The "ghost client" - do not extend - a risk

[strongsilence]

[IRonMaN]

95% of my extensions are for the same clients year after year.  I'll extend them because the bulk of them never touch base, they just assume I am going to take care of them again this year.

[Karl · Accepted solution]

Agreed!

It can also mess up the next tax pro if the client has left but is too rude or scared to tell you they are leaving.

If an extension w/ auto-debit is desired/needed, the tax pro's attempt at e-file will reject. Yes, the taxpayer can then go send in their own extension payment, but it's still rude to make more back-and-forth for another tax pro during this time of year.

Sidebar: when clients are kind enough to tell me that they are going elsewhere, I always reply and thank them for the courtesy of letting me know. It makes it so much less awkward when they don't make me follow up to figure out if they forgot / had a big life event happen vs just going elsewhere.

[Accountant-Man]

Since I always sent out Organizers in December, I assume that if I don't hear from them by April 1 that they're not coming back.

Many years ago I would call them, and I got reamed out once for screwing up their last year's return. THEY NEVER TOLD ME, SO I NEVER KNEW AND NEVER COULD HELP THEM FIX IT.

Screw 'em.

[Karl]

Ymmv, but I have about one per year that forgets about taxes being an annual thing. Usually a death of a loved one or a severe illness. So I've made it a policy to just check in via email once, subject line "Confirming your disengagement." I agree that I wouldn't call them. But I never call my clients, and don't give them a phone # to call me, so...

Also, this confirm-disengagement email can save you some headaches later if a client tries to blame you for late filing penalties they might incur. I think legal precedent has now been established that we wouldn't be liable, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't have the headache and time loss of defending a (former-)client's claim.