Busy Season 2026: Chaos Looms as DOGE Cuts and OBBBA Changes Collide
Downsizing, backlogs, and confusion become national policy.
By CPA Trendlines
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TAX SEASON
With Congress Stalled, Tax Professionals Take Control of Preparer Standards
Why Tax Pros Are Imposing Standards on Themselves.
By CPA Trendlines Research
As the 2026 filing season begins, the National Association of Tax Professionals is launching a formal credentialing program for taxpayer representation.
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The NATP is stepping into a regulatory void left by years of congressional inaction, leaving more than 500,000 paid preparers operating without national standards, even as IRS and GAO data show higher error rates on paid-prepared returns than on do-it-yourself filings, and Congress is delaying action.
The IRS in 2026: Quiet Backlogs, Harder Fixes, and Late Guidance
Less capacity, more obligation.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Identity theft is becoming one of the biggest time drains for tax professionals this filing season, and the IRS may be less equipped than ever to handle it.
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According to the IRS Advisory Council—the body representing tax professionals—identity-theft refund cases now take nearly two years to resolve, as staffing cuts and system limits slow IRS response.
But identity theft is only one of a long list of problems that can only get worse this year. Tax professionals are bracing for prolonged client disputes and frustrating follow-ups with an understaffed, ill-equipped IRS.
Six Times to Pick Up the Phone This Tax Season
The personal touch goes a long way toward client retention.
By Ed Mendlowitz
Tax Season Opportunity Guide
Clients are not numbers on a list that needs to be reduced. They are all individuals and consider themselves very important people and want professionals who treat them accordingly.
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It is attitudinal and accountants must adopt that mindset and transmit that through to their culture. So you need to know when it’s essential to pick up the phone.
Busy Season 2026: The Year CAS Firms Seize the Lead
Why is the busy season better for CAS accountants?
By CPA Trendlines Research
With busy season 2026, accountants specializing in client accounting services are reaping the benefits of a year’s worth of hard work, in a smoother path to April 15, more compliant clients, and higher fees, according to the CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer.
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The Busy Season Barometer marks the 2026 tax season as the breakthrough moment when CAS crosses from merely an aspirational experiment to a routine part of the service mix for small and midsize firms.