tax and accounting professionals heading into busy season are expecting meaningful improvements over last year in revenues and profits, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

  • complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

read more →

new survey results: busy season prices heading up 4.1%

source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

after a conservative 3.2% price increase last year.

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

tax and accounting practitioners are again cautiously raising prices this year, prompted by years of little or no rate hikes and continuing step-ups in labor and technology costs, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey data.

becky klotz, the head of small local firm of tax consultants in oregon, says that, with an economy where “i don’t see much improvement in the near future,” her firm will be raising pricing, but “just a bit.”

on the other hand, wray rives at rives cpa in coppell, texas, is holding the line. “we believe we are priced at the right level for our market,” he says.

read more →

survey results: accountants expecting a better busy season in 2012

small but measurable advances.

preliminary results from a survey by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 suggests that tax and accounting professionals are expecting a better busy season this year than last year.

last year at about this time, practitioners rated the then-upcoming 2.35 on a five-point scale with 5 being “much better” than the year before and 1 “much worse.”

in other findings from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer and related reports:

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

new and preliminary data rate the outlook a 2.42, a scant but perceptible improvement.

read more →

cch rolls out free tax news phone app

cch tax news iphone app
cch tax news iphone app

iphone and ipad users can click here; androids here.

via cch

cch is launching a free tax news highlights app for iphones, ipads and android devices

the app was spearheaded by cch’s newly formed agile publishing solutions team, a rapid development prototype team.

for now, the cch tax news highlights app focuses solely on the most up-to-date federal and state tax news headlines – available at the touch of a screen icon. the app has the ability to grow into a much larger information content source designed for professionals, educators and students for all relevant tax and accounting news.

read more →

seven tech lessons for busy season

it’s the best time to learn the tough lessons to apply next year.

roman kepczyk

with busy season a frenzy, most professionals keep their heads down and their noses to the grindstone.

but if you’re in management, you can’t afford to waste the once-a-year opportunity to take notes on what’s working, what’s not and what to do about it before the next busy season.

with that in mind, roman h. kepczyk, cpa.citp, lists seven tech tends to watch:     read more →