EXCLUSIVE SURVEY: Practitioners Cite 4 Big Strategies for Success in Tax Season 2014

ChartExportTax professionals fight political uncertainty, ragged clients, toughened rivals.

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

After what for many was a disastrous season in 2013, many tax prep professionals are laying new plans and taking on ambitious initiatives to avoid a repeat of last year and maybe even vault ahead of the competition.

With input from more than 400 practitioners, CPA Trendlines expects 2014 to be rocky from the start, with Washington politics playing a big role, and also highly competitive, as practitioners battle both fee pressures from clients and each other for a smaller pool of good clients.

CPA Trendlines has prepared a special report, “Busy Season 2014 Pre-Season Forecast and Outlook,” available as an ebook here.

In the last 30 days, practitioners’ outlook has been generally positive as they start to get their plans in place and with a momentary lull in Washington infighting. As of today, about 60% of the more than 400 practitioners surveyed expect a better season than last year, including 12% who are hoping for a “much better” season.

If there are themes among the new strategies from lessons learned last year, they fall into a few general categories: