Level 11

Question

Status

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
March 19, 2026
5 replies
26 views

27 days left, 7 days until my own new appointment cutoff and 52.7% out the door. Last year 50.3%. Tax season has become a 30 day nightmare - when you're already the most tired and burnt out.

This year so far, 21% meetings, 68% client portal (ugh) and balance mail and drop off.

And you?

ProSeries Professional

Jim-from-Ohio

Intuit Community Champion

99.99% in person.. every half hour.. .01% dreaded portal

dascpaAuthor

Level 11

How can you do every half hour? My clients are - here's the packet. Let's talk about kids, grandkids, vacations and my ailment of the day.

Jim-from-Ohio

Intuit Community Champion

easy.. night before i review my roster for the next day.. fill out the silly check boxes and administration aspects of a client.. 20% of return done before they even get here. (already booked through 04.15.26 with add't 250 on extension and growing) I have my 20% pre-meeting check boxes done through 04.04.26 as of today. but I dirgress..

client comes out.. on time.. never late I hope. i greet them.. never really ask how they are as that can open up a conversation.. takes valuable time. I may say welcome.. let's see what you have this year. they hand me their folder with their docs.. i sort them in order if input. w-2, interst, dividends, self employment, rentals, capital gains.. itemized deductions.. they follow along on their dedicated screen.. when i am done with the input, i use by ten-key to verify all my input if multiple w-2s, etc..

i am doing some returns in 10 minutes this method. i still book every half hour for the most part in case someone is late, which is very rare.. i print out return. client signs.. i thank them.. help them out and ready for the next one

BobKamman

Level 15

Those who live by the IRS April 15 Brainwash Rule shall perish by it. April 15 is just another spring day (except here in Phoenix, where we hit 100 degrees at a record early date yesterday, it's going to be another summer day). I used to schedule appointments by 30, 45 and 60 minute intervals, depending on the complexity, but I call myself semi-retired now and most of my remaining clients prefer to send me their stuff. If they are the type who will wet their pants if returns are not done by some arbitrary date, I'm trying to cut back on work anyway so I can provide more help to those who come to me for advice based on experience and education, not just for clerical work.

Jim-from-Ohio

Intuit Community Champion

lol.. nice veiled dig there.. very few, if anyone else can do "clerical" work like this and make the amount doing clerical work.. i look at what I offer as a highly desirable and wanted and needed professional service for a fair price..

BobKamman

Level 15

For many of my clients, past and present, the return could be done by a Block trainee four years out of five. But then the fifth year comes along, when ordinary people have extraordinary tax situations that can perplex even me.

IRonMaN

Level 15

It's that time of the year where I sit back for a couple seconds and wonder how in the world I can get that many returns done with the time remaining. It's also the time of the year where I want to rip the phone out and throw in out in parking lot.

I have gone from meeting with most clients to only meeting with a handful. Most folks used to think they had to meet but a few years ago I sent out a little letter with their tax organizer telling them if you want to meet give us a call but it's no problem just dropping it off. The only trouble with drop offs is I have no control when they come in. I'm thinking about going with a light out in the parking lot --------- green means, go ahead and drop it off and red means, I'm too far behind and I don't need you to overwhelm me any more - try again in a couple of days.

Slava Ukraini!

F

Frustrated-in-IL

Level 8

I wish I could do a return in 30 minutes. All my clients have issues. Just today: 1). return rejects because dependent PIN missing - dependent has no clue what an IP PIN is; 2). client brings 1099R from broker but not consolidated statement she has had like forever and says broker told her she doesn't have one - okay, but I'd rather get it right than amend or respond to IRS notice so sent her home to call broker tomorrow; 3). client has new mortgage 1098 and new 1099 INT. Upon questioning, the mortgage was for a kitchen remodel which has yet to begin but some architect fees have been paid and the funds have been parked in a savings account. Start thinking we might have investment interest expense to extent of interest income but send client home to get printout of all transactions in both accounts.

Daily tally - 2 returns done; three waiting for info.

I guess I don't live in Jim's or Lisa's world!

IRonMaN

Level 15

We had one the other day. Do you have a 1099 for any HSA withdrawals? What’s that? Spouse started a new job this year and had 3000 dumped into an HSA. No clue what that was or that they had such a thing. But are going to follow up on it because they have $1000 in medical bills that they have been waiting to pay. Also no Jim’s world here.

Slava Ukraini!

Skylane

Intuit Community Champion

I changed my model years ago. Practice is in NJ but I spend tax season in Fl. Clients still mail, portal, fedex, fax, drop off, their information. I have a staff to organize, scan, and put together paperwork, then print and distribute the returns.
i haven’t had a meet and greet in years… probably 20% that I’ve never met.

yesterday, I played golf in afternoon, but did returns after dinner… I don’t track %’s by returns, but the bank accounts keep growing….

technology, a shared spreadsheet, good IT guy, good staff, and GREAT wife make it manageable…

If at first you don’t succeed…..find a workaround

IRonMaN

Level 15

"technology, a shared spreadsheet, good IT guy, good staff, and GREAT wife make it manageable… "

If you were in Illinois you would have added Fireball to that list. 😀

Slava Ukraini!

Taxprohere

Level 7

Ever since the pandemic, about half maybe more, of my clients do it remotely. Adds much more to my processing time so I have a remote tax prep surcharge and they accept it. My favorite method though is for clients to drop off paperwork, in xx weeks we meet in office for review/print/sign and I can talk a little bit about my two little girls who run around the house naked.

But mid-March I reach my 4-week turnaround, so aside from reserving spots for my usual in-office April clients (20yrs+ tenured so they get in!), all others contacting me now are on extensions!

(My girls sleep most of the day, eat hay and lettuce, chew cardboard boxes at 5am and have lop ears.)

S

strongsilence

Level 10

clients - almost always very nice and reasonable people - now feel like a constant bother.

"Let me know what I'm missing". NO, how about you look at my organizer and tell me what you are missing. You are retired and have the time to figure it out. These will be in the bucket of those I consider dropping next year.

IRonMaN

Level 15

I have never used WAG in my whole career. On the other hand, I have used SWAG for a lot of years - sophisticated wild ass guess. 😀

Slava Ukraini!

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