SURVEY RESULTS: Security and ID Theft Emerge as Top Tax Season Worry

Even as IRS sees declines.

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

The CPA Trendlines Busy Season Survey is turning up a disturbing finding, one that looks like it’s only going to get worse.  Join the Survey. Get the Answers

Late and unprepared clients scored high, indicated by 41.6 percent of respondents. Staffing issues, at 34 percent, was right up there, too. But the most common concern was security, privacy, and identity theft, checked off by 46.2 percent.

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It isn’t often that one category of concern reaches the mid-40s. In 2016, “Clients late or unprepared” is the only one that’s consistently up there, ranging from a low of 47.3 in 2016 to 59.3 percent in 2010. But generally, the numbers for that category have been improving.

Posted on March 5, 2017