By Rick Telberg/At Large
Join the Tax Season tracking study here.
While we catch our breath to assess what went right and what went wrong with Tax Season 2005, many are asking “How did we do it, and remain sane and in one piece?”
“Pace yourself,” says one practitioner. But he doesn’t stop there. It takes more. “Keep a good sense of humor, keep your staff energized and focused on the task at hand, hold monthly staff outings, maintain business as usual as it relates to marketing, attendance at business functions etc., have the staff plan firm events during and after tax season.”
John Pezzullo of Wheaton, Ill., has jumped on the e-filing bandwagon, and improved his cash flow by accepting credit cards. “Everyone has plastic,” he says.
“Who says I’m sane?” says a small-firm owner. “It takes me a month to recover. Nobody in his or her right mind would willingly do this for a living,” he quips. READ MORE →
SurePrep is rolling out a tax preparation workflow system that it says could cut the time required to prepare returns by 35% to 50%. And, they note, “without outsourcing a single return.”
Originally developed by SurePrep to automate its own tax processing operations, SurePrep Express might help accounting firms double the volume of returns they prepare without increasing professional staff and without sacrificing quality or control, the company says.
Here’s how it works…
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Tax Season 2005 came to a close today with practitioners reporting about as many positives as negatives. Late K1s and tardy clients were again the main frustrations. But all key financial and operating indicators were showing gains.
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Tracking studies suggest few major glitches.
Tax season is coming to a smooth, successful close for most CPAs. But balky clients, staff shortages and frayed nerves have clearly taken their toll. Six in 10 practitioners say the season went better than or at least as smoothly as last year. And the rest — a sizeable four in 10 — say conditions were worse.
Going into the final week, our readers called conditions:
Better than last year: 24%
About the same: 34%
Not as good as last year: 42%
Interestingly nevertheless, most of our practitioners are reporting advances in all key operational and financial measures — revenues, profits, clients and more. (CONTINUED…)
How Was YOUR Tax Season?
Get your own sneak preview of the key benchmarks and ideas for improvement. Join the tracking panel. (Free. Confidential.) READ MORE →
Do you know the right specs for your next notebook, Tablet PC or handheld?
Leading-edge accountants and financial managers are increasing their productivity and their work satisfaction thanks to the new wave of mobile technologies.
From smart phones and handhelds to that old staple, notebooks, mobile devices are freeing accountants to take their work with them — anywhere in the office, on the road, to off-site meetings, visiting with clients, across the country or around the world. Meanwhile, wireless networking has evolved into a mature and nearly ubiquitous technology that’s cutting costs and still adding more productivity. READ MORE →
