Tips for conquering your accounting firm’s busy season
Tax and audit season strikes dread for many accounting professionals. But it can be handled if planned early and strategically. Here’s how you survive the next one.
For North American tax accountants, January to April is typically ‘busy season’ and is synonymous with endless spreadsheets, long hours, and an overwhelming workload as firms rush to meet tax deadlines.
While a bit of chaos during tax season is par for the course, it’s worth considering:
How much of it is truly out of your control? Are there steps that can be taken to anticipate, lessen, or even dodge the madness?
This article will delve into key strategies for navigating your accounting firm’s busy season and what to look for in accounting tools to make the busiest, most stressful time of the year infinitely more manageable.
11 strategies to bring order to accounting busy season
1. Set clear client expectations
A stress-free tax season starts with setting clear expectations with your clients as soon as they (literally or figuratively) walk through the door. This is your chance to communicate openly about what you'll need from them and what they can expect during tax filing.
Make sure that you:
Outline the specific financial documents and information you need to service your clients
Implement a structured communication plan that includes email templates and automated email reminders as needed
Establish a protocol for tracking client responses and follow-ups to monitor progress and address delays promptly
Create a centralized system for organizing and storing client documents to ensure nothing falls through the cracks
Schedule regular check-ins or meetings with clients to discuss progress and address any issues that arise
2. Plan your capacity and don’t take on more than you can handle
Taking on more work than your firm can handle is a big contributor to tax season chaos. Before you make any client commitments, look at performance from previous years.
Were there any specific types of clients or industries that generated the highest workloads? What were the bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your workflow? What feedback did you receive from clients and staff members?
Using your historical data, assess your firm’s current resources, including the number of tax preparers, internal expertise, and the capabilities of your accounting firm’s tech stack.
3. Trim your client list
It’s a simple fact that, while every client is valuable, they are not all created equal.
Keeping your ideal client in mind, visit your client list and identify the ones who align with your firm’s current goals and bring significant value to the table. These are the clients you should dedicate the majority of your time and resources towards.
If certain clients require more time or resources than they justify, consider reducing your client list.
Remember: it’s all about quality over quantity.
4. Set your pricing strategically
Next, you need to create a pricing model that assigns proper value to your time and expertise. Here are three main ways to structure your pricing:
Hourly-rate pricing. Just as it sounds, this is a set rate you charge per hour.
Fixed-rate pricing. A fixed-rate structure is setting a predetermined price for each of your services.
Value-based pricing. Value-based pricing means pricing your services upfront for each client depending on their perceived value of your services.
Value-based pricing is an intriguing option for many firms because it rewards teams for efficient work. The more time you have, the more money you can make.
Download The Pricing Playbook to learn the 4-step process used by hundreds of firm owners to double their prices.
5. Get your tech stack sorted
Investing in the right tools can make all the difference in streamlining your workflow during tax season. For example, US firm, BNA, delivers tax returns in three days thanks to their tech stack.
At the core of a robust tech stack is an accounting practice management tool.
Well before the season starts, consider signing up for different trials and demos to learn which tools are best suited for your firm’s needs and goals during the busy season.
Here are a few key features to look out for:
Cloud-based: Cloud accounting means you and your team can securely work from anywhere.
Internal and client communication: Embed emails into your workflow, team, and every client and job.
Project and workflow management. Keep your team aligned on the same goals and deadlines.
Automation. Automate common, time-consuming tasks like data entry.
Integrations. Connect your firm’s apps to increase efficiency.
Client management. Keep track of client information with CRM capabilities, including a client database, activity timelines, and client groups.
Time tracking and billing. Plan your team’s capacity during busy season, track hours spent on projects, and charge both old and new clients with accuracy.
Curious how the top accounting practice management tools compare? Here’s the full breakdown of the 10 best tax practice management software solutions for accounting firms.
6. Design optimal workflows
Life in an accounting practice is dictated by processes. Day-to-day, week-to-week, year-to-year—even moment-to-moment. A firm with optimized and standardized processes moves through these moments—especially tax time—with efficiency and confidence.
The Process Playbook is your blueprint to doing just that. It takes you through eight best practice steps that’ll help you refine your processes and leverage your tech stack to handle most of the heavy lifting through automation.
It also includes worksheets, templates, and stories from other public accounting firms that have optimized their workflows.
👉 Download The Process Playbook
7. Centralize documentation
Without disciplined document management, it’s easy to get swept away in an endless sea of files and documents.
Make sure to centralize all important client and process documentation in one cloud-based system that’s easily accessible to your whole team. Document management tools can help you, not only securely store these files, but embed them into the context of your workflow with personalized client portals, integrated folders, and file links.
8. Automate repeatable processes
For some, a quarter of the workweek is dedicated to low-value manual and repetitive tasks. And during the busy season, that’s not just time you’re wasting—it’s money.
Automating these repetitive processes frees up your team to focus on higher-value, human-to-human activities that genuinely generate revenue.
Here are some time-saving accounting automation ideas:
Automate aspects of your onboarding process
Automate your staff onboarding process
Automatically collect data from client bank feeds
Use a tool like as Zapier to share data between the apps you already use
Learn how DigitPro uses automation to rescue eight hours per week across their team.
9. Leverage AI wherever you can
Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. The AI market is projected to grow by 37% each year until 2030. The best thing you can do for your accounting firm during busy season, and every day in between, is to embrace it.
According to a Karbon study that surveyed accounting professionals on the state of AI in accounting, tech-focused firms are using AI to enhance functionality and streamline work in three key areas:
Communication. 59% of accountants are using AI to compose their emails and improve their writing tone.
Task automation. 36% of accountants are using AI to automate low-value tasks and workflows.
Research. 31% are using AI to sift through data and surface relevant information to assist with research.
[AI] certainly has the potential to make us all more accurate and efficient at what we do. The more margin we can squeeze out of clients utilizing tools like AI, the better for our overall business strategy for sure.
Download The State of AI in Accounting Report for a comprehensive exploration of AI and its impact on the accounting profession.
10. Reduce meetings
According to a study by organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, 67% of respondents report their productivity is impacted due to too much time spent in meetings and on phone calls.
What would happen if you used meetings as a last resort and instead communicated and collaborated through your tools, like Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, or even your practice management tool? How much time would you and your team save?
Of course, some meetings are necessary. But again, what would happen if you intentionally kept them short and sweet?
How short is short? Well, Richard Branson has been known to cap them at 10 minutes:
A lot of time is wasted in meetings. Agendas get forgotten, topics go amiss, and people get distracted. While some circumstances call for workshops and more elaborate presentations, it's very rare that a meeting on a single topic should need to last more than 5-10 minutes.
10 minutes might be difficult to achieve for accounting businesses, but consider how short you could feasibly go at your firm.
11. Take time to check out
It might feel counterintuitive, taking time away from work can help you be more productive at work. Restoring your work-life balance is important—even during busy season.
One good strategy can be finding ways to incorporate intentional movement. Dozens of studies have found regular exercise shows higher levels of information processing, attention, and concentration.
Stuart McLeod, Co-Founder of Karbon, found enormous benefits to his creativity and mental clarity when he started training for triathlons and prioritizing physical wellbeing.
Now, no one is asking you to do a full Ironman, but even 30 minutes of exercise a day can go a long way in preventing burnout.
Why accounting busy season can be chaotic
For accountants, busy season is a time when stress levels soar, and exhaustion can quickly become a familiar companion. Busy season survival is crucial. Some of the biggest hurdles even the most seasoned accounting professionals face include:
Client delays. Waiting on crucial information or documentation from clients can disrupt workflows and lead to bottlenecks in the preparation process.
Increased workload. The sheer volume of work during busy season can feel overwhelming, with tight deadlines, more workhours, and multiple projects competing for attention.
Navigating tax regulations. The ever-changing landscape of tax regulations adds another layer of complexity to an already demanding workload, requiring careful attention to detail and thorough tax knowledge.
Communication gaps. Ineffective communication between team members, clients, and other stakeholders can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and errors in the preparation process.
Staffing shortages. Limited resources and staffing shortages can further exacerbate the challenges of busy season, putting additional strain on the whole team.
But, by being aware and expectant of these challenges—and some of the negative emotions that come with them—you can regulate some of the factors that contribute to the frenzy.
The trick is to be proactive. One of the best things you can do for yourself and your team is to thoroughly plan and prepare well in advance of January.
Implement strategies for effective time management and establish clear priorities and deadlines for tasks, delegate responsibilities where possible, and regularly reassess and adjust schedules to ensure a manageable workload for everyone.
And, almost more importantly, choose the right accounting software to support you with it.
Choosing the right software partner for tax season
As you delve into the search for accounting practice management tools to support you during busy season, consider kick-starting your journey with Karbon’s Practice Excellence Assessment.
This personalized resource offers a comprehensive analysis of your firm’s current challenges and provides a customized list of tailored resources to help you build the practice of your dreams.
And why not start your search with Karbon, the collaborative practice management platform for modern accounting firms?
On average, firms using Karbon save every employee 16.5 hours each week.
Learn more and book a demo.
Or you can hear directly from Karbon customers about what Karbon is enabling them to do at their firm (and for their clients).