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CHARTS & GRAPHS

SURVEY: New Tax Law Roils Busy Season

Q: How’s busy season so far?

How some savvy CPAs turn confusion into new billings.

Join the survey, get the results

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines Research

The so-called Tax Cut and Jobs Act won’t officially take effect until next year, but professionals are already reporting that it’s causing problems and depressing their forecasts for this year’s busy season results.

MORE ON TAX SEASON:  Tax Pros Keep Edge in E-Filings  |    Half of E-Filings Go Through Tax Pros | David Bergstein on Tax Season | Tax Accountants Fill the Breach of a Failing IRS | New Tax Law Roils Busy Season 2018 | Beware the EZ Way Out | When Clients Face ‘Unreal’ IRS Audits | Underfunded IRS Swamped with Problems

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Early soundings from the annual CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer show that 30% of practitioners are finding more trouble this year than last year – and they blame it on the new tax law.

To be sure, many others are finding new opportunities instead, and each firm, practice, and book of business is being affected differently.

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BUSY SEASON MANAGEMENT

Military Personnel Face New Battles at Home: The IRS

Tax professionals have a special duty to help. 

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

“Thank you for your service” isn’t enough.

SPECIAL REPORT – Fixing the IRS: IRS #FAILs at Online Services Spell Problems for Professionals | Tax Accountants Fill the Breach of a Failing IRS | Beware the EZ Way Out | Can the IRS Improve Its Phone Service? | When Clients Face ‘Unreal’ IRS Audits | IRS Warns about Private Debt Collectors for Tax Season 2018  | Underfunded IRS Swamped with Problems | IRS in Retreat from Communities | Military Personnel Face New Battles at Home: The IRS | As New Economy Surges, IRS Falls Further Behind | Is the IRS Winning the Battle Against Identity Theft? | IRS Mulls Raising Fees to Cover Budget Shortfalls  |

More at taxtrendlines.com

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Active duty service members have plenty to worry about. In addition to the MREs, IEDs, and RPGs, there’s the IRS. Like all American workers, military personnel, including those in combat zones, have to pay taxes, but calculating what they owe can be as complicated as patrolling the streets of Mosul. A good tax preparer might be able to help these 2.1 million active duty, Reserve, and National Guard, but it takes a little extra training.

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ABOUT US

Thanks, Avalara, We’re Honored

The Avalara Top 100 on social media

 

As Avalara says on Facebook:

Avalara is super excited to announce the launch of the #AccountingTop100 social media leaderboard! This awesome leaderboard highlights outstanding accounting professionals based on their overall presence, influence, and engagement on social media platforms. Updated rankings are generated every two weeks, so if you’re an accountant or bookkeeper who thinks they’ve got what it takes to make the list, check it out and join for free today!

 

BUSY SEASON MANAGEMENT

As New Economy Surges, IRS Falls Further Behind

 

IRS caught unprepared for the tectonic shift in the income-tax landscape.

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

The gig economy is big and getting bigger. It’s service providers are making real money, but they’re often as lost as an Uber driver with a dead phone.

SPECIAL REPORT – Fixing the IRS: IRS #FAILs at Online Services Spell Problems for Professionals | Tax Accountants Fill the Breach of a Failing IRS | Beware the EZ Way Out | Can the IRS Improve Its Phone Service? | When Clients Face ‘Unreal’ IRS Audits | IRS Warns about Private Debt Collectors for Tax Season 2018  | Underfunded IRS Swamped with Problems | IRS in Retreat from Communities | Military Personnel Face New Battles at Home: The IRS | As New Economy Surges, IRS Falls Further Behind | Is the IRS Winning the Battle Against Identity Theft? | IRS Mulls Raising Fees to Cover Budget Shortfalls  |

More at taxtrendlines.com

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The gig economy, also known as the sharing economy, is that market of “collaborative consumption” typified by Uber, Lyft, AirBnB, Etsy, TaskRabbit, and many others. Such services are typically coordinated by a website that links customers with service providers, yielding a good deal all around: somebody gets a cut-rate service, and somebody gets the flexibility of part-time self-employment.

But that latter somebody might need somebody else to advise them on tax compliance. READ MORE →

BUSY SEASON MANAGEMENT

Is the IRS Winning the Battle Against Identity Theft?

It’s hard to tell.

By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

The good news: Identity theft is down.

SPECIAL REPORT – Fixing the IRS: IRS #FAILs at Online Services Spell Problems for Professionals | Tax Accountants Fill the Breach of a Failing IRS | Beware the EZ Way Out | Can the IRS Improve Its Phone Service? | When Clients Face ‘Unreal’ IRS Audits | IRS Warns about Private Debt Collectors for Tax Season 2018  | Underfunded IRS Swamped with Problems | IRS in Retreat from Communities | Military Personnel Face New Battles at Home: The IRS | As New Economy Surges, IRS Falls Further Behind | Is the IRS Winning the Battle Against Identity Theft? | IRS Mulls Raising Fees to Cover Budget Shortfalls  |

More at taxtrendlines.com

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The bad news: There’s a lot of identity theft.

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