“How to scale up business during the tax submission period” has become a popular query among CPAs and accounting firms in the United States. And we can clearly see why.
Scaling makes it easy to cope with the mounting workload and meet business requirements without overstretching resources or undertaking unplanned hiring. The same is true for accounting firms and CPAs. But when tax season rolls around, it becomes challenging to support existing clients and meet seasonal demand.
Reviewing files and company financial records, preparing ledgers, filling out tax forms, keeping up with regulations and deadlines, and maintaining contact with tax agencies – there are a lot of things that accounting firms in the US have to keep an eye on during the tax season. But fret not, we are here to help out!
In this blog, Finsmart Accounting – trusted for accounting outsourcing in India and New York – will share 6 tips to scale up a business while preparing for and filing taxes during peak tax submission periods.
Are you ready to learn? Let’s go!
#1 Start Planning before tax season arrives
Dale Carnegie once said, “An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.” We completely agree with this. None of us are blessed with foresight. Therefore, start preparing before tax season kicks in. Reach out to your clients and ask them questions concerning the work you are expecting to see during tax season.
Ask them questions like:
- How much work should we foresee coming our way during the tax season?
- What are your priorities for this year?
- Do you expect any considerable changes in your income next year?
- Do you have any financial or tax needs that are not being met by the services we are currently providing?
- What’s changed in your business over the last 12 months?
Write down the answers to the aforementioned questions on a piece of paper. By doing so, your accounting team can become proactive, anticipate roadblocks that might come in the way, and create an action plan to avoid them. While this tip may sound like a lot of work to some, it can make it easy for you to scale up your business during tax season.
#2 Build a checklist from the last tax documents
Do you know why it is important to create checklists? Because they help get organized around tasks by clearly marking them out and simplifying execution for the team. Before the tax season approaches, create a checklist of your tax preparation.
An easy place to start is to check out what your clients submitted this past year. Gather the following documents to start tax preparation:
- Personal information
- Income sources
- Income adjustments
- Self-employment and business records
- Itemized tax deductions and credits
- Taxes paid
- Estimated tax payments
Once you gather all the necessary documents, investigate what’s different about this year. Show the checklist to clients and ask them to tick off the required options so that your team can manage deadlines and scale up if required.
Month-end closing checklist for better accounting
#3 Focus on staff loyalty
The need to scale an accounting business emerges when client loyalty is at its peak and more business is coming your way. While this is happening, you also need to give prominence to staff loyalty. Why, do you ask? If your team is happy and committed, it will be more invested and willing to take on new clients, introduce new ideas, and go above & beyond the call of duty – all of which are much needed during tax season.
Consider the following tips to sort out staff challenges during the busy season:
- Increasing workload without increasing capacity will cause burnout and staff turnover. Make certain you are staffed appropriately to accommodate new clients.
- Create a culture of appreciation and recognition at the workplace.
- Offer incentives and perks at end of the tax submission season.
- Provide tools and resources that let employees solve tax-related issues, communicate effectively, and perform diverse tasks.
- Remove uncertainties and resolve disputes as fast as possible.
#4 Let tax software take some load
This is literally one of the most important tips for CPAs and accounting firms interested in scaling up their business during the tax submission period. A lot of young CPAs and accounting firms struggle during tax season because they fail to be on par with their rapidly growing client base and requirements.
Embracing modern tax software helps complete challenging accounting and taxation tasks with ease. It will also make it easy for your staff to calculate income tax, advance tax, wealth tax, and TDS without errors. This way, your team can save many hours each week, which in turn can be used to manage additional work and scaling goals.
#5 Do reconciliation before tax season arrives
Another useful tip for US accounting firms to consider for scaling up during the tax submission period. Remember we told you to start planning ahead of time? Well, you should reconcile your clients’ accounts beforehand as it can help you detect mistakes or disparities in their accounting books that could hugely influence their financial health and buy you a lot of time to focus on other critical assignments.
Reconcile every transaction with bank statements. Break it into the following categories:
- Cash, cheques, and savings accounts
- Prepaid or accrued account
- Bank loans and notes
Pick one option first and work on it carefully. Make inroads for others afterward, ensuring the actual amount of money spent matches the amount shown leaving accounts.
#6 Consider outsourcing
It goes without saying that tax season is a nerve-wracking period and a lot needs to be done. But hey, it doesn’t mean you need to carry all the tax-filing burdens on your own. Consider outsourcing tax preparation work to leading accounting and tax filing companies like Finsmart.
Of course, you can hire new staff or use automation software to handle the additional workload. But by opting for offshore taxation and offshore bookkeeping services, you can ascertain a higher level of accuracy and expertise at an affordable price. You will also free up more of your time to focus on core business functions and scale up rapidly.
Watch what the leading bookkeeping firm of South Florida has to say about Finsmart:
Scaling up business during tax submission period: Endnote
Above are useful tips for US accounting firms planning to scale up their businesses during tax season. Every organization, be it small, mid, or large, aspires to hit bigger profitability and sustainability. That’s precisely why one needs to plan things carefully during the tax submission period.
With the aforementioned ideas, not only will your accounting business be able to attain bigger profitability but also ease the rush for tax season.
Got any queries to ask? Send them to info@finsmartaccounting.com and have them answered by our accounting and tax experts.
Also read:
Outsourced payroll services in India
Strategies to expand accounting business
A guide to hiring the best outsourced CFO services
Best accounting and tax software for CPA firms
Director Growth Strategy & Alliance
Maanoj Shah is a finance and outsourcing expert with strong Business Strategy and Scaling-up experience. Over the last 20 years, he has incubated multiple businesses and helped build global enterprises in verticals as diversified as hospitality, technology, and healthcare.
