Status

[dascpa]

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?

[Jim-from-Ohio]

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

[dascpa]

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.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I work the same as Jim, regular middle America working class or retired 1040's, Ive got them scheduled every 30 mins all day long.  Im caught up to drop offs/mail ins/portal uploads that I received on 3/11 or later, they should get hammered out Friday afternoon.

I checked the other day, it looks like Im on track with prior years, maybe 50 or so will go on extension, which keeps a little money coming in over summer.

[Jim-from-Ohio]

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

[dascpa]

Hmph... My clients have 12 dividend 1099's, 4 crypto currency 1099-B's, 2 rental properties in two states, 6 foreign signature accounts requiring FBAR and 8938's, first and second homes, 12 K-1's, bought a new HVAC and of course no QMID and more. 

Oh well. Trying to hit 53% by the end of the day........

[BobKamman]

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]

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.. 

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

Ive got a few handfuls of complex clients that get additional time,my front desk admin is really good about asking them if they ned more than 30 mins, and I review the appt book regularly looking for things that might be an issue, and we get them rescheduled for a larger time slot.

Oh you brought all 3 adult kids returns and your parent's stuff with you too, yea, you shoulda scheduled more time, they're in my drop off stack now!

[BobKamman]

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]

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. 

[Frustrated-in-IL]

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]

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.

[dascpa]

Years ago I tracked how many clients walked in (or sent me) every item I needed. It was like 4%. Always missing or waiting for that 1099 or K-1. Or walked in and left the entire packet on their kitchen table.

Now with so many documents online [only] clients forget what they have (even with my tax organizer that few people look at) so - oh, I have an account there? Or I didn't realize I had 5 RBC accounts.

Today my 9am just uploaded documents even though they scheduled an in-person meeting and emailed me do I need to come in? No - you just took up a time slot someone else may have wanted.

Take the # returns left, divide by the number of days left and realize you have to do 96 returns per day to finish on time............. 

[Skylane]

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…  

[IRonMaN]

"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. 😀

[Taxprohere]

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.)

[dascpa]

Every year i post - I have a cutoff of March 26th - no new returns after that point. I'll accept remaining only data through April 8th. Of course there tend to be exceptions but for the most part my clients work with this.

By March 26th I have a backlog from uploads, dropoffs, waiting for info, etc. that stretches miles long. I need those three weeks to get to everyone. 

Otherwise every client would try to schedule an appointment April 10-15th.

[BobKamman]

@Taxprohere We have a term for most of our 20+-year clients.  They're called the  "new ones."

[IRonMaN]

So a client sends over her stuff awhile back and we get around to doing her return last night.  Client lost her W-2 job and started doing some contract work and has a 1099NEC in her pile of stuff.  Ironwoman e-mails her last night asking if she has any costs to offset the income.  Gets an e-mail response this morning. Oh, yes she did spend some money.  She bought computers, monitors, office furniture, etc.  Not a hint of dollar amounts.  Since I'm tired today I just have to ask you kind folks, what is the standard deduction for outfitting an office in 2025? 😢 

[Jim-from-Ohio]

SALY.. anyone know what that means?

[Jim-from-Ohio]

here is another one.. WAG.. anyone?

[dascpa]

Same as last year. 

Ditwly - did it that way last year. 

[strongsilence]

wild ass guess

[strongsilence]

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.

[strongsilence]

when the acronym trend started - maybe 25 years ago around when email/internet became universal - I created an acronym:  TUA - totally useless acronym. It has never caught on. he he

[IRonMaN]

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. 😀